About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill. He prayed to the LORD, who healed him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the LORD’s anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jerusalem. So the LORD’s anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime. [2 Chronicles 32.24-26]
On this date in the year 2021, I wrote the following article Mortality Is A Blessing (?). Hezekiah's story is intriguing.
The only thing I would add to that article from 2021 is that the living at all cost "life" most people pursue is not reality. It is instead the elevated euphoric "carrot" dangled just out of reach by marketing schemes to keep people spending money in pursuit of it. In fact, the idyllic "life" most of these advertisements portray is nothing more than a baseless promise made by idols.
Man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology all lure people with "better life" to secure their "bottom line" profits. And, mankind (God's people included) is none the wiser to this idolatry. All the while, it is no secret that even the most successful people with seemingly "everything" have been documented as some of the most miserable.
There is only one worthy pursuit in "life" and that is the pursuit of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus clarified this fact:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [John 14.6]
And, speaking of pursuit, the pursuit of "life" as depicted by the idols of finance, insurance, medicine and technology, is the polar opposite of what Jesus taught and demanded:
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]
The Bible has NEVER been unclear on this subject. However, as we saw in Hezekiah, the pursuit of life did nothing more than give place to his pride. This pursuit of "living at all cost" is indeed the pie-in-the-sky selling point used by man's idols of finance, insurance, medicine and technology.
Any and everything selling "life" that is not God Himself should be suspect as an idol. It is time that God's people get real about what is and what is not life. Living at all cost is NOT the Biblical definition of "life."
Father, You have been gracious to allow me to see the truth of Your Word as I have faithfully read and considered it for many years now. Everything I am seeing points me to Jesus Who demands that I give up my own way, take up my cross, and follow Him if I am to have real life in You. May I no longer be deceived by the idols of this world and the traps they lure me into simply to secure their own "bottom line." May I see and help others see that "living at all cost" is the trap of idolatry. So be it.
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