2 Kings 20:19
Last week we studied the formidable faith of Hezekiah. How when faced with Assyria’s might and well-armed military Hezekiah entrusted the lives of Judah to the Lord by waiting and praying. He could have tried to run away from the battle, or rushed into it. But Hezekiah did neither. He hunkered down both physically and spiritually and sought God’s direction in the urgent matter. In short, he displayed an incredible sense of spiritual integrity and valor. But this week we consider a negative act on the part of Hezekiah, which occurred after the Assyrian encounter in 2 Kings 19.
Hezekiah was no stranger to adversity, as was amply magnified in his dilemma with the Assyrian army when he was roughly thirty-nine years old. But some time later Hezekiah became ill, so-much-so that he was on the verge of death. The prophet Isaiah was commanded by God to meet with the king and tell him to get his affairs in order, thus indicating Hezekiah's sickness would be fatal. Hezekiah was so distraught by the news that he turned away and called out to God, reminding the Lord how faithfully he had served Him in his tenure as king. Overcome with emotion and brokenness, he wept. Hezekiah's sadness deeply moved God. Isaiah had not even left the premises when God informed the prophet to return to Hezekiah and give him another message. The Lord would heal Hezekiah and allow him to live an additional fifteen years.
Momentary sidebar here...there is something to be said for God's merciful nature, and His responsiveness to the human condition. He knows the depth of our pain and longs to rectify it. He bears our worry and our strife. He hears our petitions and observes the degree to which we ache. May we be grateful that our God is so personal. So attentive. So genuine. So concerned. His relational blessings reign down on us. Every day. Every moment.
But here is where the narrative in 2 Kings 20 gets particularly interesting. The biblical writer notes that envoys from Babylon were sent to give Hezekiah letters, as well as a gift, because the king of Babylon had learned of Hezekiah's dire condition. Hezekiah did something rather curious: he showed the foreign dignitaries the bulk of Judah's wealth. The text does not state that this was something the Babylonian representatives requested. Apparently, Hezekiah, in a state of arrogance, recklessly flaunted the treasures of the kingdom. One would hope to read that Hezekiah praised God for his physical recovery, or publicly commended the Lord for a renewed appreciation for life. But there is no indication that Hezekiah gave credit where credit was clearly due. Scripture offers no interaction between Hezekiah and the Babylonian guests regarding the goodness of God. There was only boasting of earthly possessions.
And what we effectively read after this event is that Hezekiah spent the majority of his remaining time advancing his name, and thereby his worldly legacy. There is no chronicle of Hezekiah doing anything to honor God in those final fifteen years. In fact, 2 Kings 20 alludes to the fact that Hezekiah worked for human accomplishments, including a project to redirect a water source to Jerusalem. It was as if Hezekiah's sunset days were consumed with self-pleasure and personal accolades. Thus the lesson here is clear: honoring God should be our central aim, not prideful milestones or ambitions. Hezekiah relinquished humility and became fixated on status. Fame and fortune were the chief desires of his life towards the end, leaving little room to cherish, or perhaps appreciate, the lovingkindness of God. Hezekiah was once a banner of consecrated character, but eventually he became corrupted with greed and power.
Let me weave in a personal story here for a moment. Several years ago my wife and I attended a one day financial workshop focused on sound planning and budgeting strategies, which we were severely lacking at that phase in our marriage. The seminar blessed us and equipped us with very useful information that has aided us to this day. But there was a point in the presentation that caught me offguard (in a good way), as it challenged my preconceived notions of money. The speaker said that money is amoral, but how humanity chooses to view it, and utilize it, will either be moral or immoral. In the hands of a generous person, money is a tool to help others (i.e. family, friends, and strangers). But in the hands of a miserly person, money is hoarded and will not be shared with those in need.
In that context it is apparent to me that time is amoral too. But how mankind chooses to view it and utilize it will either be moral or immoral. To a wise person, time is an opening to worship God and honor Him through service to others. But to a fool, time is an opportunity to exercise laziness, engage in wicked behavior, or enjoy recreational activity at the exclusion of assisting others. We see here that Hezekiah was in the latter category just prior to his death. The king, once bursting with a formidable faith, closed the chapter of his existence in pride. He missed out on some precious opportunities, opportunities to perform glorious labor for the Lord. Instead, he sought to oversee exploits for his own benefit. Like us, Hezekiah was given the treasure of time. But, like so many of us, he did not know what a privilege he had until it was too late.
Momentary sidebar here...there is something to be said for God's merciful nature, and His responsiveness to the human condition. He knows the depth of our pain and longs to rectify it. He bears our worry and our strife. He hears our petitions and observes the degree to which we ache. May we be grateful that our God is so personal. So attentive. So genuine. So concerned. His relational blessings reign down on us. Every day. Every moment.
But here is where the narrative in 2 Kings 20 gets particularly interesting. The biblical writer notes that envoys from Babylon were sent to give Hezekiah letters, as well as a gift, because the king of Babylon had learned of Hezekiah's dire condition. Hezekiah did something rather curious: he showed the foreign dignitaries the bulk of Judah's wealth. The text does not state that this was something the Babylonian representatives requested. Apparently, Hezekiah, in a state of arrogance, recklessly flaunted the treasures of the kingdom. One would hope to read that Hezekiah praised God for his physical recovery, or publicly commended the Lord for a renewed appreciation for life. But there is no indication that Hezekiah gave credit where credit was clearly due. Scripture offers no interaction between Hezekiah and the Babylonian guests regarding the goodness of God. There was only boasting of earthly possessions.
And what we effectively read after this event is that Hezekiah spent the majority of his remaining time advancing his name, and thereby his worldly legacy. There is no chronicle of Hezekiah doing anything to honor God in those final fifteen years. In fact, 2 Kings 20 alludes to the fact that Hezekiah worked for human accomplishments, including a project to redirect a water source to Jerusalem. It was as if Hezekiah's sunset days were consumed with self-pleasure and personal accolades. Thus the lesson here is clear: honoring God should be our central aim, not prideful milestones or ambitions. Hezekiah relinquished humility and became fixated on status. Fame and fortune were the chief desires of his life towards the end, leaving little room to cherish, or perhaps appreciate, the lovingkindness of God. Hezekiah was once a banner of consecrated character, but eventually he became corrupted with greed and power.
Let me weave in a personal story here for a moment. Several years ago my wife and I attended a one day financial workshop focused on sound planning and budgeting strategies, which we were severely lacking at that phase in our marriage. The seminar blessed us and equipped us with very useful information that has aided us to this day. But there was a point in the presentation that caught me offguard (in a good way), as it challenged my preconceived notions of money. The speaker said that money is amoral, but how humanity chooses to view it, and utilize it, will either be moral or immoral. In the hands of a generous person, money is a tool to help others (i.e. family, friends, and strangers). But in the hands of a miserly person, money is hoarded and will not be shared with those in need.
In that context it is apparent to me that time is amoral too. But how mankind chooses to view it and utilize it will either be moral or immoral. To a wise person, time is an opening to worship God and honor Him through service to others. But to a fool, time is an opportunity to exercise laziness, engage in wicked behavior, or enjoy recreational activity at the exclusion of assisting others. We see here that Hezekiah was in the latter category just prior to his death. The king, once bursting with a formidable faith, closed the chapter of his existence in pride. He missed out on some precious opportunities, opportunities to perform glorious labor for the Lord. Instead, he sought to oversee exploits for his own benefit. Like us, Hezekiah was given the treasure of time. But, like so many of us, he did not know what a privilege he had until it was too late.
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