WEBVTT 00:00:00.059 --> 00:00:06.354 Isaiah and we come to a section of Isaiah which is an inflection point in the book of Isaiah. 00:00:06.354 --> 00:00:17.153 We've come to a transition of the book of Isaiah and for the past couple of weeks we've been spending time in that, looking at this historic transition. 00:00:17.153 --> 00:00:21.411 Our text for today is chapters 38 and 39. 00:00:21.411 --> 00:00:34.194 These two chapters complete this transition in the book of Isaiah from the prophecies of judgment to the prophecies of comfort and hope and restoration. 00:00:34.194 --> 00:00:42.389 The title of today's message is Faltering and Failing, and I've subtitled it. 00:00:42.389 --> 00:00:47.195 The Choices we Make, the Lessons from the Life of Hezekiah. 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:56.801 In 1685, a young musician in Germany was the eighth and youngest child to be born to a family of musicians. 00:00:56.801 --> 00:01:05.852 He received a strong Christian education and a theological foundation as a schoolboy. 00:01:05.852 --> 00:01:17.042 At the age of 10, though, he encountered the most significant crisis in his life His mother died and eight months later his father died. 00:01:17.042 --> 00:01:27.555 By the grace of God, his eldest brother took him in where he studied, performed and copied music. 00:01:27.555 --> 00:01:30.144 He received valuable teaching from his brother. 00:01:30.144 --> 00:01:42.822 Finding a job was difficult and there are a limited number of opportunities, and the demand for musicians was primarily tied to the patronage of nobles and the church. 00:01:42.822 --> 00:01:49.915 At the age of 18, he received a modest commission to create music for a church. 00:01:51.501 --> 00:01:57.112 How did this young man's heart view these blessings that God had given him? 00:01:57.112 --> 00:02:11.608 The attitude that this young man held in his heart toward God's blessings would shape his decisions and not only impact his life, but also the legacy he would leave for future generations. 00:02:11.608 --> 00:02:13.872 So it is with us. 00:02:13.872 --> 00:02:20.610 The choices that we make in response to God's blessings flow out of the attitudes we hold in our hearts. 00:02:20.610 --> 00:02:29.084 They will impact not just our lives, but also the legacy we will leave for our children and our children's children. 00:02:29.084 --> 00:02:38.449 Hezekiah's story urges us to evaluate our heart's attitude and response towards the blessings God has given you. 00:02:38.449 --> 00:02:48.820 You can falter and fail, like Hezekiah, or you can respond wisely, grounded, humility and faithfulness to God's purpose. 00:02:48.820 --> 00:02:53.709 Your legacy will bear the marks of your choices. 00:02:55.512 --> 00:03:01.004 Let's examine a part of Hezekiah's life that we have not seen in our studies in Isaiah so far. 00:03:01.004 --> 00:03:16.394 We will look at a time when he was threatened by a fatal disease but yet recovered, and shortly thereafter he received a visit by delegates from Babylon, the aspiring power to be. 00:03:16.394 --> 00:03:21.985 This is recorded in Isaiah chapters 38 and 39. 00:03:21.985 --> 00:03:37.504 We'll dissect these events and learn from Hezekiah's response by way of three points Pleading with God, praising God for his goodness and pride. 00:03:37.504 --> 00:03:41.746 Before the fall, let's go to God in prayer. 00:03:41.746 --> 00:03:55.134 Heavenly Father, we come before you with humble hearts, asking that you would open our eyes to see and our minds to understand the truths you have revealed to us in your word. 00:03:55.134 --> 00:04:03.174 Remove any blindness or hardness from our hearts that would keep us from receiving what you desire to teach us. 00:04:03.174 --> 00:04:06.616 That would keep us from receiving what you desire to teach us. 00:04:06.616 --> 00:04:13.840 Help us to approach your word with reverence, expectancy and hearts ready to be transformed. 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:19.000 In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:27.160 In Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, hezekiah's faith was tested by events in international politics. 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:32.773 His capital city, jerusalem, was on the brink of collapse as the Assyrian war machine was poised to bulldozer over Jerusalem. 00:04:32.773 --> 00:04:36.795 These events occurred in 701 BC. 00:04:36.795 --> 00:04:51.115 In chapters 36 and 37, hezekiah showed how it is possible to turn fear into a calm and confident trusting in God's promises and finding deliverance. 00:04:51.115 --> 00:05:05.406 The events recorded in Isaiah chapters 38 and 39 occurred a couple of years before the Assyrian king Sennacherib attacked Jerusalem, so they are out of sequence. 00:05:05.406 --> 00:05:16.509 But many of the chapters in Isaiah are not chronological but are arranged thematically, addressing different historical situations. 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:32.129 The king of Babylon, merodag Baladin, mentioned in chapter 39, ruled Babylon in the years 722 to 710 BC and again in 704 BC. 00:05:32.129 --> 00:05:40.793 His reign ended when the Assyrian king, sennacherib, quelled that rebellion in 703 BC. 00:05:40.793 --> 00:05:50.747 It was during Merodag Baladin's second reign that Hezekiah became severely ill and miraculously recovered. 00:05:50.747 --> 00:05:57.264 After Hezekiah recovered, the king of Babylon sent an envoy to visit Hezekiah. 00:05:57.264 --> 00:06:06.363 This event took place two to three years before the Assyrian invasion two to three years before the Assyrian invasion. 00:06:06.363 --> 00:06:09.449 So Hezekiah still had his military resources. 00:06:09.449 --> 00:06:20.649 They were stockpiled and he had not yet squandered his rich treasury in a last-ditch effort to pay off Sennacherib to avoid Assyrian domination. 00:06:22.622 --> 00:06:26.346 So with this background, let's look at the first point Pleading with God. 00:06:26.346 --> 00:06:33.211 We'll look at this first as what triggered Hezekiah to plead with God? 00:06:33.211 --> 00:06:39.833 What action did Hezekiah take and what was the result of Hezekiah's action? 00:06:39.833 --> 00:06:42.942 So what triggered Hezekiah to plead with God? 00:06:42.942 --> 00:06:58.432 In contrast to the national crisis brought on by the military campaign of Sennacherib and his massive Assyrian army in chapters 36 and 37, the crisis Hezekiah encountered here was intensely personal. 00:06:58.432 --> 00:07:04.310 Let's look at verse 1, chapter 38, verse 1. 00:07:04.310 --> 00:07:09.139 Let's look at verse 1, chapter 38, verse 1. 00:07:10.220 --> 00:07:11.281 In those days, hezekiah became terminally ill. 00:07:11.281 --> 00:07:21.589 The prophet Isaiah, son of Amos, came and said to him this is what the Lord says set your house in order, for you are about to die. 00:07:21.589 --> 00:07:23.012 You will not recover. 00:07:23.012 --> 00:07:28.475 You are about to die, you will not recover. 00:07:28.475 --> 00:07:32.612 Hezekiah appears to have suffered from a serious skin infection. 00:07:32.612 --> 00:07:34.687 We learn that in verse 21. 00:07:34.687 --> 00:07:41.430 Hezekiah appears to have suffered quite badly, to the point of death. 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:47.029 Some have thought it might have been leprosy, but then leprosy is never really life-threatening. 00:07:47.029 --> 00:07:55.529 Some thought it might have been the bubonic plague, and if you're infected with a bubonic plague you have a matter of days to a week still to live. 00:07:55.529 --> 00:08:02.690 Regardless of what sickness that was, it was extremely serious and Hezekiah was at the point of death. 00:08:02.690 --> 00:08:13.331 But it's odd that we are not given any reason for this announcement and why Hezekiah was struck with this illness. 00:08:16.081 --> 00:08:30.384 Famous, righteous kings generally do not die at a young age without some reason or without God's involvement age without some reason or without God's involvement. 00:08:30.384 --> 00:08:34.331 We get a hint of a possible reason from the chronicler's commentary in 2 Chronicles, chapter 32, verse 25. 00:08:34.331 --> 00:08:44.933 He writes however, because his heart was proud, hezekiah didn't respond according to the benefit that had come to him. 00:08:44.933 --> 00:08:50.871 So there was wrath on him, judah and Jerusalem. 00:08:50.871 --> 00:08:59.452 God gave an imperative to Hezekiah here. 00:08:59.452 --> 00:09:13.820 He said set your house in order To put his house in order might include more than just the obvious need to make political decisions about who the next king would be. 00:09:13.820 --> 00:09:25.128 Another aspect of getting things in order before you die could include things like spiritual things, getting back into a right relationship with God. 00:09:25.128 --> 00:09:28.869 His illness, perhaps, was a kind of wake-up call. 00:09:28.869 --> 00:09:32.304 Hezekiah was only 39 years old. 00:09:32.304 --> 00:09:42.711 He was still young and was looking forward to much more of life ahead of him, and he had a young son, manasseh, to train. 00:09:44.721 --> 00:09:46.067 What action did Hezekiah take? 00:09:46.067 --> 00:09:49.870 How did Hezekiah respond to this news? 00:09:49.870 --> 00:09:54.629 Instead of dwelling in despair, hezekiah turned to God in prayer. 00:09:54.629 --> 00:09:59.149 He demonstrated faith and humility. 00:09:59.149 --> 00:10:02.028 Look at verse 2 and 3. 00:10:02.028 --> 00:10:08.191 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord. 00:10:08.191 --> 00:10:21.369 He said Please, lord, remember how I have walked before you faithfully and wholeheartedly and have done what pleases you, and Hezekiah wept bitterly. 00:10:21.369 --> 00:10:26.105 Now notice that Hezekiah did three things. 00:10:26.105 --> 00:10:29.774 He turned his face to the wall and prayed. 00:10:29.774 --> 00:10:35.394 He removed himself from distractions and concentrated his focus onto prayer. 00:10:35.394 --> 00:10:46.639 The second thing is he pleaded his faithfulness, his wholeheartedness, doing what was good in God's eyes, his wholeheartedness, doing what was good in God's eyes. 00:10:46.639 --> 00:11:06.432 He aimed to walk faithfully and was devoted to the Lord, in the early years of Hezekiah's reign, he initiated significant reforms that included cleaning, repairing and reopening the temple the temple which had been used for idol worship by his father, king Ahaz. 00:11:06.432 --> 00:11:12.190 Hezekiah removed the high places and destroyed idols. 00:11:14.215 --> 00:11:19.144 But do you remember Hezekiah's prayer in chapter 37 that we looked at last week? 00:11:19.144 --> 00:11:27.475 This prayer in chapter 38 seems radically different from the humble tone of the prayer in chapter 37. 00:11:27.475 --> 00:11:32.631 In this prayer, hezekiah does not proclaim his bold and uncompromising faith in God. 00:11:32.631 --> 00:11:45.981 In chapter 37, he confessed how great God is and that he is the creator who rules over all kingdoms, and that he is the creator who rules over all kingdoms. 00:11:45.981 --> 00:12:02.539 In this prayer, hezekiah doesn't repent of any sin, nor does he implore God to act in ways that would declare his glory to all peoples of the earth, as he did in chapter 37. 00:12:02.539 --> 00:12:08.533 But also remember, this prayer reflects a spiritually less mature heart than what his heart was two years later. 00:12:11.100 --> 00:12:13.264 The third thing Hezekiah did was he wept. 00:12:13.264 --> 00:12:24.616 Possibly he wept bitterly, causing him to realize his own unworthiness and his need to trust God rather than his own good works. 00:12:24.616 --> 00:12:33.354 Instead of having a pity party over his terminal health conditions, hezekiah humbled himself and turned to God in prayer. 00:12:33.354 --> 00:12:39.537 Now, what was the result of Hezekiah's prayer? 00:12:39.537 --> 00:12:45.317 The Lord responded to Hezekiah's plea almost immediately. 00:12:45.317 --> 00:12:49.556 But don't take this to mean that God always answers prayers right away. 00:12:49.556 --> 00:12:55.677 What we do need to know is that God himself calls his people to trust in him. 00:12:55.677 --> 00:13:02.217 He tells us to be still and know that I am God Psalm 46.10. 00:13:03.745 --> 00:13:09.817 The Lord's response to Hezekiah is seen in verses 5 and 6. 00:13:09.817 --> 00:13:15.828 Go and tell Hezekiah. 00:13:15.828 --> 00:13:23.292 This is what the Lord, god of your ancestor David, says I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. 00:13:23.292 --> 00:13:33.596 Look, I am going to add 15 years to your life and I will rescue you and the city from the grasp of the king of Assyria. 00:13:33.596 --> 00:13:35.270 I will defend this city. 00:13:35.270 --> 00:13:57.020 In the parallel passage in 2 Kings 20, verse 5, the Lord, speaking through Isaiah, added the Lord was going to heal him in a matter of three days. 00:13:58.046 --> 00:14:00.234 There are several general principles we can take from this. 00:14:00.234 --> 00:14:07.639 First, god's positive response to your prayers is not a way of paying you back for your good deeds. 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:14.837 In fact, god acknowledged Hezekiah's prayer and his tears, but said nothing about his good works. 00:14:14.837 --> 00:14:22.488 So don't get in your mind into thinking that you can make deals with God by considering Lord. 00:14:22.488 --> 00:14:24.993 I'll do this for you if you can do that for me. 00:14:24.993 --> 00:14:32.711 It's evident in Hezekiah, first, that good works alone will not prevent any early death. 00:14:32.711 --> 00:14:44.216 Second thing is that all you can do, and the most important thing you can do, is to confess your sins and cry out to God for mercy. 00:14:44.216 --> 00:14:55.876 And thirdly, that God might sometimes choose to heal the sick miraculously if it fits into his greater purposes. 00:14:55.876 --> 00:15:09.754 The second general principle we come to see as a result of Hezekiah's prayer is God is able to do far more than what you ask or imagine. 00:15:09.754 --> 00:15:15.705 This same principle is seen in Paul's doxology, in his prayer to the Ephesians at the end of Ephesians, chapter 3. 00:15:15.705 --> 00:15:17.953 Prayer to the Ephesians at the end of Ephesians, chapter 3. 00:15:19.105 --> 00:15:21.092 God's power exceeds human understanding. 00:15:21.092 --> 00:15:33.691 Hezekiah never asked to live for 15 more years, nor did he ask for God to deliver the city of Jerusalem, which wasn't going to be attacked, by the way, for another two or three years. 00:15:33.691 --> 00:15:50.354 The third principle we see is that God's plans take into consideration not only the current situation but also future situations that you might not even be aware of today. 00:15:50.354 --> 00:16:09.494 For Hezekiah, it was God's deliverance of Jerusalem and his plans for Hezekiah himself as he faced the Assyrian invasion a few years later, as you recall, in chapters 36 and 37, there were lessons that Hezekiah still needed to learn. 00:16:09.494 --> 00:16:23.053 God could foresee the bigger picture and knew that he needed to teach Hezekiah, in other words, to get Hezekiah into a position to trust him completely. 00:16:23.053 --> 00:16:34.595 We learned that what would mean breaking Hezekiah's pride was that the extension of life that God granted him. 00:16:34.595 --> 00:16:48.592 The Lord was then sovereignly orchestrating Hezekiah's experiences, ultimately to meet the major shock of his life a face-to-face encounter with the Assyrian army. 00:16:51.267 --> 00:17:07.056 So, in your moments of crisis, plead with God, turn to God in prayer, seek his mercy and his intervention, but know this God may respond to your pleading in order to teach you to trust him completely. 00:17:07.056 --> 00:17:20.295 When you're feeling emotionally drained and burdened by a very difficult situation, make it a regular practice to set aside time each evening to turn your face to the wall. 00:17:20.295 --> 00:17:27.395 Create a peaceful spot in your home where you can escape distractions. 00:17:27.395 --> 00:17:33.452 Use this time to pray and meditate on God's promises, allowing yourself to process your feelings. 00:17:33.452 --> 00:17:41.997 Invite the Lord to carry your burdens with you and remind yourself that you are not alone in your struggles. 00:17:41.997 --> 00:17:45.452 Find rest in God's presence. 00:17:48.886 --> 00:18:04.051 In deep despair for the sudden news of his impending death, hezekiah pleaded with God in humility, being full of mercy and grace, god responded to Hezekiah and miraculously healed him from his near-death condition. 00:18:04.051 --> 00:18:14.073 Not only that, god gave him 15 extra years of life and promised to rescue him and Jerusalem from the king of Assyria. 00:18:14.073 --> 00:18:19.654 These undeserved blessings catalyzed Hezekiah to praise God for his goodness. 00:18:19.654 --> 00:18:24.237 So this is our second point regarding Hezekiah's response to God. 00:18:24.237 --> 00:18:26.993 He praised God for his goodness. 00:18:26.993 --> 00:18:35.971 Hezekiah's response to God for his healing is filled with gratitude and reflection, acknowledging God's goodness. 00:18:35.971 --> 00:18:36.861 Hezekiah composed a psalm. 00:18:36.861 --> 00:18:37.501 Acknowledging God's goodness. 00:18:37.501 --> 00:18:38.804 Hezekiah composed a psalm. 00:18:38.804 --> 00:18:44.554 Not all of us can readily compose a psalm, but we do so in different ways in our own hearts. 00:18:44.554 --> 00:18:47.357 But he composed a psalm that had two parts. 00:18:47.357 --> 00:18:54.135 There was a lament over his impending death and a thanksgiving for the Lord's deliverance. 00:18:54.135 --> 00:19:00.615 Hezekiah reflected over the danger that he was in and the despair that he felt. 00:19:02.570 --> 00:19:03.795 Turn with me to verse 10. 00:19:03.795 --> 00:19:14.096 Hezekiah says in the prime of my life I must go to the gates of Sheol. 00:19:14.096 --> 00:19:17.375 I am deprived of the rest of my years. 00:19:17.375 --> 00:19:19.317 I said I will never see the Lord, the Lord, in the land of the rest of my years. 00:19:19.317 --> 00:19:22.244 I said I will never see the Lord, the Lord, in the land of the living. 00:19:22.244 --> 00:19:27.453 I will not look on humanity any longer, with the inhabitants of what is passing away. 00:19:27.453 --> 00:19:34.191 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent. 00:19:34.191 --> 00:19:38.215 I have rolled up my life like a weaver. 00:19:38.215 --> 00:19:41.347 He cuts me off from the loom by nightfall. 00:19:41.347 --> 00:19:42.692 You make an end of me. 00:19:42.692 --> 00:19:47.852 I thought until the morning he will break my bones like a lion. 00:19:47.852 --> 00:19:51.835 By nightfall you make an end of me. 00:19:52.664 --> 00:19:55.013 We see here three images of despair. 00:19:55.013 --> 00:20:04.009 The shepherd's tent, which is taken down forcibly by a storm or by an enemy, depicts how fragile life is. 00:20:04.009 --> 00:20:09.479 The weaver the weaver who severs the thread of life. 00:20:09.479 --> 00:20:20.675 And when the cloth of life gets large enough, that's an image of life's determined end. 00:20:20.675 --> 00:20:30.414 The pain felt as every bone in his body was being broken by a lion portrays divine hostility. 00:20:30.414 --> 00:20:33.886 These are the feelings that Hezekiah was feeling. 00:20:33.886 --> 00:20:41.220 And from these three images another image emerged, an image of despair in the way we respond. 00:20:41.220 --> 00:20:44.854 We see this in the feebleness of prayer. 00:20:44.854 --> 00:20:52.259 Hezekiah felt that his voice became thin and weak, sounding like the weak and mournful sounds of birds. 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:55.571 See that in verse 14. 00:20:56.444 --> 00:21:03.439 Hezekiah grew weary as the strain of prayer seemed to make him grow even weaker. 00:21:03.439 --> 00:21:13.078 But notice how Hezekiah's prayer looked to the power of God in verse 14 at the end oh Lord, he says. 00:21:13.078 --> 00:21:17.184 He also expressed his need, saying I am oppressed. 00:21:17.184 --> 00:21:21.954 He says, and Hezekiah pleaded with God to come to his aid. 00:21:21.954 --> 00:21:26.775 Hezekiah knew that he wasn't able to heal himself. 00:21:26.775 --> 00:21:34.476 Hezekiah realized that the experience should humble him because he knew that God brought on this illness. 00:21:34.476 --> 00:21:39.173 Verse 15 says what can I say? 00:21:39.173 --> 00:21:43.811 He has spoken to me and he himself has done it. 00:21:43.811 --> 00:21:51.455 So he pleaded with God to answer him and pay the debt he could not pay himself. 00:21:54.326 --> 00:22:06.159 How God delivered Hezekiah from death foreshadows what Jesus Christ did to pay the penalty of death that wretched sinners like you and me owe to a holy and just God. 00:22:06.159 --> 00:22:15.675 This salvation is a major blessing from God to a believer in Christ and encompasses a wide range of spiritual gifts. 00:22:15.675 --> 00:22:21.998 Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. 00:22:21.998 --> 00:22:27.237 Trust in him, and he will give you rest from all your burdens. 00:22:27.237 --> 00:22:40.433 So, after reflecting on these recent dangers that Hezekiah faced with his life-threatening illness, hezekiah abruptly changed the tone of this psalm. 00:22:40.433 --> 00:22:47.034 He changed it to express gratefulness and God restored him to health. 00:22:47.034 --> 00:22:48.609 Look at verse 16. 00:22:48.609 --> 00:22:54.733 Lord, by such things people live, and in every one of them my spirit finds life. 00:22:54.733 --> 00:22:59.412 You have restored me to health and let me live. 00:23:00.545 --> 00:23:04.737 Hezekiah acted as one who had personally benefited from the Lord's mercy. 00:23:04.737 --> 00:23:12.707 He sensed that God's love was with him and that God did not punish him in accord with what his sins deserved. 00:23:12.707 --> 00:23:15.211 We see this in verse 17. 00:23:15.211 --> 00:23:31.298 Indeed, it was for my own well-being that I'd had such intense bitterness, but your love has delivered me from the pit of destruction, for you have thrown all my sins behind your back. 00:23:31.298 --> 00:23:43.737 Hezekiah voiced his grateful praise in the presence of the covenant community, and we see this in Isaiah 38, verses 19 and 20. 00:23:43.737 --> 00:23:48.977 19, the living, only the living, can thank you as I do today. 00:23:48.977 --> 00:23:52.575 A father will make your faithfulness known to children. 00:23:52.575 --> 00:23:55.251 The Lord is ready to save me. 00:23:55.251 --> 00:23:59.876 We will play stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the house of the Lord. 00:23:59.876 --> 00:24:04.894 In his joy, hezekiah makes two longer-term commitments. 00:24:04.894 --> 00:24:17.369 The first one is to teach his children about God's faithful covenant love, his covenant love for his people, and second, to continually praise God. 00:24:17.369 --> 00:24:21.378 Well, let's see if Hezekiah follows up on this. 00:24:23.484 --> 00:24:28.297 Hezekiah's commitment to praise God and to declare his faithfulness should be mirrored in our own lives. 00:24:28.297 --> 00:24:36.058 God's interventions in our lives are his blessings and they warrant heartfelt thanksgiving. 00:24:36.058 --> 00:24:39.670 When God intervenes in your life. 00:24:39.670 --> 00:24:43.625 Do you wholeheartedly thank God and praise him in your life? 00:24:43.625 --> 00:24:45.868 Do you wholeheartedly thank God and praise him? 00:24:45.868 --> 00:24:49.836 When we acknowledge our blessings and praise God for his goodness? 00:24:49.836 --> 00:25:02.047 Our faith deepens, especially in preparation for future uncertainties. 00:25:02.047 --> 00:25:25.215 Future uncertainties when you recognize that all of what you have has come to you from the Lord, when you recognize that there is absolutely nothing that you did to deserve God's mercy, and when you recognize that your deliverance from paying the debt you owe God for your sins was paid for by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then you will begin to realize how exceedingly blessed you are. 00:25:25.215 --> 00:25:33.719 This deepens your faith in God of the universe and prepares you to enter life's uncertainties. 00:25:36.045 --> 00:25:40.215 Hezekiah was a man of faith who recognized his mortality and sinfulness. 00:25:40.215 --> 00:25:51.155 He pleaded for God's grace and mercy and was blessed with a miraculous healing from near death and was graced with an extension of life. 00:25:51.155 --> 00:25:56.655 He praised God for his goodness and promised God a new obedience. 00:25:56.655 --> 00:26:20.173 But when past and present blessings produce pride in your heart instead of a lasting thankfulness, as we shall see in Hezekiah, your heart's attitude might cause you to make decisions that could negatively impact your relationship with God, your future and your children and your children's children. 00:26:20.173 --> 00:26:25.692 So beware, there is pride before the fall. 00:26:25.692 --> 00:26:29.951 This is our third point Pride before the fall. 00:26:29.951 --> 00:26:38.214 God's blessings could lead you to deeper faithfulness or dangerous pride. 00:26:38.214 --> 00:26:42.909 God's blessings could lead you to deeper faithfulness or dangerous pride. 00:26:42.909 --> 00:26:43.432 How did Hezekiah treat? 00:26:43.432 --> 00:26:43.894 God's blessings? 00:26:43.894 --> 00:26:45.325 Could lead you to deeper faithfulness or dangerous pride. 00:26:45.325 --> 00:26:47.211 How did Hezekiah treat God's blessings? 00:26:47.211 --> 00:26:49.827 Well, let's look at chapter 39. 00:26:49.827 --> 00:26:54.238 Verse 1. 00:26:54.525 --> 00:27:05.036 At that time, merodag Baladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, since he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 00:27:05.036 --> 00:27:20.884 Hezekiah was pleased with the letters and he showed the envoys his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices and the precious oil and all his armory and everything that was found in his treasures. 00:27:20.884 --> 00:27:28.095 There was nothing in his palace and in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 00:27:28.095 --> 00:27:31.594 Look at the blessings Hezekiah had. 00:27:31.594 --> 00:27:39.515 He had newly found health, he had an extended lifespan, he had wealth and riches of various kinds. 00:27:39.515 --> 00:27:44.075 Do you see Hezekiah's pride surfacing? 00:27:44.075 --> 00:27:48.907 Is there something about Hezekiah that reminds you about yourself? 00:27:48.907 --> 00:28:00.112 To better understand Hezekiah's pride issue, let's see what contributed to and led up to this foolish display of his wealth. 00:28:02.195 --> 00:28:05.200 Assyria repeatedly defeated and controlled Babylon. 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:12.057 Muradak-baladan, the king of Babylon, was subject to the Assyrian empire. 00:28:12.057 --> 00:28:22.539 When the Assyrian king Sargon II died in 705 BC, he left the kingship to his son Sennacherib. 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:23.645 He left the kingship to his son Sennacherib. 00:28:23.645 --> 00:28:36.160 This brought on some political instability in Assyria, so Meridach-Baladin tried to take advantage of the situation and he tried to gain independence from Assyria. 00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:42.502 This was the setting of this visit. 00:28:42.502 --> 00:28:52.787 So, while the exact reason for why the king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah following his recovery is not explicitly stated, but it appeared to involve more than just a simple visit to an old friend. 00:28:52.787 --> 00:29:04.396 Muradach Baladin's actions were likely aimed at forming a rebellious alliance against Assyria, with Hezekiah as a potential partner. 00:29:07.605 --> 00:29:09.971 Let's look at verse 3, chapter 39. 00:29:09.971 --> 00:29:18.517 Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked him what did these men say and where did they come to you from? 00:29:18.517 --> 00:29:22.554 And Hezekiah replied they came to me from a distant country, from Babylon. 00:29:22.554 --> 00:29:25.765 Notice that Hezekiah replied they came to me from a distant country, from Babylon. 00:29:25.765 --> 00:29:34.351 Notice that Hezekiah conveniently did not answer the first question, the first question being what did these men say? 00:29:34.351 --> 00:29:38.285 Isaiah must have sensed that Hezekiah was hiding something. 00:29:38.285 --> 00:29:45.575 And then, verse 4 Isaiah asked what have they seen in your palace? 00:29:45.575 --> 00:29:51.396 Hezekiah's answer to this question revealed to Isaiah, what was really going on? 00:29:51.396 --> 00:29:57.655 The text says Hezekiah answered they have seen everything in my palace. 00:29:57.655 --> 00:30:00.170 There isn't anything in my treasuries that I didn't show them. 00:30:00.170 --> 00:30:06.790 And with this statement Hezekiah admitted to personal responsibility in all of this. 00:30:07.913 --> 00:30:17.798 Isaiah knew that no king would reveal strategic national security matters to a foreign nation unless there was some plan to work together on something important. 00:30:17.798 --> 00:30:27.173 Being noticed on the international geopolitical stage fed into Hezekiah's pride. 00:30:27.173 --> 00:30:31.134 He became so entrenched with how Babylon thought about him. 00:30:31.134 --> 00:30:40.234 So Hezekiah's display of wealth and military power demonstrated his pridefulness, his sinfulness. 00:30:40.234 --> 00:30:53.939 Instead of focusing on glorifying God for healing him of his sickness, which he proclaimed in the psalm, he seemed to be determined to display his own earthly glory. 00:30:53.939 --> 00:30:58.132 Hezekiah knew he was going to survive another 15 years. 00:30:58.132 --> 00:31:01.147 He knew that the Assyrians would not defeat Jerusalem. 00:31:01.147 --> 00:31:13.277 He knew that God would defend Jerusalem and furthermore, god had previously reassured Hezekiah, through Isaiah, of his covenant relationship with his people and his divine preservation. 00:31:13.277 --> 00:31:22.115 So with this knowledge, hezekiah should have known that there was no need to make any alliance with Babylon. 00:31:22.115 --> 00:31:33.637 King Hezekiah's foolish actions could not be justified and Hezekiah's lack of spiritual awareness here was absolutely inexcusable. 00:31:35.766 --> 00:31:53.415 The chronicler in 2 Chronicles gave a commentary on this event and he said in chapter 32, verse 31, when the ambassadors of Babylon's rulers were sent to him, god left him to test him and discover what was in his heart. 00:31:53.415 --> 00:32:02.875 The chronicler recorded that God allowed all of this to test him and to know everything that was in Hezekiah's heart. 00:32:02.875 --> 00:32:07.794 Pride brings on God's rebuke. 00:32:07.794 --> 00:32:11.751 Pride brings on God's rebuke. 00:32:11.751 --> 00:32:17.617 Isaiah proceeded to pronounce God's rebuke on Hezekiah's behavior In verse 5,. 00:32:17.617 --> 00:32:26.114 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah Hear the word of the Lord of armies. 00:32:26.114 --> 00:32:35.713 Look, the days are coming when everything in your palace and all that your predecessors have stored up until today will be carried off to Babylon. 00:32:35.713 --> 00:32:39.013 Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 00:32:39.013 --> 00:32:49.971 Notice that the plunder was going to be taken to Babylon, not Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, the current power at the time. 00:32:49.971 --> 00:32:58.713 This prediction was not by human insight, but by the one sovereign Lord who knows the end from the beginning Isaiah 46.10. 00:33:00.115 --> 00:33:08.375 Although Hezekiah was exempted from the coming violent disaster, his pride cost him and his kingdom financially. 00:33:08.375 --> 00:33:14.698 His pride brought upon his people exiled to Babylon four generations later. 00:33:14.698 --> 00:33:25.917 And his pride even risked ending the Davidic line of kings by causing some of his dependents to serve as eunuchs in the court of Babylon. 00:33:25.917 --> 00:33:31.492 And what did Hezekiah have to say about the Lord's judgment on him? 00:33:31.492 --> 00:33:33.278 Verse 8,. 00:33:33.278 --> 00:33:48.060 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. 00:33:48.060 --> 00:33:52.974 Hezekiah's selfish relief does not speak well for him. 00:33:52.974 --> 00:34:04.190 This incident sets up the obvious prediction of the dark days awaiting the house of David and the people of Judah, hezekiah. 00:34:04.509 --> 00:34:10.824 Hezekiah's pride in his wealth and military resources revealed that his heart did not fully trust God. 00:34:10.824 --> 00:34:18.681 But you might ask me, didn't we see in chapter 37 that Hezekiah fully trusted God? 00:34:18.681 --> 00:34:34.240 Yes, but also remember that the events of chapter 36 and 37, the Assyrian invasion of Judah and Jerusalem, occurred after two years, three years after the events of chapter 38 and 39. 00:34:34.240 --> 00:34:39.380 Perhaps that is why the Lord extended his life. 00:34:39.380 --> 00:34:46.139 He extended his life maybe to break his pride and cause him to trust God fully. 00:34:46.139 --> 00:34:54.914 Hezekiah's foolish display of his treasures came about because Hezekiah claimed God's blessings for his own glory. 00:34:54.914 --> 00:35:08.199 Hezekiah's spiritual recovery had to wait to the trauma of the full-scale invasion on Jerusalem before he came to his senses. 00:35:10.650 --> 00:35:22.438 So this season of Hezekiah's life serves as a cautionary tale to us about the dangers of pride, the dangers of boasting, the dangers of misplaced priorities. 00:35:22.438 --> 00:35:29.400 Failure to appreciate and properly manage God's blessings leads to pride and an inflated sense of self. 00:35:29.400 --> 00:35:38.643 Our response to God's blessings should be rooted in proper stewardship and humility, not pride or show. 00:35:38.643 --> 00:35:47.304 Imagine that you're gifted a beautiful garden filled with vibrant flowers and fruitful trees. 00:35:47.304 --> 00:35:54.579 You're so excited and you tell everyone about it, boasting of its beauty and the blessings it brings. 00:35:54.579 --> 00:35:57.798 Yet you never tend to it. 00:35:57.798 --> 00:36:00.657 You allow the weeds to take over. 00:36:00.657 --> 00:36:11.438 This garden once was a source of joy for you and now becomes a hidden shame, because, much like pride can distort the blessings from God when we fail to obey his promises. 00:36:11.438 --> 00:36:20.780 The garden can flourish only if you nurture it with care, just as our faith is meant to produce fruit through obedience. 00:36:23.570 --> 00:36:36.338 Hezekiah was one of the most truly human of kings of Judah Because of his faith and humility in turning to God in prayer at the time of his deepest personal crisis. 00:36:36.338 --> 00:36:40.916 God not only blessed him with a miraculous healing from a fatal illness. 00:36:40.916 --> 00:36:53.717 God gave him far more than that, far more than what he had asked for an extra 15 years of living and deliverance for him and the city of Jerusalem from the power of the king of Assyria. 00:36:53.717 --> 00:37:00.818 His heart was genuinely moved towards God and he composed a psalm of thanksgiving in response to his healing. 00:37:00.818 --> 00:37:09.518 But his will, like yours and mine, was fickle under the pressures and temptations of life. 00:37:09.518 --> 00:37:20.483 Like David, and unlike the greater David who was his ascendant, jesus Christ, hezekiah's thoughts were often largely about himself. 00:37:22.789 --> 00:37:39.398 God's blessings could lead to a deeper faithfulness or a dangerous pride, and the choices that we make and the attitudes that we hold in our hearts towards God's blessings impact not just our lives but also the legacy we leave behind. 00:37:39.398 --> 00:37:50.061 Remember that young musician who was blessed with an ability to make music and a first job to write music for a church. 00:37:50.061 --> 00:37:58.300 Rather than seeing it just as a job, he approached it with gratitude and poured his heart into his work. 00:37:58.300 --> 00:38:14.295 He recognized God's blessings through his deepened faith, and he saw his musical talent and his life as gifts from God, and he used them to praise God and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ through his compositions. 00:38:14.295 --> 00:38:21.873 Little did he know his compositions would shape church music for centuries. 00:38:24.215 --> 00:38:36.461 Johann Sebastian Bach's legacy reminds us that by acting wisely and responding joyfully to the blessings we receive, we can leave an indelible mark for Christ on future generations. 00:38:36.461 --> 00:38:46.289 If you respond to God's blessings foolishly, like Hezekiah, you will also leave an indelible mark on future generations. 00:38:46.289 --> 00:38:49.257 You can falter and fail. 00:38:49.257 --> 00:38:56.737 Fail or you can choose wisely, grounded in humility and faithfulness to God's purpose. 00:38:56.737 --> 00:38:58.762 Let's pray. 00:38:58.762 --> 00:39:09.831 Heavenly Father, you have been generous to us with earthly treasures, as well as having blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. 00:39:09.831 --> 00:39:13.557 In Christ, cause us to recognize your blessings. 00:39:13.557 --> 00:39:17.914 I pray that your blessings cause us to grow in our devotion to Christ. 00:39:17.914 --> 00:39:23.552 Cause us to use your blessings to minister to others and point them to Christ. 00:39:23.552 --> 00:39:33.878 Our goal, Father, is to glorify you in all we do, whether through our actions, our devotion or even how we face challenges. 00:39:33.878 --> 00:39:37.596 I pray this in the name of Jesus, amen.