Hezekiah Reigns over Judah
18 Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the [a]Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called [b]Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.
Hezekiah Victorious
7 And the Lord was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 He [c]defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.
9 Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10 At the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured. 11 Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and put them in Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.
It’s quite the contrast to see the fall of Israel, while Judah gets its “second wind” as the wicked Ahaz is succeeded by his son Hezekiah. Hezekiah is given the incredible accolade that “there was none like him among all the kings of Judah…” Now it does says “kings of Judah”, which might be intended to leave out David and Solomon, who were both kings over all Israel. And so at the very least, there had not been a king so devoted to God since David (remembering that Solomon went downhill chasing after women).
It’s a reminder that you are not your parent(s). Your past does not define your future, and while those might seem cliché, they are so very true. Do not allow the negative influences of your past to control what you do today, tomorrow, or ten years from now. God can, and will, use anyone who is willing to follow His ways. If our past precluded us from being used by God, not a man or woman on this planet would have ever found His favor.
Now, you can certainly learn from past mistakes, even mistakes of your parents, and hopefully even more so from their successes. But Hezekiah was evidence that God can take someone from a horrible family, and use them to do great things. Since God never changes, He can do the same today, for anyone, anywhere. Trust in the Lord, lean not on your own understanding (especially the shortcomings of the past), and He will most definitely direct your paths. –paraphrased from Proverbs 3:5-6.