My Reflection on Hezekiah's Great Mistake
It's really no doubt that even the best of God's servants commit the worst of blunders. David was a man after God's own heart but he failed to parent most of his children properly. Solomon was endowed with supernatural wisdom but later appealed to worldly wisdom and sexual immorality. Later, their descendant Hezekiah was going to be no different. The pattern is also similar between Hezekiah and Jehoshaphat who were good kings followed by bad sons (Jehoram and Manasseh), bad grandsons who ruled short (Ahaziah and Ammon), and a great-grandson who succeeded the throne as a child (Joash and Josiah).
I was reading through Isaiah's study. It would be interesting to see the story of Hezekiah's blunder in 2 Kings 20, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 39. Hezekiah had some disease which the Bible and history are silent about. I was wondering if it was cancer or leprosy. Either way - it was a terminal disease. A miraculous cure happened by God's grace. The King of Babylon sent a greeting card. Rather than thank God for it - he decided to brag about his wealth to others.
I remembered there was a tip that businessmen give. One of these tips is that you should keep your financial papers to yourself. It would be very true with Proverbs 13:7 about some rich people who don't act rich. Some rich people do brag about their riches but others don't. Riches itself isn't the problem but how one handles it. Sometimes, you may never know somebody is way richer than you are until you discover their livelihood. Yet, some people who may admit that they do own big companies still don't act high and mighty. Some of them would make sure only a select few knew about their true financial standing. Knowing how much money somebody has can be a temptation to steal or even rob that person.
I was thinking about Psalm 119:71 saying that it's good to be afflicted. Hezekiah was more prayerful in his affliction. I find myself closer to God when problems pile up than when I'm at ease. Times of prosperity can be very dangerous for the Christian. In times of prosperity could lead a rich man to reject God and go to Hell - it can also make a Christian lose one's testimony. A testimony once lost is difficult to recover. David had so much prosperity during his reign that he got complacent in 2 Samuel. David's lax state caused him to commit adultery with Bathsheba who was young enough to be his daughter. David would only later get more prayerful and closer to God after the sword never left his house.
I realized that there are many times that after God delivers me - I get arrogant. I tend to go back to some of my old sins even if these sins aren't living like the rest of the world. Many times, I find the tendency to be arrogant of just about everything or my desire to hurt someone for stupid reasons. Regardless, I really have to be careful to guard my heart or risk doing Hezekiah's sin of bragging about his wealth. That result would soon cause generations later a terrible error. The Babylonians would later seize that wealth during the time of Jeremiah.
I realized that there are many times that after God delivers me - I get arrogant. I tend to go back to some of my old sins even if these sins aren't living like the rest of the world. Many times, I find the tendency to be arrogant of just about everything or my desire to hurt someone for stupid reasons. Regardless, I really have to be careful to guard my heart or risk doing Hezekiah's sin of bragging about his wealth. That result would soon cause generations later a terrible error. The Babylonians would later seize that wealth during the time of Jeremiah.