Hezekiah was one of the better kings in a cycle of rotten Kings of Judah. The Lord blessed him and his kingdom according to the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant. However, Hezekiah fell sick with a boil and was near death. He turned to God for life, and God healed him. (2 Kings 20). Then enters the Babylonians whose empire was growing:
1 At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.What is the problem therein? Obviously Hezekiah had the opportunity to show this pagan prince the power of God. (A nation's power was judged by whose God was strongest.) Hezekiah had just been healed by the living God, and Merodachbaladan (Berodachbaladan) was impressed enough that he visited the king. Let's stop here for a moment and venture to modern times.
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.
3 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.
4 Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.
5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord of hosts:
6 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.
7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
8 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. (Hezekiah 39)
My friend Mike, who is a righteous man, but quiet in his manner, was revived from certain death by colon cancer. When he became healthy, Mike could not wait to tell people about the power of God. Extending his life impressed Mike and he was thankful. Mike's entire attitude changed. He was no longer a quiet Christian but magnified the Lord. Furthermore, Mike made a turn-around; he became activated because of his gratitude.
My friend Scott, another righteous man, had a heart attack and his heart stopped. Essentially, Scott was returned to life, and was enthused. His days had also been extended. Scott credited God with his second chance, and again, that man's attitude changed. He became more God-centered, and credited God with his healing. Scott, too, is now an enthused Christian because God allowed him a longer time on earth.
Both Mike and Scott had two alternatives after their healing: (1) Go on tomorrow as they had before, or (2) magnify God for healing out of gratitude. They both chose to magnify God because they no longer took even one day for granted. Now let's look at what Hezekiah did.
God healed Hezekiah of the boil. He knew it was from God because his shadow reversed itself by ten degrees as he asked God to do as a sign. God validated that it was Him that healed. There were no doctors involved with the exception of God's doctor - the prophet Isaiah. Hezekiah knew who healed him without a doubt, and had the opportunity to magnify the Lord of the Jews to the prominent pagan prince. Surely, if Merodachbaladan saw the power of the living God, he would be convinced that he is truly God! Hezekiah failed God miserably when he should have been elated to credit Him.
God was still gracious; Hezekiah lived another fifteen years although Isaiah accurately prophesied that his riches would be stolen, along with the king (Zedekiah it turns out), and taken to Babylon. That prophecy came true, but Hezekiah surely thought that Isaiah's prophecy did not come true because he didn't live to see it.
That lack of trust is similar to Adam's and Eve's who thought that they were free from death after eating and did not die. They didn't understand the way of the Lord, and neither did Hezekiah. The prophecy came true years later under another king of his line. All the treasures of Judah were taken to Babylon along with King Zedekiah who was blinded.
Where did Hezekiah go wrong? He was not a Mike nor a Scott. Rather than magnifying the living God, he showed off his own riches. Why would he do that? Because he was proud of his wealth. If you remember from scripture, "The love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Tim 6:10). Better said is that avarice is the root of all evil. Avarice is materialism. Hezekiah was more proud of the work of human hands than he was the work of God. The flesh that God had just saved from death was appeased by all his treasures. He had just taken another god in the face of God contrary to the First Commandment!
I too have failed God miserably and it has often haunted me: God has prospered me with great health, some wealth, fine children, a great home, and the hope of salvation. I was invited to speak in a fancy restaurant in Louisville to over five-hundred professional engineers from all over Kentucky. Senator McConnell had recently been their featured speaker as had Governor Patton after him. I had a great opportunity to magnify the Lord. Rather than doing that, I showed off my sense of humor; I told an off-color joke. That was an attempt to magnify me in their eyes. Some laughed; others did not. I felt remorse instantly, and after twenty-five years or so, I regret that I missed the opportunity to share my faith to many who were surely pagans or at best Christians only by tradition.
Hezekiah missed his opportunity to convert the heathen. That is what righteous people are called to do; it is the Great Commission (Mat 28:16-20), and Hezekiah need not go unto the world as the "world" came to him. That was the same with me. I missed the opportunity when even the "world" came to me. I still feel guilt because of that missed opportunity and am ashamed of that more than anything I have ever done because eternal lives were at stake.
Hezekiah could have avoided the collapse of Judah, the defilement and destruction of the temple, the dispersion of his people, the blinding of his descendant, and the rise of the harlot Babylon if he had only bragged on God rather than his treasures. Because Hezekiah missed a golden opportunity, Judah (and Israel) were not restored until 1948 after cycle after cycle of Jewish holocausts. One could even stretch it some, and say, Hitler's "final solution" to the "Jewish problem" would have never occurred if Hezekiah had magnified God rather than himself. He changed history! Babylon made the Jewish people pitiful, servile, and even laughable. They thought Merodachbaladan was interested in Hezekiah's health when they were more interested in his wealth, and Hezekiah fell for the ruse.
My own failure to testify to the power of the Lord changed history as well. Lives could have been changed if I had only magnified God rather than promote my own sense of worth. I wanted to be funny more than holy. Poor choice! Some may die and spend eternity in Hell because of me. God is gracious and I have lived a long life in spite of that, just like Hezekiah. Like him, though, he was never the same king as before, and I was never the same Larry after that. I still remember that I failed God miserably because of a missed opportunity.
No comments:
Post a Comment