TITLE: IF WALLS COULD TALK
SCRIPTURE: II KINGS 20:1-7
There have been many versions of the song – IF WALLS COULD TALK -
• From Rock and Roll versions that have Risque suggestions
• To Christian versions song by Celine Dion
• If Walls Could Talk
• But I am sure glad they can’t!
Some of the various lyrics of these songs with the title ‘If Walls Could Talk” are quite interesting –
• Unless you have done right all of your life,
Unless you are proud of everything that you have ever done
Unless your record is without spot or wrinkle
Then, you ought to be glad that walls don't talk
If walls could talk, what would they say about your secret life?
If door knobs could talk, then who would they say has been in and out of your house?
If cars could talk, what would they say about where you have traveled?
If shoes could talk where would they say that you have been?
Unless you have always walked in the straight and narrow
Unless you have always done what you were supposed to do
Unless you have always been where you were supposed to have been
Then, you ought to be glad that things can't talk
But, if walls could talk, you would be surprised by what they would have to say. If walls could talk:
• People who you thought were virtuous - discover they are vile
• Those who you thought were decent - found them to be decadent
• Many who you thought were credible - have learned they are contemptible
• Friends who you thought were dependable - have learned they can be despicable
• Those who you thought were faithful - have learned they cannot be counted on
We should thank god for walls -- and not just because they hide the secret of our sinful acts from public view.
• Walls also provide relief from a busy day at work
• Walls offer us comfort from a crowded calendar
• When you have worked all day on your job, you can find peace, contentment, and rest behind your walls
• It is so good to come home at the end of your day at work, and after dealing with all the problems
and headaches of the day, get comfortable in your favorite chair, and just relax behind the walls of your home
Many of us over 45 years of age still remember the wall that well known wall that separated Communist East Germany from West Germany that was erected in 1961 and finally came down on November 9, 1989. Thankfully, that wall is gone, but that wall kept many people from freedom. There are some well-known walls in the OT.
• JOSHUA and the people of God trusted God to bring down the walls of Jericho
• NEHEMIAH returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city which had been destroyed
• BELSHAZZAR, the evil king in the 5th chapter of Daniel, was having a wild and wicked party when God revealed His judgment with the hand-writing on the wall
• RAHAB the harlot's house was built upon the wall of the city, and from there God saved the life of His prophet
• EZEKIEL, the watchman of the city, was commanded to stand on the wall and look out for the enemy
There are also some well known walls in the NT.
• In ACTS 9:25 - Paul caused a riot by the preaching of the gospel that caused some to find him and kill him. So, the brethren of the city, in the darkness of the night, helped him escape over the walls of the city in a basket which saved his life
• In EPHESIANS 2:14 - Paul appeals for the unity of all believers by declaring that the Lord Jesus Christ, has torn down the wall of partition that separated Jews from Gentiles
• In REVELATION, John said -- I saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from above.
And around that city was a wall. The wall was made out of jasper. And underneath that wall was 12 foundations that bore the names of the 12 Apostles. And on that wall were 12 gates lined in pearls,
o 3 gates in the East
o 3 gates in the West
o 3 gates in the North
o 3 gates in the South
We find another wall in our text this morning. We find Hezekiah being encountered by one of God’s great prophets, Isaiah. Many people in the Bible are known for different things.
• King David was known for killing the giant Goliath
• Moses was known for leading God’s people out of Egypt
• Joshua was known for the battle at Jericho
• Daniel was known for his faith in the Lion’s Den
• Elijah was known for standing up to the 500 prophets of Baal
What do we know about this Hezekiah found in our text this morning? Who was he and what was he known for that he should occupy so many pages in the OT?
• Hezekiah was the one who revived the church
• Hezekiah means Jehovah's Strength
• He was one of the greatest kings of Judah
• His special distinction was “He trusted in Jehovah, God of Israel”
From his weak and unprincipled father King Ahaz, he inherited not only a disorganized realm, but a grievous burden of Assyrian dominance and tribute. Although his father King Ahaz had an evil reign, his son, King Hezekiah would not follow in his father’s footsteps.
• Hezekiah would open and cleanse the Temple which his father had left closed and desecrated
• Hezekiah appointed a Passover observance, on a scale unknown since Solomon
• He designed a religious reunion of the devout minded in all Israel
• He effected the demolition of the high places, and breaking down of the pillars, and the fall of sacred groves which were symbols of a debasing nature cult
• His reign marked with a steadfast trust in Jehovah alone
• His zeal for pure worship and just domestic administration made him a wise and sagacious prince over the whole realm
All that this great King was doing for the advancement of God. He had great plans to do even greater things for the Lord, but…..he now finds him self sick. Not just sick but gravely ill. Look at the text with me again -- He was “SICK UNTO DEATH…” Yes, he was very sick and he would die without some heavenly help and divine intervention.
• One thing to be Sick
• One thing to just not Feel Well
• Another thing to be Very Sick
• Nervous when we are told “Not Doing Well”
• But when we throw the ADJECTIVE “Gravely” out there, that suggest it’s time to call the family
Perhaps I am alone in often discounting the ticks and tocks of life in the present tense, that which is today, that which we know as now. At times I attempt to make plans for a better, brighter future, whereas in other moments I labor to deconstruct yesterday’s whys and why nots.
• Coping with now is complicated enough
• So maybe, like me, you also tend to focus on what was or what could be and not so much on what is before you at the moment
The most remarkable element of now, by simple definition, I think, is precisely that it’s not yesterday or tomorrow.
• In the world of adverbs, now doesn’t point to way back when or to what may come
• Quiet as it’s kept, now is what exists between our date of birth and our time of death
• Now is equally responsible for anything that at one time was and is the only source from which firewood for hope can be set ablaze
Nevertheless, Christians know that now’s hustle and bustle isn’t all that there is to life. We have been graced with life and life abundantly by Jesus, who is and was and is to come.
• Yet we still walk by faith…now
• We proclaim salvation…now
• We receive on-the-job-training by the Holy Spirit…now
• When society declares God dead, a victim of postmodern crossfire, in faith we humbly point to an empty tomb and let the risen Christ speak for himself…now
• Even so, now is not all that we have
• What was and what is to come are important, but no more important than now
• EPHESIANS 3:20 “NOW UNTO HIM THAT IS ABLE TO DO EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY…”
• JUDE 1:24 “NOW UNTO HIM THAT IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU FROM FALLING…”
In this text we encounter someone keenly aware of this dynamic of Now. Whether caused by an ancient Ebola strain or some other unknown aliment, it would be an understatement to say that Hezekiah is under the weather. Since becoming king at 25, he’s been busy repairing the Jerusalem Temple and restoring proper worship, which no doubt is noble, holy work. But unexpected as it often is, sickness has arrived and overtaken him.
• Sickness never asks for an RSVP
• Sickness does not ask for permission in advance
• Sickness does not require our approval
• Hezekiah is slipping away
• So severely ill that one foot is already in the grave
Can I tell you this morning when you are that terribly sick there are two people you are afraid to see and hope don’t walk into your sick room - The Undertaker with a tape measure and The Preacher with a Bible. But that is precisely what takes place in our text. King Hezekiah felt as though he was not going to recover from this sickness – and the text makes that clear for us. And wouldn’t you know – in walks the preacher!
Through the Prophet Isaiah — God tells him that he indeed is doing to die.
• Do not pass Go
• Do not collect $200
• Game – Set – and Match
• Game over
“SET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER, FOR YOU SHALL DIE; YOU SHALL NOT RECOVER” says the Lord.
• Albeit inevitable for everyone, this is news that no one wants to hear
• Hezekiah is a Potentate, yes
• He lives in the red-carpet limelight of royalty’s privilege, yes
• But still, he is just a mere mess of blood and bones, of fears and dreams, of flaws and assets like you and me
• And God sends the Prophet to tell this great King, his time is up!
The text rushes us to see what King Hezekiah does after receiving this devastating news about his mortality. What does he do? We see King Hezekiah getting ready to pray.
• The Bible says that he turned his face to the wall
• He turned his face to the same wall that saw David on his roof watching Bathsheba take a bath
• Those same walls saw Solomon loving on his wife to the queen of Sheba
• Those same walls saw Solomon's wisdom when two women came to him with one child, and both claimed to be the child's mother
• Those walls witnessed the wickedness of Jezebel
• They also witnessed the weakness of Ahab
• And they witnessed the arrogance of Jeroboam
• And now, they would hear a very sick Hezekiah's prayer
The prophet, Isaiah, had been sent to see the king, and the message that he was to give
to Hezekiah wasn't good. The message was, "FOR THUS SAITH THE LORD, GET THY HOUSE IN ORDER FOR THY SHALT DIE AND NOT LIVE." When Hezekiah heard the news, he turned his face to the wall, and prayed to God.
• Hezekiah had prayed at that wall many times
• So, he had turned his face to the wall and started talking with God
• Hezekiah knew God, and God knew him
The fact that he was told to put his house in order is evidence that it was out of order. So long as there is sin in our lives, they are out of order.
• “All have sinned” -- Romans 3:23
• “The scripture hath confined all under sin” - Galatians 3:22)
• “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and the truth is not in us” -- I John 1:10
• Sin separates from God -- Isaiah 59:1-2 “your sins have separated between you and God”
• “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins” --- Proverbs 5:22
• The very nature of sin causes our lives to exist in a state of disorder
• Because of this, people need to rearrange their lives by getting rid of sin
Hezekiah was personally responsible to set his house in order.
• Isaiah could not do it for him
• He alone was responsible
• Each of us are personally responsible for our own sins
• “THE SOUL THAT SINNETH, IT SHALL DIE” -- EZEKIEL 18:4
• We can’t blame our Parents - Spouse - Government - Job
• We are each responsible
• “SO THEN EVERY ONE OF US SHALL GIVE ACCOUNT OF HIMSELF TO GOD” -- ROMANS 14:12
This passage emphasizes personal responsibility in view of personal accountability. ROMANS 2:6 - “GOD WILL RENDER TO EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
• One can never set his house in order unless he accepts personal responsibility for his conduct
• I cannot control what others do to me
• But I can control how I react to what they do
All that we do in this life must be done before death. After death, we cannot learn the truth. If you don’t know what is right, you need to learn now. Many don’t seem to care. They are not interested in study or learning the truth. After death, we cannot --
• Obey the gospel
• No invitation songs on the other side of the river
• No walking down the isle to give your life to Christ on the other side of the Jordan
• After death, you cannot assemble with the saints to break bread
• After death, you cannot give as you have been prospered
• After death, you cannot seek first the kingdom
• After death, you cannot visit the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty
• After death, you cannot be an example of the believers, in word
• Is your house in order?
I am particularly fascinated by Hezekiah’s narrative because it illustrates that god is moved by our prayers. All that we petition God for won’t receive favorable replies like Hezekiah’s did, but they are replied to nonetheless, and on this day the Lord’s reply was, “I HEARD YOUR PRAYER, I HAVE SEEN YOUR TEARS; INDEED, I WILL HEAL YOU.” Plans are important. Actually — to my knowledge — plans are really important, but they’re not nearly as important as prayer, because prayer happens NOW.
• There is no such thing as advance prayer
• No doctoral degrees or certifications that prove one’s mastery of it
• No layaway exists
• No will-call for you to retrieve prayer at a date better suitable for your schedule
And though we lean on the shoulders of those who labored before us, we lack any power whatsoever to revive the results of past prayers. Like little else in life, prayer speaks to immediacy.
• Hezekiah could have developed a five-point plan for end-of-life care
• Hospice
• Do-not-resuscitate order
• Power of attorney
• Organ donation
In all fairness, God did tell him to get his house in order. And maybe Hezekiah did that. We don’t know. but we do know that he prayed. Note with me that Hezekiah did not specifically ask God for 15 more years or an extension of his life. He simply asked God to remember him. God answered his prayer.
• God sent Isaiah back to tell Hezekiah that he was giving him 15 more years of life
• There are many times we are stressed and troubled
• There are many times we are desperate, and are at our wit's end
• There are times when we are loaded down with a load that we can't carry
• It is then, that we must go to our prayer wall, and cry out to our gracious God
--Those walls heard Hezekiah's prayer
--If those walls could talk, they would tell you that Hezekiah prayed with tears streaming down his face
--Those walls heard everything
--And what was so much better, God heard his prayer
--God heard and remembered how Hezekiah restored the kingdom
--God heard and remembered how Hezekiah served the Lord faithfully
--He does not ask God for mercy
--He does not ask God to change His mind
--He simply faced the Wall
--And He Prayed
--We too must go to our prayer wall, and cry out to our gracious God
--We must remember that we don't have to face life alone
--We have a Father in Heaven who cares for us and loves us
--He has all knowledge and all power, and He will be with us
