Today I was reading in my One Year Bible the life story of Hezekiah king of Judah – 2 Kings 17-20. I enjoy reading about leaders, especially from the Bible. I look for leadership insights that I can utilize in my daily leadership. Today was no exception; there were a number of nuggets!
- Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord! He removed all idol worship from Judah. A direction that greatly pleased God and one that no other leaders before him including Solomon had done!
- He prayed regularly about the matters of his daily work and leadership.
- He trusted in the LORD and there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.
These I found to be admirable leadership qualities, but as I read I found situations which made me wonder. Yes, Hezekiah relied on the LORD, but not always. His pride got hold of him on at least 2 occasions and instead of praying for clarity or direction he acted from his own experiences and these ‘pride fests’ caused major destruction within this nation. He prayed, but not always before acting, and this lack of prayer caused Judah to come under siege from Assyria and eventually lead to an invasion from Babylon. When confronted on these issues by Isaiah the prophet, he didn’t repent or seek forgiveness. This may have caused God to delay the pending judgment on his nation and preserve the life of the next generation.
My takeaways today: 1) Get in the habit of crying out to God on all occasions for His guidance and direction. 2) Put my life experiences in the right light and seek God’s will not mine. 3) Seek forgiveness and repent when convicted especially in matters that affect the next generation.
