King
Hezekiah
13th King of Judah
715–686 BC
Biography
Hezekiah became king at twenty-five and immediately threw open the Temple doors his father had shut, purified the Temple, reinstated the Levitical priests, and hosted a nationwide Passover celebration that drew even people from the northern kingdom. He removed high places, smashed sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah pole, and destroyed the bronze serpent of Moses (Nehushtan) which people had been burning incense to. When Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah and his field commander Rabshakeh blasphemed God, Hezekiah spread the letter before the LORD in the Temple and prayed. That night the angel of the LORD struck 185,000 Assyrian soldiers dead. When illness brought him near death, he prayed and wept, and God gave him 15 more years — and as a sign, the shadow on Ahaz's sundial went back ten steps. He also made a fatal diplomatic mistake showing Babylonian envoys all his treasury, prompting Isaiah to prophesy the Babylonian exile.
Key Events
- 1Reopened and purified the Temple2 Chronicles 29:3-11 →
In his first year, first month, opened the Temple doors and commissioned the Levites to purify it
- 2Greatest Passover since Solomon2 Chronicles 30:26 →
Sent invitations throughout Israel and Judah; the resulting Passover celebration was the greatest since Solomon's time
- 3Removed high places2 Kings 18:4 →
Removed high places, smashed sacred pillars, cut Asherah poles, and broke Nehushtan the bronze serpent
- 4Sennacherib's invasion2 Kings 18:13-19:37 →
185,000 Assyrian soldiers struck dead by the angel of the LORD after Hezekiah spread Sennacherib's letter before God in the Temple
- 5Prayer for healing — 15 more years2 Kings 20:1-11 →
When told he would die, Hezekiah prayed and wept; God gave him 15 more years; sundial shadow went back 10 steps
- 6Foolish display to Babylon2 Kings 20:12-19 →
Showed Babylonian envoys all his treasuries; Isaiah prophesied this would lead to the Babylonian captivity
Key Verses
“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. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses.”
Spiritual Significance
Hezekiah is the supreme example in Judah of what happens when a king thoroughly trusts God: reformation, revival, miraculous military deliverance, and personal healing. His life is also a sobering reminder that even the best can make foolish decisions born of pride.
Character Profile
- Strengths
- Wholehearted trust in God, bold prayer, sweeping religious reform, courageous faith against impossible odds, engineering projects
- Weaknesses
- Pride in showing his wealth to Babylon; the 15-year extension that produced Manasseh
- Lessons
- Prayer is more powerful than armies. Hezekiah's greatest victories came on his knees — before God in the Temple for his nation and before God in his bedroom for his life. The God who answers prayer is the same God who defeats empires. Even the best kings can make spiritually costly decisions when pride replaces prayer.