Our next pasuk is from Sefer Malachim, ב, Perek יח
It’s about King Hizkiyah who became king at age 25, and ruled for 29 years.
The Torah describes his greatness. He removed all of the altars, broke the idols, chopped down the trees of idolatry, crushed the copper serpents…. He did wonderful things.
In the words of the Navi,
בַּה׳ אֱלֹקי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּטָח וְאַחֲרָיו לֹא־הָיָה כָמֹהוּ בְּכֹל מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וַאֲשֶׁר הָיוּ לְפָנָיו
He relied on Hashem, his God. There was never a king like him, in all of the kings before him.
וַיִּדְבַּק בַּה׳ לֹא־סָר מֵאַחֲרָיו
And he cleaved to God and didn’t leave Him.
Does this mean that he was the greatest of all kings? Was he greater than King David? That is hard to say. Rabbenu Chananel explains that when we say that he was the greatest of kings, we don’t necessarily mean that he was the greatest in all areas.
Rather, he was the greatest in the area of Bitachon. In Bitachon, nobody was greater than King Hizkiyah.
That is a very heavy statement. And since Hizkiyah was the greatest man in bitachon, it is no coincidence that he was the greatest in devekut/cleaving to God.
Because when you have bitachon, you can cleave to God.
The Abarbanel says that Hizkiyah’s cleaving to God was shown through the wars that he fought, and how he fought those wars. He didn’t fight wars using his power or strength.
In fact, he rebelled against the king of Assyria without an army at all.
Throughout the discussions between Hizkiyah and the king of Assyria, he was taunted for his Bitachon.
For example, In Divrei Hayamim Bet, chapter 32 verse 10, they taunt him and say,
“You Jewish people, what are you relying on? How dare you rely on a God and think you that you are going to beat me?” Hizkiyah’s Bitachon was a laughingstock- so much so, that the enemy hired people to speak in Hebrew to tell the people not to listen to Hizkiyahu
(Whereas today, the Israelis drop leaflets written in Arabic to counter the disinformation of the Arab media).
They said that his army was weak, that he wouldn’t be able to save them, and that he had no power. Then they offered the people free horses. They said that the people had no training, that the army was in shambles and that they did not even know how to ride horses. They taunted and taunted and asked, “On what are you relying? If you are listening to Hizkiyah, you will die following him.. Hizkiyah is the one that said to stop worshiping idols. Don’t believe him.”
They went on a whole anti-Hizkiyah campaign. There were books against him, there was a siege, and they were all out to oust Hizkiyah the king.
Even people within his own camp were beginning to make peace with the Assyrians. But God made a miracle, closing a door that separated the leader of that camp from his army, so he came out alone, and he was killed.
How does everything turn around? What happens in the end? God brought a fire that burned the enemy, and over 180,000 troops were wiped out. As it says in Melachim ב perek י״ט ,
וַיְהִי בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא וַיֵּצֵא ׀ מַלְאַךְ ה׳ וַיַּךְ בְּמַחֲנֵה אַשּׁוּר מֵאָה שְׁמוֹנִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה אָלֶף וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ בַבֹּקֶר וְהִנֵּה כֻלָּם פְּגָרִים מֵתִים׃
On that night, an angel of God came out and smote the Assyrian camp, 185,000, and when the Jewish people got up in the morning they were all dead.
That is what happens from Bitachon.
Hizkiyah is our role model in Bitachon.
These are the broad strokes of the story, and tomorrow we will give some more details.
The great Hizkiyah, no one had Bitachon like him.
Have a wonderful day.