King Hezekiah got so sick to the point of death, but he was not ready to die. He prayed to God giving God a little reminder of all he had done in God's name. God doesn't need reminders, but it sure makes us feel better. God was sympathetic to the first king to really follow him in decades, so God gave him 15 more years. Hezekiah was to use those years to defeat the Assyrian king. However, everyone dies and he could not escape that fate forever.
King Merdoch-Baladon of Babylon sent King Hezekiah a get-well soon gift. Hezekiah was a generous host to his envoys. It seemed like a nice gesture to display all he had to the Babylonians, but it was not wise. He had become too comfortable. Isaiah came in God's name to tell him what an error he had made.
One day, the Babylonians would take it all and his decendants would pay the price, but God promised that it would not be while he was alive. Hezekiah found comfort in the fact that the land would live in peace as long as he was alive. I believe Hezekiah cared more than his flippant attitude appeared to care. There is no guild book to tell you how to handle a situation where you worked so hard for your people and you get to live out life comfortably, but ultimately you set things up for disaster.
When King Hezekiah did die, his son Manasseh became the new king. He was the one that would have to live with the burden that his father left on his shoulders. It was now his turn to turn to God and try to make things better or rebel and live life dealing with situations with no spiritual guidance. It would be hard times ahead for the new king.
2 Kings 20
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