In Isaiah, chapter thirty-six, verse one, is about King Hezekiah, a godly king of Judah who trusted in the Lord and served Him. Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, was twenty-five years old when he began to reign. He was considered one of the greatest kings Judah ever had because of his trust in and reliance upon God. Hezekiah trusted deeply in the Lord, kept His commandments, and exhorted the people to turn from sin and return to God. He reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.
At the beginning of his reign, he repaired and cleansed the house of the Lord, restored the priests and Levites to their ministry, and reinstated the celebration of the Passover feast. He vigorously sought to destroy all idolatrous altars and high places in Judah. Hezekiah had great confidence in God, as in Second Kings eighteen, verse five, “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.” Faced with the threat of the Assyrians and horrified at the mockery of the Lord, he turned to God and entreated Isaiah to pray for Jerusalem and God’s remnant people. “And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD,” as in Second kings nineteen, verse one.
Hezekiah emphasizes four truths concerning genuine repentance: God’s people must turn to Him with the desire to forsake sin and confess Him as Lord if they want to experience His favour. God’s people must turn to Him with the sincere intention of obeying His commands. God’s people must turn to Him in submission, worship, and service, and must turn to Him with supplication and prayer.