Hezekiah king in Judah
2 Kings Chapter 18
While Israel is suffering defeat at the hands of the Assyrians, the faithfulness of King Hezekiah in Judah finds God’s favor and protects the southern kingdom.
Hezekiah becomes king at the age of 25, succeeding his father, the unrighteous King Ahaz.
While Hezekiah isn’t the only king to be considered righteous, he goes much further than any of the other faithful kings and “removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.” He even destroys the bronze snake Moses had made as it has become an object of worship.
The author praises Hezekiah highly, saying, “There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.”
God is with the righteous Hezekiah, allowing him to rebel against the Assyrian king and fend off the Philistines.
It appears, though, that his success may not last. When the Assyrian king takes the fortified cities of Judah, Hezekiah is forced to apologize publicly and resume the payment of tribute, emptying the royal treasury and forcing him to have gold stripped from the temple to pay what was demanded.
Even that only holds off the Assyrians for a time, and soon the mighty Assyrian army is at the very walls of Jerusalem.
Hezekiah sends out some of his officials to talk with the Assyrian commander. In a humiliating move, they ask him to speak to them in Aramaic so that the Hebrew people listening from the wall won’t be able to understand the threats being made. The Assyrians continue to use the Hebrew language and deliberately goad the listening people with threats of what their fate will be if they continue to resist, and promises of a better life under Assyrian rule.
Terrified, the officials return to Hezekiah with their report.