SUMMARY
The editors praise good king HezekiahJudean king noted for his reforms in time of Isaiah. 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 JudahJudah was the name of Jacob's fourth son and one of the 12 tribes. after him, or among those who were before him” (v. 5). Not even JosiahJudean king noted for his reforms of Israel's worship in the time of Jeremiah. 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 serpentA serpent is described as the snake who tricked Eve into disobeying God in the Garden of Eden. Elsewhere a serpent appears in narratives relating to Moses, in the Psalms, and in Isaiah. Jesus invoked the image of serpents and snakes in his preaching; and... 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).
