Jeremiah, Micah, and Hezekiah

Imprint of the seal (bulla) of Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, king of Judah. 
On display in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

(For those who came back - thanks! Finally got back on the internet and was able to complete this entry)

King Hezekiah has been a favorite of mine for

Mm ages, since I discovered God personally answered his prayer for a few more years to be added to his life. That type of healing still happens, but just about as few and far between as in biblical times. In "Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture" by William Stiebing he was described as "the best-attested figure in biblical history," due to the extensive documentation of his reign in biblical texts (both Kings and Chronicles, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah) and external sources (notably Assyrian inscriptions). I mention a good deal of this in Hezekiah and Dysfunctional Families 

Most people skip over 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. The huge focus on David and Solomon is over and it appears that the people completely forget why they are where they are. It's hard to just function in society much less consider you were placed there for a specific reason. According to Got Questions, Hezekiah seems constantly aware of God's acts in the past and His involvement in the events surrounding Hezekiah. According to the Chronicles of the Kings:

And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God. (2 Chronicles 31:20)

As we know, a great number of kings did not. Hezekiah's problem seem to stem from the people of Judah, where he reigned. We pick up a lot of information along the way in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, but much more in the prophets. King Hezekiah was the son of King Ahaz, who did not do that which was good and right. When Hezekiah became king, he had a lot of destruction ahead of him. Not only getting read of pagan altars, idols, and temples, but the bronze serpent that Moses had made in the desert [Numbers 21:9] had to be destroyed because the people had raised it to idol status. Hezekiah had to force open the Temple doors his father had nailed shut, and the priests had to be returned, Passover reinstated, so not only reforms but actual religious revival came to the throne with him. 2 Kings 18:6-7 includes: "... held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him." 

However, in 701 BC, there was a crisis with the Assyrians, who pretty much dominated the world - and the northern kingdom of Israel. Now they wanted Jerusalem. Isaiah told Hezekiah that the Assyrians would not enter Jerusalem. The true worth of a prophet is truth. We tend to forget that and believe right off the bat today whatever is given to us in social or news media. Prophets were held to a higher standard, but it often took some time to confirm what they said. This particular instance, it was literally overnight. The Assyrian army of one hundred eighty five thousand died over night. Doubt that? Check archeological records that show Assyria did not take Jerusalem.

The story that stuck in my mind more than any other was Hezekiah's prayer. Isaiah told him to get his house in order, that he would die. Remember, Isaiah had been correct about the Assyrian army. Hezekiah believed this prophecy, too. He prayed:

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. (2 Kings 20:1-3)

Did you notice Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah. He did not need a priest nor a prophet to intercede between him and God. Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord - not to a "saint," not to a "priest," not repeated a series of specified prayers, but directly to God. God answered, through Isaiah:

And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. (2 Kings 20:4-6)

There is much more about Hezekiah, and a problem he created for his son. But the fact he was a good King who obeyed God's commands, prayed for his own life, and received God's blessing of longer life, that is a good story to remember. However, the people he tried so hard to lead a Godly life failed him, as did his son Manasseh. Got Questions says: "... who would turn out to be the evilest king ever to reign in Judah (2 Kings 18-20; 2 Chronicles 29-32; Isaiah 36-39)"

King David, a man after God's own heart, is the only other Israeli King that has more written about him in the Bible. In fact, "Historiographically, his reign is noteworthy for the convergence of a variety of biblical sources and diverse extrabiblical evidence often bearing on the same events. Significant data concerning Hezekiah appear in the Deuteronomistic History, the Chronicler, Isaiah, Assyrian annals and reliefs, Israelite epigraphy, and, increasingly, stratigraphy." ["Hezekiah". The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 1992.]

 

That's a lot of sources that have verified times, places, people that all work together to show what was written in Kings, Chronicles, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah as well as Assyrian history and Israelite epigraphy match. Not necessarily with the same explanatory phrases, exact words - but sufficient to show that the people listed show in documentation from that specific period to have held the offices they said they did, and actions the Bible detailed.

Time and time again this has proven to be true - and no specific archaeological discoveries have proven one fact written down in what we consider God's word to have been a lie. Frankly, I do not find anything that convinces me that God does not exist, that God does not relate to mankind, nor have I any reason to ignore Him or what is written that He said.

If you have - please share. If you haven't - please share your witness to God's saving grace.