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TIME TO DIE
2 KINGS 20: 1-11
One of my all time favorite movies is "Blade Runner" In this movie there is an android. He crosses hundreds of thousands miles of space from the Orion belt to come back to earth to find his creator and find out why it is TIME TO DIE? It seems that his creator had place a life clock in the bodies of the android that would shut them down at a particular time. His life clock was about to shut him down so it would be the death of him.
The final scene of the movie had him setting on the ledge of a tall building in the rain and his last statement was "TIME TO DIE"
In some real application of our lives – our creator has placed at life clock in us. Each and every person born on planet earth has "A TIME TO DIE" It is appointed to man once to die and after that the judgment. (I am speaking about physical death). Thank God that most of us don’t know the day or the hour but it is written on God’s calendar.
In today’s text, one of my favorite characters in the Bible come to the same situation of life. It was his time to die. He knew that it was his time because God sent word to him by the prophet and told him to put his house in order for he was going to die.
THIS GREAT MIRICLE:
A. This would probably be considered the greatest miracle that was ever recorded. It would rival the day that Joshua had God stop the universe for almost a 24 hour period.
In Joshua’s day, God stopped the entire universe for almost the space of 24 hours.
However, on this day God put the universe in Reverse and back it up.
Now don’t tell me that this is impossible. The God that set this universe spinning can stop it if he chooses and he can back it up if he chooses.
B. We should also note that Hezekiah was the best kings Israel ever had next to David. His life is recorded 3 times in the Word of God. {Isa - 2 Kings - 2 Chron.} Of the 39 kings that Israel had he came in second only after David.
WHAT MADE HIM A GREAT KINGS IN THE EYES OF GOD?
2 Ki 18:1-7 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
{2 } Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. {3 } And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.
{4 } He removed the high places, and brake the images, {5 } He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.
{6 } For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.
{7 } And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.
1. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord v-3
2. He tore down before He started building up. v-4
3. He Trusted in the Lord - He departed not from following Him - He kept His commandments -
4. The Lord was with him - Prospered Him.
However, at the time of the reading of the text - HE HAD SOME REALLY BIG TIME TROUBLE.
1. The king of Assyria sent an army to battle against Hezekiah.
2. He had no Allies.
3. Rab-shakeh (The general of the Assyrian Army) brought a letter that mocked God.
4. Hezekiah spreads the letter before the Lord and trusted the God of Israel to deliver the Assyrian army into their hands.
THEN GOD SENT ISAIAH TO TELL HEZEKIAH , "GOD IS GOING TO DELIVER ISRAEL". "OH, BY THE WAY", HEZEKIAH, "GOD TOLD ME TO TELL YOU TO GET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO DIE.
I’m glad I don’t know when I am going to die. Death is a reality. It is appointed to man once to die and after that the judgment.
This life should be lived in preparation of death. It is going to happen to all of us. We just don’t know when.
I think we all share the sentiments of the tombstone that Read "I EXPECTED THIS BUT NOT YET",
My wife says all the time that she know I will kill her by the way that I drive so she wants on her head stone, "I TOLD YOU HE WOULD KILL ME." Smile!
Hezekiah knew when.
Some Christian talk as though they are looking forward to death. Al Smith sang, "Homesick for Heaven". Now, I am glad that I am prepared to die but I am not excited about doing it today. I don’t think death is something even a Christian should desire or look forward to but neither is it something to dread and fear. I think we should want to stay here just as long as He wants us to. Of course, we are not going to stay any longer than He wants us to.
HEZEKIAH DID NOT WANT TO DIE. He was 39 years old. He thought he was to young to die. He turned his face to the wall and begin to whine and cry like a 3 year old. Now don’t miss this. It was God’s stated will for Him to die. It was God’s Word delivered by God’s prophet that gave him the message that it was "TIME TO DIE".
NOW THE QUESTION IS - SHOULD HEZEKIAH HAVE PRAYED FOR HEALING AND NOT TO DIE? THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDED - NO, NO, NO.
WHY NOT?
There are 4 reason that Hezekiah should have accepted the will of God and went ahead and died.
1. Because God know what is best for him. We need to learn to pray like our Lord prayed in the garden, "This is what I would like but Lord, you do what your will is.
2. Because up to this time Hezekiah was an outstanding King but this incident caused him to be lifted up in pride. God hates pride. Pride is a horrible disease that make everyone sick but the one who has it.
Just read the next verse to see this is true:
24 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the LORD: and he spoke unto him, and he gave him a sign.
25 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
3. It was after this incident that He entertained the Ambassadors from Babylon. He took them down and showed them all the money and gold in the treasure house. Guess where Babylon came when they were under big expense in trying to conquer the world. Someone in Babylon said, "Hey, I know where there is a lot of gold" and Babylon came to Israel to battle them.
4. When He died, his son Manasseh came to the throne.
33 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem:
2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
DID YOU SEE THE TRUTH THERE? Manasseh was 12 years old. That mean that one of the worst kings that God’s people was conceived after Hezekiah was suppose to die. If he had died when God told him too – Manasseh would have never been born and it would have saved God’s people years of suffering.
WHAT DO WE LEARN??
I hope the great lesson here is that God has a plan for our life and when it is over, we need to trust God to know what is best.
