2 Kings 20:1
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.'"
God called Hezekiah to put his house in order so that the future would be set up for success. He was to look beyond his own lifetime so as to get what was in front of him prepared for those who would go beyond him. His house was currently out of that kind of order and needed to be placed into it. Hezekiah's house was in an order, but not the kind of order that God required. His house was ordered around something other than what God commands.
But instead of looking ahead, Hezekiah looked to himself. He cried out to God for healing and to go forward into the future in person rather than in planning. He did not look to the work of getting his house in order, rather he devoted his efforts into securing more of his own personal future. He did not have his progeny in mind, but only his own livelihood. He was not concerned with his legacy, but was very interested in his vitality.
And God surprisingly responded to Hezekiah's prayers by granting him his request. This answer to prayer proved to delight Hezekiah, but may have been more an evidence of God's discipline and displeasure than of favor being bestowed upon Hezekiah. Sometimes getting what we want is God's way of issuing discipline, not reward.
2 Kings 20:8-11
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?" And Isaiah said, "This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?" And Hezekiah answered, "It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps." And Isaiah the prophet called to the LORD, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.
Isaiah gave Hezekiah the option of seeing a sign that would guarantee that God's word of healing would certainly take place. His options were to see into the future or into the past. In keeping with his resistance to legacy, he chose to see the clock moved back. Time, if left alone, marches on either way and the dial inevitably goes forward, but only God could move the dial backwards. As far as logic goes, Hezekiah's logic was solid. The dial going backward is certainly more impressive in one sense, but it also highlights Hezekiah's insistence on reliving the past by staying alive rather than dying well in order to provide a legacy to those who would live beyond him into the future.
So Hezekiah was healed and returned to living for his own livelihood. He flourished and wanted to enjoy the good things that he had and show others how well off he was. So when foreign dignitaries arrived requesting an audience, he saw fit to provide them not only with the pleasure of his presence, but also with an audience to everything he had been able to retain by surviving his episode of illness.
2 Kings 20:16-19
And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his 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. 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?" And Hezekiah said, "They have come from a far country, from Babylon." He said, "What have they seen in your house?" And Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them."
Hezekiah's treasure was contained in his house and storehouses. His heart was where his treasure was... which happened to be right in front of him. He lacked vision for the future and heart for his legacy. He did not see his riches as someone else's inheritance. He saw them as his own.
2 Kings 20:16-19
Isaiah gave Hezekiah the option of seeing a sign that would guarantee that God's word of healing would certainly take place. His options were to see into the future or into the past. In keeping with his resistance to legacy, he chose to see the clock moved back. Time, if left alone, marches on either way and the dial inevitably goes forward, but only God could move the dial backwards. As far as logic goes, Hezekiah's logic was solid. The dial going backward is certainly more impressive in one sense, but it also highlights Hezekiah's insistence on reliving the past by staying alive rather than dying well in order to provide a legacy to those who would live beyond him into the future.
So Hezekiah was healed and returned to living for his own livelihood. He flourished and wanted to enjoy the good things that he had and show others how well off he was. So when foreign dignitaries arrived requesting an audience, he saw fit to provide them not only with the pleasure of his presence, but also with an audience to everything he had been able to retain by surviving his episode of illness.
2 Kings 20:16-19
And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his 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. 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?" And Hezekiah said, "They have come from a far country, from Babylon." He said, "What have they seen in your house?" And Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them."
Hezekiah's treasure was contained in his house and storehouses. His heart was where his treasure was... which happened to be right in front of him. He lacked vision for the future and heart for his legacy. He did not see his riches as someone else's inheritance. He saw them as his own.
2 Kings 20:16-19
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: Behold, 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. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?"
Hezekiah, in the end, reveals in words what has been true from the beginning in essence. His concern is not for the future or for his legacy, but only for his lifetime. He did not see years by the millennia, but by the decade. He counted time in tens instead of thousands. He did not see generations, but geriatrics. He was not concerned with seeing his people live, his concern was on his life going on. It wasn't about putting his house in order to look ahead for the sake of someone else tomorrow, but for showing his house off for the sake of looking like someone today. And in the end, he thought himself blessed for receiving a hall pass from the future calamity his decisions would bring.
Hezekiah, in the end, reveals in words what has been true from the beginning in essence. His concern is not for the future or for his legacy, but only for his lifetime. He did not see years by the millennia, but by the decade. He counted time in tens instead of thousands. He did not see generations, but geriatrics. He was not concerned with seeing his people live, his concern was on his life going on. It wasn't about putting his house in order to look ahead for the sake of someone else tomorrow, but for showing his house off for the sake of looking like someone today. And in the end, he thought himself blessed for receiving a hall pass from the future calamity his decisions would bring.
No comments:
Post a Comment