seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Kings 18:1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah[a] daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.(b))
5 Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.
5 Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.
a. 2 Kings 18:2 Hebrew Abi, a variant of Abijah
b. 2 Kings 18:4 Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for both bronze and snake
This is from the easy English site.
Hezekiah’s father Ahaz was among the worst kings. Hezekiah was among the best kings. Ahaz was a bad model for his son. But Hezekiah did not behave like Ahaz. Instead, Hezekiah behaved like his ancestor David. Hezekiah had seen all the trouble that Ahaz’s rebellion against God caused (2 Chronicles 29:8-9). And so Hezekiah decided to be completely loyal to God.
Hezekiah made the kingdom better. He removed the images of male and female gods. He removed the places where people worshipped on the high hills. Hezekiah even broke the metal snake that Moses had made. In Numbers 21:8-9, we see that God ordered Moses to make that metal snake. God told people to look at it. Then God cured them after the snakes had bitten them. Jesus said that the metal snake was like himself. It showed how he came to rescue people (John 3:14-15; John 12:32). But in Hezekiah’s day, people gave honour to the metal snake itself. They did not give honour to God. So Hezekiah destroyed the metal snake. We should not give honour to any images. We should not even give honour to images of the cross. (The cross is the sign of the Christian religion. It has the same shape as the wooden cross where Jesus died. So what happened on the cross is very important to Christians. But they must be careful to give honour to Jesus himself, and not to any image, model or sign.)
Hezekiah did not only make changes in religion. He made political changes as well. His father, Ahaz, had given control over Judah to Assyria (16:7). But Hezekiah refused to serve the king of Assyria. That decision caused serious trouble, as we shall see below. Hezekiah also defeated the people in Philistia.
Hezekiah made the kingdom better. He removed the images of male and female gods. He removed the places where people worshipped on the high hills. Hezekiah even broke the metal snake that Moses had made. In Numbers 21:8-9, we see that God ordered Moses to make that metal snake. God told people to look at it. Then God cured them after the snakes had bitten them. Jesus said that the metal snake was like himself. It showed how he came to rescue people (John 3:14-15; John 12:32). But in Hezekiah’s day, people gave honour to the metal snake itself. They did not give honour to God. So Hezekiah destroyed the metal snake. We should not give honour to any images. We should not even give honour to images of the cross. (The cross is the sign of the Christian religion. It has the same shape as the wooden cross where Jesus died. So what happened on the cross is very important to Christians. But they must be careful to give honour to Jesus himself, and not to any image, model or sign.)
Hezekiah did not only make changes in religion. He made political changes as well. His father, Ahaz, had given control over Judah to Assyria (16:7). But Hezekiah refused to serve the king of Assyria. That decision caused serious trouble, as we shall see below. Hezekiah also defeated the people in Philistia.
Finally! A good guy....
These verses are difficult. See... it brings up something that magpies struggle with. Pretty things.... passion things.... heartfelt things....
In my jewelry box, I have a cross made of two nails. I was given this cross at a Women of Faith convention. I could have cherished it. I did not know the woman who gave me that little handmade cross. She was handing them out to anyone who would take one. She was telling people how the nails should help us remember the nails that drove through the Messiah's hands when He was hung on the cross for us.
It's ok to own a cross. I heard a preacher tell a congregation that all those crosses women wear on their necks are just like the asherah poles. [No, this is not the same preacher who burned all the Bibles that weren't KJV.] That preacher backed it up with the verses "rings on her fingers and bells on her toes". I guess that preacher was only trying to save us?
You know... those two preachers.... the one that burned my Bible because it wasn't a KJV and the one who preached against wearing crosses.... Maybe, their hearts were in the right place.
Last edited: