Chizkiyahu was supposed to be Meshiach

B"H

The Gemara (rabbinic discussions) in Talmud Tractate Sanhedrin 94a teaches us that G - d's original plan was making King Chizkiyahu (Chezekiah) Meshiach.

Chizkiyahu was the son of Achaz and the father of Menashe; two extremely evil kings in the world of Tanach. Between the two, only Chizkiyahu was righteous and G - dfearing. He banned any kind of idol - worship and destroyed all symbols and statues connected to it.

During his reign, the Assyrians under Sancheiriv conquered the land of Israel and sent ten of the twelve tribes into exile (Galut). Those ten tribes used to live in northern Israel and after Sancheiriv took over the whole area, he wanted Jerusalem as well. His army was already outside the city walls and ready to reak through, as one night 185.000 Assyrian soldiers suddenly died in a plague (see Kings II, 18 - 19). Sancheiriv escaped back to Ninveh and kabbalistic literature tells us that he actually was a reincarnation of the evil King Nimrod who already wanted to destroy Avraham.

The Prophets Yechezkel (38 - 39) and Zechariah (14) describe the time and especially the War of Gog and Magog before Meshiach is arriving. Many commentators such as Ben Yehoyada, however, considered the war with the Assyrians as Gog and Magog. The last Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson (died in 1994) saw the Second World War as Gog and Magog and now Meshiach would be right on the doorstep.

Other sources rather see the "Gog and Magog" concept as something internal. It is our inner war overcoming the Yetzer HaRah (evil inclination).

Chizkiyahu was supposed to be the Meshiach but then G - d had His "doubts" and judgement (Din) overcame him instead of mercy (Rachamim). Wasn't King David always singing praises to Him ? David composed Tehillim (Psalms) and prayers. And David himself never became Meshiach. How can it be that Chizkiyahu should be the Meshiach when he, despite all the miracles happening to him, never sang a song of praise to G - d ? Did Chizkiyahu ever thank G - d or didn't he rather took everything for granted ?

Singing and praising G - d has the power to arouse such joy that this alone could cause the coming of Meshiach. The Maharal of Prague commentated that Chizkiyahu's joy didn't seem to be that great and he didn't sing any praises to G - d after the miraculous destruction of the enemy's army. And this is, the Gemara says, the reason why eventually Chizkiyahu didn't become Meshiach.