Second Chronicles 32:33
‘Hezekiah the king…cried out to Heaven…. Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria…. In those days, Hezekiah was sick unto death. But he prayed to the Lord…. Hezekiah humbled himself…. And Hezekiah fell asleep with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the tombs of the sons of David. And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death.’ Second Chronicles 32:20-33.
The Chronicler stressed the religious activities of Hezekiah, to which he devoted two chapters. He did not deal so curtly with the political events, as his predecessor had done.
Sennacherib invaded Judah in the 14th year of Hezekiah (circa 701 B.C.). Sennacherib took 46 cities and a huge number of prisoners. He gave some of Hezekiah’s territory to the neighbouring kings of Ashdod, Ekron and Gaza — and he laid a heavy tribute on Hezekiah.
What was it that Hezekiah then went and cried out to Heaven? ‘O Lord God of Israel!… You are the God, even You alone, of all the kingdoms of the Earth! You have made Heaven and Earth! Lord, bow down your ear! Hear the words of Sennacherib…to reproach the living God!… O Lord our God, please, save us out of his hand — so that all the kingdoms of the Earth may know thou You, and You alone, are the Lord!’ (Second Kings 19:14-19 cf. Isaiah 37:15-20).
Thereupon, the Lord cut off these attackers. The whole Assyrian army was annihilated. ‘Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria.’ Sennacherib had to return with disgrace to his own land, where his own sons slew him in the temple of his idol.
However, ‘in those days, Hezekiah was sick unto death. But when he prayed to the Lord, God responded and spoke to him.’ Then Hezekiah humbled himself. The threatened judgment was postponed — because of this humiliation.
Finally, years later, Hezekiah died. ‘Hezekiah fell asleep with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the tombs of the sons of David. And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death.’
Hezekiah was buried ‘on the heights of the graves of the sons of David.’ There was no longer room for burial in the hereditary burying-place of the kings. So that for Hezekiah and the succeeding kings, special graves had to be prepared in the higher place of the graves of the kings.
‘All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death.’ Everyone in the capital city and indeed also the surrounding kingdom of Judah then came and burnt many spices at his funeral.
Thus were the prayers, sickness, humbling, and death and burial — of the godly Hezekiah!.
