Welcome to the Daily SOAP from New Hope. This is Paul Brooks, your guest host for today. I hope you are having a good day. Today we will explore 2 Kings 18.

2 Kings 18:3-7a: 3[Hezekiah] did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 4He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones, broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) 5Hezekiah 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. 6He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.

Finally, a king who committed himself to the Lord. He “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” but notice the dramatic difference in the next part of the sentence: “just as his father David had done.” Previous accounts throughout 1 and 2 Kings name the immediate father of the new king. In fact, before Hezekiah, only Asa, the great-great-grandson of David, in 1 Kings 15, was attributed to be like “his father David.” Two other kings – Amaziah and Ahaz (in 2 Kings 14 and 16, respectively) were specifically called out as “unlike David.” This appears to be quite significant: Hezekiah emulated David. He destroyed the elements of idolatry; he trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; he held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. And the Lord, who is faithful in all things, was with him. What Hezekiah undertook in the name of the Lord was successful.

Hezekiah, like Daniel, loved the Lord with all his being. He followed the commands the Lord had given Moses. He lived out the Shema, in Deuteronomy 6:4-5:

4Hear O Isreal: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

And he pointed to Jesus, who took this one step further in Matthew 22:37-40 when he spelled out The Greatest Commandment:

37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The path for Hezekiah was not an easy one. Enemies continued to threaten Judah. When confronting Judah with a vast Assyrian army, the Assyrian field commander said to the people of Judah, “Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’” But Hezekiah and his people held firm. They trusted that the Lord would not abandon them, just like David, who wrote in Psalm 138:8:

The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.

What can we take away from this? Simply put, the most important relationship we have is with God. We are to love him with everything in our being. When we do this, we can trust Him. We are assured victory. It may be in His terms, not ours, but through Him we will prevail. We should consistently check the quality and amount of time we spend cultivating and enjoying our relationship with God. We can start by asking ourselves this: How has the past day or week reflected what we love and worship most? If “God” isn’t the object of that reflection, it’s time for an adjustment.

Let’s pray. Almighty God, your love is constant and true. We can trust that you will be with us in all things, for all time. In Jesus we see the ultimate example of how to love and worship you. Through your Holy Spirit, you are with us every second of every day. You never fail us. We know we fail to worship you and return your love from time to time. And yet, ever the Good Shepherd, you do not let us wander off too far. As our shepherd, rescue us from ourselves. Guide us back to you. Teach us how to keep our eyes on you and follow where you lead. In the name of the One who loves us, who leads us, who saves us: Jesus Christ. Amen.

Paul Brooks