S) "3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, 'What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?' And Hezekiah said, 'They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.' 4 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 treasuries that I have not shown them.'"
Isaiah 39:3-4 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Isaiah 39
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Isaiah 39
O) It's hard to know what might have happened, if Hezekiah had been more discrete with his kingdom, but it's hard not to see correlation and speculate about causation. The one detail that is worth noting is that neither in this passage or its parallel in 2 Kings 20 use the word "therefore" or anything like it (v.5 in this chapter). In either case, there are some strong warnings that come through this event. First, "discretion is the better part of valor" and that discretion starts before the fighting begins. Hezekiah may very well have invited invasion because he flaunted what God had given him. The Bible warns (and Hezekiah would have had access to this wisdom, since in preceded him) that pride goes before destruction. But this discretion he lacked, in fact, may go back a little further than that. When the delegation was first sent to him from Babylon (see v.1-2), Hezekiah probably should have used more discretion in how he viewed their letters and gift. So lesson one, discretion. Lesson two, humility. The third lesson is gained from this story, albeit a little further (v.8): Don't be selfish and/or shortsighted. When Hezekiah heard the prophecy from Isaiah, he seemed to just about shrug his shoulders. When this same prophet had given him dire news that the end of his life was near, he pled his case before the prophet and the LORD. Through that, God granted him fifteen more years of life! How much different might the history have been, if Hezekiah had pled for mercy on his whole nation, and his offspring, instead of only considering that the next fifteen years of his own life would be a cake walk? Discretion. Humility. Compassion.
A) For myself, everything starts with that humility. In every aspect of my life, I must keep God in His proper place in my heart, as King of my life and the only Lord. Every time someone compliments me is an opportunity for me to glorify God. If I don't take that opportunity, I must see it as a failure. The topic of discretion certainly plays its role in my life, too. Really, I should see this as a refrain from oversharing. There is a definite need for things like confession and vulnerability, but here is wisdom in using discernment when I consider who my audience will be. Just because someone seems unthreatening or unassuming (like Babylon, who was not yet a global threat and was "far away") doesn't mean that I should trust them with intimate parts of my life. My wife deserves to know every tender part of my life; she knows me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But, it would be foolish for me to give everyone the same kind of intimacy with me. Lastly, my life is not about me alone. Starting as simply as remembering that I am not even my own, I belong to Christ. Even setting that aside as a given, there are all the people in my life. My body is not my own, it belongs to my wife. What affects me affects her, directly. Then there are my kids, my life group, the kids at church where I serve. It even goes beyond that. How can I know what kind of impact God has called me to make? No, this life is not my own. My life is God's, to use however He wants. I am not sovereign, and I am not qualified to determine what is good enough.
P) Father, You are so good to me, and I cannot thank You enough for the grace You have shown Your bondslave. I need to look at my life that way, Lord. I need to remember that every good thing I have came down from the Father of lights. I need to remember that You have designed purpose in relationships, and there is a time and place for intimacy, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I can also see that my life is bigger than just my own peace and satisfaction. If my aim is to spend the rest of my days in rest, then my aim is way too low and it will cost others in ways I may never see. I don't want to be a liability to others, God. Help me to see the bigger picture. Help me to see that my obedience reaches further than my own life, even my own lifespan. I know that I'm not going to live in perfect obedience (that ship has sailed), but I want to strive to that, God. I don't want to lose any more than I already have. It's hard, though. I know I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, but it seems half of the battle is bending my own will to Yours. I want to want Your ways, God. Change my heart within me, to become more and more Your willing servant. Let Your will be done in my life, but also through my life. Accomplish what You want in me and through me. Never let me settle for what seems good enough to me. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
A) For myself, everything starts with that humility. In every aspect of my life, I must keep God in His proper place in my heart, as King of my life and the only Lord. Every time someone compliments me is an opportunity for me to glorify God. If I don't take that opportunity, I must see it as a failure. The topic of discretion certainly plays its role in my life, too. Really, I should see this as a refrain from oversharing. There is a definite need for things like confession and vulnerability, but here is wisdom in using discernment when I consider who my audience will be. Just because someone seems unthreatening or unassuming (like Babylon, who was not yet a global threat and was "far away") doesn't mean that I should trust them with intimate parts of my life. My wife deserves to know every tender part of my life; she knows me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But, it would be foolish for me to give everyone the same kind of intimacy with me. Lastly, my life is not about me alone. Starting as simply as remembering that I am not even my own, I belong to Christ. Even setting that aside as a given, there are all the people in my life. My body is not my own, it belongs to my wife. What affects me affects her, directly. Then there are my kids, my life group, the kids at church where I serve. It even goes beyond that. How can I know what kind of impact God has called me to make? No, this life is not my own. My life is God's, to use however He wants. I am not sovereign, and I am not qualified to determine what is good enough.
P) Father, You are so good to me, and I cannot thank You enough for the grace You have shown Your bondslave. I need to look at my life that way, Lord. I need to remember that every good thing I have came down from the Father of lights. I need to remember that You have designed purpose in relationships, and there is a time and place for intimacy, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I can also see that my life is bigger than just my own peace and satisfaction. If my aim is to spend the rest of my days in rest, then my aim is way too low and it will cost others in ways I may never see. I don't want to be a liability to others, God. Help me to see the bigger picture. Help me to see that my obedience reaches further than my own life, even my own lifespan. I know that I'm not going to live in perfect obedience (that ship has sailed), but I want to strive to that, God. I don't want to lose any more than I already have. It's hard, though. I know I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, but it seems half of the battle is bending my own will to Yours. I want to want Your ways, God. Change my heart within me, to become more and more Your willing servant. Let Your will be done in my life, but also through my life. Accomplish what You want in me and through me. Never let me settle for what seems good enough to me. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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