Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the LORD is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.” [Isaiah 39.8]
Sometimes, people say the dumbest things!
Hezekiah had just been given devastating news and all he cared about was that it would not happen until after he was gone. Really? He was told his own sons would be castrated and serve as eunuchs in Babylon!
For some reason, there are things about Hezekiah we do not know. But there were certainly problems in his life. In the preceding chapter of Isaiah, Hezekiah's prayer reveals there was something in his life worthy of God's discipline. It is worth noting that Hezekiah repented and was healed, but there still remains much we do not know. (Only when I began reading the One Year Chronolgical Bible with everything about Hezekiah in close narrative proximity did I begin to realize the magnitude of problems in Hezekiah's life) And, even though Hezekiah was healed, he still had further moral failures that led to Isaiah's prophecy about captivity in Babylon.
The Word is clear that Hezekiah became proud for one huge thing. And the fact that Hezekiah said what he said in the verse noted above tells me he had at least a touch of narcissism.
Although Isaiah's word for Hezekiah to get his affairs in order because he was going to die seems innocent enough, we must consider that God never went to the trouble to send such prophecies unless there was a sin problem. Hezekiah's plea in prayer could only have been a prayer of repentance! Rememeber that prophets weren't just fortune tellers, but they called out sin and called for repentance.
So the Bible is consistent that bad things are the result of sin and require repentance. Hezekiah's story demonstrates that.
Although Jesus' declaration of the blind man as innocent in John chapter 9 seems to be an anomoly to the rest of the Bible and needs to be carefully considered, it STILL must be remembered that Jesus HEALED the man and said it was for God's glory.
The point is, bad things are never God's ultimate will! But we often say some pretty silly things to that end... Are we being just like Hezekiah?
Father, I know there are so many things we do not understand. But please help us not say stupid things in the midst of our ignorance! And please forgive me of the stupid things I say - even if it includes every word in this post.
Sometimes, people say the dumbest things!
Hezekiah had just been given devastating news and all he cared about was that it would not happen until after he was gone. Really? He was told his own sons would be castrated and serve as eunuchs in Babylon!
For some reason, there are things about Hezekiah we do not know. But there were certainly problems in his life. In the preceding chapter of Isaiah, Hezekiah's prayer reveals there was something in his life worthy of God's discipline. It is worth noting that Hezekiah repented and was healed, but there still remains much we do not know. (Only when I began reading the One Year Chronolgical Bible with everything about Hezekiah in close narrative proximity did I begin to realize the magnitude of problems in Hezekiah's life) And, even though Hezekiah was healed, he still had further moral failures that led to Isaiah's prophecy about captivity in Babylon.
The Word is clear that Hezekiah became proud for one huge thing. And the fact that Hezekiah said what he said in the verse noted above tells me he had at least a touch of narcissism.
Although Isaiah's word for Hezekiah to get his affairs in order because he was going to die seems innocent enough, we must consider that God never went to the trouble to send such prophecies unless there was a sin problem. Hezekiah's plea in prayer could only have been a prayer of repentance! Rememeber that prophets weren't just fortune tellers, but they called out sin and called for repentance.
So the Bible is consistent that bad things are the result of sin and require repentance. Hezekiah's story demonstrates that.
Although Jesus' declaration of the blind man as innocent in John chapter 9 seems to be an anomoly to the rest of the Bible and needs to be carefully considered, it STILL must be remembered that Jesus HEALED the man and said it was for God's glory.
The point is, bad things are never God's ultimate will! But we often say some pretty silly things to that end... Are we being just like Hezekiah?
Father, I know there are so many things we do not understand. But please help us not say stupid things in the midst of our ignorance! And please forgive me of the stupid things I say - even if it includes every word in this post.
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