PEACE AND TRUTH (SECURITY). 2nd Kings 20 We may never make a lot of difference to the world as a whole, but each of us can affect the small world in which we live and the generation of which we are a part. Our family and friends, the community in which we live, and the assembly of which we are a part can be positively influenced for good and for God when we are committed to serving our Lord Jesus Christ. There will be those who avoid those who "walk in the Spirit," but a believer who is faithful to the Lord and consistent in life and testimony can leave a legacy behind that will bless many in time to come.
The events in this chapter in 2nd Kings probably took place before the invasion of the Assyrians recorded in previous chapters. Hezekiah had shown the messengers who came from Babylon everything of value in his palace and kingdom before he took the gold and silver to pay tribute to the Assyrians. It was a serious mistake on his part to reveal all to potential enemies. Perhaps the infected boil that would have taken his life was either allowed by God or an act of God to humble him and bring him to a place of repentance and tears.
Anything that awakens our conscience to reveal sin and draw us closer to God is good. Many have said during very painful and difficult times, "It was extremely hard to bear, and it was painful, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It made me realize what is important and brought me closer to the Lord." Because God is sovereignly disposed to show grace toward His children, prayer establishes the petitioner's understanding of where they are in God's plans. We do not always understand or need to understand how our Lord responds to our prayerful and earnest requests. But we do know this: our Father hears us, and how He answers us is up to Him. Our demands do not make something happen.
Hezekiah's prayer was not an appeal for favor from the Lord because of his good works and faithful devotion. He recognized that God looked upon those who called upon Him from a pure heart. He can act in grace toward them in the deepest trial. The message of imminent death was put off because of the sincerity of Hezekiah's response and the tears that made his remorse real. The Lord heard his prayer, saw his tears, understood the reality of his repentance, and had Isaiah return immediately with the promise of healing. The poultice of figs applied on the boil was the means God used to conclude the sickness, and in three days he could go to the house of the Lord.
The physical sign of affirmation of the sun going back 10 degrees (stair steps) was for the benefit of Hezekiah himself. The Creator of the sun and the earth can use that which He made in the way He chooses to produce the results He desires. When Hezekiah saw this, he was certain that the promised healing would occur.
Why Hezekiah showed the messengers from Babylon who brought letters and a gift from the king of Babylon, as well as all of his treasures, is not clear. That would be wrong if he tried to impress the foreigners with his wealth. For any of us, all credit for our blessings goes to God alone. We must avoid vanity and self-exaltation. It may be more understandable if it was a desire to strengthen the nation's security through friendship with Babylon, but it was still wrong. Cooperation with the world and its system leads to friendship: "Friendship with the world is enmity against God."
All of life and its events are in the hands of God, who is a rewarder of those who faithfully serve Him. However, the Bible does not gloss over the faults and failures of those who have been faithful to Him but were turned aside by temptations and pride when they acted in the energy of the flesh. Moses, David, and Hezekiah are examples of those who failed despite being people of great faith.
We need to remember that we are in the world but not of the world. It is our calling to introduce others to our Lord and be ambassadors who beseech people to be reconciled to God. Pride and the vanity of putting trust in man and “making flesh (our) arm” must be rejected and forsaken if God’s blessings are to be experienced. Never fail to pray about matters before taking action, especially if the concerns affect others and the glory of God.
No wonder Hezekiah had nothing to say about the diplomatic reason for the visit and his strange behavior. They had come to commiserate with Hezekiah in his illness. He acted on his own without prayer and showed them everything. The prophecy of Isaiah clearly said that whatever Hezekiah expected would be opposite to whatever he had hoped. It would be Babylon, not Assyria, that would take the people of Judah captive. The very ones he wanted to impress would defeat the nation. The leaders of the nation, as well as young people like Daniel, with their lives before them, would be taken away as captives and placed in the palace of the king of Babylon. Babylon became the world power that would crush the Assyrian empire and take world leadership.
To try to impress others because we have done something good and God has blessed us, is to open the way to chastening as children of God. “Whom the Lord loves He chastens.” It is not a character trait of the new nature to glory in the blessings we have received from being faithful to the Lord, but to give God all the glory for allowing us the privilege of being associated with Him.
When self-centeredness and self-promotion rear their ugly heads, there will be just judgment. God’s blessings should be accepted with gratitude and humility. When the Lord judges His people, we should accept the consequences of our actions with humble acceptance and be grateful that “He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Hezekiah's response seems to be a humbled acceptance of the Lord's judgment rather than a self-centered reply relating only to himself. Essentially, he said, "At least we have this time of peace and security where truth can still be taught to our children and practiced by us." It may have been that in the years following, many of those who had places of leadership carefully taught their children to love and serve the Lord. Daniel was only young when he, along with other young people, was taken captive, but they seemed very conscious of God in everything from what to eat to how to conduct one's self in the presence of those in authority.
Hezekiah was an effective ruler who realized how vulnerable a besieged city could be. The pool and the tunnel through which water could come into Jerusalem during the siege were great engineering feats. Hezekiah's death closed an era of effective leadership not experienced in Israel since. His son, who followed him as the ruler of Judah, was a man notable for the evil he did.
We may not be able to do much about events happening around us, but we can prepare ourselves and those who come after us for eventualities that may be in the future. It is true, "the coming of the Lord draweth near," but we do not know the length of time between now and then. We need to live with the conscious knowledge that the Lord may come today and work with the awareness that He may not come for a long time yet. Our children and grandchildren may even grow old. Our responsibility is to teach them how to live and please God in whatever situation they are placed in.
How can one explain why the children of God-fearing parents go the opposite way from what they were taught? We cannot explain that, but lest believing parents of unbelieving children despair, remember God can do for them that which we cannot do. The only person I can change is myself. It is up to me to conduct my life the way God wants under His divine leadership. Hopefully, I will be able to influence those around me for good, but what they do with truth, peace, God, righteousness, and God-offered salvation is up to them as they mature. "God our Savior will have all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth."
When we make decisions, we must consider their consequences. The effects of those decisions can bring things together or divide and bring disorder. If we do not choose wisely, the outcome of important matters can be scattered to the four winds, and urgent matters may bring bad results because we didn’t act appropriately.
Order needs to be taught to our children at the beginning of life, and when a person becomes a Christian, they need to be taught the way of living that pleases God. Important things will be overlooked if we expect them to be caught without instruction. Whether it be parents or teachers, or maybe some others, there is a discipline we learn when things are in order.
As the years pass and we go out on our own, we will find that self-discipline and orderliness are not things we can buy. Self-discipline teaches us to act with discretion, and we learn that orderly planning takes time but pays big dividends when we form our convictions based on God's word. As old age approaches, we should take time to plan for the important things and what to leave behind and not worry about. Our reputation has already been made when we carry out our convictions, but others have a right to know what to expect when it is time to go to heaven.
When the time comes for me to bid farewell to my family, the Lord’s people, and friends made over a lifetime, if things are in order, no one will have to try to tell others what I meant to be done or who gets what, because that was already done before my life’s door was shut. If things had been set in order in every phase of my life, I would have avoided much that potentially causes strife between people. Perhaps there will be a memory every now and then of a man who, in an orderly way, previously considered them.