37:14-20, 38:1-8, 39:1-8 Over the next few weeks, we will be celebrating the conclusion of our All-In journey at The Summit Church. The sermon this weekend takes a closer look at how ’s story finishes. At one time, Hezekiah was a hero, a faithful man, and an intercessor for his people. The invasion of the Assyrians tested his faith in God and Hezekiah responded with confident trust in God. As we will see this week, other circumstances in Hezekiah’s life showed that he was not firm in his faith to the end of his story.

From Isaiah chapters 37-39, we will learn from Hezekiah’s journey of faith through his prayer life. These chapters provide more details about Hezekiah than what we learn from . The progression of his prayers will reveal what was most important to Hezekiah in the later years of his life. On the whole, Hezekiah was one of the greatest and most spiritually faithful kings in Israelite history. The point of this study is not to smear his name or sit in judgment on his character. Rather, the biblical authors, by telling this part of Hezekiah’s story, were showing that even Hezekiah could not remain faithful to the end. The end of his reign led to the most grievous time of Exile in ’s long history. Israel was still waiting for it’s true king to lead the people in faith, peace, and righteousness.

Work through these questions before you come to small group and be ready to interact with the Scriptures and questions below.

Small Group Discussion Questions 1. After hearing more about Hezekiah’s life from the sermon this weekend, what surprised you about the end of his reign?

2. Read Isaiah 37:14-20? From this prayer, what would you say are Hezekiah’s motives and desires?

3. At the end of and the beginning of 32 (turning there is optional), we learn that ’s invasion happened right after a period of faithful reforms in Israel led by Hezekiah. What do you learn about God’s timing from this story?

4. Read :1-8. What do you learn about Hezekiah’s motivations and desires at this point in his life?

5. Now read :1-8. What do you learn about Hezekiah’s motivations and desires at the end of his life?

6. Based on these three passages from Isaiah, how would you characterize Hezekiah’s journey of faith over his last two decades?

7. The last few years of Hezekiah’s life were leading into personal and national tragedy. What advice would you have given Hezekiah if you were his friend during those last few years of his life?

8. What are some ways that we can safeguard our own hearts and minds from problems that we’ve examined in the past few weeks? How can a believer “finish strong” when many circumstances in our lives are putting pressure on us?

Reflection and Prayer One of the major refrains from books is that the Israelites should remember and pass on stories of God’s faithfulness to them. They wrote songs and built altars to remind and teach others about these significant moments of their history. Conversely, Israel got itself into so much trouble, in many different ways, when they forgot about God’s faithfulness and didn’t pass it on to others. What kinds of work has God been doing in your life in the last two years that you would like to remember and pass on to others?

Spend some time in prayer thanking God for his faithfulness. Remind yourself of his love for you in Christ!