II kings 18:5-6 (Amplified Bible)
5 - Hezekiah trusted in, leaned on and was confident in the Lord God of Israel; so that neither after him nor before him was any of all the kings of Judah like him.
6 - For he clung and held fast to the Lord, and ceased not to follow Him, but kept His commandments, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Hezekiah loved and trusted the Lord God, there was steadfastness and perseverance in his duty. For this there was none like him, that he held fast to the Lord with a fixed resolution and never departed from following Him.
2 Chronicles records a time in Hezekiah's life when his heart swerved from God;
2 Chronicles 32:25 (KJV)
But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
He failed to remember his benefits were from God and became proud of heart. He closed the door to God's blessings on his life as well as on all the land he ruled.
Yet he came to a point of recognizing and changing his attitude;
2 Chronicles 32:26 (KJV)
Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
The inhabitants of Jerusalem humbled themselves with Hezekiah, because they either knew that they also had been guilty of the same sin, or at least that they might share in the punishment. Pride of heart, by which we have lifted up ourselves, is a sin for which we ought in a special manner to humble ourselves. When Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem changed their prideful hearts to humble hearts God's hand of blessing was restored upon Judah and the wrath came not in his days. While he lived the country had peace and truth prevailed.
Ahab and Jezebel were the king and queen of Israel in the days of Elijah. They were very wicked, promoting idolatry in Israel, even killing prophets of the Lord. God told Elijah to prophesy to Ahab all that would be fall him because of his evil ways.
1 kings 21:21-29 (KJV)
21- Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
22 - And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou has provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
23 - And of Jezebel also spoke the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
24 - Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
25 - But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
26 - And he did abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
27 - And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
Ahab humbles himself; it was external only, the garments rent, but not the heart, his heart was unhumbled and unchanged. He was still a proud hardened sinner.
28 - And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 - Seest how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring evil upon his house.
He obtained hereby a reprieve, which I may call a kind of pardon. Though it was but an outside repentenance (lamenting the judgment only, and not the sin), though he did not leave his idols, yet because he did hereby give some glory to God, God took notice of it, and judgment and favor were shown to this wicked man. This teaches us to take notice of that which is good even in those who are not so good as they should be. God highly regards that condition of humility to Him and His Word and the same applies to us today.
Colossians 3:12 -14 (KJV)
12 - Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 - Forebearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 - And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
We are to put on bowels of mercies. Bowels refers to the inner organs. It is a figure of speech. Today we might say "have a big heart." We are to put on kindness. We are to forebear one another or put up with each other. We are to forgive the way Jesus Christ forgave. Above all we are to put on the love of God. God so loved the world (which did nothing but hate and reject Him) that He gave His only begotten son. Jesus Christ so loved that he gave his life and died for the very people that crucified him. As we live in this kind of forgiveness and love the peace of God rules in our hearts.
God's Word teaches that all believers no matter how far along we are in our walks need to stay humble before God.
1 Peter 5:5-6 (KJV)
5 - Likewise, ye younger submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resiseth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 - Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
A humble person focuses more on God and others than on himself. Humility is a recognition that by ourselves we are inadequate, yet, because we are created in God's image and believers in Christ, we have infinite worth and dignity. You see you never reach a point spiritually when we do not need humility to God and His Word.
Jesus Christ the perfect man set the example for us of humility and obedience to God.
Philippians 2:8-9 (KJV)
8 - And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 - Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
He not only took upon him the likeness and fashion of a man, but the form of a servant. He became obedient to death, even the death of the cross a cursed and painful death, he not only suffered, but was voluntarily obedient. His exaltation was the reward of his humiliation, because he humbled himself, God exalted him; and He highly exalted him, his name is above every name, a title of dignity above all creatures, men and angels.
Proverbs 15:33 (KJV)
The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
Where there is humility there is a happy presage (future event) of honor and preparative for it. Those that humble themselves shall be exalted here and hereafter.
