Hezekiah IV

Hezekiah IV
by susandayley on August 11, 2010
Last week after Judah received a major defeat at the hands of the Israelites, one of the amazing stories of the Bible occurs involving the prophet Oded. This week fast forwards to shortly after the ceremony that ordained Ahaz as king. Ahaz met with his advisors and led them to decide that a tribute must be sent to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, hoping that Assyria will crush Israel and Syria, but spare Judah. Hezekiah listened to the meeting from a doorway and then descended to where his friend, Eliakim waited.

“Come quickly,” Hezekiah called, motioning to Eliakim. Hezekiah hurried away from where his friend stood in the shadows of the palace gardens. He ran toward the western gate.

“Stop,” Eliakim finally insisted. “What is happening?”

“King Ahaz has received information that Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria is growing bold and is advancing. He will send a message and a gift in hope of avoiding a war.” Hezekiah backed up to a stone wall and tipped his head to stare at the cloud covered night sky above. “He told Shebna to write: ‘I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.’”

Eliakim stumbled and gripped the wall beside his friend. Hezekiah continued with agitation and no longer hiding his anger, “Does he not know the King of Assyria will see this as a great weakness? He will extort a heavy tribute at best and possibly be tempted to take our land as well. This will not be an alliance with Assyria; it will place us in suzerainty. Ahaz is offering to forfeit our sovereignty!”

Eliakim, in his shock, whispered, “You said the king will send a gift with his message?”

“The king has determined to send a gift of gold and silver to the king of Assyria. He is on his way to the temple treasuries.”

Eliakim’s face went white, his throat constricted and in horror he wrapped his robes around himself. “Is he going to the temple now?” he asked.

Hezekiah looked up to the cold figure beside him. “Follow me,” he said and hurried through the western gate of the palace complex that faced the steps that rose from the city to the temple.

They ascended the steps unseen, but by the time they reached the eastern portico they could hear the sound of a large group coming up to the temple on the hill behind them. Quickly Hezekiah led Eliakim into the outer court. Each court of the temple was built on a higher elevation. Ahead of them, across the court but lined up with the elaborate eastern gate in the outer wall, were the steps that led up to the eastern gate of the inner court. They darted forward and up the steps to where the great wooden gate doors were slightly open. Squeezing between them, they entered the tunnel leading to the inner court. There were four doors, two on each side to chambers within the wall; quickly they tried the doors until one opened. It was a storage room where oil and wine was kept. They crowded into the space and pulled the door shut just as Ahaz drew nearer.

Ahaz was not long in arriving at the portico, though some of his advisors were straggling on the steps up to the temple. He was accompanied also by several of the palace guards. Ahaz led the way through the Eastern gate, through the outer court, up the steps and through the gate tunnel past the room where Hezekiah and Eliakim held their breaths.

Ahaz was carrying his own torch and was followed first by the few men still able to walk, though with uncertain steps. They had been given additional wine to enable them to witness without protest the blasphemy that was to occur. Behind the advisors were the soldiers carrying torches, large baskets and a few wooden boxes.

The gate at the temple end of the tunnel was closed and secured. Ahaz stopped, then using the end of his torch, he beat on the wooden doors, and called loudly for Urijah.

There was a shuffling sound on the other side of the wall, coming from the northern gate which led to the priest’s quarters. Ahaz had continued to shout between periodic blows to the door, demanding that Urijah hurry. The shuffling stopped and a voice came through the gate, “What would you have of me?” It was Urijah, but gone was the confident strength of that day when he had anointed Ahaz as king.

“Open this gate!” Ahaz demanded.

“But it is well into the night,” came the reply. It was an indication that Urijah guessed what their purpose was.

“I am your King!” Ahaz shouted, his voice filled with anger. “Open this gate and stand aside! Open it or we will force it!”

Slowly the mechanisms moved and the gate swung inward. Ahaz brushed by Urijah who still made a feeble protest, and marched right past the altar and the brazen sea to the steps of the temple.

Those behind him stopped. Although the king had gone that far earlier, none else were permitted beyond the altar except priests or those of the Levite tribe. Ahaz spun around when he realized they were no longer right behind him. “What have you come for?” he snarled. “To watch while I do the work myself?” Then a burley Philistine who should never have entered the temple courts, and who still prayed to his own gods, stepped forward with a grin. This time Hezekiah wasn’t quick enough to suppress his gasp.

Hezekiah and Eliakim had left their hiding place, but remained in the shadows of the wall as they watched. With Hezekiah’s loud intake of breath, Eliakim had gripped Hezekiah’s forearm and dug his fingers in while looking around in fear.

But no one had heard Hezekiah’s gasp, and Eliakim’s grip eased as they watched the other soldiers step forward to the left side of the temple. The men who had counseled the king earlier, now found themselves without courage. They sought behind themselves for something to hide behind. Then one by one, without looking up, they slunk away, past where the two young men froze in the darkness. Hezekiah knew they would return to their various apartments to sleep off the haze that gripped their minds, but with the new day they would have to face the condemnation of their consciences.

Urijah had also disappeared with the few priests that had followed him from curiosity. After letting Ahaz in, they quickly retreated and Hezekiah had come out of the tunnel just as the northern gate closed, as if this barrier between the priests and the actions of the king could absolve them of knowing. But the minds of the priests would not be confused with wine, Hezekiah thought. He pictured them lying down on their mats, staring with wide eyes at the darkness in their individual cells.

The next few minutes were a reminder to Hezekiah of the dark deeds Ahaz was capable of, but he remained so that he could witness against his father. He glanced once toward Eliakim who was still as stone beside him. He reached for his friend’s arm while they watched Ahaz lead soldiers to the storage rooms on either side of the temple.

From the deep chambers they began to fill their baskets with treasures of the kingdom as well as sacred relics from past temple worshipping and sacrifices. Golden and silver objects were cast into baskets without heed to their purpose but only their value as would be determined by a set of scales.

Hezekiah and Eliakim had moved closer for a better view. The emptiness of the temple court and the silence of the towering altar casting a deeper shadow in the waning moonlight created a dreamlike atmosphere. Only the hushed noises of the plunderers echoed across the paving stones. The youths had stopped beside the beautifully carved oxen that supported the sea. The gold plated beasts seemed to follow Hezekiah with their eyes. He involuntarily backed away from proximity to the sharp horns and wide nostrils.

“I have seen enough,” Eliakim said. Eliakim turned around, and walked back through the gate tunnel, across the outer courtyard and toward the portico beyond the eastern gates. Hezekiah looked one last time toward the temple just as Ahaz led his soldiers up the temple steps and reached to open the massive doors. Then Hezekiah hurried after his older companion.

He found Eliakim at the far wall of the portico, standing in one of the arched windows that overlooked the terraced courts and then the Kidron valley below. The clouds had moved away and Eliakim was framed against the star-filled sky with his back to Hezekiah. His voice came as if from the depths of the heavens themselves.

“Tonight Ahaz has raided the Temple of the Lord to pay tribute to an earthly king. He has chosen who he will serve and it is not God. His sin will cripple his people. They believe his flattering words and allow their lusts to bind them.” Eliakim spoke with firmness. He turned to look Hezekiah directly in the eyes. “Who do you serve Hezekiah? What kind of king will you be for Judah?”