The LORD was with him

Only God discerns the hearts of men. And here is what He found in Hezekiah, king of Judah:

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 – 2 Kings 18:5-6

That is a great relationship model today. Hezekiah “held fast,” which means in Hebrew to cling, follow closely or pursue hard. Hezekiah also “kept” God’s commandments, which doesn’t mean he simply reserved a Torah scroll for the royal library. Hezekiah had the Torah written on His heart, not just parchment. The Hebrew word for “kept” means to hedge about, guard, look narrowly.

In other words, the king took his relationship with God seriously. Obeying God’s word wasn’t an obligation, but a privilege. And how does God respond to the king’s loyalty? Verse 7 says “the LORD was with him; he prospered wherever he went.” The Hebrew rendering for “prospered” denotes understanding and wisdom, not material wealth. LORD, create in us a heart like Hezekiah’s, devoted to You. May we pursue hard after You.

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