Hezekiah, one of Judah’s most righteous kings, became very sick. The prophet Isaiah went to him to tell the king that he would not recover from this illness. The king was devastated by the news and wept, crying out to Yahweh in a passionate prayer. Yahweh heard his prayer and told Isaiah to return to the king for Yahweh adjusted His will, extending the kings life for fifteen years. Later, the king, in pride showed off too much wealth to Babylonia envoys who came to celebrated his miraculous recovery. Isaiah chastened the king for this and prophesied the consequence which was fulfilled a century later.
A Rally to Prayer
The armies of Assyria have again invaded Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah. Though in the past he capitulated to Assyria, this time he will not. Hearing the report that Assyria is determine to do to Judah what they did to the Northern Kingdom, Hezekiah goes to the house of God and sends men to ask Isaiah the prophet to pray. Isaiah was already seeking the Lord and had a ready answer. The invasion of Judah ended soon after when Yahweh sent His angel and destroyed 185,000 Assyrian troops in a single night.
The Voice of Satan
Hezekiah is now the King of Judah. He was a great man of God and king. He quickly reforms the kingdom, purging as much idolatry out of Judah as he can. But in his first confrontation with the Assyrian world power he caves in and pays tribute. Years later Assyria comes to him again, intending to do to Judah as it did to Israel; carry them out of the land. This time Hezekiah stands up to them, but not before Assyria’s field commander broadcast his propaganda mocking the God of the Jews, it is the voice of Satan with all its blaspheme, error, intimidation and vulgarity.
The Loss of a Kingdom
Hoshea, the last king of the Northern Kingdom (Israel), takes steps with Egypt to escape paying tribute to Assyria. Assyria finds out and imprisons him and that is last we hear of the last King of the North. Then Assyria besieges the capital city, finally conquers it and takes away all of the northern kingdom’s people to foreign lands. It is because of their idolatry, and disobedience, including child sacrifice, that God judged them using Assyria. The historian in this chapter unleashes a scathing sermon rebuking the loss of the kingdom because of their astounding apostasy for the sake of future generations.
Because of Him !
This king, Ahaz, was the son and grandson of two good kings and yet he is forever know as the king who “brought Judah low,” and the one who “had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD.” Not only did he see a pagan altar in Syria and had a duplicate made to replace the brazen altar in God’s temple in Jerusalem, but he also practiced child sacrifice. Rather than repent before God when chasten through defeat, he increased his animosity towards God in outward pagan displays.