2 CHRONICLES 32:24-26

Hezekiah was indeed one of the better kings of the Southern Kingdom. However, it is often omitted what became of him in the latter end. This is such a cautionary lesson for all of us as followers of the Christ. You can begin excellently and then end up not so well. We can do valiantly and brilliantly in our beginning and then lose much of our shine as time wears on. May the Almighty help us to remain always on the cutting edge, especially after He has chosen to use us ever so mightily in our younger and formative years.

The closer we get to the end of our days, the more cautious we ought to become. Let our earnest prayer be that we, who have begun well, shall finish well. Now is no time to become enamored with our own selves and accomplishments. All that we have and have achieved, have come about because of God’s merciful grace and kindness extended so extravagantly to us. We need Him now more today than yesterday. Now is no time to get it twisted! We remain nothing without Him, empty vessels, worthless and clueless.

This brief passage tucked away in 2 Chronicles 32:24-26 should never be overlooked or quickly skipped over. It deserves our undivided scrutiny and attention. May it arrest you as it has troubled and arrested me. Church, let us diligently pay heed again to what is intended here. It is more than a suggestion – that the good and godly can easily mess up and be distracted even by our own successes and accomplishments. The miracles can fortify, but they can also be used by the enemy to inflate our ego, making us think that we are really a notch above the rest, more spiritual, more special, more worthy. This is sobering.

Let us reread and revisit this insightful passage again: “In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the Lord: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore, there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 32:24,25). In the previous passage, the Almighty wiped out an entire army because of Hezekiah’s prayer (2 Chronicles 32:21-23). Now he is miraculously healed and given 15 more years of life, and instead of becoming more devout and pious, a spirit of pride and self-exaltation subtly creeps in. I earnestly pray – may the blessings not make us arrogant. So, often we seem to handle adversity better than prosperity.

It is my recurrent prayer that we as His people will learn how to handle the blessings without becoming high, lifted up and out of order. The blessings are never to promote us but to advance His cause. Let us not forget to finish well. Let us not begin in the Spirit and end up in the flesh. Thank God Hezekiah caught himself, humbled himself and repented (2 Chronicles 32:26). The blessings should always keep us more on our knees. The admonition remains: “finish well.” Sometimes success is more difficult to manage than failure.