Lessons From a Victorious King
“The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. ”
Last week, I discussed the ongoing war between the Israelites and the Philistines. This week, I want to focus on a King who defeated the Philistines and lived a life faithful to God - King Hezekiah.
He defeated the Philistines. He faced intimidation and setbacks, but he overcame. His prayer was so powerful, it convinced God to change His mind and original plan. There’s a lot we can learn about and through him, but one blog post isn’t nearly enough space to do so. So, I’ve narrowed down a few lessons from Hezekiah’s reign that are applicable to our battles with chronic illnesses and other challenges in life.
Consider what you may have put above God
He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan. 2 Kings 18:4 NKJV
There are objects - people, places, things - that, if we are not careful, we will place above God in regards to importance, power, and time consumption. In addition to making our illnesses idols, we can also make the objects that have impacted our illnesses, or vice versa, into false gods. Doctors, treatments, support systems, and/or disabling effects can all shift focus away from God. And that’s not to negate the importance of those things, but if we really think about who or what we illuminate, does God shine the brightest?
What struck me the most about Hezekiah tearing down these idols was the bronze serpent. The serpent had been erected by Moses 700 years prior as an act of obedience to God, Who used the bronze statue to prevent death from coming to the Israelites who were bitten by snakes in the wilderness. But post-wilderness, the people turned it into an idol, treating it as an item of worship.
While we may not be worshipping ancient statues, it is awfully easy to place false importance on objects which God has used previously to comfort or help us. For example, if one prayed for the best doctor, and her prayer was answered, does she now only look to her doctor rather than to God? Or if someone prayed for relief and that relief came in the form of medication, does he view the medication as the sole respite, or is God’s hand in relief glorified? It is a trap that I think most of us are vulnerable to, which is why we have to continually search our hearts for those things that are consuming us.
Stay upright and the rest will fall into place
He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. 2 Kings 18:5-6
This one is straightforward, yet seems to be the hardest for us to actually accomplish; and given the plan of the enemy, that makes sense. There are four things the Bible states before telling us that “The Lord was with him” (vs. 7): Trust, hold fast (cling to), do not depart from following Him, and keep His commandments. Now we know and rejoice in the fact that if we mess up in these areas, we have received grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. But we shouldn’t set ourselves up to fail. These four items should constantly be in our hearts and minds, not just as a prerequisite for God’s presence, but because of who He is, has been, and will continue to be for us.
I’ll be the first to admit that living the upright with a chronic illness is very hard. We will fail as humans in this fallen world. But what we do in response to the failure is just as important as the initial act(s). If you didn’t trust God in a particular area, you can always replace the trust back in Him. If you have let your grip on God loosen, it’s not necessary to let Him go all the way, just tighten your grip again. If you stepped off the path He was leading you on, the path is still there - get back on. And if you have sinned, it was already conquered by the grave, so repent, move on, and don’t repeat it. Let these four areas usher you into a closer relationship with God.
Take everything to God in prayer
So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 2 Kings 19:9b;14-16
King Hezekiah faced an onslaught of intimidation tactics and contempt of God from the king of Assyria. What Hezekiah was hearing and looking at would have been frightening to any King - the Assyrian army was huge and had been victorious in nearly every one of its battles. But remember, Hezekiah trusted the Lord. He commanded his messengers to not respond to the threats (18:36), he consulted the prophet Isaiah, and then laid the situation out in prayer.
God’s response is all we need to know about God’s reaction to prayer: “Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard” (19:20b). God then destroyed the Assyrian army. And He will move some things out of the way for us too if we just bring them to Him.
Learn to Lament
In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’” Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. 2 Kings 20:1-5b
Crying out to God is one of the most powerful forms of prayer. We see lament throughout the Bible, including a profound example from Jesus. We really should learn how to and practice bringing our deepest pain, confusion, and misery to God. Hezekiah shows us exactly how to do it.
This passage is proof that prayer is very, very powerful. So powerful, it has influence with our omnipotent, sovereign God. Hezekiah was facing death when he cried out, so whatever you’re facing is worth the effort of lamenting.
To sum it up, everything above can be placed into the category of posture. Our uprightness, that is, integrity and righteousness, really do matter. We need to cling to God, always facing in the direction He is leading us. And of course, we should continually be in a posture of prayer. His presence goes with those who are positioned to receive His intercession. And His presence always leads to victory.