And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 2 Kings 13:22-23 NKJV

What is the significance of a man or woman’s life? Notice what it says here. It doesn’t say, “Hazael oppressed Israel from 610 BC to 590 BC.” It doesn’t give calendar dates, although it could have. What it is saying here is that there is something in Jehoahaz that allowed Hazael to oppress Israel, because it was under his leadership that these things occurred. The significance of a man or woman’s life is magnified when they are put into a leadership role. A leader bears authority within a sphere of influence. The good or evil in that one becomes a gateway, a portal for blessing or cursing over the ones he can influence. Be careful who you follow!

Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matt 7:20 NKJV

The great test of any leader is the fruit in the lives of those who follow them. Some have leadership roles, but nobody follows them, so they are really not a leader. 2 Kings may be the toughest section of the Word to read because, chapter after chapter, you read, ‘so and so’ was a nitwit, ‘so and so’ was a moron, because they followed in the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and led Israel to tragedy. Then, like a breath of fresh air, you come to…Hezekiah!

He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. 2 Kings 18:5, 6 NKJV

Saul, David and Solomon were the kings of the unified kingdom of Israel. Then there comes a long line of kings of the northern ten tribes and then Judah and Benjamin. Hezekiah was the best of the bunch, up to his time. One thing you see in 2 Kings that has great significance to us today is how quickly things can change, both good and bad. After Solomons reign with all its wealth, wisdom and prestige, Rehoboam basically lost it all within five years! President Reagan said that freedom is never more than one generation away from being lost. Hezekiah brought Jerusalem back spiritually, then his son Manasseh sent it completely to the pit again…

Another thing you see is that among the unbelieving kings you notice almost no mention of men of God. But Hezekiah had at his side one of the great, iconic men of the Old Covenant, Isaiah. A leader is known by his team! I always tell people that the Lord surrounds me with people who are better than I am, which is true! David had his thirty mighties, and of course the Lord had the Twelve, and the seventy. Perhaps Israel was so dry spiritually that only one great one stood up with Hezekiah, but they still made a threefold cord that wasn’t quickly broken. One of the things we stress to the house church leaders is to build a team.

Let’s look at one of the great miracles under the reign of Hezekiah.

One of the things that you want to remember is that Jesus is the subject of the whole Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. The crucial storyline that you must understand here is that the Messiah’s bloodline running through Abraham and David would have been lost if Hezekiah had no sons. Mary could not be born of the house of David if David’s bloodline had been lost. No bloodline, no redemption. The drama of redemptions plan would have been aborted!

In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.'” Isa 38:1-8

Imagine getting a prophecy like that one! Isaiah did not attend the courses of my Bible school on good clergy etiquette! Here is the test of the prophet and his prophecy – you must be honest! The temptation to say what people want to hear is always great. But the honesty of the prophecy was such that it drove Hezekiah to do the right thing. If you are a leader, you want to surround yourself with people of sterling character, people better than you, who are honest at all times in love.

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

When you pray with your understanding, pray honestly from the heart. I once sat with a group of pastors, and I don’t think any of them spoke in tongues, but they could pray the paint off the walls. Those men knew God! Real prayer occurs when something comes out of you, something is released out of your heart to Heaven. You haven’t gotten there until it does. Do you see why the command to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is such an integral part of prayer? This is passion, this is real. Pastor Mentze said, “Weep before you reap!” Pray out of your guts…

When you make a connection like Hezekiah did then the answer will come from Heaven. Remember, Hezekiah didn’t have sons yet!

And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.”‘

David must have had a profound influence on Hezekiah’s life. 2 Kings 18:3 indicates he really sought to imitate David’s example. This is the only instance where the Lord is called ‘the God of David.’ I often get vision revelation where the Lord shows me someone I really respect giving me advice. Understand this…the Lord knows your soul. He speaks to you in a way that is intimate to you that perhaps only you can appreciate.

Then He says, “I have heard your prayers, I have seen your tears.” Tears, crying, groaning are a form of communication with the Lord, a travailing prayer that touches the heart of God. Jesus groaned at the gravesite of Lazarus. It leads to being moved with compassion which is unusually powerful especially in the ministry of healing. When I am locked into that place of compassion as the Spirit of God comes upon me I know that heaven and earth are going to move. You too!

‘I will add to your days fifteen years…and I will defend this city.’ Hezekiah’s dingbat son Manasseh was only twelve years old when Hezekiah died and – guess what? – he was the next in the Christ line (Matt. 1:10). How is that for grace? Another thing, Hezekiah was king of Judah, but his spiritual influence of protection only extended to the city of Jerusalem. This is why, once Hezekiah died, his renegade son was able to do so much wickedness. When you think about the significance of your life, just how important is it to raise your children in the ways of the Lord?

Finally, one COOL miracle…

 And this is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down. Isa 38:1-8 NKJV

I love this science stuff! The earth rolls to the east at eleven hundred miles per hour. If to turn the sun‘s shadow back ten degrees on the sundial, if God had stopped the earth and moved the earth westward to allow for the ten degrees on the angle of the suns shadow, the whole earths surface would have been destroyed by the laws of inertia and momentum. Oceans, mountains, everything blown up, creation wiped out.

Do you know what He did? This is SO COOL! He transported the whole planet all at once! People didn’t even feel it – it just happened – but I guarantee you the headline in the Jerusalem Gazette the next day was ‘How Did It Get Brighter Yesterday? Scientists Speculate! Sunbathers Rejoice!”

We talk about the significance of one life. Listen dude, or dudette! Do you want to see really COOL miracles like Isaiah and Hezekiah saw? You learn to listen to God like Isaiah and pray from your guts like Hezekiah, and you will see them. Your life is as significant as theirs, and perhaps even more so because there are billions more people on earth that you can touch then they ever could! Go ALL IN with the Lord. Learn to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. You only have one shot at this life, but His mercies are new every morning, and its always ‘morning’ somewhere! Go get ‘em…love you!

Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…