2 Kings 20:14-21 - Low living always exacts a high price

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. Second Kings 20:20-21 describe other exploits of Hezekiah. They were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. When he died, his son Manasseh became king in his place.

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 taken hold of his heart. In his response to Isaiah in verse 19, 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 watchful and walk gingerly guarding our relationship with God. Being careful 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 far-reaching consequences than we know. The effect of our offense could affect our posterity. So let us be vigilant, make decisions wisely, and amend a wrong immediately. The attitude of our hearts matters. Do watch out!