“The rest of the events in Hezekiah’s reign, including the extent of his power and how he built a pool and dug a tunnel to bring water into the city, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah” (2 Kings 20:20 NLT).
King Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings in Judah. In 2 Kings 18:5, he was described as one who “trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.” The only foolish event attributed to his reign happened near its end, as he invited emissaries from Babylon to see all of the wealth within Jerusalem, thus foreshadowing Babylon’s future overthrow of the city. Yet, despite this prideful lapse in judgment, Hezekiah remains one of the greatest kings to sit on David’s throne.
Evidence of his reign still remains today. For the waters of the Gihon Spring still gush up and travel through the 1,750 feet of manmade tunnel to the pool of Siloam inside Jerusalem’s walls. The tool marks in the tunnel’s walls still show the human effort that went into Hezekiah’s Tunnel, which he had built to help the city survive a siege.
Some years ago, my wife and I waded through this manmade tunnel. Its existence attests to ancient man’s genius and to the credibility of the Bible which describes it. For the Bible describes real people and real events that took place in real places.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we trust Your Word for You have preserved it for our benefit. Even when men question it, the rocks cry out to attest to its accuracy. Thank You Father for the Word of God. And even more, thank You for the Living Word, Your Son, Jesus. For it’s in His name that we pray, amen.