Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord

II Kings 18:5 “He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.”

                In the above verse, we can see that the scripture testifies about the trust of Hezekiah. The trust that King Hezekiah had was incomparable. The bible says that there was no other king like him who trusted in the Lord. Like how a teacher testifies about their students so is Lord shares his testimony concerning Hezekiah.  There were certain attributes of Hezekiah which attracted the Lord God. Today, let us meditate on few important qualities of Hezekiah that pleased the Lord.  

Holiness

II Kings 18:3 ‘And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.’

                Here we see Hezekiah did which was right in the sight of the Lord. Just like his ancestor David, he lived a life which was pleasing in the sight of the Lord. We see David led a life of holiness that was pleasing to God. This not only impacted his life but also his whole generation. The holiness kept passing on to his lineage for over 300 years even until the times of King Hezekiah. All the good deeds of a person will have a direct impact on his generations. But at the same time, even the bad deeds will have its own impact on our generations. In the scripture, we can read about generations that are affected due to the shortcomings of the forefathers.  We see Hezekiah followed the footsteps of his forefathers to lead a holy life which attracted the Lord God.  In Proverbs 22:28 ‘Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.’ This verse refers to the disciplines and decrees set by the fathers. We the children of God must walk according to the disciplines of our fathers and we must not remove it.

Zeal

II Kings 18:4 ‘He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.’

                We see Hezekiah was surrounded by certain abominable things. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent. Hezekiah is the first among the Kings of Judah to abolish all the idols that existed in contradiction to the Law of Moses. Hezekiah showed his zeal for the Lord which made him to raise a holy generation. Even today the Lord God expects his children to be zealous on him.

The Lord raises King Josiah after Hezekiah. Josiah was so zealous on the Lord and that brought a great revival during his time. Hezekiah and Josiah were the only two kings of Judah who were zealous for the Laws of Moses.  In II Kings 23:23,25 ‘But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem.  And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.’ King Hezekiah made the entire nation of Israel to observe the Passover feast.  Many scholars say that this was the time of Israel’s revival. We see the actions and zeal of Hezekiah became the reasons for the Lord God to bless him.

Holding on to God

II Kings 18:6 ‘For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.’

                Here we see Hezekiah kept holding the Lord God.  He did not depart from following the Lord. Hezekiah was so determined that he did not slip away being surrounded by the molten images and idols. Hezekiah was not overcome by his situations but by his zeal. He held on to God and obeyed his commands.  When we hold on to the Lord God, problems will not overcome us. The power of God will help us. The zeal we have on the Lord will change our problematic situations. The Lord God will change all the situations in our favor.

We know that Hezekiah lived a life which pleased the Lord God. We will meditate on the blessings he received from the Lord.

II Kings 18:7 ‘And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.’

Favor – As recorded in the above verse, the Lord gave his favor to Hezekiah, Everything that Hezekiah did was prosperous.  In II Chronicles 31:21 ‘And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.’ Hezekiah did everything wholeheartedly and he prospered. We the children of God should start putting our hearts in whatever we do. We need to understand that things will prosper only when we do it with God’s favor and with all our heart.

II Kings 18:7 ‘…and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.’

Authority – Hezekiah rebelled against the King of Assyria and he did not oblige to serve him. In the Bible history, we can see that before Hezekiah was a King, his father Ahaz submitted to the authority of Assyria. The Lord was with Hezekiah and had him destroy the stronghold of Assyria. The authority that King of Assyria had on Judah was destroyed.  As the Lord was with him, Hezekiah had the authority that broke the yoke of his family and was liberated. The authority of the Lord prevailed all the bondages and yokes.  Therefore, let us all put our trusts on the Lord and surrender our lives under the authority of the Lord. Amen.