Revival Under King Hezekiah: Part 1--A Glorious Testimony of a King Who Followed Jehovah With His Whole Heart

-


Here is where to find indexes to all Bible lessons posted on this blog since its inception in 2019.

Click on the drop down menu and look for the archives tab. Then find the date listed below to find the appropriate index.

I hope this will help you find lessons on a particular book of topic that we have studied through.

An index for all lessons posted from 2019 through 2021, was published on September 7, 2022.

An index for all lessons posted in 2022, was published January 24, 2023.

An index for all lessons posted in 2023 was published on February 28, 2024. 

An index for all lessons posted in 2024 was published on January 21, 2025.

An index for all lessons posted in 2025 was published on January 24, 2026.

Below is the link to the Heritage Baptist Church YouTube channel and the livestream of Sunday School October 25, 2026.

This lesson continues our studies of revival among the kings of Judah.

Revival Under King Hezekiah   Part 1              October 25, 2026

1. Context for the reign of King Hezekiah.

Time of great spiritual decline, temple desecrated, looted, closed by Ahaz.

Idolatry especially of the Assyrian gods imported by Ahaz.

He imported Assyrian altars into Jerusalem and changed the theological center of Judah’s worship, sacrifice, prayer and approach to God!

Worship of the One, True God was replaced with polytheistic religion, centered on gods like Ashur, Ishtar, Nabu, Shamash, and Adad.

A time of idolatry, immorality and religious syncretism which is combines  merges different beliefs into a new, unified religious system.

Assyrian religion did not have a weekly day of worship like Israel.

They had daily rituals and pagan celebration.

2 Kings 17:27-33

Exodus 20:2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

Ezekiel 22:26  Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 

Isaiah 58:13-14  If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14  Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it

Do not get squeezed into cultural trends like religious syncretism.

2. God raised up the right man at the right time to revive Judah.

2 Kings 18:1-3  Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2  Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. 3  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. 

King David is always held up as the model king of Israel. He is the standard to whom all other kings are compared. A good king is frequently said to be like “David his father.”

1 Kings 15:11  And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.

1 Kings 22:50  And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 15:38  And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

David is called a man after God’s own heart   Acts 13:22

David is called the sweet Psalmist of Israel     2 Samuel 23:1

King Hezekiah is very much like the great men of faith in the Bible.

Knowing and living by the Word of God set Hezekiah apart from other kings.

Psalm 1:1-2  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

Psalm 37:23-24  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.    24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.   

Psalm 119:1  ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. 2  Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 

Psalm 119:133  Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. 

Order means firmness, stability, enduring, to be rightly directed, prepared, established, confirmed

What is ordering our steps today? God’s Word or a corrupt culture?

 

3.  God raised up a man of action and righteousness.

2 Kings 18:4  He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

He obliterated the high places as God commanded.                     

Deuteronomy 12:2  Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: 3  And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. 

He obliterated the groves as God commanded.     

Deuteronomy 7:5-6  But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. 6  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth

He obliterated the idolatry of Nehushtan.

Numbers 21:5-9

John 3:14-16  14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

 

4. God raised up a man who fully trusted Him and was powerfully blessed.

2 King 18:5-8  He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.  7  And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 8  He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 

Of all the kings who did right in the sight of God, Hezekiah is a singularly good example.

Judah was blessed by Hezekiah’s faithfulness.

2 Kings 18:9-12  And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. 10  And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11  And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes: 12  Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them. 

Israel (The 10 tribes) was destroyed by their unfaithfulness.

What does Hezekiah teach us about revival and our walk with the LORD?

Psalm 121:1-3  A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 

We must look up to our LORD, not look down or around us for help.

We must anchor our hearts to God’s Word so that we do not waver.

Our LORD will keep us on track when we trust Him in all things.

Bob

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First Corinthians 12 Part 1 Addressing The Abuse Of Spiritual Gifts

-
Image
I need to give some historical context to what Paul is going to focus on in chapter twelve.  As we move into chapter twelve, Paul is going to address another major area of failure in the Corinthian church.  It will take some time to move through chapters twelve through fourteen, as we examine this vast and often misunderstood topic. He is going to give rebuke and correction regarding spiritual gifts by explaining their purpose and use.  It will help to remember that many Corinthians were idolatrous pagans before they heard the gospel of Christ. Pagan practices included gluttonous eating at their feasts, and consuming excessive wine.  Thus they were known for drunken debauchery.  The Acro-Corinth was a mountainous outcropping about 1800 feet high.  Citizens could flee to higher ground in the event of an invasion.  There is a winding, well defended path that leads from the city of Corinth to a relatively open space at the top.  In Paul's time there ...
Read more

Hymn Story of "Sunshine in My Soul Today"

-
Image
  Good afternoon.. I have a great hymn history to share with you today. One of the outstanding hymn writers was Eliza Hewitt. This hymn "Sunshine in My Soul Today" was written by Eliza after she suffered a serious injury. The lyrics and an excellent performance of the hymn are included. Psalm 92:1 “I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name,  O thou most High.” In 1851 Eliza Edmunds Hewitt was born, and grew to be valedictorian of her class and a school teacher in Pennsylvania.   At some point in her teaching career an unruly student struck her on the back with a piece of heavy slate.   This injury left Eliza in a heavy cast for months, confined to her room. During this time of painful confinement, Eliza was determined not to be bitter, and started writing hymns.   Many of them were praise hymns, such as:   Stepping in the Light, Singing I Go, Victory in Jesus and many more. When she was able to go outside for the first time on...
Read more

Bible Character Studies: Peter. Pt 1 A Simple Fisherman Follows Christ

-
Image
Good Morning, This is the beginning of our character study on Peter.  We will see  that he was very much as we were. Hard working, the head of his household and he would have had good days and bad days.  His character was good but it also needed some work.  Like I said, he was alot like we were.  Let's watch how the Lord changes Peter. Matthew 4:18-20  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.  Peter and his brother Andrew were the first 2 disciples Christ called into ministry. Peter was a fisherman which tells us a lot about the man, Peter. At the time of Christ fishermen were strong men who often took decisive actions. Although they were considered to be ignorant and unlearned, fishermen ...
Read more