‘The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.’ That proverbial saying appears to have proven true in the time of King Hezekiah. His father was arguably the second worst king in the history of the covenant community (the distinction of being the worst king is usually reserved for Manasseh).
Ahaz was an absolute train wreck.
He engaged in child sacrifice, he was an avowed pagan, he made stupid and wicked alliances and through his unfaithfulness and incompetence he brought the people of Judah to the brink of extinction as a nation; and then, all of the sudden, things turned around in the time of Hezekiah. The first chapter in the Hezekiah narrative acknowledges the rapid change of affairs, particularly with respect to the spiritual state of the nation:
"And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly." (2 Chronicles 29:36 ESV)
What accounts for this rapid and complete turnaround?