Dr Paul Allen

For five years, an ancient clay seal remained in a closet in Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology. After the seal was dug up at the foot of the southern part of Jerusalem’s old city wall, initial examination failed to establish the significance of the nearly 3,000-year-old object. But then a researcher carefully scrutinized the letters on the seal, resulting in a major discovery. The inscription, written in ancient Hebrew, reads: “Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah.” At the center of the seal is a two-winged sun surrounded by two images symbolizing life. The archaeologists who discovered the seal believe that King Hezekiah began using this seal as a symbol of God’s protection after the Lord healed him from a life-threatening illness (Isa. 38:1–8). Hezekiah had been pleading with the Lord to heal him. And God heard his prayer. He also gave Hezekiah a sign that He would indeed do what He had promised, saying, “I will cause the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward” (...

English: An image of Psalm 23 (King James' Version), frontispiece to the 1880 omnibus printing of The Sunday at Home. Scanned at 800 dpi. Français : Illustration du Psaume 23 (version autorisée par le roi Jacques), en frontispice de l'édition omnibus du Sunday at home. Version numérisée à 800 dpi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And the sons of Neariah; Elioenai, and Hezekiah , and Azrikam , three.” ( 1 Chronicles 3:23 ) Elioenai’s name is in a long list of names in the book of Chronicles . In fact, it is significant that the Bible contains the proper names of more individuals than can be found in all the other books of antiquity put together—strong evidence of its historical authenticity. These were real names of real people, and each would, no doubt, have a fascinating story to tell if he could. The ancient Israelites were very conscious of their divine calling as God ’s chosen people; family relationships and genealogical records were highly valued. Godly parents were ve...

English: Zechariah of Israel was a king of the northern Israelite Kingdom of Israel, and son of Jeroboam II. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel , and Jerusalem .” ( Zechariah 1:18-19 )   Immediately after seeing the horsemen that were sent to determine the state of the earth, Zechariah observes four “horns” amid the myrtle trees. Zechariah is told that they represent the authorities responsible for scattering the people of the two nations of Judah and Israel , destroying Jerusalem in the process as well.   The image of horns usually refers to empires in other passages of Scripture. The horns of the goats in Daniel 7 and 8 and the horns of the seven-headed dragon used in Revelation 13 and 17 are good examples. Zechariah may have understood this specific vision as a reference to N...

Jeroboam sets up two golden calves, from the Bible Historiale. Den Haag, MMW, 10 B 23 165r (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “The word of the LORD that came to Hosea , son of Beeri, during the reigns of Uzziah , Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah , kings of Judah , and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel” (Hosea 1:1). Although Hosea began prophesying about ten years after Amos, his prophecy is first in the Book of the Twelve (the Minor Prophets). There is a good theological reason for this: Hosea’s prophecy is the longest and the most complete. In a sense, he sets up all the major themes found in the other books in the collection: covenant, judgment, and restoration, and the Lord’s personal relationship with His wayward people. We are not told this explicitly, but Hosea is the only prophet who seems to have come from the northern kingdom of Israel rather than from the southern kingdom of Judah . His familiarity with the culture and ways of Israel has persuaded most ...

King Hezekiah on a 17th century painting by unknown artist in the choir of Sankta Maria kyrka in Åhus, Sweden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) From the revival in Judah under the reign of King Hezekiah (2 Chron . 29) to the Protestant Reformation that returned the church to the biblical gospel after its eclipse in the medieval era , we see that God is often pleased to shine His light when the darkness seems overwhelming.  In every case, the faithful who lived in dark times called out for the Lord to revive them, and God answered their prayers by shining the light of His truth in this dark world. We live in a day of darkness, when the gospel and the church are under attack on every front. Yet we do not live in a day without hope, for God's kingdom cannot ultimately be conquered.  As such, we have confidence that as we cry out to the Lord, He will revive us that we might rejoice in Him and His truth again (Ps. 85:6). Related articles Without Excuse (pilgrimpa...

English: Solomon and the Plan for the Temple, as in 1 Kings 6, illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God , even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.” ( 1 Chronicles 28:20 ) This admonition—to be strong and of good courage—is found 11 times in the Bible—thrice on the lips of Moses , five times in Joshua , then twice from David, and once from Hezekiah . Although these all involved specific challenges confronting God’s people at the time, the principles behind them indicate the need for courage of conviction for God’s people at all times. The first occurrence is in the command given by Moses to the Israelites just before his death as they were about to enter the Promised Land . “Be strong an...

Hezekiah with the prophet Isaiah. The Imperial Crown Western Germany 2nd half of the 10th century The cross is an addition from the early 11th century; the arch dates from the reign of Emperor Conrad II (ruled 1024-1039); the red velvet cap is from the 18th century. Gold, cloisonné enamel, precious stones, pearls Brow plate: H 14.9 cm, W 11.2 cm; cross: H 9.9 cm SK Inv. No. XIII 1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Indeed, the LORD will throw you away violently, O mighty man, and will surely seize you” (Isa. 22:17). We have before us a prophecy concerning two individuals, which is a rare subject in Isaiah , for he dealt mainly with nations as a whole. But in his case, God chose to bring to light broader principles by singling out a man who represented evil within the Jewish nation. The prophecy is against Shebna , an officer in the court of Hezekiah , a good and noble king. Shebna was a wicked, deceitful, and proud man who, as some Jewish historians maintain, conspired with Assyria in...

King Hezekiah on a 17th century painting by unknown artist in the choir of Sankta Maria kyrka in Åhus, Sweden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Where is the scribe? Where is he who weights? Where is he who counts the towers?” (Isa. 33:18b) Once again Isaiah speaks of the reign of Hezekiah , which was a type of the kingdom of Christ . After making this point in his commentary on this passage, John Calvin immediately qualifies his statement by assuring his readers that he was by no means “pursuing allegories, to which I am averse, and that this is the reason why I do not interpret the passage as relating directly to Christ.” It begins with Hezekiah, but it points to Christ and the freedom of His reign. One of the remarkable traits of Hezekiah’s kingdom would be the stress on individual freedom and the centrality of divine kingship. This, of course, is paramount in Christ’s kingdom, where all men worship the Lord as “Judge,” “ Lawgiver ,” and “King,” where all the people who dwell...

The Reformed Church of France, Paris, France (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; and you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!  (Isa. 33:1a) When God destroys a nation, He is doing two things: He is exercising judgment on a sinful people and He is displaying His love for His church by showing that even the greatest nations cannot keep Him from caring for His people. In this first part of chapter 33, Isaiah is proclaiming judgment against the Assyrians and perhaps the Babylonians , for these were great nations that exercised power throughout the known world and were considered by many to be invincible. They believed their boundaries marked, their strongholds secure, and their prominence in the world eternal. But God had another plan. They would be brought down in a great display of God’s justice toward His enemies and mercy toward His most cherished people. Interpreters are not certain wh...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice  (Isa. 32:1). The prediction in Isaiah 32 relates to Hezekiah and his reign. Up to this time, Ahaz , a wicked and disgraceful hypocrite, had corrupted everything in the whole civil government and religion. But under Ahaz’s son Hezekiah, the Lord would bring great change. Government would be restored, justice would flourish, and freedom would truly reign because people no longer would fear criminal activity threatening their possessions or their lives. Isaiah presents to us in this passage a lively picture of the prosperous condition of the church, which cannot be attained without Jesus Christ . The prediction, while referring to Hezekiah, also points to Christ , of whom Hezekiah was a type and whose kingdom he foreshadowed. The Lord had brought judgment on the nation for its rebellion by taking away all sense of justice and by dulling unde...

King Hezekiah on a 17th century painting by unknown artist in the choir of Sankta Maria kyrka in Åhus, Sweden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth." ( Psalm 127:4 ) This is the central verse in the 101 verses contained in a remarkable group of fifteen psalms called "The songs of degrees " ( Psalms 120 - 134 ). The central verse in the central psalm of this group is the preceding verse: "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward" ( Psalm 127:3 ). The origin of these psalms and this peculiar superscript has always been uncertain. Four are said to be by David , one by Solomon ; the other ten are anonymous. A reasonable supposition, however, is that they were composed by King Hezekiah , after he had been miraculously healed of a lethal illness. "I will add unto thy days fifteen years," God had said, and gave Hezekiah a miraculous sign as co...

Image via Wikipedia "It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh , whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left." ( 2 Kings 19:4 )   These words were part of King Hezekiah 's plea to Isaiah for help in prayer against Rabshakeh and the Assyrian army besieging Jerusalem. It marks the second time in which this particular word is used for "the remnant," the first being in  Genesis 45:7 , when Joseph assured his brothers that God had sent him into Egypt to preserve for Israel "a posterity" in the earth. However, this word (Hebrew  sherith ) is prominent later in the writings of the prophets, who frequently refer to the faithful Israelite "remnant" during times of apostasy.   The same doctrine appears in the New Testament . Speaking of the children of Israel during the time of ...