Day 132 2 Chronicles 30-32

Out text does not give us the one piece of information necessary to understand what is going on—in 722 B.C.E. the northern kingdom falls to Assyrians and a large portion of the population is deported. The wayward kings of Israel are no more. Judah and the house of David are now left alone against the might of Assyria.
When Hezekiah stages his Great Passover as a festival of national unity and reconciliation, he extends his invitation—Come to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem--to the Israelite tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh living in the Transjordan (30:1), as well as to the people of Judah. These are the former subjects of the kings of Israel, but now they have become a "remnant" who have "escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria" (30:6). Israel was faithless, the king tells them, and for that reason God has made "them a desolation" (30:7). Now Hezekiah calls them to repent and come back into covenant relationship with the LORD, the God of their ancestors. (The word "return" (30:9) in Hebrew also means "repent.")
Hezekiah's evangelism, however, yields a response that is lukewarm at best. Many of the former subjects of Israel laugh Hezekiah's couriers "to scorn and mock them" (30:10). Some, however, humble themselves and come. And the response from Judah is overwhelming (30:12). So much time had passed, however, since the Passover had been regularly celebrated, that many who did come, especially among the northerners, had not cleansed themselves properly to celebrate the feast (30:18)—probably because they did not know how. But Hezekiah prays that the LORD will pardon "all who set their hearts upon God" (30:18-19) and overlook their failures. So this Passover was celebrated in Jerusalem with great enthusiasm, if not with perfect correctness.
The Lord hears Hezekiah's prayer for forbearance, and "heals" the people (30:20), and the celebration goes forward. "The Levites and priests [praise] the LORD day by day, accompanied by loud instruments for the LORD" (30:21). Again we note the chronicler's concern for temple worship. The Great Passover is a triumphant success, and we are told that there is "great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon son of King David of Israel there had been nothing like this" (30:26).
This is the high point of Hezekiah's reign, and the enthusiasm of the Great Passover spills over in a purge of the pagan shrines and practices. The king's program of religious reform receives popular support in the form of gifts and donations to the temple. The people follow their king's example in dedicating sacrifices, and the people of Jerusalem donate "the portion due to the priests and Levites so they might devote themselves to the law of the LORD" (31:4). Following the Great Passover, Hezekiah undertakes a thoroughgoing reorganization of the duties of priests and Levites, attacking the problems of reorganization with typical enthusiasm and energy. As the chronicler says—"Every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God, and in accordance with the law and the commandments, to seek his God, [Hezekiah] did with all his heart, and he prospered" (31:21).
So when the Assyrians under Sennacherib invade Judah, it is no surprise to see Hezekiah rising heroically to the occasion. In preparation for a siege, the flow of water from the springs outside Jerusalem is stopped (32:3) to deprive the enemy of water, and at the same time Hezekiah ensures that the city will be supplied by building a tunnel to a water source outside the walls. This tunnel was an engineering marvel in its time and can still be seen in Jerusalem today (32:30).
In anticipation of the trial to come, the king not only "resolutely" fortifies the city, he also builds up the morale of his officers. "Do not be afraid or dismayed in the face of the might of the king of Assyria, he tells them; "there is one greater with us than with him" (32:7).
So the siege is laid. The servants of Sennacherib seek to break the spirit of the people, speaking to them on the walls of the city in their own language and seeking to shake their faith in God and in their king (32:16-17). The Assyrian king writes letters that throw "contempt upon the Lord the God of Israel," openly treating him with disdain "as if he were like the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of human hands" (32:19).
But the LORD will not be trifled with, even by the king of Assyria. Hezekiah and the great prophet Isaiah pray, and a plague cuts off the mighty warriors of Assyria (32:20). Sennacherib returns home to regroup, only to be assassinated there by his own sons. So through Hezekiah the LORD saves Jerusalem—for a while.
After the Assyrian danger has past, Hezekiah falls ill and prays for healing. The LORD cures him, but filled with pride the king is not grateful, Therefore we are told that "wrath [comes] upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem" The king humbles himself before the LORD, and so the wrath is delayed until after Hezekiah's days are over (32:26). The dark clouds of resurgent Babylon are already rising in the east, but Hezekiah ends his reign in peace.
If the time of Solomon is a golden age for Jerusalem, the reign of Hezekiah is an age of silver. The land enjoyed great prosperity—enough to tempt the envoys sent by the king of Babylon seeking a "sign" (32:31). After e is cured of his illness, God lets the king alone to test him, and in most respects he passes with flying colors. His contributes are great. He centralizes the cult and reforms worship (32:12). He leads his people through an hour of supreme danger need. When he dies Hezekiah is honored by "all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem" (32:33). His successor Manasseh will not do nearly so well.