“Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add 15 years to your life.”—Isaiah 38:5
The fundamental premise of Christianity is that God knows what is best better than we do. When we are experiencing God's blessing, it is easy to believe that God knows what is best. But when God allows sickness and sorrow in our lives, we may be tempted to question His wisdom.
The Lord told King Hezekiah that his life was coming to an end. God advised him to prepare himself for death and to make arrangements to turn over the kingdom. Instead, Hezekiah pled for his life, begging God to spare him from death.
"LORD, remember that I have faithfully served you with all my heart. I have done what you say is good." Then Hezekiah cried very hard. Isaiah 38:3 (ETRV)
God loved the righteous Hezekiah and, in His grace, granted him an additional fifteen years to live. Those fifteen years would prove that God's wisdom far exceeds human wisdom. During those added years, Mannasseh was born, and he eventually succeeded Hezekiah as king of Judah. Mannasseh, who reigned for fifty-five years, was the most evil king ever to rule over Judah.
Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah. - 2 Kings 21:1 (KJV)
Mannaseh encouraged the worship of idolatry throughout the nation. He passed his own son through fire according to the abominable practices of idolatry. He shed much innocent blood during his reign; every part of the nation suffered from his cruelty. Manasseh's wickedness provoked God to anger, but Manasseh ignored God's warning.
Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem with it from one end to another. This was in addition to his sin that he caused Judah to commit. Consequently, they did what was evil in the LORD’s sight. - 2 Kings 21:16 (HCSB)
The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they didn’t listen. - 2 Chronicles 33:10 (HCSB)
All these hardships were caused by Manasseh, a king who would never have been born if Hezekiah had accepted God's will for his life! Furthermore, Hezekiah's extended reign led to Judah's eventual defeat by the Babylonians.
At that time Merodach Baladan son of Baladan was king of Babylon. He sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah when he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. Hezekiah listened to the messengers and then showed them all the valuable things he owned. He showed them the silver, the gold, the spices, the expensive perfume, and the building where he stored the weapons. He showed them everything in his treasuries, in his palace, and in his kingdom. Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him, "What did these men say? Where did they come from?" Hezekiah said, "These men came from a faraway country, from Babylon." Isaiah said, "What did they see in your palace?" Hezekiah answered, "They saw everything I own. I showed them all my wealth." Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to this message from the LORD. The time is coming when everything in your palace and everything your ancestors have saved until today will be carried away to Babylon. Nothing will be left! The LORD said this. The Babylonians will take your sons, and your sons will become officers in the palace of the king of Babylon." Then Hezekiah told Isaiah, "This message from the LORD is good." (Hezekiah said this because he thought, "There will be real peace and security during my lifetime.") All the great things that Hezekiah did, including his work on the pool and the aqueduct to bring water into the city, are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Judah. - 2 Kings 20:12-20 (ETRV)
So much suffering resulted from Hezekiah's unwillingness to accept God's will for him. God knows what is best. Whether your circumstances are easy or difficult, you can completely trust His guidance
© EGDD
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