Matthew Henry Commentary 2 Kings 18:1-8

"Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother`s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah: and he brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in Jehovah, the God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor [among them] that were before him. For he clave to Jehovah; he departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which Jehovah commanded Moses. And Jehovah was with him; whithersoever he went forth he prospered: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. He smote the Philistines unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city." — 2 Kings 18:1-8 (ASV)

Hezekiah was a true son of David. Some others did what was right, but not like David. Let us not suppose that when times and people are bad, they must necessarily grow worse and worse; that does not follow. After many bad kings, God raised one up like David himself.

The brazen serpent had been carefully preserved as a memorial of God's goodness to their fathers in the wilderness, but it was vain and wicked to burn incense to it. All aids to devotion not warranted by the word of God interrupt the exercise of faith; they always lead to superstition and other dangerous evils. Human nature perverts everything of this kind. True faith needs no such aids; the word of God, daily meditated on and prayed over, is all the outward help we need.