Hezekiah / 2 Kings 18-20

Good morning, church! Today, we are diving into the story of a man named Hezekiah. His story is found in the book of 2 Kings, chapters 18 through 20. Now, we are not going to go verse by verse through all three chapters—we would be here all day—but we are going to tell the story.

My hope is that we as a church can flex our imagination muscles just a little bit. My desire is to place you right into the middle of the narrative so you can understand what was truly happening during the time of Hezekiah.

The Subtle Danger of Pride

Hezekiah’s story is filled with tension. He was a man of remarkable faithfulness, yet he ultimately succumbed to pride.

C.S. Lewis wrote about this in his classic book, Mere Christianity. He said:

“Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”

Pride is that subtle poison that keeps you from celebrating the achievements and victories of others. Pride is what stops you from admitting you need help or apologizing when you are wrong. It leads us to lie about our past or buy things we have no business buying, just to convince people we are somebody we are not.

And pride has this unique quality: it is so easy to spot in someone else, yet almost impossible to see in the mirror. Today, we are going to look at the downfall pride brings into the life of someone who was once deeply faithful.

A Kingdom Covered in Idolatry

Flex those imagination muscles with me. Imagine what it would have been like for Hezekiah, twenty-five years old, taking the throne on his very first day.

I picture King Hezekiah ascending to the royal balcony overlooking the entire kingdom of Judah. He places his hands on the balcony railing and looks out over everything that has just become his responsibility. As he stands there, he takes a deep breath and lets out an enormous sigh. It is not a sigh of relief; it is a sigh of deep sorrow.

As he looks out over his kingdom, every single inch is covered in idolatry. He sees the spiritual failures of his fathers and grandfathers—their failure to do what God called them to do, which was to remain faithful to the one true God. Standing at that railing, Hezekiah says to himself, There is a lot of work to be done.

Hezekiah’s early reign was defined by decimating idols, ridding Judah of false worship, and leading the people into one of the greatest revitalizations of faith Scripture records. Hezekiah was a man of great faith. The Israelites had strayed so far from God’s original calling that Hezekiah even had to destroy the bronze serpent Moses had made—the very serpent once meant to save them, which the people had turned into a false god. In those first fourteen years, Hezekiah walked in remarkable faithfulness.

The Shadow of Assyria

Six years into his reign, imagine Hezekiah back on that very same balcony. He rests his hands on the same railing, looking out over a very different reality. This time, he sighs again—not with sorrow, but with fear.

As Hezekiah looks out, powerful nations are collapsing one after another before the King of Assyria. A servant runs up and delivers the devastating news: “King Hezekiah, the North has fallen.” Hezekiah watches the Northern Kingdom of Israel crumble. In that moment, he takes a breath, wondering when the Assyrians will come knocking on his own door.

That knock would not come for eight more years. During that time, King Hezekiah lived faithfully and the kingdom prospered as he led them in spiritual renewal. But in his fourteenth year, the knock finally came.

King Sennacherib of Assyria sent his delegates and his massive army into Judah. City after fortified city fell. These were cities surrounded by massive walls—cities that should have held—yet they were no match for the Assyrian war machine. Forty-six fortified cities were conquered, and Sennacherib carried over 200,000 Judeans into exile.

Hezekiah felt the grip of Assyria tightening directly around Judah. He knew it was only a matter of time before they reached the gates of Jerusalem.

Sure enough, a servant rushed into the palace: “They are here. They are at the gates. What do you want us to do?”

Hezekiah sent out his royal delegates to meet the Assyrian delegates, resulting in an intense standoff. The Assyrian leaders were there to intimidate. They wanted Jerusalem to surrender without a fight; they wanted the keys to the city handed over. They promised the people prosperity if they surrendered, and threatened unimaginable horrors if they resisted—graphic, horrific conditions of starvation and siege.

Standing by the upper pool just west of the city gates, the Assyrian delegate mocked King Hezekiah and mocked the Living God: “What world are you living in? Do you really believe your army can defeat ours? Do you think your God can defend you? Look at the other nations that have fallen—their gods didn’t save them. Do you really think your God can save you?”

Faith in the Face of Impossible Odds

Hezekiah did what many of us might do in moments of panic: he sought a political peace. He bowed to the King of Assyria. Sennacherib demanded an enormous tribute for peace: one ton of gold and eleven tons of silver.

Hezekiah stripped the city to pay it. He pulled gold and silver from every building, even ripping the gold overlays off the doors of the Temple of the Lord to hand over to the Assyrians.

Yet it was not enough. The Assyrian king returned, demanding complete surrender.

This time, Hezekiah and his people remained silent and walked away. The Scriptures tell us they tore their clothes in deep lamentation and wept, crying out over the impending doom. But in tearing his robes, Hezekiah remembered who his God truly was.

He sent a delegation to the prophet Isaiah, asking him to plead with the Lord on their behalf. God responded with an astonishing promise: Sennacherib would not enter Jerusalem, nor would his army shoot a single arrow into the city.

Put yourself in Hezekiah’s shoes. You are surrounded by the most terrifying military force on the planet, and God tells you they won’t even shoot an arrow. From a human perspective, things looked utterly hopeless. Yet Hezekiah chose to trust God.

That night, the King and his people went to sleep. When they awoke, God had moved in power. Outside the gates of Jerusalem, 185,000 Assyrian soldiers lay dead.

Can you imagine waking up in the Assyrian camp? Sennacherib woke up to absolute devastation without a single clash of swords or breach of the walls. Sennacherib fled back to his homeland, where God’s word was fulfilled: he was struck down by the sword in his own temple.

Deliverance, Sickness, and a Glimpse of Pride

To the surrounding world, it looked like Hezekiah had miraculously defeated the invincible Assyrian army. While we know God won the victory, Hezekiah received immense accolades and worldwide fame.

Around that same time, King Hezekiah fell critically ill. This was not a mild cold or the flu; this was terminal. The prophet Isaiah visited him and delivered a blunt message: “Put your house in order, because you are going to die.”

Hezekiah was broken by this news. He fell to his knees and wept bitterly, pleading with God. But listen closely to how he prayed, because we begin to catch a glimpse of subtle pride creeping in: “Lord, remember how I have walked before you faithfully and with a whole heart? Remember all the good things I have done?”

Even with that hint of self-reliance, God was gracious. God was pleased that in his deepest hour of need, Hezekiah hit his knees and acknowledged that only the Lord could save him.

As Isaiah was walking across the palace courtyard, the word of the Lord stopped him: “Turn back around. Tell Hezekiah I have heard his prayer, I have seen his tears, and I will add fifteen years to his life.”

The Trap of Celebrity and Wealth

Hezekiah was healed. He was a man with a new lease on life, the conqueror of Assyria, a celebrity king known across the ancient world.

And that is when pride fully took root.

One day, there was another knock at the palace gates. It was not the Assyrians; it was envoys from Babylon, the rising global superpower. Hezekiah welcomed them in. In his mind, he may have thought, Could it be that they want an alliance with the great King Hezekiah? Do they see my greatness? Could Judah finally have the powerful ally we’ve always needed?

Hezekiah took the Babylonian envoys on a grand tour of his kingdom. He showed them every vault, every armory, every ounce of gold, silver, and treasure. It was foolish beyond measure, but pride had completely blinded him.

Hezekiah knew what God had commanded through the prophet Isaiah regarding misplaced trust.

Isaiah 31:1 (NASB)

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help [And] rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!

Yet Hezekiah ignored God’s word and sought validation in foreign power and his own wealth.

Isaiah came to Hezekiah and declared God’s judgment: the day was coming when Babylon would carry away everything Hezekiah had shown them. His descendants would be taken into exile and made servants in the palace of Babylon.

Look at Hezekiah’s tragic response to this devastating prophecy:

2 Kings 20:19 (NASB)

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good.’ For he thought, ‘Is it not so, if there will be peace and truth in my days?’

Hezekiah thought to himself, At least there will be peace and security in my lifetime. In his pride, he was content as long as he was comfortable, unconcerned with the generations that followed.

Hezekiah was a faithful king derailed by pride. God desires lifelong faithfulness from His people—He is concerned with how we finish, not just how we started.

Hosea 13:6 (NASB)

As [they had] their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me.

This is precisely what happened to Hezekiah. He had achievements, attention, and affluence.

Hezekiah experienced historic achievements—he removed the high places, led a national revival, survived terminal illness, and saw the Assyrian army destroyed. But those accomplishments brought worldwide attention.

2 Chronicles 32:23 (NASB)

And many were bringing gifts to the LORD at Jerusalem and choice presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter.

That attention quickly translated into immense affluence as foreign leaders brought gifts and tributes.

2 Chronicles 32:22 (NASB)

So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all [others], and guided them on every side.

Scripture describes the extent of what this wealth produced in his heart.

2 Chronicles 32:27-29 (NASB)

Now Hezekiah had immense riches and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuable articles, storehouses also for the produce of grain, wine and oil, pens for all kinds of cattle and sheepfolds for the flocks. He made cities for himself and acquired flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very great wealth.

Notice verse 29: “He made cities for himself.” The once-faithful king had become utterly consumed with himself.

Three Implications for Us Today

We all know people like Hezekiah—people with incredible accomplishments, public attention, affluence, and power. When they walk into a room, heads turn. They have the resources to help or hurt.

As I describe that, you are probably picturing someone specific in your mind. But here is the challenge: you are probably not picturing yourself.

Yet there are over three billion people in this world living on less than $2.25 a day who would look at your life and see immense wealth, power, and influence. We all possess the capacity to think of ourselves as greater than we are. We all have the capacity to fall into the trap of looking at our lives and saying, “Look at what I have built.”

This story carries three direct implications for how we live as believers.

1. Make God Famous, Not Ourselves

God is doing incredible things in and through The Well Community Church. Just a few weeks ago, Brad shared from this stage that our church grew by 500 people this past year.

The great danger is thinking that we are somehow responsible for what God is doing. As we build buildings, as numbers grow, and as people surrender their lives to Christ, our natural human tendency is to say, “Look at what a great church we are.”

That is the exact temptation that ensnared Hezekiah. We must commit, with everything in us, to make God famous in Fresno. Our purpose is to point people to Jesus Christ, never to our own accomplishments.

2. Live in “What’s Next,” Not “Look What I’ve Done”

We cannot live in the past. We must live with an eye toward what God has for us next.

I know this church is filled with faithful people who have served for decades. We have volunteers who faithfully care for three-year-olds every Sunday—which is truly holy work! We have people in this room who were part of the original “living room group” when this church was first planted.

Whether you serve toddlers, lead in youth ministry, have walked with Jesus for forty years, or were here on day one of this church, hear this: as long as God gives you breath in your lungs, He has a mission for you.

Let us be a church of action and momentum. When a ministry need arises, let there be so many willing servants stepping up that we run out of spots. Let us never rest on past victories, but continually ask God what He wants us to do next.

3. Look to Jesus, Who Makes Us Whole

Finally, this is for anyone here who feels far from God, or who came today unsure of what you believe. Maybe you came because you know someone who loves Jesus, and you are wondering if He might be the answer to the brokenness in your life.

I want you to know that faithful Christians, pastors, elders, and leaders still battle pride. We are not perfect. Hezekiah was not perfect.

Only Jesus is perfect. He is the only One who offers complete forgiveness when we fail, and He alone gives eternal life to everyone who trusts in Him.

If you came here hoping Jesus would make you instantly flawless, you will walk away disappointed. But if you came hoping Jesus can heal your brokenness and make you whole again—He can, and He will. If that is you, please do not leave this building today without talking to someone about who Jesus is.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for who You are and for Your relentless love toward us. Thank You for the honest story of King Hezekiah—a faithful man who was deeply flawed, just like us.

Lord, protect our hearts from pride. Guard us from taking credit for the work only You can do. Teach us to live for what You are doing today and tomorrow, rather than resting on yesterday’s achievements.

We pray that our lives and our church would make Jesus famous in our city and across the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.