Introduction
Second Kings 20 is the third chapter devoted to King Hezekiah. We were introduced to him in chapter 18 where we learned that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as King David had done before him. And he succeeded in cleansing Judah of the corrupting influence of his father Ahaz by removing the high places and smashing the sacred stones and cutting down the Asherah poles and by cleansing the temple of all the signs of his father’s idolatry. And he trusted in the Lord; and there was no-one like him among all the kings of Judah because he held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him. While his faith may have wobbled from time to time, he was — all in all — a remarkably good and godly king.
Having given us his brief assessment of Hezekiah, our narrator then recorded for us that the king of Assyria invaded the land and attacked and captured its fortified cities. Hezekiah sent him silver and gold so that he would go away. But the king of Assyria kept coming and soon his army had camped outside Jerusalem. The Assyrian king sent his field commander to speak to Hezekiah’s officials and all the men on the wall of the city. And he mocked them from trusting in the Lord and he offered them a better life in the land of Assyria if only they will give up and surrender.
When Hezekiah heard what the king of Assyria had said through his field commander, he sent his officials to Isaiah the prophet to ask him to pray for them. And the prophet sent back an encouraging message from the Lord. There was no need for Hezekiah to be afraid, because the Lord will deal with the Assyrians on their behalf. And sure enough, one night the angel of the Lord went through the Assyrian camp and put to death 185,000 of the soldiers. The king of Assyria therefore broke camp and withdrew. Although he was a great and mighty king who had captured many cities and had conquered many nations, he was unable to capture Jerusalem. And 20 years later, while he was worshipping his god, two of his sons murdered him and another son took over his throne.
The Lord announced through Isaiah that there was no need for Hezekiah to be afraid, because he would deal with the Assyrian king. And he did. And this is our God. He rules over the nations of the world. For a time he allowed the Assyrian king to succeed and to conquer many nations. But when the Assyrian king mocked the Lord and those who trusted in him, the Lord God Almighty humbled him. And in the end, the Lord God Almighty will humble every nation of the world and the only kingdom left standing will be the kingdom of his Son, who came into the world as one of us and who suffered and died on behalf of his people to rescue them from sin and death; and who was raised from the dead to rule over all things in heaven and on earth for the sake of his people. And he’s extending his kingdom throughout the world through the preaching of his word. And we enter it and become members of it through faith and repentance: by turning in repentance from our sin and unbelief; and by turning with faith to Christ our Saviour–King. And all who belong to his kingdom will live with him for ever.
Today we come to chapter 20 which records for us two more events in the life of Hezekiah. In verses 1 to 11 we read about a time when he suffered from some kind of life-threatening illness. And in verses 12 to 19 we read about a time when messengers from Babylon came to see him. And the chapter concludes in verses 20 and 21 by telling us that the other events of his reign are recorded in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah and he died and rested with his fathers.
Verses 1 to 11
Let’s turn to verses 1 to 11 where we read about a time when he suffered from some kind of life-threatening illness.
The narrator says in verse 1 that ‘In those days’ Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The phrase ‘In those days’ is ambiguous, isn’t it? Which days is he referring to? When did Hezekiah become ill? We’re used to biographies and history books taking everything in chronological order. So, if we’re reading a biography, it begins with the person’s birth and ends with the person’s death and each chapter takes us through the subject’s life from beginning to end in chronological order: this is what she did in her youth; this is what she did in her 20s; this is what she did in her 30s; and so on. But sometimes an author will jump about. He might begin the biography with the subject’s death. Or, after telling us about something in the subject’s 50s, he’ll jump back to the subject’s childhood, because something in her childhood influenced what she did when she was older. In other words, while authors normally follow chronological order, they don’t have to. They can jump back and forth through time when necessary.
And we think our narrator is doing that here. So, we think the events of chapter 20 did not happen after the events of chapters 18 and 19. We think the events of chapter 20 happened around the same time as the events in chapters 18 and 19. And so, ‘in those days’, or ‘during that time’, this is what happened to Hezekiah. And one of the reasons we think this is because we read in verses 4 to 6 that God sent Isaiah the prophet to tell Hezekiah that the Lord will save the king and the city from the hand of the king of Assyria. That tells us that Hezekiah became ill before the king of Assyria had withdrawn from Judah.
And so, what happened in those days when the king of Assyria was threatening Jerusalem? Hezekiah became ill. So ill that he was at the point of death. He was at death’s door. And Isaiah the prophet came to him while he was on his sick bed. But this was no ordinary pastoral visit. Isaiah was not sent by God to offer the king words of comfort. He was sent by God to announce to the king that he will surely die: put your house in order, settle your affairs, because you are going to die. And just to make sure there’s no doubt about it, he also adds that the king will not recover. You are going to die; you will not recover. What a message!
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall. That might sound like he’s given up: he’s turned his face to the wall to wait for the inevitable. However, it’s more likely that it means he turned his face to the wall so that he could pray in private. And in his prayer, he appealed to the Lord to remember how he walked before the Lord faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and that he had sought to do good in God’s eyes. This might seem to us that he’s boasting about his own righteousness. It reminds us of the Lord’s parable of the Pharisee who stood up in the temple and prayed about himself and who boasted about himself. However, I don’t think Hezekiah is boasting like that. I think we’re to understand his words within the context of the covenant which God made with his people through Moses, when God promised to send curses on the disobedient and to bless those who obey him. And our narrator has already made clear to us that Hezekiah was a good and godly king who trusted in the Lord and was obedient to him. And so, believing God’s promise through Moses that God will bless his obedient people, Hezekiah appealed to the Lord to remember that he was not one of the wicked who disobeys God; he is one of those who loves the Lord and who tries to obey him. And so, will you remember to show me mercy? Will you remember to bless me and not to curse me? And after praying to the Lord like this, Hezekiah wept bitterly.
And our narrator tells us in verse 4 that before Isaiah had left the building, the word of the Lord came to him. God told him to go back and to tell Hezekiah that he had heard his prayer and seen his tears and that he will heal Hezekiah. And on the third day, Hezekiah will be allowed to go back to the temple. That suggests that whatever the illness was, it prevented him from going to the temple. Presumably it was one of those illnesses which we read about in the book of Leviticus which made a person ceremonially unclean so that they were not allowed to enter God’s holy dwelling-place. However, three days from now, Hezekiah will be allowed to return to the temple to worship the Lord. And the Lord assured the king that he will give the king 15 more years. Furthermore, he promised that he will deliver the king and the city from the hand of the Assyrians. God promised to defend the city for his own sake and for the sake of David. In other words, because of the Lord’s promise to David that one of David’s descendants will always sit on his throne, he will defend the city from the Assyrians and will preserve David’s royal line of descendants.
And having delivered the message, Isaiah gave orders for some kind of poultice to be prepared and applied to the king’s boil. Just as the Lord Jesus applied mud to the eyes of a blind man’s eyes in order to restore his sight, so Isaiah applied a poultice to Hezekiah’s boil in order to restore his health.
And it seems from what we read in verse 8 that Hezekiah had asked Isaiah for a sign to reassure him that it was indeed God’s will for him to be healed. After all, one minute Isaiah had said he will die and not recover. The next minute, Isaiah said he will be healed. So, can it be true? Can he have a sign to know for sure that he will really recover? And the Lord provided a sign by causing a shadow to go back ten steps. Presumably there was a staircase somewhere in the palace on which the sun would cast a shadow and the shadow would move forward through the day. But as a sign to reassure Hezekiah, the Lord caused the shadow to go backwards and not forwards for a time.
Verses 12 to 19
Before thinking about the significance of that event, let’s move straight on to the second event which is recorded for us in verses 12 to 19
At that time the king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, because he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness. Presumably he wanted to congratulate the king on his recovery and to offer him his best wishes. However, the commentators think that it’s likely that the king of Babylon was also hoping to form some kind of alliance with Judah against Assyria. And according to verse 13, Hezekiah received the messengers. In other words, he gave them a warm welcome. And he showed them all that was in his storehouses: the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine oil. He also showed them his armoury and everything found among his treasures. You might recall from chapter 18 that Hezekiah gave all his silver and gold to the king of Assyria to persuade him to leave them alone. And so, either the messengers from Babylon arrived before Hezekiah had emptied his treasury or else he was able to replenish his treasury soon afterwards. This second option corresponds with what we read in 2 Chronicles 32 where it says that, after the Lord saved them from the Assyrians, many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts for Hezekiah. And it says that from that time on, Hezekiah was highly regarded by all the nations. You get the impression that just as people from around the world brought gifts to King Solomon, they now brought gifts to King Hezekiah. His fame spread throughout the world because of the way the Lord had helped him. And so, it’s possible that he was able to fill his treasury once more after emptying it for the Assyrians.
In any case, Hezekiah showed the messengers from Babylon all his wealth. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
The commentators criticise Hezekiah because it seems to them that he was open to the idea of forming an alliance with Babylon. They think the reason he showed them his wealth was to convince them that it would be wise for them to ally themselves with Judah, because look how wealthy Judah is. And therefore the commentators criticise Hezekiah for trusting in foreign powers instead of trusting in the Lord. Instead of relying on Babylon for help against his enemies, he should have trusted in the Lord.
However, when we read 2 Chronicles 32, which covers the same time period, Hezekiah is faulted, not for his lack of faith, but for his pride. And that suggests that the reason he showed the Babylonians all his riches was because he was showing off. He was boasting to them about his successes. And yet, where did his success come from? It came from the Lord. Instead of boasting about himself, he should have boasted in the Lord who had saved him from his illness and who had filled his life with good things and who had promised to rescue them from Assyria.
In any case, Isaiah went to the king to ask him about what the messengers said and where did they come from and what did you show them. Hezekiah replied that they came from Babylon and that he showed them everything. ‘There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.’
And that’s when Isaiah announced to Hezekiah another message from the Lord. The Lord announced that the time will surely come when everything in the palace will be carried off to Babylon. So, Hezekiah had boasted to the Babylonians about his great wealth. But the day will come when the Babylonians will take it away. ‘Nothing will be left’, said the Lord. Judah will be devastated. It will be stripped of all its wealth. And some of Hezekiah’s descendants, his own flesh and blood, will be taken away and will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
Just as the Lord sent the people of the northern kingdom of Israel into exile, so he will do the same to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah. Because of their sin and rebellion over many generations, the Lord will send them far away from the Promised Land and far away from his presence.
Hezekiah’s response in verse 19 puzzles the commentators. Some think he’s being very callous and cold, because it seems to them that he’s saying, ‘Well, that’s their problem. Things will be fine during my reign and the exile is for another generation to worry about. I don’t care about what will happen to them.’ But others think he’s expressing gratitude to the Lord: ‘I’m grateful to God for his message and because of the mercy he’s showing to me and my generation. The Lord could have sent us into exile, but he’s willing to postpone the exile so that we won’t have to suffer it.’ And since our narrator has already told us that — all in all — Hezekiah was a good and godly king, who trusted in the Lord and who walked in his ways, I’m inclined to interpret his words positively. He’s not being callous and cold, but he’s expressing gratitude to God for his mercy to them.
Application 1
So, that’s Hezekiah’s life and reign. What does his life and reign teach us about the Lord Jesus Christ? After all, all of the kings we read about in the Old Testament point forward to and foreshadow Christ the King who was coming into the world. So, what can we learn about Christ the King from Hezekiah?
I want to suggest that we can take the first event in this chapter as pointing forward in a sense to the death and resurrection of Christ our King. And the reason I say that is because Hezekiah was at the point of death. He was as good as dead. He was a dead man walking. And yet, the Lord raised him up from his death bed and gave him back his life. Furthermore, the Lord announced that, not only would Hezekiah recover, but that the Lord will deliver both the king and the city from the hands of the Assyrians.
And so, God rescued the king. And in rescuing the king, God also rescued the people. And that points us to Christ’s death and resurrection. Christ our King lay down, not on his death bed, but he lay down in the grave. He died on the cross and his dead body was laid in the tomb. And he remained under the power of death for three days. But then God raised him from the dead. He lifted him from the grave. He gave him new, resurrected life so that he will live forever and will never ever die again.
And in rescuing Christ the King, he also rescued us and all who trust in Christ the King. Because the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead, so all who are united to him through faith will be raised from the dead. Though we will still die, death will not triumph over us for ever, because Christ our King has conquered death on our behalf. And just as God raised Christ the King from the dead, so he will raise us from the dead. Just as God delivered him, so he will deliver us.
And this is why we do not need to fear the grave or death or dying, because we know that, for those who trust in Christ the King, death is not the end, but it’s the doorway into eternal life in the presence of God. As soon as we die, the souls of believers return to God our Father who made us to await the resurrection of our bodies, which will take place when Christ the King returns. And when he comes, he will say the word and the dead will be raised. Those who never believed in him in this life will be raised to be punished forever in body and soul for all that they have done wrong. But those who believed in him in this life will be raised to enjoy everlasting life in body and soul in the presence of God for ever. And while we go on living in this world, he gives us his Holy Spirit to reassure us that these things are true and that — despite our present suffering and sorrow — we will nevertheless live with the Lord for ever and for ever, where we will be happy for ever.
And so, we can face all the troubles and trials of this life and endure them, because we know it is not for ever. It’s not for ever. And after this troubled life is over, God will raise us to new life and bring us into that new and better world to come.
Application 2
And what else can we learn about Christ the King from the life and reign of Hezekiah? Well, Hezekiah could do nothing about the coming disaster. He could do nothing to stop the Babylonians from invading the land of Judah in the future and taking away all their wealth and all their people. The Lord assured Hezekiah that the Babylonians were coming and they would carry away all their riches and they would leave nothing behind. Diaster was coming on the land and its people and Hezekiah could do nothing to stop it.
And God has made clear in his word that the day of judgment is coming, when everyone will stand before God’s judgment seat and will be judged for all that they have done wrong. And those who are condemned at the judgment will be taken away to suffer the pains of hell for ever as punishment for all that we have done wrong in this life. That day of disaster is coming.
But the good news is that Christ our King rescues his people from that coming day of disaster. He’s able to rescue us from it because he took the blame for what we have done wrong; he suffered the punishment we deserve for our disobedience; he bore the wrath of God in our place in order to rescue us from it.
Hezekiah was not able to do anything about the coming day of disaster when the Babylonians invaded the land and took the people away. But Christ our King has done all that was necessary to save his people from the coming day of disaster when God will judge the world. And if Jesus Christ is your Saviour, if you’re trusting in him, then you can rejoice, because he has rescued you from that day. Instead of facing God’s judgment, you can look forward to everlasting life in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus our King who loved us and who gave up his life for us and for our eternal salvation.
Sermons and Stuff 