Hezekiah 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. – 2 Kings 18:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 4, 2017): 2 Kings 18

Consistently, in the polling of scholars, there are three Presidents of the United States that seem to rise to the top; George Washington, who had the privilege of being the first President and the legal ability to be able to do the work of forming the Union, Abraham Lincoln, who brought the nation through the civil war, one of the darkest times for the nation, and Franklin Roosevelt, who proved his leadership ability by bringing the country through the Second World War. But it is hard to decide between the three of these presidents as to which one is simply ‘the best.’ Each one of these men had an aptitude and ability that fitted well within the time in which they governed.

In Canada, that choice is probably between Sir John A. MacDonald, the first Prime Minister and the one who is credited with setting the groundwork for a nation that would be from coast to coast and Mackenzie King, who was the Canadian counterpart to Franklin Roosevelt and brought Canada through the Second World War. But in both nations, it is hard to decide which one is the best – and there are many other names of men that had the ability to gather the love and respect of the nation that could be thrown into the mix.

And for this reason, this comment of the writer of 2 Kings is incredible. The number one King of Judah was Hezekiah. Josiah might have been a close second, but Hezekiah was simply the best. But the statement also leaves us with a question, who is included in this group of the “Kings of Judah.” More specifically, does it just include the kings that followed Solomon after Judah and Israel separated from each other into two Kingdoms, or is the writer indicating that of all of the Kings of the House of David, Hezekiah was the best? And so the argument rages.

It is possible to make the argument both ways, but I think that the author of this passage might have meant that the best king to ever have come out of the House of David – including David and Solomon – was Hezekiah. David was a man after God’s own heart, and Solomon was the King that physically built the temple in Jerusalem, a king who was known for his wisdom, but the name of the best king was Hezekiah. And the reason that we can make this kind of a declaration is that Hezekiah seemed to have all of the strengths of David and Solomon and none of the weaknesses. From the beginning of his reign, he simply chased after the things of God. There was no Bathsheba and no equivalent to the murder of Uriah the Hittite (both sins of David) during Hezekiah’s reign. There was no falling into the sin of idolatry as happened to Solomon during his reign. Of these crimes Hezekiah was innocent. Because to be the best only requires one thing of us – a heart that is willing to follow God in every situation as long as we are alive.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 32