Thursday: In Sickness and in Wealth
Isaiah 38:1-39:8
The events of Isaiah 38 and 39 (2 Kings 20) took place very close to the time God delivered Hezekiah from Sennacherib, even though the deliverance, as depicted in Isaiah 37 (see also 2 Kings 19) had not yet occurred. Indeed, Isaiah 38:5-6 and 2 Kings 20:6 show that they still faced the Assyrian threat.
“Satan was determined to bring about both the death of Hezekiah and the fall of Jerusalem, reasoning no doubt that if Hezekiah were out of the way, his efforts at reform would cease and the fall of Jerusalem could be the more readily accomplished.” — The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 240.
What does the above quote tell us about how important good leadership is for God’s people?
What sign does the Lord give Hezekiah to confirm his faith? 2 Kings 20:8-11; Isa: 38:6-8.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
By rejecting signs offered by God (Isaiah 7), Ahaz had started the course of events that led to trouble with Assyria. But now Hezekiah had asked for a sign (2 Kings 20:8); so, God strengthened him to meet the crisis his father had brought upon Judah. Indeed, reversing the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz was possible only through a miracle.
The Babylonians studied movements of heavenly bodies and recorded them accurately. Thus, they would have noticed the sun’s strange behavior and wondered what it meant. The fact that King Merodach-baladan sent envoys at this time is no accident. The Babylonians had learned of the connection between Hezekiah’s recovery and the miraculous sign.
Now we know why God chose this particular sign. Just as He later used the star of Bethlehem to bring wise men from the East, he used a solar shift to bring messengers from Babylon. This was a unique opportunity for them to learn about the true God. Merodach-baladan spent his entire career trying to win lasting independence from Assyria. He needed powerful allies, which explains his motivation for contacting Hezekiah. If the sun itself moved at Hezekiah’s request, what could he do to Assyria?
| How did Hezekiah lose an incredible opportunity to glorify God and point the Babylonians to Him? What was the result? Isaiah 39. Hezekiah, who should have been witnessing to them about the Lord, pointed, instead, to his own “glory.” What is the lesson for us? |
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I have heard people wax quite eloquent about the fact that the sun went backwards, but I don't think that is really the point of the story. Hezekiah was sick and was healed and in the process an event occurred that stirred the interest of the Babylonians. They sent emissaries to investigate, and Hezekiah entertained them by showing off. That was a missed opportunity and set the scene for what happened several generations later, when Babylon raided Jerusalem and took the wealth and their learned people captive.
And if there is a moral to the story for us; how often do we try to project ourselves as a successful church, rather than a caring compassionate church? We all get tricked at times into saying how good we are. We like to say how many members we have, how many countries we work it, how many schools we run, how much ADRA does, and so on. But are we as willing to help out when no publicity is on offer?
Christianity - the kind that the secular mind thinks about - has projected an image of success, wealth and power for centuries. Today, the secular mind has difficulty in seeing past that image to the kind of church that is compassionate and understanding.
It is perhaps no coincidence that this story is told in Isaiah shortly before the great Messianic prophecies that predicted the humility of Jesus.
(Isaiah 39:1-4). What Have They Seen?—What have your friends and acquaintances seen in your house? Are you, instead of revealing the treasures of the grace of Christ, displaying those things that will perish with the using? Or do you, to those with whom you are brought in contact, communicate some new thought of Christ's character and work? Have you always some fresh revelation of His pitying love to impart to those who know Him not? (The Signs of the Times, October 1, 1902). 2BC1038.4
What have our friends seen in our houses?
Habel - Thank you for sharing the writings of Mrs. White in your comment! She poses the poignant question to alert us to remain vigilant and avoid shortcommings and missed opportunities due to complacency through self-satisfaction's ease and comfort.
When the envoys from the Babylonian king came to visit what should Hezikiah have done instead of showing all his wealth?
How could he give the glory to the LORD?
Perhaps God has given me and you talents to which we can attract people. This can be our chance to point them to the original Giver! Even with all our defects, God can use our whole being to His own glory! May we humbly and voluntarily accept our individual missions!
Hezekiah is told you will die.
Hezekiah prayed and wept bitterly.
God answers his prayer and let the universe know He is God.
Babyloanian officials came seeking the answer to his healing.
Because they have seen great wonders in the celestial body.
Not one word of praise to the God of heaven.
When Hezekiah is given the demise of Judah how does he react,
2 Kings 20:19
19 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,”
Why did he not intervene?
It strikes me that God knew the outcome of Hezekiah's extra years.
He knew that Hezekiah would take the glory for himself.
He knew that the Babylonians would be encouraged to capture Jerusalem as a result.
And yet God answered Hezekiah's prayers and healed him.
God is so gracious that He will sometimes answer our prayers to grant our requests as we outline, even if He had a better plan? Maybe to build our faith in Him?
For me this is a reminder to be grateful for the prayers that God answers in a different way than I ask, as He knows best.
As Jesus prayed, "....thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven".
That's an interesting observation you make, Newbegin. That Hezekiah didn't again beg in prayer when he learned that the whole nation of Judah would suffer a demise because of his actions.
And yet, if God hadn't healed Hezekiah, there would have been no opportunity for Babylon to learn about God's great works. I'm not convinced that God wanted Hezekiah to die and only healed him because he "twisted his arm". I know people say that, but God doesn't just give us what we want to teach us a lesson.
The story could have been different if Hezekiah had brought glory to God when the Babylonians came, but that is what it means to have free choice. God could have healed Hezekiah and used a different sign and the Babylonians wouldn't have come at all.
I guess what I'm saying is that we don't have to be scared to ask God for things because He might just give it to us. He knows what's best and can answer our prayers or not, as He chooses. After all, others in the Bible prayed for things that God did not give them.
However, a lot of things about this story will not be known until we are in Heaven. I don't necessarily have the answers. These are just my thoughts.
Christina,
I too believe there’s much more to this story. It’s good to know that God doesn’t sit on His throne waiting to bring harm to us if we make mistakes even with the gifts He gives us. God does what is best and we can rest in that. Thanks for bringing out that important point.
Your thoughts shed light on God’s grace, thank you, Christina! For instance, that God purposely used a sign that would draw the group of Babylonians to come and inquire about what happened. He provided a tailor-made opportunity for Hezekiah to witness, you’re saying, and that’s a beautiful thought that’s in keeping with how he continues to be today. I’ll think more about how the miracles I have received are tailored to share with certain friends…
And I appreciate your reminder that we have the freedom to ask God for things in a specific way. I was thinking of my living situation in this duplex. I prayed with my study group for a long time that this unit would open up again . (I had come to see it but then somebody else had signed the lease before I did.) And then miraculously it did become available. (The landlord had told me that people usually stay in these units for a long time and that the couple who had just moved into this unit had no plans at all to move. It was only because her father passed that they moved unexpectedly. ) But after moving in, for five years I struggled with the neighbor next-door being really aggressively hostile. She was finally evicted this fall. I had wondered if I had prayed more generally for the correct housing instead of for this exact location if things would have been different? I felt like I kind of overrided the “thy will be done” clause for more of a “Lord you know I need that place because there are so few places available” kind of prayer. So your words are a comfort that the Lord gives me what is best for me even if I don’t pray for it in the correct way or from a fully submitted heart.
Esther, our motives are always somewhat tainted. I think we can all learn to pray better and in more submissive way. But I don't think we have to be afraid that if we pray the wrong way, God will just leave us to our own devices. Perhaps God had a plan for good to put you in your current location. Perhaps it was His plan that your neighbor be touched by you but she refused to cooperate so His plan wasn't fulfilled. One day you will know for sure, but for now, just keep trusting and praying.
Isa.39:8KJV caught my eye – "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.".
For Hezekiah to say this in light of what he just experienced in his relationship with the God of his people is interesting. Does this statement, his own words, show him to be weak, self-centered, self-serving? Does it show that his desire to have more days added to his life was really motivated by his sense of self-righteousness and to benefit his family’s posterity?
Mysterious protection from peril, the sign requested and given that God is hearing his pleas for healing, and the promise to add 15 more years to his life did not seem enough to satisfy his need for assurance that he will remain the king who is actively engaged in the affairs of his kingdom; he did not yet want to meet his Maker – why? Was it vanity?
Isa.38:9-22KJV “v.9: The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.” v.10: “…. I am deprived of the residue of my years.”
Isa.38:20KJV - ”The LORD was ready to safe me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.
I found it curious that Hezekiah focuses so much attention on himself, his wellbeing and ask – to what end; why was living a longer life so important to him? Yes, he is glad that his life was prolonged, but what really was the reason for his gladness? I found the answer to this question in:
Isa.39:2 - ”And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them 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 shewed them not.
He had forgotten who caused him to prosper; or was this awareness missing from his heart from the beginning? Was he requesting God’s help for the wrong reasons all along? Could we look at this encounter as an example for the age-old dilemma of works of and for self, vs. works of/by faith in God and for God’s honor and Glory?
Isa.39:6-8KJV - Isaiah tells Hezekiah Heaven’s judgement, and Hezekiah responds: v.8 "...Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoke. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
I should hope that all believers will understand their life and posterity to be a testimony for the Honor and Glory of God!
Hezekiah's focus was wrong, but he was human. I don't think we should treat one incident as an indication of his heart. The Bible tells us there was no king like him and that he served God with his whole heart (II Kings 18:5). The Bible often tells about kings like Joash and Uzziah who started off well and fell away. It never says this about Hezekiah. It also mentions Hezekiah repenting in II Chronicles 32:26 so I don't think this story is the last word on Hezekiah.
If we are honest, we've all had moments like Hezekiah. Times where we were selfish and focused on material things instead of bringing glory to God. Something is lost in these moments, but God doesn't abandon us. For me, I'm encouraged by the failings of the "good kings". It gives me hope. But that's just my perspective and I'm sure far from perfect - maybe a long way from most of you here.
But that's just my perspective and I'm sure far from perfect - maybe a long way from most of you here.
We are all perfect in Christ (Colossians 2:9–13; Galatians 3:27-28; Romans 8:1). When we are in Christ, God doesn't see our sin-stained life, He sees Jesus.
what is curious to me about the story of Hezekiah is that instead of showing the Temple where the Worship of the LORD took place in Jerusalem, he instead to chose to show them his personal wealth.
Sun going backwards?!! Never seen before or since. Clearly, God was seeking to introduce Himself to the nations while His people were busy forgetting Him.
Keep in mind also the time that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still. All the nations learned the story behind that great event as well. God is the greatest evangelist. Period.