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. 2 Kings 18:5, NIV

 

Many years ago, King Hezekiah caused me an embarrassing moment at a youth Bible quiz. Not being very well read in the Old Testament, I said in response to a question that Hezekiah was a book of the Bible – when, in fact, he is regarded as unrivalled among the kings of Judah. “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done.” (2 Kings 18:3)

 

During a period of illness, I was able to catch up on his reign, and discovered how faithful and righteous he was.

 

The writer of Kings tells us this was because “He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses.” (2 Kings 18:6) This was something Hezekiah took very seriously. His father, Ahaz, had rejected David’s legacy of righteousness, modelling his reign instead on the kings of Israel who embraced the idolatry of the Canaanite religions – hardly setting him a good example.

 

Hezekiah was certainly no ‘chip off the old block’. He got rid of everything idolatrous – the high places, the sacred stones, the Asherah poles – and broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses had made in the desert. Once a reminder of who to worship, it had itself become an object of worship, and was even given a name: Nehushtan.

 

Hezekiah knew the commands God had given Moses, and understood that keeping them obediently meant nothing if they were not embraced and whole-heartedly performed – just as Jesus would later teach in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), and as would Paul would later experience, and teach about, himself. The letter of the Law without the spirit of the Law is not righteousness. Fulfilment of God’s way was never just adherence to a set of laws devoid of love, understanding, or grace for others

 

We don’t need to look very far to see the idolatry of our time – it is rife. Idolatry is anything that absorbs our heart and time and holds first place in our lives above God – anything we devote ourselves to at any cost. We need only look at how we spend our time and money to assess who, or what, holds the greatest importance to us, and provides our core identity, security and worth.

 

Hezekiah's story challenges us to ask what our own "Nehushtans" might be — good things, even God-given things, that have quietly become substitutes for God himself. Like Hezekiah, may we have the courage to clear away whatever competes for first place in our hearts, and to hold fast to the Lord, not merely in outward observance, but in wholehearted devotion — trusting him above every false security this world offers.

 

Prayer: Father God, I trust in you alone. Help me always to do “what is right in your eyes” and to reject any Nehushtan of my own making. AAmen

 

Hiskia het op die Here die God van Israel vertrou. Nie een van al die konings van Juda voor of na Hiskia was soos hy nie. 2 Konings 18:5, 1983-vertaling

 

Baie jare gelede het koning Hiskia tydens 'n Bybelvasvra vir die jeug vir my 'n groot verleentheid veroorsaak. Ek het nie die Ou Testament baie goed geken nie, en het in antwoord op 'n vraag gesê Hiskia is 'n boek in die Bybel – terrwyl hy inderdaad onvergelykbaar tussen die konings van Juda was. "Hiskia het gedoen wat reg is in die oë van die Here en het in alles die voorbeeld van sy voorvader Dawid gevolg." (2 Konings 18:3)

 

Tydens 'n siekbed was dit vir my moontlik om meer oor sy bewind te leer en het ek ontdek net hoe getrou en regverdig hy was.

 

Die skrywer van die Koningsboeke noem dat dit die geval was omdat "Hy het aan die Here vasgehou en nie van Hom weggedraai nie. Hy het sy gebooie, dit wat die Here Moses beveel het, nagekom." (2 Konings 18:6, 2020-vertaling) Hierdie was iets wat Hiskia baie ernstig opgeneem het. Sy vader, Agas, het Dawid se nalatenskap van regverdigheid verwerp, en sy bewind eerder gebou volgens die voorbeeld van die konings van Israel wat die afgode van die Kanaänietiese godsdienste aangehang het – nou nie juis 'n goeie voorbeeld vir hom nie.

 

Hiskia was definitief nie 'n geval van "die appel val nie ver van die boom nie". Hy het van al die afgodsbeelde ontslae geraak – die hoogtes, die klippilare en die gewyde pale – en selfs van die koperslang wat Moses in die woestyn gemaak het. Dit was bedoel om mense te herinner wie om te aanbid, maar nou het dit 'n voorwerp van aanbidding geword en is selfs 'n naam gegee: Negustan.

 

Hiskia het die gebooie wat God aan Moses gegee het, geken. Hy het ook verstaan om hulle te gehoorsaam beteken niks as hulle nie aanvaar en heelhartig uitgeleef word nie – net soos Jesus later in die Bergpredikasie (Matteus 5) sou leer, en Paulus later sou ondervind en verkondig. Die letter van die Wet sonder die gees van die Wet is nie geregtigheid nie. Die vervulling van God se weë was nooit bedoel as 'n stel reëls wat aangehang moet word sonder liefde, begrip of genade vir ander nie.

 

Ons hoef nie ver te soek na die afgode van ons tyd nie – dit floreer. Afgode is enigiets wat ons hart en tyd oorheers en bo God in ons lewe gestel word – enigiets waarop ons ons volkome toespits. Ons hoef net te kyk hoe ons ons geld en tyd bestee om te besef wie of wat die belangrikste vir ons is en aan ons identiteit, sekuriteit en waarde gee.

 

Hiskia se verhaal daag ons uit om te vra wat is ons eie "Negustan" – goeie dinge, selfs Godgegewe dinge, wat stil-stil plaasvervangers vir God geword het. Mag ons, soos Hiskia, die moed hê om alles te verwyder wat in ons harte met God meeding om eerste plek en aan Hom vashou, nie bloot deur uiterlike aanhang nie, maar deur heelhartige toewyding. Mag ons Hom vertrou bo alle vals sekuriteit wat hierdie wêreld ons bied.

 

Gebed: Hemelse Vader, ek vertrou op U alleen. Help my om altyd te doen wat reg is in u oë en enige "Negustan" in my lewe te verwerp. Amen