It is a remarkable thing that Hezekiah should have been given an extra fifteen years to live. At this time, 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, 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. We are left 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 nor 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. Maybe God answered Hezekiah’s prayer to teach us why he sometimes doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want.
Ask God to lead you firmly in his plans for your life.
Read 2 Kings 20
