Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
He was the best king Israel ever had, next to King David. He did everything right. He followed the Law of Moses minutely. And he was not a legalist--his heart was in it. The grace of the Lord was with him.
King Hezekiah inspired the people of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of the divided nation. He engineered the finest celebration of Passover the nation had ever known. But at the height of his glory as the most devout of all Israel's kings, comes this startling detail: "God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart" (2 Chron. 32:31; didn't the Lord already know it all? This must be for us somehow!).
Then we are directed to Isaiah to get the story. The king had just enjoyed the most glorious defense the Lord gave him against the Assyrian invaders; then the prophet Isaiah told him, the time has come for you to die. But he turned his face to the wall, and sobbed like a child, Not fair!
The dear Lord granted him 15 years more wherein he made a fool of himself and sired the most terrible king Israel ever had--Manasseh (Isa. 38, 39). Hezekiah didn't know what was buried unseen within his heart; unknown sin did him in.
Now fast forward to our day: our great High Priest in His cleansing the heavenly sanctuary will not only enable us to overcome known sin, but do a deeper work also: overcome unknown sin. His much more abounding grace (cf. Rom. 5:20) is sufficient. His Holy Spirit is cooperating with Christ; now let us learn from Hezekiah how to let Him direct our steps.
Instead of dying physically, now we can experience the blessed crucifixion of self "with Christ" (cf. Gal. 2:20). We are not kings, but we have an important part in bringing to a close the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. Let's join in!
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 3, 2008.
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