The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 329

Veni. I-f3.-H-kiah tM good. It is with a sense of relief that we emerge from the dnrk and oppressive atmosphere of the time of Ahaz into the "clear shining" (2 Sam. xxiii. 4) of a reign like that of Hezekiah. Once more Divine mercy gave Judah e. king in whom the best tradiLions of the theocracy were revived. I. RIGHT 00?-."'DUCT. I . .An evil upbringing belied. As if to set laws of heredity at defiance, the worst King of Judah hitherto is succeeded by one of the best-the best after David. It is difficult on human principles to account for rnch a phenomenon. Hezekiah had <'Very disadvantage in inherited tendency,in evil examplc,and in ad,·erse surrounding influences. But Divine l!race triumphed over all, and made out of him "a chosen vessel" (Acts ix. 15). Doubtless some human agency unknown to us was employed in moulding the young prince's cbarncter. It may have been bis mother, "Abi, the daughter of Zacl,ariah;" or perhaps the Prophet Isaiah, who had afterwards so much to do with him. 2. .A good e:rxsmple followed. Hezekiah took as his model, not his own fat her, but David, the founder of his line, of whom God had s3.id, "I have found Dadd the son of Jesse a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will" (Acts riii. 22). Hezekiah is the new David. Of no other since the times of Asa is it affirmed that he did "according to all that David his father did;" and even of Asa the testimony is less emphatic than here (I Kings xv. 11). Hezekiah mounted to the original model. David was the model for the kings of Judah; we have a yet higher one-Christ. It is well in orde,ing our lives to go back to this ultimate standard, judging ourselves, not by the degree of likeness or unlikeness to our neighbours, but by the measure of conformity to him. II. REFORMI1"G ZEAL. Hezekiah evidenced the reality of his piety by his works. In carrying out his reforms Hezekiah would no doubt be strengthened and assisted by the prophets; and the people were perhaps prepared to acquiesce in them by their dis- gust at the extravagant idolatries of Ahaz (cf. 2 Cbron. xxviii. 27). I. Temptatio1~ removed. Hezekiah early took the step which had hitherto been neglected by even the best kings-he "removed the high places." This centralized the worship at Jeru- li&lem, and did a \Vay with the temptations to idolatry which the local altars afforded. It was further important as an evidence of his thorough-going determination to carry out the provisions of God's Law. We may wonder how Hezekiah could venture on such a step without awakening widespread resistance and disaffection; but the Book of Chronicles shows that it happened while the wave of enthusiasm created by the great Passover was yet at its height-a ~ufficient explanation (2 Chron. xxxi. 1). 2. Destruc- tion of monuments of idolatry. Hezekiah next proceeded to clear the land of those idols of which lli&iah, at an earlier period, bad said that it was full (Isa. ii. 8). He brake the images, and cut down the &herah. These vigorous measures were indispensable if true reliITion was to be r-stablished. It is not otherwise with the individual heart. True rei::ntance is a stripping the soul of its idols-love of money, fashion, gaiety, dress, etc. ''Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt. vi. 24), "Covetousness, which is idolatry " (Cal. ill. 5). "The dearest idol I have known, Whate'er that idol be, Help me to teal' it from thy throne, And worship only thee." 3. Breaki,ng of the braz.en serpent. Another noteworthy act of Hezekiah was his break- ing in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses bad made. 'l'his is the first and last glimpse we get of this venerable relic since the time when it was set up in the wilder- ness. Its preservation was natural; it bad done a wonderful work in its day; it was the symbol of a great deliverance; it had clustered around it the associations of m_iracle; it was the type even of the salvation of Messiah. We cannot marvel that 1t was reverenced as a sacred object. Yet now it had become a snare to the people, who burut incense to it, and Hezekiah ruthlessly destroyed it, calling it (or it was called) con• temptuonsly Nehushtan-" a piece of brass." We see from this how things originally sacred may become a snare and a temptation. Su1ierstition is a fungus of rank growth, 0n. xvm. 1-37.J THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 377