Tuesday, October 21st, 2025
Recently I have been reading the story of King Hezekiah. There are so many amazing things that happened to and through him. I am going to recap a couple of them in the next few blogs. Let’s start by looking at the genealogy of Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 29:1 says that his mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. We know Hezekiah’s father was Ahaz who previously ruled Judah. 2 Chronicles 28 says Ahaz did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He sacrificed his children, made images for Baal, and sacrificed on the high places. The fact that Hezekiah did not do exactly what his father did is incredible. We know he must have had a positive influence from somewhere.
Let’s look at Abijah’s father, Zechariah. 2 Kings 18 covers his short 6-month rule over Israel. It says he did evil in the sight of the Lord. So picture life from Abijah’s shoes. Her father was evil and her husband was evil. Even though she is only briefly mentioned in the Bible, we get a sense that she somehow figured out that the way her father and husband lived was not pleasing to the Lord. She determined in her heart that her son (Hezekiah) was going to lead a different life.
Again, the Bible does not say what she did or how she did it, but I get a sense she taught Hezekiah the Word of God, led him in praise and worship to God, and taught him how to pray and honor God. Abijah’s name means “whose father is Jehovah”. Abijah learned how to make God her father, especially in the absence of an earthly, righteous one. And she was committed to doing the same for Hezekiah. Hezekiah’s name means “Jehovah is my strength”. Abijah knew that the only way for him to be a good ruler was if he knew where true strength came from.
In a culture that was in a state of moral decay I can imagine it took much courage on the part of Abijah to teach her son a better way. Everything around her was telling her God wasn’t real and that His commands didn’t matter. But she had hidden His truths in her and her son’s heart so that they would not sin against God (Psalm 119:11).
Final Thoughts…
We are at this place in our current culture where following suit is the easy path. Going with the flow doesn’t create any waves and won’t tire us out so much. Many are happy to float along hoping that this will keep them safe and off the radar. The issue is that many souls are at stake. A culture heading for destruction needs people that are bold enough to turn around and swim against the current. Will we be the ones brave enough to study the truths of God’s word and proclaim them to the next generation? If Abijah stayed silent on the matter, chances are her son would have ended up just like her father and her husband. It was her courage that influenced an entire generation (and even more) to find the old way and walk therein (Jeremiah 6:16).