Hezekiah's Revival

Hezekiah’s Revival -- I Kings 18:1-8

I. Served the Lord from his Youth

a. Beginning at 25 years old, as a young king he did what was right in the sight of the Lord

b. Walked in the ways of his forefather David -- though young, he walked in the old paths

c. He DID what was right in the sight of the Lord

II. He purified the worship of the Land

a. He removed the high places -- Jehovah worship at the wrong place in the wrong way

b. He broke the idols

c. He destroyed Nehustan -- idolatry of tradition

III. He was a man of God

a. He trusted the Lord

b. No other king like him in the history of Judah

c. He CLAVE to the Lord

d. He followed the Lord

e. He kept the commandments

IV. God’s Blessing

a. God was with Him

b. God prospered him

c. He overthrew the bondage of Assyria

d. He defeated the Palestinians

e. This all happened while Israel (the northern kingdom) was carried away into Assyrian captivity

V. Hezekiah’s Trial

a. After 14 years, Hezekiah makes a compromise with Assyria and pays him tribute -- all the silver from God’s house & all the silver from his treasure & the gold from the pillars / doors in the temple

b. This is an area where many Christians compromise -- their finances

c. We worship and serve the Lord, but allow our finances to be stolen by the enemy

d. Not realizing that financial bondage can lead to spiritual bondage, we allow havoc to be wreaked on our prosperity and God’s giving

e. After overthrowing Assyrian rule and seeing his neighbors fall to that power, an all-out assault against Jerusalem takes place

f. Hezekiah was not only surrounded, he was taunted -- "God has sent me to destroy this place" and "How can you resist me when others have fallen, even those who worshipped your God"

VI. Hezekiah’s Response

a. They held their peace and answered the enemy not a word -- don’t rebuke, resist and run to the Lord

b. He wasn’t willing to compromise, it was time to fight

i. Pick your battles and fight to the death for a worthy battle

c. He went to the house of the Lord -- Stay in church

d. He prayed

e. He heard from God

f. God fought for him

i. And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses