TITLE: LET’S MAKE A DEAL
SCRIPTURE: II KINGS 20:1-6
One of the most popular television game shows of the 1960’s and 70’s was called LET’S MAKE A DEAL. In that particular game show, contestants would BUY – SELL – TRADE - anything and everything from pair of socks to high ticket items. Lawyers, doctors, plumbers, and even Beverly Hills housewives dressed in sometimes ridiculous and oftentimes humorous outfits hoping to trade a hard boiled egg for a brand new Vehicle. Near the end of the show, the original host by the name of MONTY HALL asked those who had already played if they wanted to keep what they had, or trade it for a chance at the Big Deal of the Day. The first two Traders who decided to risk their cash and/or merchandise for a chance at a grand prize got to choose between Door #1, Door #2, or Door #3. There were great prizes, but sometimes you would not always trade up by choosing what was behind a door. It was one of my favorite game shows back in the day, because you never knew what was going to happen.
In our text this morning we find one of the most unusual and inspiring events recorded in the Bible. It almost paralles the game show Let’s Make A Deal. In an effort not to overlook the IMPORTANCE and SIGNIFICANCE of that particular day and age. The CENTRALITY and IMPORTANCE of this chapter must not be overlooked. It was God’s final attempt to win over the reigning house of David to a life of obedience and trust. From this chapter onwards, along with its consequence in chapter 39, attention turns to the coming Servant of Yahweh Who will accomplish what the current house of David has proved itself incapable of doing.
In those days, the main character in this text, Hezekiah was found to be sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and, “THUS SAYS THE LORD: SET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER, FOR YOU SHALL DIE AND NOT LIVE.” This was not the local Physician speaking or the Primary Care Physician, these were not the Words of the family Doctor. The Bible calls to our attention that God Said.
• Sometimes when I sit around and think, I am amazed at how frail we all are
• There are a lot of things that can do you in
• Accidents, diseases, violence, war, so many things that can end your life
I am not sure how many of you have been following the Medical Case of Aimee Copeland the 24 year old young lady that was a Graduate Student of Psychology working on her Thesis at University of West Georgia and ready to take her place in society. She seemed to be preparing herself well for that transition. While out with friends relaxing and enjoying a weekend she and others were enjoying themselves while ZIP LINING over the TALLOPOSA RIVER where she gashed her leg and regular BACTERIA from the water set deeply in that wound which developed into a severe case of a Life-Threatening Infection - FLESH EATING DISEASE.
• After three months of hospitalization, she has somewhat recovered
• She travelled home late last week
• Lost most of her limbs
• But her life was spared
Even if you think that you can hide yourself in some shelter, or enjoying a leisurely day of relaxation – A LITTLE BUG OR MICROBE can take you out. There are some, I am sure this morning in this auditorium that have not enjoyed sitting in their own backyard during these hot summer months because you are afraid that a MOSQUITO will bite you and will contract WEST NILE DISEASE. And it is a real concern as Oklahoma and Texas have been hit hard. Yes, my brothers and sisters LIFE IS FRAGILE.
We read here in this chapter that Hezekiah now understands just how fragile life can be as he is declared to be VERY ILL- indeed dying. He has a mortal illness. He was ‘SICK UNTO DEATH.’ And the prophet comes to him with confirmation from Yahweh. ‘Thus says Yahweh --- you will die.’ When I visit the Sick and Shut-In or make Hospital visits, I fully expect God to move and deliver. So here was Hezekiah when the MAN OF GOD walks in. I imagine that Hezekiah began to feel somewhat better knowing that ISAIAH was there to pray for his recovery.
• He enters and tells Hezekiah, man you are going to die
• Get your affairs in order
• It’s one thing when Pastor walks in your sick room with the Deacon
• It’s never good when the Preacher walks in the room with the Undertaker
• Preacher tells Hezekiah to prepare for death
He must prepare for death and do all that is necessary for a king to do to ensure the affairs of state are passed to his successor smoothly. God is concerned with the future of his people. Sometimes we develop the wrong impression that God is only interested in our Praise and Worship. He is interested and concerned with our everyday life.
• Gods desire is for all things to be done decently and in order
• God is concerned about who will continue to lead our nation after the November elections
• Yet, God allows us free will to hear His voice and respond or ignore
• God is concerned about our daily lives and He is concerned about our welfare
Going back to our text, it is important that we know that HEZEKIAH was only 39 years of age when this sickness grabbed a hold of him and then Isaiah gave him the bad news about his illness. In other words he was facing PREMATURE DEATH.
• One of the most difficult things to deal with is the premature death of a loved one
• It is difficult when death knocks on the door of those that have their whole life ahead of them
• We don’t understand why, we just have to Trust God that He is too Wise to ever make a mistake
But what makes this significant is that Hezekiah's faithfulness to the Lord as a king of Judah was without precedent. So what's the first thing we deduce from this narrative of Hezekiah?
• Clearly premature death is no respecter of persons
• Premature death has nothing to do with how faithful we are as Christians
• It has nothing to do with how good we are for society
• The Lord's ways are totally beyond our own
• It is a mistake to try to interpret them within the framework of our own limited understanding
So let's be absolutely clear about the prognosis here: Hezekiah is facing certain death. It is one thing to be told by a fallible doctor that you are going to die but to be told by the Lord himself who never gets it wrong you really must get your house in order, which is what the Lord told Hezekiah to do. But wait, Hezekiah is a godly king who is used to taking his problems to the Lord in prayer, and this problem, as hopeless as it may seem, is no exception. So we read that Hezekiah turns to the wall
(probably of his bed chamber) and pleads with the Lord for more time.
This event with its subsequent narrative is quite remarkable. It demonstrates that even the word of Yahweh can be reversed by repentance. For here is a PROPHETIC WORD which will be so altered. What seems to be a situation which cannot be changed is passed over through prayer. In spite of what we have been told by religious folks, OUR FAITHFULNESS CAN CHANGE THE MIND OF GOD. The Bible makes it very clear.
• You remember JONAH don’t you?
• Told to go to NINEVAH and tell them that God has judged them and will destroy them
• They ultimately take heed to the Word of God and Repent
• God then spares Ninevah
• You remember ABRAHAM don’t you?
• God told Abraham that Sodom and Gomorah would be destroyed
• Abraham said God would you destroy the righteous with the wicked?
• If there are 50 righteous found - God said if He found 50 he would spare it
• Abraham said, well that was too easy, maybe God knows something I don’t
• If there are 45 righteous found - 40 righteous – 30 righteous – 20 righteous
• Abraham said Lord don’t be angry with me but let me play Let’s Make A Deal one more time
• If you only find 10 Righteous – God said for 10 he would spare the city
• Abraham did not know like we do today
• ISAIAH 64:6 “BUT WE ARE ALL AS AN UNCLEAN THING, AND ALL OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS ARE AS FILTHY RAGS….”
Outwardly Hezekiah’s concern would appear to be for the situation he found himself in personally. Even though we all desire heaven our earthly control has us resisting the very thought of dying. Let’s be honest this morning – We teach and preach about Heaven, but we are not in a hurry to get there.
• We pack our suitcase and prepare for vacations
• We pack our suitcase and prepare for business trips
• We pack our suitcase and prepare to travel to visit loved ones and friends
• We have not packed our spiritual suitcase preparing to make heaven our home
• We don’t want to give God any hints
Hezekiah was one of the Good Kings. He trusted God and he was a praying King. He was doing a great job of turning Judah around and allowing God to order his steps. HEZEKIAH WAS NOT READY TO LEAVE THIS EARTH. He knew that his behavior in the religious and political field had angered the king of Assyria. He had purified the temple, removing the Assyrian gods; he had refused to pay tribute; he had had discussions with his neighboring countries. He could hardly doubt that this had been noted and that the detail was known to Sennacherib’s spies. Thus he could have had little doubt that he would at some stage be called to account. This must surely have been part of the reason for his distress, that HE WAS DYING WHEN HIS COUNTRY NEEDED HIM THE MOST.
Is Hezekiah acting UN-SPIRITUALLY here? Come on, ultimately God is in control of Nations. God can take care of our families in our absence. GOD DOES NOT NEED US, WE ARE THE ONES THAT NEED GOD! Shouldn't HEZEKIAH have said, along with JOB, "THE LORD HAS GIVEN AND THE LORD HAS TAKEN AWAY. BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD"? We must take into account that Hezekiah is a saint of the Old Testament stamp without a clear understanding of the resurrection and a New Testament understanding of the gospel.
• And there is nothing wrong with wanting to live on
• How many of us, if given a choice of dying now or later would choose now all things being equal?
• It is not unspiritual to love life and to desire longevity
• ST. JOHN 10:10 “…I AM COME THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE LIFE, AND THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY.”
In Hezekiah's case there was also another very good reason why the KING FELT CHEATED out of the rest of his life.
• To date he had been childless
• He had not been married and share his life with another
• He had no children to carry his name
• No sons to inherit the throne and prayerfully do the right thing
How would the Davidic dynasty from which the Messiah would spring survive without this offspring? Or to put it another way, how would the Messiah come unless the dynasty itself survived. Look with me at ST. MATTHEW 1:10 “AND HEZEKIAH BEGAT MANASSAS…” We read in the LINEAGE of Jesus we find Hezekiah’s son! The ink had not yet dried on the DEATH CERTIFICATE – but his name and his sons are listed in GENEOLOGY of Christ.
So as certain as the PROGNOSIS was it did not deter Hezekiah from turning immediately to the Lord in prayer. He may have been too ill to rise up and go to the Synagogue. So he does the best he can to spend personal time with the Lord. Bible says HE FACED THE WALL AND PRAYED. And because we know that Hezekiah was a man of faith, we also know that his prayer was a PRAYER OF FAITH. So it doesn't surprise us that the Lord heard it and granted Hezekiah his request.
• It would be three years later that Hezekiah would marry
• It would be shortly after that when his son Manassas would be born
• It would be through that lineage that the Christ child would be born
We shouldn’t be too quick to assume that Hezekiah was ‘BARGAINING’ with God on the basis of his good works—as if God were being unjust toward him, and that he really deserved to live. With his face toward the wall, and the news about his impending death fresh in his ears, he made a careful and reflective review of his life; and he was able—in all integrity—to claim a life of loyalty to God. Now it is interesting that ISAIAH gave the grim report and left the King by himself. Isn’t it the Preachers job to provide comfort after receiving such heart breaking news? The prophet did not get too far before GOD STOPPED HIM BEFORE HE WALKED INTO THE MIDDLE COURT.
• Go back to Hezekiah
• God identified him as the Captain of His People
• Tell Hezekiah I heard his cry
• I will add 15 years to his life
God recognizes the FAITHFULNESS and ACHIEVEMENTS of Hezekiah and refers to him as the CAPTAIN OF MY PEOPLE. I can’t help but to wonder how does God view us today? How does he make reference to us in the Throne Room of God?
• Are we nothing more than the Captain in the Armed Forces of the United States of America
• Paul referred to himself as a CHIEF – unfortunately it was a Chief Sinner before God turned him around
• Are we nothing more than an INTELLECT – AUTHOR – POET – ENTREPRENEUR
• How does God view our Participation to the Household of Faith?
• Are we a Captain in the Army of the Lord
• Are we contributing to advance God’s Kingdom while here on earth?
• If we asked God for just a few more years, would He look at us and ask WHY?
• Too tired to go to Bible Study
• Too tired to support Afternoon programs
• Put Tithing at the bottom of the list and maybe you will have enough left over to support the church
• Don’t even say good morning to me when I wake you up everyday
I had wondered why did God select 15 years. That would only make Hezekiah 54 years of age at the time of his death? God does not use words arbitrarily. What was the significance.
• Number 7 = Number of completeness. God created heavens and earth in six days on the seventh day He rested
• Number 40 is used for probation, testing and judgment -- the Great Flood lasted 40 days, and Moses fled to Midian at age 40 and stayed there for 40 years. Moses also was up on Mount Sinai for 40 days to receive the Ten Commandments, the Israelites spent 40 years wandering the desert, and the spies spent 40 days in Canaan after the Exodus. The fasting of both Elijah and Jesus lasted 40 days, and after the Resurrection, Jesus spent another 40 days on earth. The Judges of the Old Testament had 40-year terms, and the Old Testament Kings Saul, David and Solomon reigned for 40 years each
• Number 50 is the number of jubilee
The figure of ‘fifteen years’ (15) is most significant. Five (5) is the NUMBER OF COVENANT, and threefold five is COVENANT COMPLETENESS. Thus it implies that God is acting within the covenant and for covenant reasons. Hezekiah will be LIVING ON BORROWED TIME so that he can further the application of that covenant. Hezekiah would be blessed not for his sake, but for sake of the Covenant – for sake of DAVID’S THRONE. By these promises God is revealed as the giver of life and as the Great Defender of His people, and Hezekiah as the great beneficiary. Surely now he will be dedicated to Yahweh with all his heart and lean wholly on Him.
Hezekiah resolves to walk humbly for the rest of his life; not that he was a proud man to start with,
but the anguish of facing certain death and then the experience of deliverance has changed him
forever. Many people often report a change of perspective after a NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE. They have an enhanced appreciation for the simple things of life. In Hezekiah's case he came to realize even
more that his life depended totally upon God. In fact, without God he was nothing. He came to see
that men live by such things - by the knowledge of their utter dependence on God, which points
to that great truth "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
--Just when things seemed bleak, hopeless---finalality in Hezekiah life
--Things turned completely around in a matter of moments
--Not due to a meeting of intercessors
--Not because the pastor put oil on his forehead
--Not because his mother was prostrate all night on his behalf
--No, it was because Hezekiah boldly went to the Father and PRAYED FOR HIMSELF
--I declare my brothers and sisters, that you will not die but live to proclaim the works and goodness of the Lord
--I declare that God has only good things in store for you and they are coming your way right now
--I declare that God knows us according to the assignment He has placed in your life
--I declare that the rest of our days will be fruitful
--I declare that God will answer every prayer
--I declare that God can count on us to be a light shining in dark places
