Hezekiah and the Babylonian Envoys

                                                                        2 Kings 20:12-19

 

November 8, 2021

 

 

Hezekiah and the Babylonian Envoys

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 Hezekiah had been sick.   And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his 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.   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?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.”   He said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord:   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 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.”  Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not if there will be peace and security in my days?”

 

Remember the question we asked last week: what would Hezekiah do with the 15 years God had given him?  Before going there can you imagine knowing the time and date of your death?  If so, how would you invest that time?  And one must remember Hezekiah was given this extra time on planet earth because he cried out to God about his devotion to obey God and to walk in a way that pleased God.

Something went very wrong with Hezekiah. It seems that the king would fit well into life in 2021 in the USA.  It became all about him, we have a President, and Congress that seems much like Hezekiah in that all he was concerned about was himself.

Have you given thought to what world you will leave behind, yes I understand you're just a mother or dad, not a leader of a nation, but are you leaving an example of how to walk with God, to seek His face, and to obey a love your neighbor as yourself?  If so you have been a very wise investor of what God has given you and you will not do as Hezekiah, no you will leave a legacy that is built upon the Rock.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice