Hezekiah : The Man Who Asked for Added Years

Hezekiah [Hĕze kī'ah] — jehovah is strength or a strong support is jehovah. Also given as Hizkiah, Hizkijah, Ezekias.1. Son and successor of Ahaz as king of Judah (2 Kings 16:20). He is referred to in well over one hundred references in 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Jeremiah, Hosea and Micah.

The Man Who Asked for Added Years

Hezekiah was one of the best kings who ever sat upon the throne of Judah, and is distinguished as the greatest in faith of all Judah’s kings (2 Kings 18:5). Sincere and devout, he was not a perfect man by any means, nor outstanding because of any brilliant gifts he possessed. This good king, however, is to be admired when one remembers his family background. Having such a wicked, apostate father as Ahaz, the wonder is that his son became the noble king he did. He had no pious training, but only a heritage of weakness in his moral fibre, for which God graciously made all fair allowance.

Lessons from a King – Manasseh

Suzanne Benner

 Take today’s next step: People often ask, “How can God forgive a murderer?” This video helps to answer that. Share it with your friends.

“Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.” (2 Chronicles 33:13b)

The Old Testament books of Kings and Chronicles provide a history of the kings of Israel and Judah. The records remain to teach and warn us. We remember Manasseh as an evil king who worshiped idols and desecrated God’s temple with altars to other gods: “Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end – besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” (2 Kings 21:16a)

The LORD then spoke to Manasseh and His people, but they paid no attention: “So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.” (2 Chronicles 33:11)