2 Kings 20-21

2 Kings 20-21

After the Assyrians had been turned away, Hezekiah became ill. He had lived a great life in service to God. Under his leadership, he had turned Judah back to God. As a result, Judah was spared from the attacks of the Assyrians as Israel was taken into captivity. So when Hezekiah became ill, he begged God to allow him to recover. He wanted to continue to lead Judah in the way of the Lord. Although Isaiah had initially told him that this illness would claim his life, Hezekiah pleaded before God. Hearing his prayers and seeing how earnest he was, God spared Hezekiah’s life. He allowed Hezekiah to recover from the sickness and gave him 15 more years to lead. Of course, God expected Hezekiah to do as he always had, leading Judah to follow His commands.


Although Hezekiah did not turn Judah away from God in those 15 years, it was 15 years Judah could have done without. Hezekiah in a way opened the door for the Babylonians. It would be Babylonians several years later that would destroy Judah, taking them into captivity. Hezekiah showed the Babylonians all that he had, which may have peaked their interest for the first time. Furthermore, when Isaiah told Hezekiah what his sons would one day endure, it did not upset Hezekiah. Knowing that he would not have to endure that tragedy was enough for him, and he showed no compassion over the future of his country. So while Hezekiah did not turn away from God or lead Judah back into the ways of idolatry, the last 15 years of his life were his weakest moments.

When his son, Manasseh, took the throne, Judah began to drift from the Lord again. Like his grandfather and the kings of Israel, Manasseh led the Judahites into idolatry. He rebuilt all the high places, built several altars, and led Judah into practices such as fortune-tellers and mediums. All these practices had been forbidden in the Law of Moses. As a result of their sin, God promised that destruction would surely come. Like Israel before them, Judah too would find exile and captivity. God was raising up the Babylonians, planning on using them to punish the Judahites.

After his death, Amon took the throne, but like his father before him, Amon continued to lead Judah astray. He worshipped the idols that his father had reintroduced into the land and did not turn to God for guidance. In the end, however, a group of men rose up against him and killed him. Then, another group rose up and killed all those who had conspired against the king. This second group also placed Josiah (Amon’s son) on the throne. Judah’s future was bright with this new king, but the exile was sure to come. They would have days where they returned to God, but God knew that they would ultimately fall away from Him again.

Matt