In our last two visits we considered some of the failures in Hezekiah’s life during those extra 15 years he had as recorded in Isaiah 39. One further point I would like to focus on is found in Isaiah 39:8.
After Isaiah describes what is going to happen to Israel when Babylon invades it Hezekiah says, “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.” In other words, he is saying, if judgment is going to come on our nation, at least in part because I showed all of our national treasures to representatives from Babylon, it’s ok, as long as it doesn’t come during my lifetime!
What about all the men, women and children who will suffer when judgment does come? What about his own wife and children? Did his son Manasseh pick up on this selfish perspective and follow this example in his own life?
It is tragic when you see a man who had done so much good during his reign fail so miserably during the final years of his life that God added in answer to his prayer. He just didn’t finish well. He had not put his house in order because he didn’t have his own life in order. How tragic.
In contrast, Manasseh lived an evil life, but at the very end repented and got right with God (2nd Chronicles33:10-20). His repentance, however, came so late he was not able to impart a positive influence in his son’s life – Amon did evil during his two year reign.
Josiah, Manasseh’s grandson, was six years old when Manasseh died. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and led a great revival in the land. Could it be that Manasseh, in his final days, had a positive influence in his grandson’s life?
