Although he was one of Judah’s greatest kings, and dedicated
to following the Lord, Hezekiah was still a human being, and messed up, as II
Chronicles 32:25-26 tells us. “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.
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.”
God had blessed Hezekiah in many different ways, and as so
often happens, Hezekiah became proud of the way God blessed him. II Chronicles 32:27-30 describes his
blessings. “And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself
treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices,
and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels; Storehouses also for
the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts,
and cotes for flocks. Moreover he
provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance: for God
had given him substance very much. This
same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it
straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in
all his works.”
As so often happens, Hezekiah’s pride in how he had been
blessed became a problem, as II Chronicles 32:31 tells us. “Howbeit
in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him
to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him,
that he might know all that was in his heart.” At the time, Babylon was a
minor part of the Assyrian Empire, and Hezekiah was flattered when they sent ambassadors
enquiring about his health. II Kings
20:12-13 tells what happened. “At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of
Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had
heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And
Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of his precious
things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment,
and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there
was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them
not.”
God sent Isaiah to warn Hezekiah that flaunting his wealth
would lead to the Babylonians invading Judah when they became strong enough, in
Isaiah 39:3-8. “Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him,
What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee?
And Hezekiah said,
They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.
Then said he, What
have they seen in thine house?
And Hezekiah answered,
All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures
that I have not showed them.
Then said Isaiah to
Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all
that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until
this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee,
which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the
palace of the king of Babylon.
Then said Hezekiah to
Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover,
For there shall be peace and truth in my days.”
While God expects us to enjoy the things he blesses us with,
we need to be careful not to flaunt then or make other people feel that God
doesn’t love them as much because he hasn’t blessed them in the same way even
though they have done the same things.
Sometimes we discourage other Christians by bragging about how much we
are blessed, and other times we tempt ungodly people by flaunting what we have.
Nobody is perfect, and even the most
Godly men can mess up.
Hezekiah was very highly respected by his people, as was
demonstrated when he died, in II Chronicles 32:33. “And
Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the
sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.”
The people refused to allow some of the kings to even be
buried in the same cemetary as David. But Hezekiah was buried in an area
reserved for their greatest leaders.
Hezekiah also demonstrates that God's will and ways are better than ours. Had he not begged God to spare his life for a few more years, and had God not answered that prayer, he would not have been able to flaunt his wealth and hence endanger the kingdom. Thanks as always for the great post.
ReplyDeleteGod bless,
Laurie
Very true, Laurie, Had he died then his son Manasseh would not have been born, and the entire nation would have certainly followed a different course, although not necessarily a better one.
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