The final chapters of II Chronicles recount the reigns of the various kings, most of whom are fairly unforgettable. However, Hezekiah’s nearly 30-year reign was noteworthy, as explained in this extract from the Bible Lens in last week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson:
Thirteenth ruler of Judah, Hezekiah
reigned for nearly thirty years at the end of the eighth and beginning of the
seventh centuries BC. He
was known as a wise and pious king who exercised great military skill,
defeating the Philistines and resisting Assyrian aggression through divine
guidance (see 18:7, 8; II
Chronicles 32:9–22). Even more significant, he restored worship of
the one God, destroyed pagan shrines throughout the kingdom, and renovated the
Temple at Jerusalem (see II
Chronicles, chaps. 29–31). For these reasons, some sources compare
him to his revered predecessor, King David.
Isaiah’s charge to Hezekiah to put his
house in order may indicate that he had no heir as yet. But God promises him 15
more years of life (see II Kings 20:6), and his
son Manasseh is born during that time.
In turning his face to the wall, Hezekiah
assumes an attitude of humble prayer. Commentaries contrast this demeanor with
that of wilful King Ahab, who turned his face in displeasure at being denied a
vineyard he wanted (see I Kings 21:1–4).
The Bible
Lesson also included a passage from Isaiah
38:9, 17–19
The
writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of
his sickness: . . . Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in
love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all
my sins behind thy back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not
celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The
living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day.
The Bible Lens shares this background information:
Hezekiah’s moving petition to God and
subsequent healing is narrated in verses 1–8 and II
Kings 20:1–7 (citation 13)—and
also mentioned in II
Chronicles 32:24. His song of thanksgiving, however, appears only in
Isaiah’s account. Where the other records place the king’s cure in the context
of surrounding political events, this passage—using language similar to many
psalms—highlights Hezekiah’s change of thought from lament to praise.
Joyce
Voysey
After Hezekiah’s
passing (II Chronicles 32: 33), his twelve-year-old son Manasseh took over the
rule of Judah for the next 55 years. Manasseh seems to have had to learn his
lessons through adversity. At the beginning of his reign, he “reared up altars for Baalim” (ibid
verse 3) and “used witchcraft …and wizards” (verse
6). However, he got himself back on track following the harrowing experience of
being captured by the king of Assyria and carried off to Babylon. It was at
this point that he “humbled himself greatly…and prayed” (vv.
12-13) and was subsequently returned to his home in Jerusalem.
At Manasseh’s
passing, his twenty-two-year-old son Amon was crowned king, only to soon be
assassinated and replaced by his son, eight-year-old Josiah.
Something of
note took place during Josiah’s thirty-year reign. During a massive clean-up, the
priest Hilkiah “found a book of the law of the Lord
given by Moses” (II
Chron. 34: 14). At this point, the king’s men approached the prophetess Huldah,
who assures them that Josiah’s innate goodness will stand him in good stead.
See II Chron. 34: 22-28. When this document was read out, Josiah was truly
humbled and “made a covenant … to walk after the
Lord, and to keep his commandments … with all his heart, and with all his soul…”
(v. 31).
However, things
went quickly downhill after Josiah’s unfortunate death in battle.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, captured the new king Jehoiakim, replaced him
with his brother Zedekiah, and destroyed Jerusalem. So, the people of Judah
were captives in far-away Babylon until the Persians defeated Babylon and Cyrus
king of Persia paved the way for a new era. Long-time blog readers may remember reading about Cyrus on the site some years ago.
Julie Swannell
1 comment:
Thank you, Julie,
That was brilliant.
Grateful, girls
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