Hezekiah’s Pride

IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Hezekiah’s Pride

Date: Oct. 2, 2022

Passage

Isaiah 39:1-8 (ESV)

1 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.”

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Daily Bread

Key Verse: 39:5-6

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 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.

Every human servant of God, even the best, has mistakes on their record. This chapter shows Hezekiah’s big blunder. The king of Babylon sent envoys to Hezekiah after his recovery with gifts and a letter. Hezekiah welcomed the envoys and treated them as honored guests. This is not wrong. But because of his pride, he showed them all the treasures in his storehouses. Almost no one can resist showing off when a good opportunity comes to do so.

At that time, Babylon did not seem like a serious threat compared to the Assyrian Empire. But Isaiah told the king that the Babylonians who had seen his treasures would one day come and carry off all of them. It doesn’t mean that the Babylonian exile was caused only by Hezekiah. But Hezekiah’s sin was one link in the chain that led to God’s judgment on Judah. Only Jesus can break the chain-links of sin and judgment in our lives.

Prayer: Prayer: Father, forgive me for the times I have taken pride in the blessings you gave me. Free me from the need to show off. Help my life be a good influence in spite of my sins.

One Word: One Word: Don’t show off.

The End of Northern Israel

2 Kings 17:1-23

Key Verse: 17:15

They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them.

Today's Question

What does the tenth commandment require?

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