Today we will have a wee look at II Kings 18:5, “He [Hezekiah] trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him”.
According to my research, there were at least 16 Kings of Judah before and after Hezekiah. There were many Kings that walked in God’s ways.
The word that for me sets Hezekiah apart is “trusted”. This word is pronounced as “batah” in Hebrew and appears 120 times in the Old Testament. It is translated as trusted, confident, unsuspecting, secure, bold, and reliable.
What set Hezekiah apart from all these other Kings was not his skill, his own character, or even his charisma. It was that he had trust in (the Lord) Yahweh, the (God) Elohiym of Israel.
- Yahweh is what we call God when we have a personal covenant (promise) based relationship with him.
- Elohiym is the name we give God when we are recognising the trinity and the great power and majesty of God.
Hezekiah trusted God, he relied on Him, he had his security in Him, his boldness came from this trust, and his confidence was based on his understanding of who God was. As we will see Hezekiah would find himself back to the wall, outnumbered, out resourced, facing overwhelming oppression and danger, confronting enemies and oppositions that few if any of us could even imagine.
We get to see his trust in action. He did not just say he trusted God, he truly lived it, and that set him apart.
What a thrilling thought for us as we face our challenges in life, that we can become recognised for our trust in God, our relationship with him, and our reverence for him, at the centre of who we are and so therefore at the centre of all we do. That’s my prayer for you today.
Blessings
Allan
Principle 8 – our trust in God is seen in our actions.
Strengths – Belief: People exceptionally talented in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their lives.