Isaiah 39: 1 – 8
It’s Your Party and I’ll Cry Out If I Want To
At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, from Babylon.” 4 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.” 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD. 7 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”
I find it amazing that Hezekiah is recorded in biblical history as a good king. However, the more I read about him the less I like him. There was a pure godly young lady that I was in love with who ignored my attention and went after a young smoother who got her hook on Heroin and turned her into a harlot. To see her now makes me sick. I know in my mind that my Great Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High – spared me the pain of having to deal with her by keeping her away from me, but in my heart I still mourn.
This former beautiful lady had allowed her warped thinking take over her life without wanting Adoni Yahweh guidance. As a result, I see one wasted life. I see in a way the same attitude in Hezekiah. Here - El Shaddai – God Almighty - had saw and heard the cry of Hezekiah when he was sick unto death. As a result of His Mercy He granted Hezekiah an additional 15 years.
Like our rotten politicians who only live for their present benefits and ignore that harm that they are doing to future generations, we will see the same irresponsible concern with Hezekiah.
At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.
This chapter starts out with the statement ‘At that time.’ That is at the time of his having received the sign from God and having gone up to the house of Yahweh to acknowledge and give thanks for His power. What better time for ambassadors from Babylon to arrive? Surely he would now tell them to be on their way because God was able to deliver Jerusalem and Judah from the Assyrian yoke. God had primed him up and had given him two remarkable signs, his extension of life and God’s revelation of His power over the sun. How then could he do otherwise? But as this chapter demonstrates, he did do otherwise.
In human terms it is understandable. While Hezekiah was highly esteemed among the local peoples, he could not be compared to a king of Babylon. And he must have been highly flattered that that great king should seek him out and ask after his welfare and desire an alliance with him. We are given to understand that he was right to welcome them, but that that should have been all. Indeed we are given the picture of Isaiah waiting apprehensively, wondering what choice he would make.
2 And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
Hezekiah chose disastrously. He displayed all his treasures to the ambassadors, a clear indication that he was offering his strength to back up the rebellion. It was fatal. Not only did it mean that he was putting his trust in alliances with godless nations, and especially godless Babylon, rather than in Yahweh, but it also showed Babylon what treasures he had. And the wise old Isaiah knew instinctively that to a great and arrogant city like Babylon this could only be like a light to a moth, drawing it onwards until the glittering treasures were its own.
There can be little doubt that Merodach-baladan, who was at that time in rebellion against Assyria was using Hezekiah’s recovery as a means of intrigue. The visit was to be seen outwardly as for an innocent reason, but it had a far deeper significance. Merodach-baladan was seeking and offering support in a rebellion against Assyria. The choice then lay with Hezekiah. He could politely receive them and send them on their way, because his trust was in Yahweh. Or he could enter into negotiations and show what he could offer.
Flattered and desirous of their admiration, and very willing to enter into an alliance, Hezekiah forgot the significance of his deliverance from death and the great sign that had accompanied it. His act was a renunciation of Adoni Yahweh that was total and complete, and the sad thing is that Hezekiah seemed totally unaware of the fact. The impression given is that he did not realize what he had done.
Here is a great point that we all need to imprint on our hearts and minds. That is, if we do not keep in close touch with God when making our decisions, but allow ourselves to be carried forward by the emotion of the moment, we also, like Hezekiah, may very well go ahead with something, unaware that it is contrary to God’s will, and thus prove to be a hindrance to God’s work instead of carrying it forward.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, from Babylon.”
Another fact that we need to remember is that El Roi – The Strong One Who Sees All – knew exactly what was going on. He sent his prophet to let the king know of his sin.
4 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
We can sense the great pride that Hezekiah felt at the visit. These men had come a long way from a great king of a mighty city and country, who had proved his power in the past by at times achieving independence from the Assyrians, and they had come to see him.
Hezekiah replied promptly and openly. He had shown them everything. He was fully committed to an alliance. He had committed all that he had. It is as though he did not know what he had done.
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD. 7 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
Isaiah knew instinctively what the only consequence of this could be. If you show off your treasures to a great and proud king of a powerful nation one day he will come and collect them from you. What other end could there possibly be for a small kingdom like Judah when it got mixed up with such giants? Especially when it showed them how rich it was. And on top of this Hezekiah had earned his own Protector’s anger by putting his trust in Babylon. What hope then could there be for him?
So Hezekiah had aligned himself with Babylon of hosts? What about his commitment to Yahweh of hosts? Did Hezekiah not realize that he had betrayed Him, and thus His protective hand would be on him no longer? Yahweh of hosts Himself would now allow him to be robbed of all that he possessed. Nothing would be left. His protective shield was gone. As a result his descendants, the seed of the Davidic house, would become slaves in the palace of the king of Babylon. He had forfeited all that God had intended for him. He was now Babylon’s plaything, and there was nothing worse than that.
8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”
Look at this answer. In effect, he said, ‘Hey, I don’t care about my grandkids or the people I have ruled. As long as I do not have any problems during my lifetime, I can live with God’s decision.’ Wow!
That Hezekiah lacked Messianic ambition comes out clearly here. He was not concerned with the distant future. He had no vision of the future that God had promised through Isaiah. He was simply satisfied that it meant that in his own day peace and truth would prevail. He was quite prepared for the future house of David to be in slavery as long as he could have freedom now. How totally different he was from the coming Servant. No wonder the coming King would have to be miraculously born. David’s sons were to become eunuchs because of his folly! The words confirmed the promise that God had made of deliverance from Assyria and beyond that Hezekiah was not concerned. But it was the death knell of any hopes of a Deliverer from his house. Israel would have to look elsewhere.
In their division of the book some commentators often treat chapter 40 that follows as a new book. But in the Hebrew text 40.1 simply continues on from 39.8. Furthermore, while there is certainly a massive change of subject, what follows is actually Isaiah’s response to this situation. 39.8 is a comment indicating that Hezekiah is satisfied with the status quo, and an indicator that he is not fitted to fulfill the role of Israel’s Savior. Chapter 40 onwards indicates that Yahweh is not satisfied with such a situation because of Who He is (chapter 40), and will Himself find a Savior (chapters 41-55), Who will save through suffering.
