2 Kings 18:1-8
"18 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). 5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. 8 He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city."
The reign of Hezekiah was one of the best in all the history of the southern kingdom, and the sacred records, both here and in 2 Chronicles 29-31, attach great significance to it, as is clear from the amount of space they allocate to it. The account of the revival given in 2 Chronicles makes very moving reading, and reference to it will provide a valuable commentary on these verses before us. The message again is clear: given a king who was prepared for the Lord's will, the whole nation could experience a marvellous recovery. The statements made about Hezekiah in 5-7 give us a spiritual challenge containing all the essentials of New Testament experience - 'He trusted... he clave... he departed not.... but kept.... And the Lord was with him; and he prospered and he rebelled against the king of Assyria and served him not.' Nothing could point more clearly the road to blessing and victory in the Christian life. It is not without significance to note that before he took issue against the outward enemies, he first set his own house in order, dealing with the enemies within. How wise he was. Wrong loyalties and allegiances (4) had to be set right within before he could expect the blessing of God upon his efforts to throw off the Assyrian yoke and deal with the Philistines on his borders. This is the time-honoured Scriptural order, and no good can come of neglecting or reversing it. It is possible to be too optimistic in thinking that an effective outreach can be achieved on the strength of a casual inner adjustment. But God says, 'Not so.' There is too much needing radical adjustment in the Church today to allow us to hope for a real advance in our witness. We need to learn to begin where the Scriptures indicate we must. It is in the inner life of the Church that the first victories wait to be won. Read the hymn, RCH 531!