SHOWING OFF TO BABYLONIANS – Isaiah 39

Preached July 24, 2011
from
Isaiah 39

Theme: God will sometimes allow us to be tested by the ungodly in order to show what’s really in our hearts.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been studying the life of godly King Hezekiah. So far, we’ve learned some lessons from three of the four great events of his life. And this morning, we come to the fourth and final great event—and the lessons it has to teach us.

This fourth great event involved a visit that King Hezekiah received from some dignitaries from a foreign country. That may not sound particularly important in and of itself; but before we look at the details of that visit, I ask that we take a look at God’s sovereign purpose in allowing that visit When we do so, we find that it was actually VERY important. Scripture reveals that purpose to us in 2 Chronicles 32:31; where we read that

. . . regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart (2 Chronicles 32:31).

* * * * * * * * * *

Did you know, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, that there are times when God does that to some of His strongest and most faithful children?—temporarily pulls His hand away from them, just for a brief while, in order to test them, and to allow what’s really in their hearts to be revealed?

He has a good reason for doing this. Our heavenly Father loves us very much; and He wants to remove from us those things that are displeasing to Him, or that hinder His ability to bless us and use us as He wishes. Perhaps you’ll remember that the Lord Jesus told us about this in John 15:1-2. He said,

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away [or, as it can be translated "lifts up"]; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2).

We may not like that pruning process. I can’t imagine that if the branch of a grapevine could speak, it would say that it cared much for being snipped at by the vinedresser. But God does this for us, so that we’ll be fruitful and blessed. Sometimes, the sinful things that He snips away from our lives are things that we are fully aware are there and that need to go. But sometimes, He reveals things to be snipped away that we weren’t even aware were still there. One of the ways that He reveals such things to us is by pulling His hand away for a season, and to allowing us to undergo a time of testing; so that the sinful habits or attitudes that are still there in secret can be revealed and dealt with out in the open.

I hasten to add that our loving Father never pulls His hand very far away. He’s always right there—ready to catch us, and to keep us from falling away in an ultimate sense. But nevertheless, He does—in great love—allow us to undergo times of testing to reveal what’s in us. God did this, for example, to the people of Israel during their wandering in the wilderness. In Deuteronomy 8:2-3, Moses told the people,

And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).

Another example was when Moses warned the people that false prophets would arise among them over time—false prophets who would show them amazing and astonishing signs and wonders; but who would then reveal their true character by encouraging the people to worship false gods. Moses warned the people of Israel that

. . . you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him (Deuteronomy 13:3-4).

And that’s what God was doing for King Hezekiah in this last great event of his life. Hezekiah had proven himself to be a great and godly man. He was truly among the most godly kings of all the kings of Judah. And God accomplished great things through him. He was a king that God had used to bring about a great revival among his people. And it was also through Hezekiah’s faith in Him that God brought about a great victory over Judah’s enemies. Do you remember how the dreaded Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem in order to take possession of it; and how Hezekiah cried out to God; and how the Lord sent His angel out in the middle of the night to slay 185,000 Assyrian solders? Hezekiah was truly a mighty man of faith. And yet—as is true of even the very best of God’s people—there was still the remnants of sin secretly abiding in his heart that God wanted out of him.

In Hezekiah’s case, that sin seems to have been pride. After God had given that great victory to Hezekiah over the Assyrians, the Bible tells us that many of the surrounding people groups loaded King Hezekiah with gifts and presents; so that he was exalted by God in the sight of all the nations. But sadly, all the honor that Hezekiah received among men caused his heart to be lifted up in pride. And so, because God loved Hezekiah, He allowed him to undergo a time of sickness—almost to the point of death—in order to humble him and drive that soul-crippling pride out of him.

Hezekiah repented. But that brings us to this last great event in his life. Perhaps the king thought that pride was no longer a problem for him. But sadly, it was still there—lurking in him and hiding in the secret recesses of his heart. As 2 Chronicles 32:27-30 tells us;

Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. And he made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items; storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and folds for flocks. Moreover he provided cities for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much property. This same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of Upper Gihon, and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works (2 Chronicles 32:27-30).

And its then that we come to those remarkable words that I read at the beginning of our time together this morning;

However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart (v. 31).

It wasn’t that God was ignorant of what was in Hezekiah’s heart. After all, the Lord already knows perfectly what’s in the heart of every one of us.¹ Rather, it was more a matter of God putting Hezekiah to the test so that what was really in him could be brought to the surface—so that he himself could know what was really there; and could allow God to take from him the remnants of sinful pride that still resided in him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now, dear brothers and sisters; let me pause at this point, and ask about you and me. (And when I say “me”, I truly mean to include myself. If a sermon like this seems a bit uncomfortable to hear, you need to know that it’s even more uncomfortable to preach! I have just as much potential for hidden sin to be lurking around in my heart as anyone else! Perhaps even more!)

Let me ask a very important question—one that needs careful reflection. Is there a sense in any of us of the kind of complacency and self-confidence that comes from things going ‘well’? Does it seem as if things are going so positively in our lives, and that we’re feeling so strong and spiritual and respected, that we don’t feel like we need to rely upon God and cry out to Him as much as we have to during more difficult times? Are things going so well that we find ourselves sometimes forgetting that God is even there; and even thinking we’re doing just fine on our own?

Maybe you hear me ask that, and think, “Well; that’s certainly not a problem for me! Right now, everything in my life are really horrible!” But if that’s case, what resource are you turning to in those trials? What are you doing in the midst of them? Are you ignoring God with them and trusting God in them? Or are you bitter toward Him; and feeling like it doesn’t do any good to cry out to Him? Are you perhaps even beginning to think that you’re better off turning to other resources than to Him?

Neither the really good times nor the really bad times fall outside of God’s sovereign control. He doesn’t let either of them come upon us except for our good. And so, could it be that He is allowing us to be tested—in either of those ways; so that what is really in us can be brought to the surface and revealed?

Hezekiah had been tested by the bad times. And now, he was being tested by the good times. Let’s look a little closer at this fourth great event in his life; and learn from it how God reveals what’s in us—so that we too can learn what is in us, and can be rid of those things that need to go.

* * * * * * * * * *

We find a full description of this fourth great event in Isaiah 39. It takes us to the time immediately after Hezekiah’s terrible illness—after he repented of his pride and was healed by God. Isaiah 39:1 says,

At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered (Isaiah 39:1).

Babylon, at this time, was not the mighty empire it would soon become. It was a smaller vassal kingdom—suffering, like many of the other surrounding nations, under the domination of Assyria. But the king of Babylon heard that Hezekiah had been healed from his illness; and sent ambassadors to him with presents and letters of greeting.

How did the king of Babylon hear about this? It’s interesting to speculate. Because the Babylonians were famous for the ways that they followed and charted the stars, some have suggested that they had seen the evidence of the of the miraculous sign God gave Hezekiah during his illness—that of causing the sun to shift in some way, so that the shadow on the sundial had moved backwards ten steps.² Others have suggested that the rumors of Hezekiah’s healing after his great victory over Assyria had reached the ears of the king of Babylon. 2 Chronicles 32:31 says that they came to “inquire about the wonder that was done in the land”. Assyria may had just suffered a devastating defeat, but was still something of a threat; and perhaps thinking that God’s work in Israel could be turned to his advantage against Assyria, the king of Babylon sought to get on friendly terms with Hezekiah while he could.

Whatever the motive might have been on the part of the king of Babylon, the arrival of these ambassadors was something that greatly flattered Hezekiah.

And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them (v. 2).

Hezekiah should have known better than to do this. The prophet Isaiah—who had a close relationship with the king—had already written about what God was going to do through the Babylonians. Chapters 13 and 14 of Isaiah contain God’s promise of how they would one day rise in wickedness and arrogantly seek to destroy God’s people; and of how God would bring them down in destruction. The Book of Habakkuk is a prophecy about how God would one day use Babylon to punish Israel. Recklessly showing them all his treasures in the way he did was a lot like a wealthy man giving a guided tour of his mansion to a group of cat-buglers!

It was truly tragic that Hezekiah didn’t react to the letters he received from these ambassadors the way he had reacted to another letter he had once received. Back in the days when Assyria was oppressing Jerusalem, the King of Assyria sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah through some of his ambassadors. But Hezekiah did the right thing with that letter. After he received it and read it, he went up to the temple, spread it before the Lord, and prayed about it.³ But on this occasion, he didn’t do so. This letter also came from an ungodly king; but it wasn’t perceived as a threat. It was a letter of congratulations and flattery. You can’t help wondering how differently things might have been if Hezekiah had spread this letter before the Lord, just as he had done with the other!

And by the way; there’s a great lesson for us in that. We tend to be on our guard against the danger when the enemy of our soul openly threatens us. We are quick to turn to God and cry out for His help then. We’re quick to seek wisdom from Him at such times. But we’re never in greater danger than when the enemy of our souls sends his ambassadors to flatter us, or to patronize us, or to seem to extend a hand of friendship toward us.⁴ It’s then that we tend to think that we don’t need to cry out to God or turn to Him for wisdom. And it’s then that we may be the most vulnerable to the devil’s attacks. As Proverbs 27:6 warns us, “the kisses of an enemy are deceitful”!

Hezekiah wasn’t on his guard. He was overcome by a remnant of pride that he didn’t realize was still lurking in his heart; and so, he vainly displayed all his treasures before the very enemies of his people who would then go home and covet them.

* * * * * * * * * * *

And it’s then that a word from God came. It might have been immediately after the ambassadors from Babylon had returned home. Or it might even have been while they were still in the royal palace of the king. But we read,

Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, from Babylon” (v. 3).

Do you suppose we can detect a little pride in that answer? “They came all the way from a far country—from Babylon!—just to visit me!” But Isaiah went on;

And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them” (v. 4).

And if we can’t detect pride in the first thing Hezekiah said, we can certainly see it in the second. Hezekiah spoke of it all as ‘his’—as if he had forgotten that he had received it all as an act of God’s grace! He forgot that he would have had everything he owned taken away by the king of Assyria if God had not come to his defense. He forgot that he only received all the riches he now had because God had mercy on him after his illness.

But I really can’t be too quick to point an accusing finger at him; can you? I know how prone I am to have my own “Nebuchadnezzar” moments—moments when, just like that Babylonian king, I strut around all the stuff in my life and say, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). As the apostle Paul once wrote to the Corinthians, “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (2 Corinthians 4:7). I know how often the same attitude of pride can be found in me as was found in Hezekiah. The only difference is that he was tested in such a way as to bring it out into public view, while it still may be hiding in the shadows of my heart.

That’s when Isaiah spoke a word from the Lord that cut Hezekiah back down to size. We read;

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD” (v. 6).

What a blow! In arrogance, there was nothing he didn’t show to the Babylonians. And now in humiliation—just a hundred years or so from that time—there will be nothing of it all that the Babylonians would not carry away!

And there was more. Isaiah went on to say;

“‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon’” (v. 7).

What’s remarkable about this was that, at that time, Hezekiah didn’t have any sons. But God promises that he one day would have an heir. And those who descended from him would be carried away as captives to the very nation that he had just shown-off to. This literally happened when the Babylonians came—beginning in 605 B.C.—and began successively to take away all of the kingdom of Judah into captivity for seventy years.

What a dangerous thing this hidden “pride” was! God had permitted the ambassadors from Babylon to come and test Hezekiah, and to reveal the remnants of pride that had still not been driven out of him! How sad that Hezekiah didn’t put that pride to death the moment it sprang to the surface!

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; I believe that Hezekiah repented. The last verse of Isaiah 39 says,

So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days” (v. 8).

And I don’t believe Hezekiah was expressing an indifference to what was going to happen in the future. I believe he was saying, “I have sinned; and God has spoken. What He has said is sure and certain; and His established purpose is good. But as for me, I see the error of my ways. God has graciously promised to give me another fifteen years of life⁵; and for as long as I remain alive, there will be peace and truth in my days.”

But this story makes me think of the ways that God permits me to be tested and tried, in order to show what’s in me. And it makes me shudder at the thought of the secret sin that is still hiding in the recesses of my heart—and that can only be revealed by the tests that God permits to fall upon me for my good.

God will do this to us, because He loves us. He wants those areas of secret sin to be pruned away; so that He can use us and bless us in greater ways that we can imagine. And so, perhaps a good way for us to respond to this story is to pray the prayer that King David once prayed in Psalm 139:23-24;

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24).

¹See John 2:25.

²See 2 Kings 20:8-11.

³Isaiah 37:14-15.

⁴I’m indebted for this point to Harry Ironside, Expository Notes on the Prophet Isaiah (Neptune, N.J.: Loizeaux Brothers, 1952), p. 232.

⁵See Isaiah 38:5.