Tripped up by pride! -- 2 Kings 20:1-19

Tripped up by pride! -- 2 Kings 20:1-19
By Pastor Lee Hemen
November 18. 2018

A religious leader was talking to a group of people who were about to enter a new phase in their lives. They had been poor and restricted in opportunities and were headed for lives of unparalleled prosperity. These people also had made recent commitments to the Lord. The leader warned they would face new temptations of pride when they became successful and began to accumulate material things. They would congratulate themselves on their abilities and forget the Lord. The speaker Moses proved to be correct. Most of the Hebrew people in their pride forgot God.

These verses show how King Hezekiah responded to God’s miracle of healing in his life. Instead of remaining humble and grateful to God, he became filled with pride and focused on his possessions and his prestige. What occurred with Hezekiah can happen to any of us when we forget that what we enjoy in life is graciously given to us by the Lord God. Let’s discover what happened and how to remain humble before the Lord instead of being tripped up by pride…

READ: 2 Kings 20:1-19

Isn’t it interesting that when folks who never give a hoot or a holler to their relationship with God in life all of a sudden desperately want a beneficial answer from him when life goes bad? Perhaps our pride gets in the way? We see this with…

I. Hezekiah’s prayer! (2 Kings 20:1-3)

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

  1. Sennacherib had been stabbed to death by his own sons while he was worshipping. Israel was safe for the time being. The writer of 2 Kings tells us that “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death.” We later learn it was a disease that caused skin boils. (Eww…) What would Hezekiah do? Who could he turn to during this desperate time of need? Most illnesses during these times resulted in a person’s death; medical science not being what it is today. I often laugh at how some folks put so much trust in old time or natural cures when in fact most do not do anything at all. We discover however that “The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him”. I am sure that when Isaiah first showed up in the king’s court he was seen gladly. Perhaps he had a message from God that would cure Hezekiah? And yet any serious rejoicing was soon dowsed when Isaiah said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Wow, Isaiah does not have very good bedside manner, does he! Just what a sick person wants to hear from someone whom you hoped would bring you an answer. It is kind of pathetic and sad because this great king does what most folks would probably do in this situation: “Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD”! Who else could he rely on if Israel’s prophet brought him such horrible news? Hezekiah does what he should have done all along, he prays, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” He reminds the Lord that he tried his best to walk with him even if he did stretch the truth of his relationship just a bit. But isn’t this how most of us view ourselves? And then the realization of what is going to happen and the words of the Prophet Isaiah sink into his prayer and “Hezekiah wept bitterly.” It is never the least thing we can do; it is the most important thing to do. We should never be so prideful that we cannot pray!

  EXAMPLE: Why do you pray? Do you see prayer as a means to perhaps change God’s mind on an outcome in life you disagree with? Do you pray in order to discover more about the Lord and develop your relationship with him? Or do you pray because it is expected of you and you have a list to check off each day? Prayer is to be our constant conversation with the Lord when we seek his face and discuss with him his will and his ways. We should never be so prideful that we wait to pray only when we have a desperate need. Pride should never get in the way of our prayers.

We forget that God does indeed answer the prayers of his people. He can say “yes”, “no”, “wait”, or say nothing at all. He often does not give us an answer when we already know it. Hezekiah’s prayer results in an unexpected answer. When one is willing to humble their selves and seek God’s face God will answer them. We find the answer from the Lord in…

II. Hezekiah’s healing! (2 Kings 20:4-11)

Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’” Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered. Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?” Isaiah answered, “This is the LORD’s sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?” “It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.” Then the prophet Isaiah called upon the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

  1. God answers Hezekiah’s prayer almost immediately. We discover that “Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: ‘Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, “This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.’” Notice God qualifies his answer to this king: “tell the leader of my people”. This was the God of his “father David” answering his prayer and not some false god or idol. “I will heal you.” No sweeter words were ever spoken to this mighty king. When God answers he gives us specifics. He never makes us guess. God is not some game show host making us try to discover what he wants. God bluntly tells Hezekiah through Isaiah, “On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.” God wasn't just healing Hezekiah because he liked him; he was healing him and rescuing his people “for my sake and for the sake of my servant David”! God had made a promise to David that out of his linage the Messiah would come, and God was going to fulfill that promise in spite of Hezekiah. Isaiah commands that a “poultice of figs” be prepared and applied to Hezekiah’s boils and he recovers. Hezekiah’s curiosity gets the better of him and he asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?” There is no better place to be than in the center of the will of God. Hezekiah’s pride was getting in the way again, but God is patient. Isaiah answered him, “This is the LORD’s sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?” Not seeing how God is working fully Hezekiah remarks, “It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps, rather, have it go back ten steps.”   The Lord had heard Hezekiah’s prayer and had seen his tears. God saw the king’s outward appearance and also his heart and knew the words expressed his heart’s deep desires. God said, “I am healing you.” Yet Hezekiah wants proof. When God answers our prayers our pride should not get in the way of our healing!

  EXAMPLE: There are those who think they can make a deal with God. Hezekiah was truly humbled by his ailment. We forget that everything is for the glory of God. Our life, all of creation and everything that happens is part of the work and will of the Lord. We have a tough time when it involves violence, an act that we cannot fathom, or an act of nature that destroys everything we own. We wonder how a good God can allow bad things happen to good people. We forget that God “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45 NIV)” Our pride should not get in the way like it did with Hezekiah’s healing!

How do you respond when God answers your prayers but it isn’t the way you wanted? Hezekiah received a deathbed healing from God! The king should have remembered this healing and past blessings and deliverances from God with humility and gratitude so as to avoid becoming puffed up with pride. Past blessings are God’s accomplishments, not a person’s achievements. We see it in…

III. Hezekiah’s pride! (2 Kings 20:12-19)

At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness. Hezekiah received the messengers and showed them all that was in his storehouses--the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine oil--his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?” “From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came from Babylon.” The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?” “They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” “The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

  1. Often when we become ill folks will respond. Especially if the one who is sick is a leader of a nation like a king or President! Interestingly we learn that “At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness.” Remember Assyria had been a threat and now we discover visitors from Babylon bringing “letters and a gift” to a sick king of a tiny but strategic nation. Is Hezekiah cautious? Nope. “Hezekiah received the messengers and showed them all that was in his storehouses--the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine oil--his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.” Is his guy dense or so full of himself that he simply cannot help it? God’s Prophet is not so stupid and he goes to Hezekiah and asks, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?” Hezekiah responds, “They came from Babylon!” The king of Babylon heard of Hezekiah’s illness and sent letters and a gift. The Babylonian king also wanted to learn more about the miraculous sign of the shadow moving backward (2 Chron. 32:31). In addition he probably was trying to enlist Hezekiah’s help in resisting Assyria or how well defended Israel was. They now knew how rich this little nation was; a prize for the picking. The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?” “They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.” Hezekiah was focused not on how God had blessed him but on what he thought he had accomplished; including his healing. Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood that will be born to you will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” We learn that “Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD's wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 32:25 NIV) Hezekiah referred to his blessings as “my treasures”. Hezekiah’s heart was prone to sinful pride. God had made Hezekiah successful in everything he did because of his devotion to the Lord. Yet Hezekiah failed to attribute all of this to the Lord. Thus the Lord’s wrath was on him because of his sinful pride.

  EXAMPLE: Did Hezekiah weep again? Did he seek God’s face? Nope. He pragmatically responds, “The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” for he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?” Hezekiah’s response can be understood in three possible ways. Perhaps he was being smug and self-serving. Or, he was praying the disaster would be delayed as long as possible. Or, he accepted the inevitability of judgment but was grateful it would not come until after his death. The last response seems to fit the king’s character. Though Hezekiah’s motives may not have been totally pure, he did humbly accept the Lord’s correction of his pride. Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the LORD's wrath did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 32:26 NIV)”

Conclusion:

Instead of remaining humble and grateful to God, Hezekiah became filled with pride and focused on his possessions and his prestige. What occurred with Hezekiah can happen to any of us when we forget that what we enjoy in life is graciously given to us by the Lord God. We learned this in Hezekiah’s healing, Hezekiah’s prayer, and Hezekiah’s pride.
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This article is copyrighted © 2018 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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