2Ki 18:5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.

Hezekiah remains the only king of Judah who has received the highest commendation for his faith in God: “He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him” (v.5). These were good kings in Judah before Hezekiah - Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Uzziah. And after him was Josiah. They were great men of faith; but Hezekiah’s faith exceeded them all. Hezekiah’s faith in God is without equal. Hezekiah’s faith in God was not a mere idle profession. His actions proved his faith: “He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it” (v.4). Many profess to believe in God and that’s all there is about their faith; it’s all mere idle profession: “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Hezekiah’s faith was not like theirs. True faith does not consist merely in having a head filled with the doctrinal truths of God. It does not consist in the mere strict observance of the outward forms of religion. No doubt, truth and practices are important, but they are not there is to religion. True faith lies in practising the faith once delivered to the saints: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). True faith is seen in the whole life: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). It is the dedication of the heart and life to God (Luke 9:23). Some possess only head knowledge of the word of God. They know much about the Bible. Yet, they are not present when the church is having a gospel meeting or Bible seminar. Neither were they present at the funeral wake of a church member. They have heads filled with the knowledge of the doctrinal truths but not hearts filled with love. Christ wants us to be born again: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). This rebirth or “born again” does not begin and end at baptism. It begins at baptism and it ends when life ends. The result of the rebirth is a changed life: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12: 2). What made Hezekiah so different from others is his faultless faith: “For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses” (v.6). What action comes to our minds when we see the word “clave”? We see someone holding on to a certain thing so tightly and wouldn’t let go; like a child holding on to his toy. Some clung to God, but not for long. They were faithful for a time; they had failed to persevere. Hezekiah had a better record: He held fast (clave) to the profession of faith to the end. God wants us to be faithful until the end of our lives (Revelations 2:10). Hezekiah’s faith is praiseworthy because it is sincere and enduring. Can it be said of our faith? Is our faith praiseworthy?