It is understandable for Isaiah to be uneasy about Hezekiah’s
unwise move to show the emissary of Babylon all that Judah possessed. That was
probably the reason he came inquiring of the king. He asked, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” It
was a two-part question in which Hezekiah only answered the second part but not
the first. He did not answer the first part of the question because he probably
knew the sentiment of Isaiah concerning an alliance with a foreign power. So he
avoided the first question altogether. Being a wise counselor, Isaiah could
quite easily guess the reason for the visit of the Babylonian dignitary. When
Isaiah asked the follow-up question “What have they seen in your house?”
Hezekiah still did not feel the seriousness of what he had done. So he unceremoniously
said, “They have seen everything that is in my house; there is nothing among my
treasuries that I have not let them see.”
Hezekiah’s casualness about the matter led Isaiah to pronounce what
the Babylonians would do to Judah. Acutely, Isaiah then said to the king, “Hear the words of the LORD of Hosts, ‘Behold days are coming when everything that that is in your
house, and what your fathers have stored up to this day, will be carried to
Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. ‘And
some of your sons who will come from you, whom you will father, will be
taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of
Babylon.’” His message suggested
that Judah’s exile would not be at the hand of the Assyrians, but the Babylonians.
And that it would not happen during Hezekiah’s watch.
Why did Hezekiah choose to ostentatiously display the nation’s
wealth and military resources? His casual display of all the national assets was
an indication that pride had usurped God on the throne of his heart. In his
response to Isaiah in verse 8, we see a myopic man. He was only concerned about
what would happen in his time but not what would happen to his posterity in the
future. His answer reveals a tint of selfishness in him. His attitude seems to
be, “If it does not happen during my watch, it is alright with me.”
Here are three lessons for our application: (1) We need to know
that the best of us is susceptible to failure. Therefore be sure to walk circumspectly
and be watchful over our relationship with God. Being circumspect will help us to
bring our activities into alignment with God’s will. (2) We must not make life’s
decisions casually. Always take into consideration the wider implication and the would-be
outcome of any decision. Know it or not, we are only one decision away from a
totally different life. (3) Do not trivialize a sin. Never pass over any sin and
regard them as a trifle. Why? Because sin, no matter how small, always has a far-reaching
consequence than we know. The effect of our offense could affect our posterity.
So let us be circumspect, make decisions wisely, and amend a wrong immediately. The
attitude of our heart matters so do watch out!
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