We looked at this passage in a previous edition of Thrive and I simply want to repeat what I have learned from this. Long life was seen as an indication of God’s favour and God wanted Hezekiah and everyone else to see that he was indeed ready to honour Hezekiah’s devotion. The next generation of the faithful, however, would have wished that God’s original timing for Hezekiah’s death would have applied because it was in this last fifteen years that Manasseh was born. Before Hezekiah died, he received the unfortunate news that one day the wealth of Judah would be plundered by the Babylonians (a rising force in the ancient world at the time). It would be his son Manasseh who would lead the nation to this demise. It leaves us to wonder how such a godless son could be born to such a godly father. But we need to remember that Manasseh was not around during the reforms and during the remarkable deliverance from Assyria. He was brought up in the comfort and security of the later years of Hezekiah. It seems that at this time Hezekiah was starting to become a little too enraptured by his own success as is evident in his boasts to the Babylonian envoys. So, while Hezekiah did not turn away from God at this time, his faith was certainly not as vital as it was in his earlier years. Again, it looks like God’s original timing for Hezekiah’s death was good. It is a subtle lesson that we should always be willing for God to trump our prayers with his better plans.
Ask God to lead you in the plans he has for you.
Read Isaiah 38 and 39
