Isaiah 39:5-8 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of Hosts: ‘The time will certainly come when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. ‘Some of your descendants who come from you will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. ’”
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 during my lifetime.
Hezekiah was, no doubt, a great king in Israel. In fact he was likely the last great king of Israel in the Old Testament. His building and innovation skills were remarkable for his day. His humility and prayer before the Lord redeemed for him 15 extra years of life, Yet, he was a man of flaws.
Notably, he invited the king of Babylon to enter the temple of Solomon and gave him liberty to view all of the sacred treasures of Israel. These were treasures handed down from generation. Some from the time of Moses, others from the time of Solomon. As a result of giving this “tour of the treasures”, Isaiah prophesied to him what we read above.
I am struck with the “thoughts” of Hezekiah. His words sound good (The Word of the Lord that you have spoken is good). Yet his thoughts show us another side of the character of this man. He viewed the oncoming losses and pondered. Somehow the prophet understood these thoughts and recorded them. Hezekiah thought, “It is terrible, but it won’t affect me!”
It was as if Hezekiah was willing to let go of these treasures, as long as it was not in his lifetime.
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 during my lifetime.
Hezekiah was, no doubt, a great king in Israel. In fact he was likely the last great king of Israel in the Old Testament. His building and innovation skills were remarkable for his day. His humility and prayer before the Lord redeemed for him 15 extra years of life, Yet, he was a man of flaws.
Notably, he invited the king of Babylon to enter the temple of Solomon and gave him liberty to view all of the sacred treasures of Israel. These were treasures handed down from generation. Some from the time of Moses, others from the time of Solomon. As a result of giving this “tour of the treasures”, Isaiah prophesied to him what we read above.
I am struck with the “thoughts” of Hezekiah. His words sound good (The Word of the Lord that you have spoken is good). Yet his thoughts show us another side of the character of this man. He viewed the oncoming losses and pondered. Somehow the prophet understood these thoughts and recorded them. Hezekiah thought, “It is terrible, but it won’t affect me!”
It was as if Hezekiah was willing to let go of these treasures, as long as it was not in his lifetime.
In our day, in our time, I have seen the same. The love for the treasures in the house of God are good for my generation, but if we lose them after I go that will also be fine. What can Hekekiah have been thinking??
Do we not see? Do we not understand? Every declaration of God is not just for us and our generation but to those that follow after. We are called not only to be concerned with our own lives and well being but with the treasures we hand to the next generation.
All Hezekiah could see was his own personal happiness. As long as he made it, what happened after his demise was of no consequence. All Hezekiah could see was what made him at ease in his comfort zone.
My prayer today is that we would all see, know and act upon a simple truth. We cannot worry about our personal state of being and believe that if we are happy, then nothing else matters. The cause of North America Missions, Global Missions, world-wide Apostolic revival matters to everyone. If all we can see is the state of our personal comfort zone, then we are condemning the world the the same judgment as Hezekiah heard: We will lose all the sacred things of the Lord. May we be passionate not only about what we have today, but ensuring that the next generation will possess what we possessed!!
Do we not see? Do we not understand? Every declaration of God is not just for us and our generation but to those that follow after. We are called not only to be concerned with our own lives and well being but with the treasures we hand to the next generation.
All Hezekiah could see was his own personal happiness. As long as he made it, what happened after his demise was of no consequence. All Hezekiah could see was what made him at ease in his comfort zone.
My prayer today is that we would all see, know and act upon a simple truth. We cannot worry about our personal state of being and believe that if we are happy, then nothing else matters. The cause of North America Missions, Global Missions, world-wide Apostolic revival matters to everyone. If all we can see is the state of our personal comfort zone, then we are condemning the world the the same judgment as Hezekiah heard: We will lose all the sacred things of the Lord. May we be passionate not only about what we have today, but ensuring that the next generation will possess what we possessed!!
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