2 Kings 18:1-8 – Good King Hezekiah

BIBLE TEXT

2 Kings 18:1-8

SUMMARY

The editors praise good king Hezekiah for his faithful obedience.

ANALYSIS

Hezekiah’s evaluation is more positive than any other king: “there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah after him, or among those who were before him” (v. 5). Not even Josiah can compare with good king Hezekiah because of his trust in the Lord. He is commended for destroying the high places, pillars, and sacred poles of Baal worship, thus centralizing worship in Jerusalem for the first time. His destruction of the bronze serpent from the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9), which had somehow become an inappropriate object of worship, parallels Moses’ destruction of the golden calf (v. 4). He holds fast to the commandments of the Lord and enjoyed the success that the Lord’s presence brings (v. 7). Militarily, he rebelled against Assyria, the dominant power of the day, and recaptured territory lost to the Philistines (v. 8).