The Sin of Hezekiah

I. Introduction
A. We spent the last four weeks on David, Solomon, Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
B. This morning we zoom into the future about 150 years. There is no more northern kingdom, for Assyria has conquered Israel, and now they’re threatening Judah.
C. It may be surprising that we are spending a Sunday focusing on Hezekiah’s sin. Hezekiah was a very good king who walked with the Lord his whole life, famous for his great reform of religion in Judah (2Kgs18:1-8; 2Chron.30-31) and for his heroic trust in the Lord when Jerusalem was being besieged by Sennacherib & the Assyrians. But even godly men sin, and those who are striving to be godly have a lot to learn from these sins.
D. How blessed we are to have these stories in God’s word. They offer us much help if we will listen.
E. Isaiah 38:1–6 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.
F. Isaiah 39:1–8 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.”
G. I need to talk a little bit about the relationship between this story and the story of Hezekiah and Sennacherib in Isaiah 36-37.
1. The dates and chronology of Hezekiah's reign are difficult. This may sound strange, but most commentators agree the events described in chs. 38 and 39 must have taken place before those of chs. 36 and 37. It’s the only way the chronology makes sense. The Scripture authors sometimes change the order of the stories and the events they narrate, for various reasons (e.g. Is.1-5, 6).
2. ?“Fortunately, the Assyrian records give a good deal of information about Merodach-baladan that helps to establish a general time frame. We are told that he held the throne of Babylon in defiance of Sargon from 721 until 710, when the latter finally ousted him. Then again in Sennacherib’s reign, from about 705 to 703, he captured the Babylonian throne a second time. But even after his defeat in 703, he seems to have continued to foment revolt from bases in Elam across the Persian Gulf. As Delitzsch observes, this would permit any time from 721 to 701 for the Babylon embassy to Jerusalem. However, if Hezekiah died in 697/96 (29 years after his accession in 726/25), then the illness and recovery which gave the pretext for the visit would have occurred fifteen years earlier, in 712/11. This would have been a most opportune time for Merodach-baladan to have sought to cement ties with the young West Semitic monarch, who seems to have been involved heavily in the anti-Assyrian coalition forming at that time in the West.” – Oswalt
3. And two other things seem to confirm this:
a. It seems like Is.38:6 is predicting the deliverance which occurs in Is.37:36-38.
b. The future tense of 39:7 seems to imply the king had no sons at the time, suggesting the early date
4. ?“Therefore, we must ask why the author has reversed the chronological order. For surely Hezekiah did learn the lesson. He may not have trusted very well in 711 or 703 when these incidents took place, but he did trust in 701. So why has Isaiah transposed the accounts? It seems most likely that the reason is a theological one. He is answering a fundamental question: if God could be trusted and would deliver from Assyria, why would there be defeat by Babylon? The answer is not that a certain king paraded his riches before a group of Babylonian envoys. It is in fact that trust must become a way of life and not merely a magic talisman to be rubbed at critical moments.” – Oswalt
II. Explanation
A. Story of Isaiah 38:1–6
1. Hezekiah becomes critically sick.
2. God sends Isaiah the prophet to tell him he’s going to die.
3. Now this would be hard for most people, but it’s especially hard for Hezekiah for several reasons:
a. He was a relatively young man, only 39. He was in the prime of life.
b. As king, he apparently had no heir. When Hezekiah died after his 15 year extension, his son Manasseh became king at the age of 12 (2Kings 21:1). This means he wasn’t born until three years after this incident. This would have been thought of as a divine curse by any good Hebrew. But for a king who was part of the long dynasty of David to die without an heir to his throne was not only sad but meant the end of God’s messianic promises.
c. That’s why this great king turned away and wept bitterly, pouring out his grief to his heavenly Father. And God had compassion on His child, granting him a 15 year extension of life.
B. Story of Isaiah 39:1–8
1. After Hezekiah had recovered from his illness, the prince of Babylon came for a visit.
2. And while he was there, Hezekiah showed him his treasure house.
3. Now the Bible tells us that Hezekiah had grown very rich.
a. “Hezekiah had very great riches & honor, and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, & for all kinds of costly vessels.” (2Chronicles 32:27)
4. Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and asked him, “What did you show these visitors?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
5. 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “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. And even some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and shall be eunuchs in the palace of Babylon.”
a. (Hezekiah's son was Manasseh, who was taken to Babylon (by an Assyrian king) for a time. Manasseh had Amon who had Josiah, some of whose sons were also taken to Babylon.)
6. 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” But then we’re told WHY he said that: For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”
C. Hezekiah’s sin
1. He showed off his riches
a. It’s not a very elegant picture of Hezekiah here: showing off his wealth before the lustful gaze of the Babylonians, Trust in God and His riches would have made it unnecessary to make a fool of himself in front of worldly men.
b. It wasn’t just that he incited Babylonian greed. It’s that he was such a bad witness.
c. He acted like treasure is the most important thing in the world, instead of acting like God is.
d. What Hezekiah should have done is boast in the great God of Israel and His mighty deeds, and His great mercy toward the humble.
e. “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” – Jeremiah 9:23–24
f. And he did this after being healed and promised an extension of life. His healing went to his head.
g. We’re told this in 2Chronicles 32:25, “Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him (the promise of 15 more years of life), for his heart was proud.”
h. He should have been humbled by God’s merciful answer to His prayer and granting of 15 years.
i. But his mind was so quickly turned to his earthly treasures and diverted from his trust when the pressure was removed.
j. Sometimes we do better in sickness than in health.
2. And in showing off his treasures to the Babylonians, Hezekiah cast his pearls before swine.
a. You see, the treasures of God’s temple were designed to impress. They were designed to reflect the glory of God. But they weren’t designed to dazzle eyes which had no interest in God.
b. You see, something that is a blessing and a help to one person can be a curse and stumbling block to another person. And therefore some discrimination is required in handling treasures. You can’t always just put them out there for everyone to see.
c. This is why modesty is important. Treasures are to be reserved for the right audience.
d. Our Lord Himself talked about this: “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” (Matthew 7:6)
3. Also Hezekiah disregarded the welfare of his posterity. In saying “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” while he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”
a. ?Now Calvin and a few others take Hezekiah’s response as mere gratitude for his mitigated punishment, as opposed to a calloused disregard of the welfare of his posterity. The thing which makes me think otherwise (along with most commentators) is the distinction between what Hezekiah said and what he thought. He says, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” But he thinks, “There will be peace and security in my days.” If it was a perfectly appropriate thing to think, why wouldn’t he just say it?
b. His sin caused someone else’s suffering and it didn’t even bother him!
c. It was OK with him if other people suffered, as long as it wasn’t him.
d. This shows Hezekiah's lack of compassion, except for compassion on himself.
e. You might think that Hezekiah’s attitude toward his own children was remarkably heartless.
(1) But don’t forget that his children at this point were theoretical. They didn’t actually exist yet. He had his first child three years after this incident.
(2) Think about how a young couple changes in their attitude toward children from the time they have none to the time when they actually have a little baby in their arms!
(3) Hezekiah was not looking at a child and saying, “I don’t care what happens to you.”
(4) These were potential people, somewhat far-removed, not people he knew and loved.
III. Application
“If you’ve got it, flaunt it” is not a Biblical concept!
1. Why is it so bad?
a. It’s prideful.
(1) We show off because we are taking some credit for something.
(2) But it always involves taking credit for something we didn’t do.
(3) “What do you have that you have not received? And if anything has been given to you, why do you boast of it as if you achieved it yourself?” (1Cor.4:7)
(4) Boasting in things is taking credit for what God has given.
(5) James 1:10 says that the rich man should boast in his humiliation not in his riches.
(6) And that applies, of course, to whatever way we’re rich, not just financially.
(a) E.g. Beauty, athleticism, singing voice, wealth, education, youthfulness, cleverness
b. It unglorifies God.
(1) All too easily God’s people are seduced by this world’s thinking and place value in human glory and not in the things of Christ.
(2) It makes it look like the thing we think really brings happiness is things, but not the Lord.
(3) It makes the world think that in the bottom level, we’re just like them.
2. Boasting has haunted me like a mortal enemy down through the years. I am so vulnerable to this.
a. It’s incredible how fast my heart can move from desperation to boasting, just as Hezekiah’s heart went so quickly from desperation to boasting.
b. It’s when things are going well that I most easily forget about God.
c. My greatest failures have to do with what I do in the sunshine, not in the storm.
d. I think I am a lot like Hezekiah. I do best when under great pressure, but when things are at ease, it is easy to be over-confident and self-assured. I am always tempted to try to impress people with the earthly treasures the Lord has given me.
3. You know, churches can flaunt their earthly treasures too: building, personality/humor, intellect/education, musical talent
a. But a healthy church is not excited about itself, but about her Lord. That’s why I’ve always been against having GPC bumper stickers made. And then I can boast in that! Amazing!
b. What would we be like as a church if we had worldly treasures? Boastful? Proud?
c. O may we never glory in ourselves, but in the Lord.
B. A calloused disregard of others can reside even in a sincere believer.
1. At first I am shocked at Hezekiah’s response: “It’s OK, as long as there’s peace and security in my days.” But then I realize how often I have the same self-centered attitude.
2. As long as everything is OK with my life, I can be content, even when others are suffering.
a. People starving, suffering, being abused all over the world: in Africa, or in North Korea, or in prison. It doesn’t really bother me as long as I have my dinner, as long as I’m not suffering.
3. Isn’t it amazing how much more we can care about ourselves than about others?
4. One of the things required by the sixth commandment is that we cherish life, we care about people’s life, whoever they are, we care what happens to people, when we hear a story of something bad which happened to someone, we feel pained.
5. You know, there is such a things as sinful contentment: We’re supposed to weep when others weep (Romans 12:15). There is a time when it is sinful not to weep.
6. As Christians we are the ones who have a reason to be concerned about suffering people, even those who never cross our path. We have the Savior’s love in our hearts, and His commands in our Bibles. And yet many times it seems like we just don’t care.
7. Romans 13:8 says we owe a debt of love to all people – that means caring about their welfare, wanting them to do well.
a. But we’re happy to use people, not really caring about how it damages them.
b. We do it with our wives, husbands, parents, children, siblings, friends, bosses, employees.
c. We choose not to take the time to sit down with our kids and talk to them about what they’re struggling with because it’s too inconvenient or takes too much energy.
d. My child may cause misery for his wife or her husband, or they may be ill-equipped to become parents, but at least they’re out of my hair now.
8. Or we’re not concerned what’s going to happen in the 22nd century, only now while I’m here.
a. Scriptures like Ps.78:4-7 call us to care about the spiritual welfare of coming generations.
9. Or we see it in the younger generation’s disregard for their parents’ generation.
10. Ultimately, we tend to care more about our pain than about our sin. And we care more about the pain others cause us than about the pain we cause others.
11. Many sins are committed out of the effort to avoid pain, especially when it comes to failures of love and failures of compassion.
12. And one of the great dangers of pain-avoidance is that it is so easily justified. When people act to protect themselves from pain, no one blames them, no one thinks of them as evil.
a. Often, we even pat ourselves on the back for self-protective actions as if they’re righteous.
13. Now there’s certainly a time to be careful. When you walk with bare feet across a floor scattered with Legos, you step very carefully in order to avoid pain. There’s nothing wrong with that.
a. But here’s what’s wrong: When we fail to love someone because of the pain it might cause us.
14. But we want lives unburdened with cares. And the only way to have a life unburdened with care is to not care about people.
15. Oh, we might care about the people in our little circle, the ones on whom we rely for our support and acceptance and security.
a. But we don’t let ourselves care about others, because the wider your circle of caring gets, the more pain you experience, because the pain of compassion is born of love.
b. Caring is sometimes so painful that it’s easier just to stop caring, to distance yourself from the person so you distance yourself from the pain. We harden our hearts toward others to avoid pain.
16. Now obviously only God can bear the weight of the suffering of the whole world. But this story shows us that there is in the human heart an ugly tendency to avoid the burden of love.
17. Aren’t you glad that the Lord doesn’t do that to us?
a. Think about Jesus, think about the pain He willingly endured. Think about the burden He took on.
b. Think about how the chief emotion He is said to have felt was compassion.
c. Think how great His love must have been to move Him to come to earth as a man!
d. Think about how He disregarded the pain of the cross because of the joy of accomplishing our salvation. (Heb.12:2) Aren’t you glad our salvation is not dependent on our works but on His?
e. 1Timothy 1:15 This is trustworthy saying: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
f. Sinners like Hezekiah, sinners like me and you.