Thursday, August 21: 2Kings 20- As well as possible.

Hezekiah was a faithful king, but as I read this chapter I thought, Hezekiah didn’t end well. It almost seems harsh to think this. It is not as if he slid into some great sin. In fact, I’m not sure any action of his in this chapter could be classified as sin.

Maybe I need to temper my comment and say it this way. Hezekiah’s legacy didn’t end as well as it could have.

During those additional 15 years, he fathered a son named Manasseh who became Judah’s next king. Manasseh was a vile faithless king! Also, that whole deal with the Babylonian entourage is a strange account. It seems that Hezekiah was bragging and showing off by showing the foreigners his treasury! Maybe it was kingly custom, but it certainly comes across as showy and a bit boastful.

And his response to Isaiah, when Isaiah pronounces the future judgment on Judah, seems really odd and not particularly faith-filled. "The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," For he thought, "Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?" (19).

As I processed all this, I found myself contemplating endings.  I not only want to end well, but how I might end as well as possible.

Oh, God, how should I live today so that whenever You determine my end should come, I cross over into eternity with grace and trust? Lord, what do I need to be doing today so that my faith will be strong so that I can live my last days as the most faithful days of my life? Teach me, Lord. Show me, Lord. Lead me, Lord. I pray in Jesus’ name, through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. Amen.