“At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.” Isaiah 39:1-2
The Assyrian Empire is waning, but world politics seldom exists as a vacuum. And the Babylonians were waiting “in the wings” to assume hegemony! They would next rule the then-known world.
So … in today’s Lesson the aspiring Babylonians send a delegation to King Hezekiah, with devious goals in mind.
Under the “guise” of a gift for the recovering King (whose life had recently been spared and extended by the Lord) the representatives of Merodachbaladan wish to “spy” on Judah.
And unsuspecting (or maybe just naïve or maybe “lifted up in pride” due to such unusual international attention) Hezekiah talked (and showed) way too much to his covert potential enemies!
Big mistake, which Isaiah the Prophet will (soon) soundly rebuke!
“Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, ALL that is in mine house have they seen: there is NOTHING among my treasures that I have not shewed them.” Verses 3 and 4, Isaiah obviously at the moment not being “in the loop” of intimate Palace business.
But Isaiah certainly was “in the Loop” with Almighty God!
“Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days come, that ALL that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: NOTHING shall be left, saith the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Isaiah 39:5-7
He showed them ALL. And some day they would come and take his ALL! Oh, how gullible we Christians can be!
Hezekiah, who once trusted the Assyrians too much … now has trusted the Babylonians too much!
When will we ever learn?
Proverbs 3:5-6 … “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
I personally do NOT believe the Devil is omni-present and omnipotent and omniscient! (My living God is all That, and a whole Lot more!) But not Satan.
And sometimes, I suspect, the more we can keep our mouths shut around evil and wicked people … the better off we’d be!
Whatever his motive, Hezekiah blabbed too much!
And his ill advised “openness” led to the pronounce of future judgment on his progeny and his people.
Proverbs 30:32 might apply to each of us in this context. “If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, LAY THINE HAND UPON THY MOUTH.”
Ephesians 4:27 says: “Neither give place to the devil.”
In many cases … “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: BUT HE THAT REFRAINETH HIS LIPS IS WISE.” Proverbs 10:19
Wow!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
.