The Pride of Hezekiah – part 2
Isaiah 38:1-39:8 (38:17-39:8)
January 21, 2024
Here tonight we want to jump back in where we left off this morning.
We are still in that first point, which we have called:
#1 A TRIAL TO HUMBLE
Isaiah 38:1-22
We have been looking at the revealed pride of Hezekiah
And how God sent a disease and a threat of death to humble him.
We saw:
• THE REVELATION – that God told him he would die as a result of his illness.
• THE RESUME – Hezekiah’s reasoning for why God should spare him.
• THE RESPONSE – God responds to Hezekiah’s prayer and heals him.
• THE REASSURANCE – Hezekiah wanted proof and God gave a sign.
And we are currently discussing that fifth point which is:
THE RE-TELLING
Verses 9-20 are a writing of Hezekiah where he explains
His attitude and focus during the event and after God healed him.
Now this morning we only worked right up to verse 16,
Or really the first line of verse 17.
And we saw Hezekiah’s confusion and bitterness and anger.
• He reasoned himself to have been unjustly cut off in the prime of his life and
was bitter about it.
• He asked God to restore him to health, and God did.
WE ENDED THIS MORNING talking about HIS PRIDE.
It is obvious that he had a very high view of himself.
• He was proud of his accomplishments, failing to acknowledge God’s hand in it.
• He was grieved at his perceived mistreatment, assuming he deserved better.
• He expected God to deliver as though he had earned that right.
Even a great king like Hezekiah had fallen prey to subtle pride
And we understood that God sent this trial to humble him.
We understand how pride can rise up in any of us.
And we pondered in closing this morning
This important passage from Paul.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
Temptation can swoop in from anywhere
And Satan is not beyond tempting when you feel the strongest.
IS IT A COINCIDENCE that Satan threw temptation at Jesus immediately after He had been verbally endorsed by God from heaven as His beloved Son?
IS IT A COINCIDENCE that right after Peter was affirmed as being a rock by confessing Jesus as the Messiah that Satan would bait him to rebuke Jesus?
We are all familiar with Paul’s famous testimony.
He saw a heavenly vision and then what did God immediately do?
2 Corinthians 12:7 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!”
Even in those moments when you feel like your doing the best,
Be careful temptation is real.
Well, Hezekiah had fallen prey to it and his pride was easy to see.
WHERE LEFT OFF THIS MORNING
Is right at the point in his own story where God determined to heal him.
(17) “Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.”
Hezekiah recounted the great bitterness of his soul.
But then he acknowledges that God intervened and delivered.
He says, “It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.”
Obviously in play here is Hezekiah’s understanding that
This near-death experience was at least in part due to some sin in his life.
That also helps to explain
Why he was so quick to deliver his resume of good works.
Hezekiah was arguing for his own righteousness.
But Hezekiah did seem to understand
That the punishment was due to sin
So when God relents Hezekiah also sees that as mercy.
And we see one of the great statements about God’s mercy.
We all love Psalms 103
Psalms 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
• We realize that east and west never touch.
• You can only go north for so long before you have to go south, but you can go east or west and never stop.
• It is a picture of total removal of our sins by God.
We all love Micah 7:
Micah 7:19 “He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea.”
• That is a remarkable statement from Micah because even today there is some question as to how deep the ocean actually is in some places.
• But in Micah’s day they certainly had no idea.
But really just think of it like this.
You’re on a ship in the middle of the ocean
And you drop your pocketknife over the edge…it’s never coming back.
Those are great passages that illustrate the forgiveness of God.
Well Hezekiah, even in this moment, gives another great analogy.
“You have cast all my sins behind Your back.”
It speaks of a conscious decision by God
To no longer consider or look at or focus on my iniquity.
David said:
Psalms 32:1-2 “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!”
• It is a blessing to think that God would cover our sin or conceal or sin or even
cast it behind His back.
The depth and greatness of God’s forgiveness is remarkable.
And just to make sure we have A RIGHT GOSPEL PERSPECTIVE on this.
Romans 3:21-26 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
• Paul there introduces the justification which is found in Christ.
• Namely that God’s righteousness is available by imputation through the redemption of Christ.
And then Paul says that God offered up Christ as a propitiatory sacrifice because “He passed over the sins previously committed”
That is to say that there had been UNPUNISHED SINS committed.
There had been sin that God had not dealt with.
• He passed over it. (Literally at the Passover)
But that’s the sort of thing Hezekiah is talking about.
That God had chosen to just place Hezekiah’s sins behind His back.
What Paul reminds us of is that those sins never went away
Until Christ paid for them and vindicated the righteousness of God.
Hezekiah’s sin could be forgiven because Christ would one day pay for it.
But you see here that Hezekiah does recognize that
The reason God let him live is because God has pardoned his sins.
AND YOU SEE that Hezekiah even understands THE PURPOSE of being granted life by God.
(18-20) “For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. “It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today; A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness. “The LORD will surely save me; So we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the LORD.”
Don’t read too much into the statements that make it seem as though
Hezekiah doesn’t believe in heaven or hell or an afterlife at all.
What he is referring to is the absence of worship on earth
Once a person is deceased.
• Those who have died can no longer come to church and join the corporate worship which we enjoy.
But what it also shows us is that Hezekiah understands
The obligations and responsibilities of having life.
Why are you living?
Why has God spared you?
Why do you continue to live on this earth?
Hezekiah knows.
1. FAITH
2. GRATITUDE
3. EVANGELISM / DISCIPLESHIP
4. WORSHIP
“For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You;”
• If I was dead I could not stand here today and give thanks to God.
• If He has allowed me stand here today then I am obligated to do so.
“Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.”
• That is true, one the day you go to be with Christ you will have no more need for faith. In that day faith becomes sight.
• Who hopes for what he already has.
Faith and hope are for those of us on earth to embrace,
Indeed it is our duty and calling to do so.
“It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today; A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.”
• We’ve often said that evangelism won’t have any use in heaven.
• In heaven we will know Christ fully so there will be no need for you to tell anyone about Him.
Evangelism and discipleship is an obligation
That falls upon the backs of those alive on this earth.
“The LORD will surely save me; So we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the LORD.”
This life is meant to be a life dedicated to the worship of God.
• We are called to assemble.
• We are called to gather.
• We are called to worship in one accord.
And Hezekiah is committed to it.
That is what he wrote after the LORD healed him and he recovered.
So we stop there for a second and we just take inventory.
WE CLEARLY SAW HEZEKIAH’S PRIDE.
• He was pretty proud of all that he had accomplished and even thought it warranted him healing.
• He was bitter that God would cheat him out of this life early and he even directed that frustration at God.
BUT THEN GOD HEALED HIM AND HEZEKIAH DID RESPOND WELL.
• God healed him and Hezekiah determined to devote his second chance at life to faith and gratitude and evangelism and worship.
So here is our question:
DID HEZEKIAH LEARN HIS LESSON?
IS THE PRIDE NOW GONE?
• He got what he wanted from God.
• He said all the right things.
He talks about worship and evangelism and gratitude.
The only problem is, he was doing those things before he got sick.
• God’s problem with Hezekiah was NEVER his lack of spiritual devotion.
• God’s problem with Hezekiah was NOT idolatry or lack of faith or ingratitude or timidity or refusal to worship.
The problem with Hezekiah is that he had pride in all those things,
Not that he didn’t do them.
SO IS HIS PRIDE GONE?
Has he found humility?
THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
We are seeking to measure our lives to see if pride exists.
God sent him a trial to humble him…DID IT?
Well, let’s find out.
#2 A TEST TO EXPOSE
Isaiah 39:1-8
Let’s break this point down a little further as well.
1) A CRAFTY TOURIST (1)
(1) “At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.”
If you wonder why we call this a test, it is because of:
2 Chronicles 32:31 “Even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.”
THIS WAS A TEST.
• God had thrown Hezekiah into sickness.
• Hezekiah had asked for healing.
• God had granted it.
• Hezekiah professed a great commitment to God upon being healed.
LET’S SEE HOW GENUINE IT WAS.
And what a test he will face.
This time Hezekiah is not tested with a trial,
This time he is tested with flattery.
Merodach-baladan sends letters and a present to Hezekiah.
• He had heard about his sickness.
• He had heard about his miraculous healing.
• He had heard about the sign God performed to prove it.
Hezekiah has just experienced a great working of God on his behalf.
And now the reporters have come knocking.
THEY COME TO REALLY PUFF UP HEZEKIAH.
“Oh what a great king you must be for look at all that God has done for you.”
“God really just answers your every request.”
“The country looks great.”
“Your health is great.”
“You must be quite the guy!”
Can I remind you again that you must be on guard against flattery?
We know what gossip is.
Gossip is when people say something behind your back that they wouldn’t say to your face.
Someone gossiping about you is painful, but it is not all that dangerous.
Flattery is when someone says something to your face that they wouldn’t say behind your back.
Flattery feels good, but it is so dangerous.
Can I remind you what Solomon said about it?
Ecclesiastes 7:5-6 “It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorn bushes under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool; And this too is futility.”
Solomon said you’re far better off to get a rebuke than a tribute song.
For I can promise you that tribute song won’t last long.
But here Satan has shown up yet again.
It is true than in a short time Satan will come as a beast with Sennacherib.
But first he has come as a harlot with Merodach-baladan.
Danger, Danger, Danger, Danger
2) A CONCEITED TOUR (2)
(2) “Hezekiah was pleased, and showed them all his treasure house, the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.”
What revealing words:
“Hezekiah was pleased”
It sure felt good to finally get some notoriety.
Remember how Hezekiah had built all those store houses to hold all the surplus of the offerings that the people were bringing?
What a great king he was!
• He had organized the most successful Passover in the history of Israel and was the architect of one of the most successful giving campaigns ever performed.
His city was humming with faithfulness and effectiveness.
Surely God could see this for God had just healed him.
And so he was more than happy to go and show off
All his plans and works and all that he had accomplished.
“There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.”
NOW BEFORE WE GO TOO FAR IN THIS.
IN FAIRNESS: Isn’t this sort of the same thing that happened with Solomon?
1 Kings 10:1-9 “Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king which he did not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba perceived all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king, “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. “Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. “How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. “Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”
The same thing seemed to happen with Solomon.
• Surely Hezekiah is just in good company.
• Surely God is just treating him the same way.
But then we get to the third point.
3) A CAPTURED TREASURE (3-7)
So Isaiah comes to Hezekiah and asks
“Who was that and what did you show them?”
Hezekiah says, “I showed them everything!”
“They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.”
And to this Isaiah pronounces judgment.
(6-7) “‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the LORD. ‘And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
Now first of all, lets deal with the elephant in the room.
WHY WAS HEZEKIAH IN TROUBLE FOR THIS?
We just said that Solomon did the same thing.
The Chronicler answers this for us:
2 Chronicles 32:24-25 “In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill; and he prayed to the LORD, and the LORD spoke to him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud; therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.”
And there it is…
“But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud; therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.”
That also answers our question: WAS HIS PRIDE GONE?
And the answer? NO
• Hezekiah’s heart remained proud.
• He saw the mercy of God as something he deserved.
Even though God had healed him…
Even though he could spout good theology…
Even though he knew the duty of the spiritual man…
HIS HEART WAS STILL PROUD.
That same pride that caused the illness in the first place
Was clearly still alive and well.
He viewed himself to be an exceptional king who deserved the mercy of God.
And if you think you deserve mercy
Then you obviously don’t understand mercy.
So here is what we have seen in Hezekiah’s life.
• WHEN HE FACED TRIALS he thought them to be unjust as something he
didn’t deserve.
• WHEN HE FACED HONOR AND FLATTERY he thought it to be something
just that he did deserve.
THAT IS PRIDE.
• IN HIS TRIALS he grew bitter and took his anger to God.
• IN HIS GLORY he grew silent and reserved all the glory for himself.
THAT IS PRIDE.
What is it that causes us to assume that we do not deserve trials?
• Have we forgotten what we are?
• Have we forgotten our sinful state?
What is it that causes us to think that we do deserve glory?
• Have we forgotten our rebellion?
• Are we blind to our continued sinfulness?
PRIDE
As I told you this morning, it can hit even the most reverent heart.
TURN TO: JOB 23
We know that Job was a righteous man, fearing God and turning away from evil,
Just as we know that Hezekiah was a king filled with faith.
While Satan knows he cannot tempt them
With liquor or women or other immoral vices,
Often times such men are prime candidates for pride.
LISTEN TO JOB HERE.
• Did you catch any of that bitterness there?
• Did you catch any of that pride there?
• (3) “Oh that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat!”
• Later he says that God’s presence would surely terrify him, but (17) “I am not
silenced by the darkness”
I know it would be scary, but bring it on.
Of course one should turn to Job 38 and see God answer his pride.
It led Job to deep humility and repentance.
But do you see how even our religious piety can be used as a point of temptation?
“Let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall”
Suffering is a quick way to reveal if pride is in your life.
BUT SO IS GLORY AND HONOR AND FLATTERY.
How you respond to victory
Is just as important as how you respond to defeat.
Do we remember these illustrations?
Daniel 4:30-33 “The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ “While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’ “Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.”
Acts 12:21-23 “On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.”
Numbers 20:8-13 “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.” So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.”
IT WAS THE SAME PROBLEM OF HEZEKIAH.
Pride was revealed in his bitterness in adversity
Pride was revealed in his failure to glorify God in his exaltation.
And that pride is further solidified in what we see next.
4) A CURIOUS THOUGHT (8)
“Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”
Some people read that and say, he’s just saying, “May God’s will be done”.
I DON’T THINK THAT’S IT.
And I don’t think it’s that hard to understand.
He was just told that all his treasure and even his grandsons would be carried off into exile but it did not bother him.
WHY?
“For he thought, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”
“They may suffer, but at least I’ll get the peace and truth I deserve.”
What else can we call that but arrogance or pride?
What else can we call that but self-love?
AND AGAIN WE SEE THE DANGERS OF PRIDE.
• Even among those who seek and strive to live godly lives.
• Even among the “best of the best” pride is still a temptation.
Now FIRST, we know that Hezekiah’s assessment is false.
• In a very short time he is about to fight the battle of his life when Rabshekah shows up outside the gate.
And we know that there God will humble Hezekiah.
• We know that there Hezekiah will repent and trust God correctly.
• We know that there Hezekiah will end well.
But here he demonstrates terrible pride
And it brings about a promise from God
That his pride will lead to the downfall of Judah.
AND LET’S EXAMINE THIS FOR A MOMENT.
SO YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT
• In spite of all the good that Hezekiah did,
• This one act of pride caused God to be so angry
• That He determined to send all of Judah into Babylon because of it?
THAT SEEMS HARSH.
Can I tell you how it happened?
Do you know who the next king of Judah will be?
• He will be the most wicked King to ever sit on the throne.
• His name is Manasseh.
TURN TO: 2 KINGS 21:1-16
• He will be an idol worshiper.
• He will pass his sons through the fire.
• He will rebuild the high places.
And you really wonder, how could that happen?
How in the world could a son of Hezekiah turn out so bad?
2 Chronicles 33:10-13 “The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. Therefore the LORD brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon. When he was in distress, he entreated the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.”
What was the root sin of Manasseh?
PRIDE
I TOLD YOU THIS MORNING that pride is dangerous because God is opposed to it.
I ALSO TOLD YOU that pride is dangerous because it can go so easily undetected as we cover it with religious zeal.
But let me tell you a third danger of pride:
IT IS HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS
And the tragedy is that
The only thing that Manasseh seemed to inherit from his father
Was the pride he exhibited in his sin.
MANASSEH’S PRIDE
Would lead the nation of Judah past a point of no return.
IN FACT,
• Manasseh would die and eventually his grandson Josiah would take the throne.
• Josiah was another great king.
• He would lead the Josianic revival in Jerusalem and do all that he could to turn the nation back to God.
But let me show you what God said in response to Josiah’s revival:
2 Kings 23:25-26 “Before him there was no king like him who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him. However, the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him.”
Manasseh committed sins
From which God would not forgive Judah.
And the strange reality is that
The pride of Manasseh was first seen in his father.
It is a dangerous thing to walk in pride.
• And even though Hezekiah would repent, and save the city from Assyria,
• And earn a great commendation in the book of the Kings for his great faith,
• Hezekiah’s pride would eventually be the downfall of the nation.
I don’t know any way to express
The dangers of pride more than this story.
IT WILL WRECK YOU.
And this is the story that Isaiah uses
To catapult us into the second half of his book.
The rest of this book, while it will address the Babylonian invasion,
Is, more than anything, and appeal
For Israel to humble themselves and trust in God.
Pride is a dangerous thing.
May we all ask God to forgive us for our pride.
May we all ask God to cleanse us of our pride.
May we all ask God to graciously stop our pride from affecting those around us.
