"In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,“Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly." ~2 Kings 20:1-3
Can you relate? Have you ever done all that you know is right, but trouble still comes to you? That's what happened to Hezekiah. Let's study this part of his life and see what lessons we can learn! Do you still have your Bible? Good! You'll want to keep it open to 2 Kings 20 for today. We'll be reading quite a bit from that chapter!
So in summary, Hezekiah became deathly sick. What's more, Isaiah the prophet came and told him that he would die. That's not good news! Hezekiah "wept bitterly" before God, and prayed some very earnest prayers. Then Isaiah came back with some good news:
Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him:“Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. ~v. 4-6
Then Isaiah directed some servants, or perhaps it was Hezekiah's doctor, to prepare a poultice of figs. After this was applied to Hezekiah's boil, the king asked Isaiah what would be the sign that he would recover. Isaiah gave Hezekiah a choice: either the nearby sundial could advance forward ten steps, or it could go back ten steps.
After contemplating the matter, Hezekiah decided to have the sundial go back ten steps. Because, it was common for the sundial to advance ten steps. But it was another matter all together for it to go back ten steps.
Evidently, it wasn't the sundial near Hezekiah that went back ten steps. From what I've learned, sundials everywhere went back ten steps. Or at least the one in Babylon. There some acute observers noticed the strange fact. Soon thereafter the king's son sent some messengers on their way to Hezekiah. They were not only to bring letters and a gift to Hezekiah (they had heard about his illness), but also to learn about the strange sundial phenomenon.
Now, knowing Hezekiah, one could predict pretty well what would happen: the envoys from Babylon come to Hezekiah, he accepts the gift, and tells them all about the God of Heaven. They are astonished and amazed, and go home with a new respect for Hezekiah's God.
But, unfortunately, no. That's not how Hezekiah acted. When the Babylonians arrived, Hezekiah didn't even mention his God. Instead, he showed them absolutely all the glory, riches, and wealth that he had ever acquired through the years. In the words of Hezekiah, when he was conversing with Isaiah who was reprimanding him for this, the king said:
“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.” ~v. 15
Guess what the Babylonians had their eye on when they came to ransack Jerusalem a few years later? You got it! All of that wealth....
Hezekiah's showing all his wealth off was truly the catalyst for the Babylonians invading, capturing, and destroying Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 32:25-26 points out that Hezekiah was very proud at this point, and did not appreciate the miraculous sign (the sundial) given him. While he did repent of his sins later, the damage was still done.
So how can we apply this story to our own lives? I think that there's at least one significant lesson that we can learn. That is, when God brings witnessing opportunities your way, don't talk about and show off all your wealth. Just think what a grand opportunity Hezekiah had to help these heathen people learn about the true God! From my reading, it seems like the main reason they came was because the sundial went back ten steps. And as I said before...what opportunities Hezekiah had! What possibilities for good! But Hezekiah was proud, and did not talk about God at all while the Babylonian envoys were with him.
And that's my challenge to you for this week. When God brings witnessing opportunities your way, don't squander them. Don't show off all your wealth. Instead, talk about your awesome God!
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