Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Day 174: Isaiah 38-39, 2 Kings 20, 2 Chronicles 32:24-33

Hezekiah was truly a great king. If my memory serves, he was the last good king of Judah. (I guess we'll find out for sure as we continue reading.) At one point he became very ill and was soon to die, but he pleaded with God and God granted him 15 more years of life on earth. (Isaiah 38) Unfortunately, during these last years, he became somewhat prideful.

He received some visitors from Babylon who had heard about the miracle God had worked in healing Hezekiah and during their visit he decided to show off a bit for them and gave them a grand tour of everything he had acquired during his reign as king.

The 2 Chronicles passage says this:
But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the LORD’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 32:25-26)
I'm trying to put these passages together in my mind and I suppose that, after this prideful demonstration to the visitors from Babylon, God confronted Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah. Apparently, after this confrontation, Hezekiah repented and God delayed any punishment He was planning...at least until after Hezekiah's final 15 years of life...
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” (Isaiah 39:5-7)
I suppose, to one degree or another, it's true for everyone that everything we work for in this life is "carried off to Babylon" when we die. That's why it's so important that we not limit our work to things that cannot last beyond this life.

Eventually Hezekiah dies. He was indeed a great king...one of Judah's best...and he was honored as such:
Hezekiah rested with his ancestors and was buried on the hill where the tombs of David’s descendants are. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem honored him when he died. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king. (2 Chronicles 32:33)
This makes me sad because, if I remember correctly (and I think I do), Manasseh, his son, was as evil as Hezekiah was good.

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