Hezekiah Gets Sick And Dies
November 26, 2019
Commentary
Hezekiah got sick and almost died (v. 24). He prayed, and the Lord gave him a sign that he would recover. He was so proud that he refused to thank the Lord for everything He had done for him (v. 25). This made the Lord angry, and He punished Hezekiah and the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Later, Hezekiah and the people were sorry and asked the Lord to forgive them (v. 26). As a result, the Lord did not punish them as long as Hezekiah was king. Hezekiah was very rich, and everyone respected him (v. 27). Later he built special rooms to store the silver, the gold, the precious stones, the spices, the shields, and other valuable possessions. Storehouses were also built for his grain, wine, and olive oil and barns were built for his cattle and pens for his sheep (v. 28).
God made Hezekiah extremely rich, so he bought even more sheep, goats, and cattle while he built towns where he could keep all these animals (v. 29). It was Hezekiah who built a tunnel that carried the water from Gihon Spring into the city of Jerusalem. Everything he did was successful (v. 30). The leaders of Babylonia sent messengers to ask Hezekiah about a sign God had given him (v. 31). God let him give his own answer to test him and to see if he would remain faithful. Everything he did while he was king is included in the records kept by Isaiah the prophet (v. 32). These are written in 1stand 2nd kings. When he died, he was buried in the section of the royal tombs that were reserved for the most respected people, and everyone in Judah and Jerusalem honored him (v. 33). His son Manasseh then became king.
Application
All our riches mean nothing (Matt. 6:19-21). All I desire to do is trust Him, love Him, and serve Him.
2 Chronicles 32:24– 33 (NET)
24 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a sign confirming that he would be healed. 25 But Hezekiah was ungrateful; he had a proud attitude, provoking God to be angry at him, as well as Judah and Jerusalem. 26 But then Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves and abandoned their pride, and the Lord was not angry with them for the rest of Hezekiah’s reign.
27 Hezekiah was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made storehouses for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all his other valuable possessions. 28 He made storerooms for the harvest of grain, wine, and olive oil, and stalls for all his various kinds of livestock and his flocks. 29 He built royal cities and owned a large number of sheep and cattle, for God gave him a huge amount of possessions.
30 Hezekiah dammed up the source of the waters of the Upper Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah succeeded in all that he did. 31 So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and inquire about the sign that occurred in the land, God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives.
32 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign, including his faithful deeds, are recorded in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, included in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 Hezekiah passed away and was buried on the ascent of the tombs of the descendants of David. All the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem buried him with great honor. His son Manasseh replaced him as king.