1 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” 4 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. 7 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”
REFLECTION:
Hezekiah listened to Isaiah’s words about God’s sovereignty, and trusted the Lord to remove the Assyrian threat. God did. When he became sick, he recalled what God had said through Isaiah about the Lord’s willingness to restore the godly and Hezekiah called on God, pleading his godly life. And the Lord did heal.
But Hezekiah slipped. Isaiah had spoken of Babylon as an enemy of God’s people (Isa. 13-14). Yet when envoys from Babylon came to “congratulate” the king on his recovery, Hezekiah showed them every one of his royal treasures. Isaiah furiously announced that the day was coming when the Babylonians would carry Hezekiah’s treasures and his descendants into captivity.
We need to take all of God’s words to heart. We can’t pick and choose parts of God’s word to believe and claim the promises we want. We need to pay close attention to every message of the Word, for forgetting or choosing not to hear God’s word can cause us trouble indeed.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.
REFLECTION:
King Hezekiah is struggling with a fatal illness. The heartbroken king begged God for added years of life. He appeals to God on the basis of his faithfulness and obedience (v3). God answered his prayer and promised Hezekiah 15 added years.
From a glance reading of Hezekiah’s prayer, it seems very self-serving, but God still spared his life. Why do you think God let Hezekiah live an additional fifteen years? How should this example affect the way you pray?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’” …
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 20 So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”
REFLECTION:
King Hezekiah went to the temple and prayed for God to intervene in the desperate situation facing his people. The Assyrian army had surrounded Jerusalem. The king prayed, “You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth…. Deliver us.”
Picture what’s going on, and imagine what Hezekiah, the king of Judah, might be feeling in this situation. Notice how does Hezekiah react to the message his enemy sends him? What stands out to you? How do they relate to you?
Think about an area in which you hold responsibility, such as being a group leader, or a manager, or having responsibility to uphold your end of a friendship. What are some recent problems that you are responsible to help resolve? In what ways are you dealing (or not dealing) with them?
Talk with God about what it’s like for you to have responsibility in this area; share your heart and mind with Him.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
