October 18, 2018
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Isaiah & 2 Kings? Here’s today’s reading:
Isaiah 39 (ESV)
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.”....Continue Reading
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Doesn’t sound like good news
Good news?????
I’m just joining in the conversation now, but I read back a couple chapters for some context. It definitely doesn’t sound like good news, but Hezekiah has been given nothing but bad news from Isaiah. Each time, however, he prayed to God and the situation was turned around into something good. Perhaps he is seeing this as another instance of this? God is sending him bad news to strengthen his faith and prayer, and then rewarding him for it?
This story about Hezekiah is repeated in both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. It is in the 2 Chronicles passage, chapter 31 I believe, that the Bible alludes to Hezekiah’s pride that he does repent from in that passage, but we can certainly see expressed in this chapter. As we see Isaiah’s negative prophecy against Hezekiah and his house, we can imagine that what God is addressing is the pride found in showing these envoys from Babylon all of his riches. Can you imagine him pointing to them with a level of boasting…look at all that I have, all that I have done….And all the while being blinded to this person doing recon for the king of Babylon, showing this will be a good nation to overthrow. There is also pride in Hezekiah’s statement that the news Isaiah gives him is good because the disaster will not happen in Hezekiah’s lifetime but to his descendants. Which causes one to think maybe it wasn’t such a good thing for Hezekiah to live longer. Not only does this incident happen because of it, but his son Manasseh was born in that time of his life and he proves to be one of the most evil kings of Judah…..All this is a lesson on how dangerous pride can be and how we need to watch how it can rare it’s ugly head and lead us into destructive things and blind us to the reality of certain situations…..
5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6Behold, 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