Isaiah Chapter 39: Verses 5-8 (NIV)
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
“The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”
2 Chronicles Chapter 32: Verse 31 (NIV)
But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.
Hezekiah’s testimony, as all the other kings is spread across more than one book of the Bible, so we get to see the story from different perspectives. Isaiah, as God’s prophet in Hezekiah’s lifetime records things as he experienced them. What we read today from Isaiah gives an indication that there is an attitude in Hezekiah’s heart of “I’m alright, Jack.” He didn’t seem too bothered that there were consequences to his actions that would affect those who came after him.
The account of the same episode in 2 Chronicles tells us that prior to the arrival of the envoys from Babylon, Hezekiah had had to repent of a very prideful attitude. Whist he had done so, it would seem that perhaps this was an area of weakness in his life, and he hadn’t learned his lesson. We read that God left him to test him to see what was really in his heart. Instead of speaking to the envoys of all God had done for him, and of the miracle they came to enquire of, he was too busy showing them his wealth and possessions. And he certainly wasn’t worried about what was about to happen to his descendants.
Sometimes we may be guilty of saying and doing things that we think are right, but are we doing it for the right reasons. God sees past appearances and knows what’s really in our heart. He wants to deal with our weaknesses at their very root so that we don’t keep falling into the same trap. But we know that can be painful, yet also we know its for our own benefit. We also need to remember that our actions can have impact far wider than our own lives, so we need to take care not to adopt the same “I’m all right, Jack” attitude as Hezekiah. We want to leave a good example to those who come after us. One of my favourite songs written and sung by Steve Green speaks of just this matter. It’s called, “Find us faithful.” The main verses and chorus read:
We’re pilgrims on the journey
of the narrow road,
and those who’ve gone before us
line the way.
cheering on the faithful,
encouraging the weary,
their lives a stirring testament
to God’s sustaining grace.
Surrounded by so great
a cloud of witnesses,
let us run the race
not only for the prize,
but as those who’ve gone before us.
let us leave to those behind us,
the heritage of faithfulness
passed on thru godly lives.
o may all who come behind us
find us faithful,
may the fire of our devotion
light their way.
may the footprints that we leave,
lead them to believe,
and the lives we live
inspire them to obey.
o may all who come behind us
find us faithful.
After all our hopes and dreams
have come and gone,
and our children sift thru all
we’ve left behind,
may the clues that they discover,
and the mem’ries they uncover,
become the light that leads them,
to the road we each must find.
o may all who come behind us
find us faithful,
may the fire of our devotion
light their way.
may the footprints that we leave,
lead them to believe,
and the lives we live
inspire them to obey.
Dear Lord,
May I learn from Hezekiah’s mistakes and may I make every effort to live my life faithfully unto You, that can be an example to those who come behind me. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.