2 Chronicles 32:24-33--Hezekiah's Pride and Achievements

2 Chronicles 32:24-33
English Standard Version

Hezekiah's Pride and Achievements
24 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the LORD, and he answered him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. 26 But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

27 And Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of costly vessels; 28 storehouses also for the yield of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and sheepfolds. 29 He likewise provided cities for himself, and flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very great possessions. 30 This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. 31 And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of the sons of David, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

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As I mentioned before, there is one tiny black spot in the story of Hezekiah, and it's right here.  The king was sick to the point of death, and he cried out to the LORD for healing, and the LORD healed him, but because of the king's pride, the king did not give thanks to the LORD for the miracle that He had performed on the king's behalf.  Typically, in this situation the king would make a public display of thanksgiving by going to the Temple to offer a large number of sacrifices and make a public declaration to the people about what the LORD had done for him.

Because of the pride of Hezekiah and the people, the LORD's wrath began to be poured out on the people of Jerusalem and all Judah, but Hezekiah quickly repented and humbled himself before the LORD, as did all the people of Jerusalem, so that the LORD's wrath was turned away from the king and the people of Jerusalem and Judah.  From that point forward, the king and the people were at peace with God throughout the entire reign of Hezekiah.

The text elaborates more on the test that the LORD gave to Hezekiah to reveal the pride that was in his heart and the consequences that would play in the future.  The LORD had blessed Hezekiah with lots of riches so that the riches filled his treasuries and the treasuries of the Temple.  His storehouses were full of not only silver and gold, but also precious stones and spices, shields, costly vessels, grain, wine, and oil.  He also had places to house and feed all of his cattle and sheep--entire cities belonged to him.  He was a rich and powerful man, and it was obvious the LORD's hand of blessing was upon him.

Now the news of the king's miraculous healing reached all the way to Babylon, and they send their envoys to inquire as to the sign that accompanied the miracle (we aren't told exactly what this sign was, but it was something interesting so that even the foreign people were talking about it and wanting to know more about it).  It was the perfect opportunity for Hezekiah to point these foreigners and pagans to the LORD--the one true God and call on them to turn to Him alone for salvation, but he did not do that.  It's not told to us directly what he did other than that LORD left Hezekiah on his own in this situation to test him, but it would seem to us that he showed these envoys all around the city and all the riches that he had so that when the time came for them to attack Judah in just a few chapters, they knew all of Jerusalem's strengths and weaknesses and all the places where its riches and treasures were kept.  They would take all the wealth of the treasuries of the king and the LORD and put them in their king's treasuries and in their pagan temples.

Hezekiah didn't live to see the consequences of his actions because, shortly after this, he died and was buried with the good kings of Israel and Judah in the royal tombs in Jerusalem.  We can read more about him not only in the book of the Kings, but also in the book of Isaiah, as Isaiah was the prophet of the LORD sent to Hezekiah and recorded the messages that the LORD gave him to deliver to the king and the people during that time.  Hezekiah's son Manasseh would reign in his place.  Would he be a good king like his father?  We'll find out next time.