By: Obed Pineda
It is said that the quality of a person’s leadership is best observed when confronted by adversity. It is curious that many want the prestige that comes with the label of leader, but few truly understand the responsibility, sacrifice, and dedication required of one. For this reason, it should come as no surprise that those who solely want the title for vain glory have a tendency to disappear when the burdens of the office weigh heavier upon their shoulders and the splendor of the title begins to lose its glamour. Yet the Captain of our salvation advocated, “whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45). This explanation provided by the Lord put to rest the misguided concept that James and John originally had with regards to honor, which also why it did not sit well with the other ten disciples (cf. Mark 10:35-41). Indeed, Jesus established that at the heart of a great quality leader is the mindset of a servant. This truth is verified when it is observed that a good and faithful servant is he who is always looking out for the best interest of his master; even if sometimes he must oppose his master’s unwise decision (cf. 1st Samuel 25:2-18). Pointing this proverbial spotlight upon one of Judah’s greatest monarchs, his heart of a servant is illumined from the beginning of his reign. The Bible states that Hezekiah was twenty-five when he began to rule in Judah (cf. 2nd Kings 18:1-2). He was immediately faced with adversity for his predecessor, King Ahaz, was a cruel and wicked king (cf. 2nd Kings 16:1-18, 2nd Chronicles 28:1-4, 16-25). Hezekiah inherited a kingdom that had been corrupted by deplorable idolatrous practices and cut off from Jehovah God by a king who “had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD” (2nd Chronicles 28:19). Furthermore, Hezekiah’s job became more challenging when it is remembered that Ahaz was his father (cf. 2nd Kings 18:1). There is a high probability that the people of Judah expected Hezekiah to continue in his father’s footsteps and allow the debauchery to remain under his rule. However, this is where the Savior’s marker of what a great leader is begins to shine in Hezekiah. Holy Writ proclaims that “in the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, and said to them: ‘Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the LORD our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him” (2nd Chronicles 29:3-6). Hezekiah instantly separated himself from his father’s ideologies and practices by purifying what Ahaz had polluted. Knowing that Hezekiah began this religious reformation in the first year of his kingship proves that he was never truly in agreement with his father’s heathen tendencies. Hezekiah sagely understood that Ahaz had led Judah astray, and that a firm, steady hand was now required to stir them back toward Jehovah God. The king roused the Levites to return to the Temple to repair and cleanse it, proclaiming, “Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us. My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense” (2nd Chronicles 29:10-11). Observe carefully the servant attitude that made Hezekiah a great leader. Hezekiah first submits himself in service of the Almighty by tending to the restoration of His house first, but does so by not violating God’s law. Hezekiah knew that only the Levites could work in the Temple, and thus he respected God’s commandment by exhorting his brethren to return to their rightful place in the house of the LORD (cf. Numbers 8:5-26). The king’s meekness and submission to God’s will amplifies when compared to the likes of kings Saul and Uzziah (cf. 1st Samuel 13:5-15, 2nd Chronicles 26:16-21). Hezekiah’s steady steering of Judah’s ship back to God continued by the complete obliteration of all the abominable high places, altars, and idols that his father had built (cf. 2nd Chronicles 31:1, 2nd Kings 18:4). What is amazing about this feat is that the inspired chronicler explains that after having restored the approved worship to God at the Temple (cf. 2nd Chronicles 29:20-36) and having celebrated the Passover in accordance to God’s mandates (cf. 2nd Chronicles 30), “all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces, cut down the wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars – from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh – until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, every man to his possession” (2nd Chronicles 31:1). Scripture’s revelation that the people themselves took an active part in the elimination of everything associated with the sinful practices of idolatry is a powerful statement of Hezekiah’s tremendous leadership by example. When he reopened the Temple, restored the Levites to their rightful place, and restored true worship in the kingdom (essentially undoing all the wrongs of his predecessor; his father!) Hezekiah provided a pattern to be followed by his people. It is vital to comprehend that upon implementing these reforms, Hezekiah was also publicly denouncing his own father’s actions as responsible of seducing Judah away from the Lord God and kindling His wrath against them. It is undeniable that witnessing the king do this openly before everyone’s sight provided the confidence and courage the children of Judah needed to eradicate their land from all of Ahaz’s abominations. Judah’s trust in Hezekiah’s guidance proved most worthy when they were confronted by a mighty and insolent foe in the form of King Sennacherib of Assyria (cf. 2nd Kings 18:17-37, 2nd Chronicles 32:1-19). The Bible espouses that Sennacherib’s envoys sought to dishearten the children of Judah by boasting in the Hebrew tongue about their king’s many victories on the battle field, aiming to use them as proof that the gods of Assyria were mightier than even the God of Israel (cf. 2nd Kings 18:28-35, 2nd Chronicles 32:13-16). Yet, Holy Writ declares, “but the people held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, ‘Do not answer him’” (2nd Kings 18:36). The Holy Spirit unveils that Hezekiah was able to gain his people’s loyalty because he exhibited his reliance upon Jehovah God first (cf. 2nd Chronicles 32:6-8). Thus, King Hezekiah’s servant attitude of turning to God first once again helped him steady the helm of Judah, and lead them out of the treacherous waters of uncertainty and despair (cf. 2nd Chronicles 32:20-23).