Hezekiah
The Crisis Leader
Every person encounters crisis at some point in their life, therefore, every leader must be prepared for a crisis situation. It’s not a matter of if it’s going to happen, it’s a matter of when and where. The crisis leader must be prepared to rally the troops to stay the course even when the road ahead seems impassable. Hezekiah is identified in our text as a crisis leader because he led with success during a very difficult time.
A crisis leader is someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to rescue the mission and restore the team to a place of confidence. Crisis leaders often lead in a time of financial despair, divided loyalties, and skepticism. Who in their right mind would choose this? Hezekiah sets a wonderful example of how a crisis leader can jump in and restore integrity to a lost cause for God’s glory.
Hezekiah was the thirteenth king of Judah and the son of King Ahaz. According to 2 Kings 18:2, “He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years.” Hezekiah was the great-grandson of King Uzziah who was very well thought of. 2 Kings 18:5-8 goes on to say, “Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.” His goal was to abolish idolatry from his kingdom and his reign was a time of great reformation in Judah.
Hezekiah had to assume the role of a crisis leader when Judah was attacked by Sennacherib’s army. They came to make war against Jerusalem. One of the hardest parts of being a crisis leader is that you can’t always anticipate what might be coming your way from outside forces. It is best to always be prepared to spring into action.
The crisis leader must keep a watch for things that can come up that could lead to a crisis. This goes back to being a good manager. Leaders must be aware of situations and relationships that can have a negative effect on the team or the task. It is critical for a leader to constantly assess the situation and to evaluate the team in an effort to maintain focus.
Hezekiah’s enemies were trying to get him to get into an argument with them. Hezekiah refused because he knew there was nothing to gain from those fruitless conversations. A crisis leader has to assess a situation and put a plan of action together without getting bogged down in unnecessary conversations and processes. Everyone is going to have a point of view or a plan; you have to be able to get straight to the point so that you can listen to only your most trusted advisers.
After looking at the situation, Hezekiah recognized the severity of the situation and bowed down before the LORD. In man’s eyes, the situation looked hopeless, but Hezekiah knew that God had a plan. Sometimes the first thing a leader needs to do is have a moment to decompress before they can move on. Take 5 minutes to yourself and let out your emotions so that you can clear your head and focus on the task at hand.
Hezekiah cried out to God for help. A crisis leader needs to keep in mind the words of Matthew 6:33, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Seek Christ first and the rest will become clearer. God promises that if we seek him, we will find him. Even when no one else is with you in a crisis, if you are running hard after Christ, He will reveal His plan to you.
If you look at the New Testament, Jesus was known for the time that he spent alone with God. After every miracle and other significant event in Jesus’ ministry, he slipped away from the crowds to be alone with the Father. Leaders must be diligent to schedule time with God. It doesn’t just happen; you must intentionally seek Christ by praying and studying the Scriptures. If it was that critical for Jesus, who was at the same time fully God and fully man, how much more important should it be for those of us that are not God at all?
Hezekiah also turned to his trusted confidants in the midst of the crisis. He had his servants go to get advice from Isaiah. Some leaders are foolish and don’t ever ask others. They are afraid it is a sign of weakness. Every leader should have someone on their team and someone outside their team that can be a confidant in times of crisis. You have to use discretion about how often you invoke this privilege, but it is always good to have someone that is wiser and further down the road than you are to speak some truth into a situation. Someone outside the situation is always good to hear from because they can offer a fresh unbiased point of view.
After crying out to God and talking to some trusted companions, Hezekiah put together a plan of action. He finally realized that God’s timing was perfect and he needed to pray and wait for God to move. Many leaders are very uncomfortable with waiting because they are wired to fix things, to make the situation better. If you don’t wait for God’s perfect timing, chances are you’ll have to come back and start over at some point.
Hezekiah stuck to the plan and in Isaiah 38:32, we read that “the angel of the LORD went out and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses-all dead.” God came through when Hezekiah honored Him by waiting! A crisis leader must stay the course in order to see the plan through to fruition. If you forsake spending the time with God, you are planning to fail.
A crisis leader must also realize that just because one crisis has passed, that is not the end of the trials and tribulations. God used this situation with Sennacharib’s army to prepare Hezekiah for other challenges that were going to come his way. One of the other reasons it is good to have someone to consult with is that your experiences might benefit someone else or theirs might benefit you. You are not the only one to experience crisis and you won’t only experience it one time.
Hezekiah faced a crisis with his health. He begged God to give him more time and to spare his life and that request was granted. God answered him in Isaiah 38:7-8, “This is the LORD’s sign to you that he LORD will do hat he has promised: I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz. So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.”
Hezekiah was so excited that God had given him an additional 15 years to live that he made some frivolous choices and ultimately put Judah in a compromising position that many years later would lead to the Babylonian exile. It is important for a crisis leader to stay the course and not get caught up in the celebration. You must take time to memorialize the victories that God gives you along the way, but don’t lose sight of that goal for which Christ Jesus took hold of you. Just because the current crisis is over, it doesn’t mean that you are immune from other crisis situations in the future.
I Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under God’s mighty hand that He might lift you up in due time.” Leaders are driven people that aren’t usually used to waiting. It is hard for a leader to wait, especially in times of crisis. However, it is important to remember that God often allows these times of crisis in order to build our character. We must remember that the refiner’s fire is what makes the gold so shiny and pure. Crisis situations are used to refine the leadership skills that God has gifted us with.