“Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.”– 2 Kings 20:19
One of the most significant challenges to all of us is what we might call the “my lifetime” tendency, a tendency we see exemplified in a particular Old Testament Israelite king. Perhaps you remember the story. Hezekiah is the king of Judah. Sennacherib, the king of Assyrian, comes to attack. Hezekiah, with Isaiah’s help, prays and prevails. Hezekiah gets sick and is instructed by Isaiah to get his house in order. Hezekiah cries out to God and is granted fifteen more years. Upon hearing this, the king of Babylon sends envoys to congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery. Hezekiah, in his dim-witted pride, shows off the national treasures. The envoys return to Babylon. Isaiah asks for a report of their visit. Hezekiah tells Isaiah what he did. In response, Isaiah predicts the coming Babylonian captivity. Then this.
Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” He thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”
What makes this account even more compelling and sobering as a warning to us is that Hezekiah was highly influential in reforming the spiritual life of Judah: cleansing the temple, restoring temple worship, reinstating Passover, and reorganizing the priesthood. He made an impressive contribution along essential lines.
But then there is this episode late in his life, which displays his pride and short-sightedness. Despite all his zeal, there was, apparently, an absence of zeal for what happened after he passed off the scene.
Let us not fall into this trap and care only for the moment. We must start making plans and put them in place so that our lives touch generations after us. If not, we will become like Hezekiah and only concern ourselves with today.
Journeying Together,
John
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