Clinging to the Lord

“Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.  He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.  He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.  He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.  He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.  For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.”

2 Kings 18:1-6

Key Words:

right (yashar):  straight, level, correct, pleasing, straightforward, just, fitting, proper

trusted (batach):  to have confidence, be bold, secure, feel safe

clung (dabaq):  stick, stay close, cleave, join together, overtake

2 Kings could be one of the more depressing passages of Scripture, describing the decline of God’s people as they drifted farther and farther from their Lord. After the glory days of King David, the leaders and the people gradually and steadily accepted more of the ways and heart of the unbelievers around them. Small compromises grew into big ones; worship turned toward self-gratification and fake deities; horrible cruelties and sensualities resulted, along with just plain weird, syncretistic practices.  The kingdom split into two pieces, the northern kingdom of Israel leading the way into evil, with the southern kingdom of Judah not far behind. Down they went until they crashed and burned.

“So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.  Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs which Israel had introduced.  The Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.”  (2 Kings 17:18-20)

But out of the darkness pops Hezekiah, king of Judah and a beacon of light.

Commentators figure, from the dates given in Scripture, that Hezekiah probably co-reigned as king along with his dad, Ahaz (a wicked king) for about 13 years. Then, as soon as his dad died, Hezekiah showed himself to be a good and righteous king. The passage at top states that “He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.” And that is said about very few people in the Bible. From where did this quality of spirit and life come? Obviously it is from the sovereign grace of God. But through what means? Certainly not from his dad, unless from a reaction against him. Perhaps from his mother Abi, or one of God’s prophets?  Whatever it was, we are grateful that God did it.

2 Kings (as well as 2 Chronicles 29-31) tells about Hezekiah’s important works of reform with his people and the worship of God. But what caught my attention in this passage were a few statements about the overall quality of his spirit.

The passage says that “He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.” Hezekiah was so at rest in the goodness, holiness, and power of God that he did not fear the reactions of people when he took charge to turn things around and point them back to the Lord. His confidence was in His God, not himself nor the false gods revered for years. When Assyrian king Sennacherib threatened to overthrow Hezekiah & Jerusalem, Hezekiah tore his clothes, consulted with the prophet Isaiah, then prayed before the Lord. Go to 2 Kings 19:14 to read that prayer – wonderful! He primarily extols God as being the sovereign King over all kings, and asks Him to deliver them from Sennacherib’s hand so that the whole world would recognize the real God. He threw himself upon his Lord.

The passage also says that Hezekiah “clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments.” The same Hebrew word is used in Genesis 2:24 where it says that a man shall leave his parents and cleave to his wife. David also uses that word to describe his devotion to God in Psalm 63: “O God, Thou are my God: I shall seek Thee earnestly… My soul clings to Thee; Thy right hand upholds me.” A picture that comes to my mind is someone who has his arms desperately and tightly wrapped around a small tree below the edge of a cliff, knowing that, if he lets go, his life is over. Such was Hezekiah’s devotion and dependence upon God. Notice also that, hand-in-glove with this heart-devotion was obedience to God in his practice.

Hezekiah was not a perfect man, but he was a man after God’s heart. The Lord  placed the account of his life in the Scriptures not just as a piece of history, but for our edification: “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)

~ Tom

Comments

[Sharon Ramey]

Love your site. Great family photos.

[Dorothy]

Thank you for the encouraging post! I hope to have an opportunity to share it with Lee.