2 Kings 20:12 says, At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. The son of the king of Babylon sent presents to Hezekiah when he heard that he had been sick. Matthew Henry says that until this time, Babylon had been subject to Assyria, but this king of Babylon was setting himself up to be in power over Assyria. I look at all the power changes in the world today and am reminded that only God is the permanent power in the world. All other governments will ultimately fail. Verse thirteen adds, And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all 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. Hezekiah listened to the emissaries of Babylon, possibly because they had brought him a present, and showed them everything about Jerusalem. Again, we are not told that he consulted God about this. I believe he did this somewhat out of pride, and we as Christians should never allow our pride to cause us to do anything that would empower our enemies. Verse fourteen continues, 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, even from Babylon. Isaiah then came to Hezekiah and asked him who these men were, and Hezekiah said they had come from a far country, Babylon. Maybe Hezekiah never considered them to be a possible threat since they had come from so far away. Sometimes, a certain sin may seem so far removed from us that we don't consider it a threat, and then we allow it past our guard and are caught in its power. Isaiah, as a prophet of God, was looking beyond the surface to question the Babylonians, just as we should today if people come to us with flattery and gifts. Verse fifteen states, And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. Isaiah asked Hezekiah what these men had seen, and he answered that they had seen everything. Matthew Henry asks why Hezekiah had not brought them to Isaiah, the best treasure he had. If we as Christians are showing people what is valuable in our life, first and foremost we should show them our relationship with Jesus Christ, because He is our greatest treasure and the source of all our power. Verse sixteen adds, And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord. Isaiah then told Hezekiah to hear the word of the Lord, which should have been his first step. When we encounter any situation today, even one that seems harmless, we as followers of Christ should look to the Holy Spirit for guidance. Verse seventeen continues, Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. Isaiah then told Hezekiah that God said the day was coming when everything he owned that had been laid up by his fathers would be carried away into Babylon. Nothing would be left. What Hezekiah had seen as a good thing and not a threat would be what led to the downfall of Jerusalem. We should never begin to put too much faith in the good intentions of the world, because if they lead us away from God, they will ultimately lead to our downfall. I will state again as I have many times before, I believe that once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord that we will never lose our salvation, but we can certainly lose the joy of our salvation and our effectiveness as Christians. Verse eighteen says, 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 said that all of Hezekiah's sons would be taken away to serve as eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Instead of being rulers in Jerusalem they would be powerless servants in Babylon and would effectively end the lineage of Hezekiah. If we do not put our faith in God, our children are more likely to be taken captive by sin and never become a part of God's family. Verse nineteen adds, Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days? Hezekiah then replied that what Isaiah had said was good. It is always going to be good to hear God's word of truth, even if it is something we don't want to hear. There is never any advantage to hiding from God's truth. Hezekiah added that it was good because it wouldn't happen in his lifetime. We can never think of God's judgment of sinners as a good thing simply because it may not affect us personally, and we certainly cannot think of it as good if it affects our children and grandchildren. Verse twenty continues, And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Though we are told the rest of the acts of Hezekiah were written in the chronicles of the kings, we are told of one thing he did, and that was to build a pool and conduit to bring water into the city. As Christians, we have the Living Water to satisfy our thirst, and we should share this with the rest of the world. Verse twenty-one concludes, And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead. Hezekiah died, and his son Manasseh ruled in his place. One day, if Jesus Christ doesn't return first, we will all die and as Christians we need to pray that there will be someone to take our place in doing God's work. God's promise about Hezekiah's sons did not occur immediately, but that did not mean it was any less the truth. The return of Jesus Christ may not happen in our lifetime, but that doesn't make His return any less the truth.
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