"Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live" (2 Kings. 20:1). What a disaster! Hezekiah was 39, yet he had no heir to the throne and now he was sick unto death.Trouble on trouble. To make matters worse, the Assyrians were invading the nation. He had known that would happen; in fact, he had provoked the action by rebelling against Assyria in refusing any longer to pay tribute (2 Kings 18:7). His trust was in the God of Israel and in the word of assurance received through Isaiah the prophet.

Assyria would invade. They would take many towns, but they would not overthrow Jerusalem. Then they would be destroyed on the mountains of Israel (Isa. 7:17; 8:7-8; 10:12; 14:25).

Hezekiah’s whole strategy was based on reliance on the word of the Lord. Since Jerusalem would not be taken, it was prepared as a haven of refuge for any whose towns were overrun. Walls were repaired, towers built, water courses altered and the army organized to withstand any siege. More importantly, the people were prepared spiritually: "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria nor for all the multitude that is with him...With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah" (2 Chr. 32:2-8).

Harm to the ecclesia

Hezekiah was the key person in rallying the faith of the people. The princes were of no use; they wanted to rely on Egypt as their primary means of support (Isa. 30:1-5; 2 Kings. 18:21). The king knew that such action would spell disaster. If God were forsaken in favor of Egypt, they were doomed, so he thwarted the princes at every turn. Then, at the most critical time, he was smitten with a disease akin to leprosy (2 Kings. 20:7).

It was as if God had turned against him and had deliberately marked him as one rejected by the Lord. All his plans were crumbling; the policy of defiance based on faith in God was abandoned for appeasement. Strip the temple of its gold and its treasures, take any money available and buy peace became the government’s new policy (2 Kings. 18:14-16). And now the prophet came with the ultimate word of defeat: "Hezekiah, you are going to die."

The key verses

That is the picture which emerges from a careful reading of the record. Two passages are key in putting the pieces together properly. First, that illness and invasion occurred at the same time. In response to Hezekiah’s desperate prayer, the Lord’s answer was, "...I will heal thee...And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria" (2 Kings. 20:5-6). And, second, that his reprieve gave him time to produce an heir. "Manasseh [successor to Hezekiah] was twelve years old when he began to reign..." (2 Kings. 21:1). Manasseh was born during the 15 years added to Hezekiah’s life.

Given these two points, the whole picture falls in place. A little work is needed as the record is in Kings, Chronicles and Isaiah. But the pieces are all there; and when they are put together the scene is one of desperate trouble for a man of outstanding faith.

A righteous man

Hezekiah "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD according to all that David his father did" (2 Kings. 18:3). He had done nothing to deserve this accumulation of trouble. To this point in his reign, he had labored mightily on God’s behalf: "And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered" (2 Chron. 31:20-21).

Be not dismayed

What turmoil must have been going through Hezekiah’s mind. What heaviness lay on his heart. How could he be stricken at such a critical time? It wasn’t just a matter of his own health - it was all the harm being done to the ecclesia. They desperately needed him to rally them to God. And then to be told he would die! Without an heir!

It can happen

We have all experienced problems of one sort or another. We have all known ill-health, the loss of loved ones, frustration and disappointment, financial distress, ecclesial strain or family difficulties. If we are going to make it to the kingdom of God we must be able to endure problems and learn from them.

But sometimes the difficulties do not come one at a time. Sometimes they will pile up one upon another, as if there is no relief. It is as if God, has turned against us and become our enemy.

Job knew the experience, for he was deprived of wealth, possessions, servants, family and health. Paul did, too, when he was imprisoned, forsaken by friends and slandered by adversaries. The Lord Jesus Christ was deserted by his followers, despised and rejected of men, wounded, bruised, tormented and crucified. Those who saw the scene felt that God would never permit one of His faithful ones to be treated like that: "We did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted" (Isa. 53:4).

Endurance possible

It can happen. A time can come in the life of a faithful person when one problem piles on top of another until we feel like we can’t take it any more. But, by the grace of God, we can bear the burden. He will not try us beyond what we are able to endure (I Cor. 10:13). He will not bring an accumulation of troubles on the person who cannot cope with it.

That does not mean the faithful will automatically respond correctly. Job did not and was reproved for his words. Hezekiah struggled mightily: "Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward" (Isa. 38:14).

God has promised a way of escape that we may faithfully withstand any circumstances that come into our lives. That does not guarantee we will avail ourselves of His relief, however. Some will not hold fast to the end and will turn against God when tribulation arises (Matt. 13:21).

The only way we can endure the trial of trouble upon trouble is to heed the words, "Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction" (Psa. 119:92). The word of God will not be our delight, however, if we have not made it so on a daily basis. Let us do that now that we might endure faithful unto the end.