Much of the next few chapters of 2 Kings can be found also in Isaiah 36-39.
Hezekiah did right in the eyes of the Lord, and even got rid of the high places. This included smashing up the snake that Moses had made (Num 21:4-9) for it had become an idol. We have a great human propensity to make idols out of anything, including genuine godly successes. Sometimes we need to get rid of things of the past that were once good, because they were for their time and are not for now.
Kings speaks very highly of Hezekiah here, noting that he trusted in the Lord and held fast to the Lord. He rebelled against Assyria, Now it is notable that a major battle is about to ensue, one in which Jerusalem will be on the very brink of defeat. A simplistic notion would say that when we turn to God everything will turn out fine in a nice simple way. Things will turn out fine in the long run, but the road may be far from smooth.
It was during Hezekiah's reign that Assyria overran Samaria. Then Sennacharib, king of Assyria, attacked the towns of Judah. Hezekiah then went back on his rebellion against Assyria and tried to buy him off with gold and silver from the temple.
Why did Hezekiah backslide? His outward actions had been good, but deep down there was something lacking in his devotion and trust in God. He needed to be born again, as we all do. Our human nature is fundamentally incapable of truly trusting God. We need to be born again of the Spirit.
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