Hezekiah was one of the kings of Judah who reigned between 750-686BC. He was twenty five years old when he became a King. He was very different from all the other kings. He was the only king who was upright and righteous apart from king Josiah.

1. Call Sin a Sin

2 Kings 18:1-16
1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
3 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.
4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)
5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.
6 He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses.
7 And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.
8 From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.
9 In King Hezekiah's fourth year, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it.
10 At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah's sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel.
11 The king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes.
12 This happened because they had not obeyed the LORD their God, but had violated his covenant--all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened to the commands nor carried them out.
13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.
14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me." The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace.
16 At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

All the kings who reigned before him from the time of Solomon built high places and burnt incense on them. Hezekiah removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, he fasted. The Bible says there is no one like him among all the king of Judah either before him or after him in V.5. But God tested him by sending the Assyrians because Hezekiah did not serve them. The Assyrians exiled Israelites and were threatening to do so with Judah. Hezekiah apologized and gave the Assyrians gold and silver from the temple to compromise with.

We blame our character and our sins on somebody who are above us. We blame our parents for the characters that we have. We blamed our discipler and the Church for our sins. We blamed our husbands and our wives for being unrighteous. We need to be like Hezekiah who did not make any excuse about the former kings. He dealt with sin as God would deal with sin.

Call Others to God.

2 Kings 18:28-37
28 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew: "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!
29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you from my hand.
30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, 'The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'
31 "Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern,
32 until I come and take you to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death! "Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, 'The LORD will deliver us.'
33 Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand?
35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?"
36 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, "Do not answer him."
37 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said.

The king of Assyria sent commanders to discourage the people of Judah. He slandered about Hezekiah. He told them Hezekiah cannot deliver them. He called Hezekiah's deceitful. He told the people not to let Hezekiah persuade them to trust in the Lord. Hezekiah already said that the Lord will slowly deliver us and he will not give to the hand of king of Assyria. They slandered about the Lord also.

The king tempted the people to compromise with him. He told them that they can eat from their own wine and fig tree and drink water from their own well. He also told that they will give them land, grain, wine, bread, vineyard, olive tree and honey. He told them to chose life and not death. He accused Hezekiah for misleading them. The king of Assyria boasted that no gods saved the countries which they had conquered. Hezekiah had called the people to God so they were not swayed by persuasion of the Assyrian king. The people remained silent and did not reply.

How Godly are our talks? How many times do we mention God in our conversation with other people? How many times do we talk about God's greatness to other people? Are you excited about God when you talk to others? What can stop you from following God? King of Assyria could not persuade the people. Who can persuade you? Were you convinced by a non-Christian about what he thinks about the Bible? Are we convinced by the truth in the Bible?

3. Call for Advice and Help

2 Kings 19:1-13
1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD.
2 He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.
3 They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.
4 It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives."
5 When King Hezekiah's officials came to Isaiah,
6 Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master, 'This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard--those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7 Listen! I am going to put such a spirit in him that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.'"
8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.
9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word:
10 "Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, 'Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.'
11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?
12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them: the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar?
13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah?"

Hezekiah trusted in taking advice from Godly people. He sent people to the prophet Isaiah. He told Isaiah about all what king of Assyria had done. He told him how the King had ridiculed the living God and asked Isaiah to pray for the remnant. Isaiah told Hezekiah not to be afraid. Isaiah encouraged Hezekiah and advised him not listen to king of Assyria. Isaiah prophesied that the king of Assyria will return back to his country because of a report. The king will be killed by a sword in his country. II Kings 19:14-19 Hezekiah prayed to God that he will deliver him from the Assyrians. God answered his prayer.

Everyone goes through trials and temptations, problems and difficulties. Whether you succeed or not depends upon whether you take advice from Godly people. Whom do you take advice. From your worldly friends, parents, Boss, Psychologists or from God and his people. Would you obey the advice given by Godly people.

4. Call and be healed

2 Kings 20:1-11
1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
3 "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him:
5 "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD.
6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.'"
7 Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a poultice of figs." They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.
8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?"
9 Isaiah answered, "This is the Lord's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?"
10 "It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps," said Hezekiah. "Rather, have it go back ten steps."
11 Then the prophet Isaiah called upon the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

God did something special to Hezekiah that he never did to anybody. Hezekiah was ill and he knew he will die. He asked God and reminded God about how he walked faithfully and whole heartedly in front of God. Hezekiah cried. God heard Hezekiah's prayer and saw his tears. Isaiah asked Hezekiah to prepare a medicine from figs and apply it on the boil. Hezekiah was allowed to live for 15 years after that. Hezekiah also asked for a sign. Hezekiah wanted the Lord to make the shadow go back 10 steps and God did that to him.

Many times we come to desperate situations. We get discouraged instead of relying on God. Consider Hezekiah. He asked for 15 years of extra life and God gave it to him. I believe God can give you anything you ask if he had given 15 years of life for Hezekiah. The Lord also made the shadow go back by 10 steps which was a great miracle. What was the miracle you asked in the month of May? Has God answered you? Be thankful if God has. If not make sure you start praying again and persevering about the same thing again. God will answer your prayers this month.

Conclusion

Let us not forget to call upon God everyday in the morning. Let us not stop with our morning quiet times but also let us pray to God through out the day at every situation. Let us keep ourselves pure by calling sin a sin, calling others to God, calling others for help and advice and to be healed.