King Hezekiah: A Great King of Judah
King Hezekiah reigned during one of the most tumultuous times in the history of Jerusalem: Assyria menaced the existence of the Judean kingdom after effectively destroying the northern kingdom of Israel, sending thousands of refugees flooding the kingdom of Judah. But Hezekiah is also known for his extensive religious reforms, and became the first king to centralize all worship in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Today, the Tunnel of Hezekiah near the Old City walls still endures as a marvel of ancient technology.
Idol worship was rampant in the kingdom of Judah when Hezekiah ascended the throne, having grown in popularity during the reign of his father Ahaz. Hezekiah took immediate action, ordering the destruction of altars and idols throughout the kingdom. The copper snake that was said to have been manufactured by Moses himself was destroyed as well, as it was viewed as a threat to the prohibition against idol worship.
It was at this time as well that Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, sending thousands of refugees fleeing south into the kingdom of Judah. The result is that Jerusalem both grew dramatically in size to accommodate the refugees, and became the center of all worship in the country. It was Hezekiah who is believed to have renewed the tradition of the Passover pilgrimage to the Holy Temple.
With the threat of Assyria looming, Hezekiah’s builders accomplished a marvel of engineering that is impressive to this day: they constructed a 533 meter tunnel to provide Jerusalem access to the waters of the Gihon Spring.
All this was in preparation for the anticipated siege of Jerusalem by Sanneherib King of Assyria—and indeed, the Assyrian king did advance with his fearsome armies before the walls of Jerusalem. Yet a bizarre thing happened: Sanneherib withdrew his forces without ever attacking the city. To this day, the reason for his withdrawal is unknown. In Jerusalem at the time, people were certain that it was a miracle from God. Historians now speculate that a plague broke out in the ranks of the Assyrian army, but so far nothing is known with certainty.
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