SERMON NOTES 2 KINGS 20

FAITH AND FAILURE

INTRODUCTION
Many believers start well; few end well. Hezekiah is often touted as a sad example
of this phenomena. But Hezekiah is not such an example. In fact he ended well.
He made a few mistakes along the way, but he did not end with his life in a mess
as have so many others.

UNDERSTANDING 2 KINGS 20
The reason I interpret 2 Kings 20 as I do is based on the fact that this chapter is not
in chronological order, that is, the events it describes did not happen at the end of
Hezekiahs life, but some fifteen years earlier, during the events described in 2
Kings chapters 18 and 19. How do we know that chapter 20 is a flashback? There
are a number of clues in the text. In verse 6 God promises to deliver you
(Hezekiah) and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. This had already
taken place: it is described in 2 Kings 19:35-36. We know that Hezekiah ruled for
29 years (2 Kings 18:2). He was given an additional 15 years to live by God (2
Kings 20:6). This must have been int his 14th year as king. 2 Kings 18:13 tells us
that Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Judah in Hezekiahs 14th year as king
of Judah. A reconstruction of events that would make sense of what the Scripture
tells us would be: Hezekiahs illness came early in his 14th year as ruler and this in
turn was followed by the visit of the Babylonian officials and then later in the
same year by the Assyrian invasion.

GOD GRACIOUSLY ANSWERS A PRAYER OF FAITH (verses 1-11)

Hezekiah became ill and Isaiah the prophet told him that he was going to die.
There is no indication that Hezekiah was being punished by God. It was just one
of those illnesses that befall people for no obvious reason. Hezekiah had become
king at the age of 25 (2 Kings 18:2) and he was in the fourteenth year of his reign
and so he was 39 years old when struck down by this mortal illness. He was not an
old man, indeed he was only on the verge of entering what today we would call
middle age. He had done much to reform the worship of Judah, but he no doubt
wanted to see his work more firmly established. The apparent ease with which his
reforms were swept aside during the reign of his son and successor suggests that
such an aim was not unreasonable. It seems as though, at the time of his illness, he
did not yet have a son who could succeed him as king. And so it was not
unreasonable that he did not want to die just yet. Hezekiah turned on his bed to
face the wall, so that he could pray without the distraction of needing to speak to
the people gathered around his death-bed. He appealed to God on the basis of his
life of faithful obedience. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. King David
often appealed to God for help on the basis of his covenant obedience, e.g. in
Psalm 17:1-5. Nevertheless Hezekiahs prayer does seem to be somewhat selfcentred. Also the fact that immediately following his prayer he, wept bitterly

does not convey a picture of a man of faith trusting in God whatever he might do.
This is not Hezekiahs finest hour. But God is a God of grace. God gave Hezekiah far
more than he had asked for. Instead of death there will be fifteen years of life; instead
of being taken to the Temple for his funeral Hezekiah will walk to the temple to
worship and instead of defeat, Judah will experience deliverance.

GOD GRACIOUSLY DISCIPLINES AN ACT OF FOLLY (verses 12-21)

Shortly after Hezekiah had recovered, he received unexpected visitors. The
Babylonians were seeking potential allies in their struggle against Assyria and
Hezekiah was flattered to receive their attention. Indeed he was so flattered he threw
caution to the wind and showed the Babylonian envoys all of his treasures and all of
his defences. He let them see all of his state secrets. This was incredibly foolish, and
incredibly ungodly because he was not trusting in God. He did not enquire of God as
to whether he should be so open with the Babylonians. We are warned not to rely
upon our own thinking. Proverbs 3:5 teaches, Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding. We are also warned not to put our trust
in other people. Psalm 146:3 says, Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in
whom there is no salvation. Isaiahs response to this was, Hear the word of the
Lord: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which
your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be
left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who shall be born to you, shall be
taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. (verses
16-18) This might seem like a very severe response on Gods part, but, you see, God
is a jealous God, who demands covenant loyalty. We cannot trust in him and, at the
same time, in other things. The Book of James warns about the double-minded man
(James 1:8). Much ink has been spilt over Hezekiahs response to Isaiahs statement.
The text reads, Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, The word of the Lord that you have
spoken is good. For he thought, Why not, if there will be peace and security in my
days? (verse 19) All are agreed that Hezekiah began by accepting that Gods word
was just and right, but some argue that his thinking, Why not, if there will be peace
and security in my days? is cynical and self-centred. They argue that Hezekiah is
thinking, As long as I am safe, who cares about those who live after me. This has
been described as submission-yet-selfishness. This view may be correct, but scholars
of the stature of John Calvin and Dale Ralph Davis have argued that Hezekiah was
not so callous and that all he was saying was, It is good that God has been merciful
in my time with the hope that Gods mercy might, in some degree, be extended to
posterity. (John Calvin) My opinion is that this latter view seems more consistent
with what we know of Hezekiahs character.