The Tragic End of Shortsighted Faith

Isaiah 39

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good,” for he thought: There will be peace and security during my lifetime. (Isa 39:8)

Main Idea: When Isaiah warned Hezekiah of the future exile to Babylon, Hezekiah showed no concern because he knew it wouldn’t happen in his lifetime, a tragic display of shortsighted faith.

1. God Left Him to Test Him: Hezekiah’s Erratic Journey of Faith
   1. Hezekiah is a “smoldering flax.”
   2. “God left him to test him” (2 Chr 32:31).
2. The Babylonian Envoys and Hezekiah’s Foolish Pride (39:1-2)
   1. Hezekiah’s fame and pride
   2. Babylon a possible ally
   3. Hezekiah’s prideful tour
3. Isaiah’s Interrogation of Hezekiah (39:3-4)
   1. Isaiah’s courageous intervention
   2. The word of the Lord speaks to every situation.
4. The Shocking Prophecy of the Babylonian Captivity (39:5-7)
   1. Isaiah 39:6-7, a “hinge passage” in the book: from Assyria to Babylon
   2. The shocking details of the prediction
5. Hezekiah’s Shortsighted Reaction (39:8)
   1. Hezekiah’s stunning reaction
   2. Self-focus; no concern for the big picture
   3. Manasseh waiting in the wings!

God Left Him to Test Him: Hezekiah’s Erratic Journey of Faith

Jesus’s gentle skill in redeeming erratic sinners is prophesied in Isaiah 42:3: “He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick.” The “bruised reed” is the picture of frailty and the “smoldering wick” the picture of inconstancy. A smoldering wick is an apt description of the faith of King Hezekiah: a great man who, from time to time, displayed the noxious fumes of smoldering unbelief and pride. Hezekiah was mighty through faith to purge Israel’s religion of its pagan high places—that is the fire of grace, but he smolders through unbelief when he should be trusting the Lord and not politics to save Judah. He walks with the Lord in daily piety concerning the laws of Moses—that is the fire of grace, but he smolders by hiring Egypt’s cavalry and chariots. He is strong in faith to break from the king of Assyria and not send him tribute—that is the fire of grace, but when Assyria invades Judah he sends messengers with gold and silver saying, “I have sinned; withdraw from me!” When the climactic moment occurs in Isaiah 36–37 and Assyria comes to besiege Jerusalem, the fire of grace shines forth in Hezekiah’s life most brightly: he humbles himself and prays one of the most God-centered prayers in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 38 we see the mingled fire again: when he falls sick, he whimpers and questions God’s goodness to him, but in the end, he learns to walk humbly because of his affliction.

In Isaiah 39 we end Hezekiah’s pilgrimage on a sad note. Second Chronicles 32:31 relates the story: “When the ambassadors of Babylon’s rulers were sent to him to inquire about the miraculous sign that happened in the land, God left him to test him and discover what was in his heart” (emphasis added). Chilling. “God left him.” What does that mean? Not at all that God abandoned him, but that God withdrew from Hezekiah relationally and experientially. He did it “to test him and discover what was in his heart.” This severe test revealed Hezekiah’s pride, self-centeredness, and lack of concern for the future of God’s people.

The Babylonian Envoys and Hezekiah’s Foolish Pride

Isaiah 39:1-2

The historical background here is important. By this time the Assyrian invasion has already occurred, and news of the stunning victory of almighty God over 185,000 Assyrian troops has made its way throughout that entire region. The plunder left from the dead soldiers (who had completed the conquest of many smaller nations before they invaded Judah) was collected by Hezekiah and Judah, making them suddenly very wealthy. This event made Hezekiah’s reputation, and many nations sent emissaries to him to congratulate him on this spectacular victory (2 Chr 32:23). News of Hezekiah’s illness and miraculous healing had only enhanced his reputation as a king under the special favor of heaven.

Babylon at that time was a subject city-state, dominated by the Assyrian Empire. Their king, Merodach-baladan, had been agitating militarily against the tyranny of Assyria. His rebellion was defeated by Sennacherib before Sennacherib turned to deal with the other vassal states in the Near East (Moab, Edom, Philistia, Syria, Israel, Judah, etc.) (Pfeiffer, Old Testament History, 336; Bright, History of Israel, 284–87). After the stunning defeat of Assyria at Jerusalem, Merodach-baladan sent emissaries to Hezekiah, undoubtedly for the purpose of discussing an ongoing alliance between them to continue weakening Assyrian domination. So these emissaries represented a severe test for Hezekiah because his usual Achilles heel was politics: trusting in alliances rather than in the Lord to deliver Judah—“God left him to test him and discover what was in his heart.”

Hezekiah received the envoys from Babylon gladly and showed them everything in his treasuries and his armories: the gold, silver, spices, precious oil, weaponry—everything. It was a prideful tour and greatly dishonoring to God because evidently Hezekiah made no mention of the power of the Lord in defending and so enriching Judah. He (amazingly) took credit for the works God had accomplished! But what had Hezekiah done? When Assyria invaded, he begged for his life. When threatened with a terminal illness, he begged for his life again. What pride could there be in this?

Isaiah’s Interrogation of Hezekiah

Isaiah 39:3-4

I can picture Isaiah the prophet standing at the door of the palace, waiting with his arms crossed, a severe look on his face. He confronted Hezekiah with probing questions: “What did these men say, and where did they come to you from?”

Hezekiah gave a partial answer: “They came to me from a distant country, from Babylon.”

Isaiah probed deeper: “What have they seen in your palace?”

Hezekiah answered truthfully, “They have seen everything in my palace. There isn’t anything in my treasuries that I didn’t show them.” Isaiah’s probing of what happened was only the beginning of God’s dealings with prideful Hezekiah.

The Shocking Prophecy of the Babylonian Captivity

Isaiah 39:5-7

Isaiah’s shocking prophecy ranged far beyond the immediate circumstances. God predicted the coming exile to Babylon, the end of Judah in the promised land. Isaiah had already predicted the fall of Babylon in several prophecies (13:19-20; 21:9-10). But here the prophecy was enhanced: Judah herself would go into exile in Babylon. All the material treasures Hezekiah was so proud of would become plunder for the Babylonians. And even more stunning was that Hezekiah’s own descendants will become eunuchs in the service of the king of Babylon.

Isaiah’s prophecy here in this chapter stands as a hinge for the entire book of Isaiah. For the first major section of Isaiah, chapters 1–39, the focus has been Assyria. Now that Assyria is behind us, chapters 40–66 will focus much more on the exile to Babylon and the restoration of Judah from that exile.

Hezekiah’s Shortsighted Reaction

Isaiah 39:8

Hezekiah’s reaction is almost as stunning as the prophecy itself. His statement is simple enough: “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” But it was the attitude of his heart that was so self-centered: “For he thought: There will be peace and security during my lifetime.” God had earlier promised to add fifteen years to Hezekiah’s life. During that time his only son Manasseh was born to him. By this time, the boy was being reared to replace his father. This prophecy of Isaiah seemed to concern a distant future. So, as far as Hezekiah was concerned, there was nothing to worry about; his own personal situation was set for the rest of his life. Hezekiah’s selfish focus is so revealing and so convicting for the similar shortsighted faith of many Christians today. As long as their own immediate needs are met, and as long as they are going to heaven when they die, what else is there to worry about?

Applications

First, let us reset our focus on the only true hero of the Bible, Jesus Christ! Every other biblical hero has some pattern of sin that must be covered by the grace of God. But Jesus was sinless, and in him alone must we trust for salvation. Hezekiah was a great leader, but Jesus is a perfect Savior. And whereas Hezekiah seemed completely careless about future generations, Jesus shed his blood for generations of God’s children who would not even be born for millennia after he died.

Second, see how God uses circumstances to search the hidden motives of the heart. God leaves us to test us and discover what is in our hearts. Jesus said, “Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works” (Rev 2:23). We should expect this and actually yearn for it: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way” (Ps 139:23-24). When our sinfulness is exposed, let us be humble enough to repent from it, seeking the full cleansing only Christ can give.

Third, notice how susceptible the human heart is to pride. God had miraculously delivered Hezekiah twice, and somehow Hezekiah was proud? How can that be? But Scripture reveals that it was so: “However, because his heart was proud, Hezekiah didn’t respond according to the benefit that had come to him. So there was wrath on him, Judah, and Jerusalem” (2 Chr 32:25). We should learn to say at every moment, “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory” (Ps 115:1).

Finally, we should be warned about Hezekiah’s lack of a multigenerational vision, not caring about what would happen to his great-great-great grandchildren. Psalm 78:2-7 makes this multigenerational vision clear, saying that we must declare the great works of God to our children’s children so they, in turn, can declare them to a generation yet unborn. Godly fathers are passionate about the future of their families.

The tragic fruit of Hezekiah’s lack of multigenerational vision can be seen in his wicked son, Manasseh, the worst king Judah ever had. After Hezekiah courageously tore down the high places that had plagued Judah for generations, Manasseh put them back up. Manasseh even went so far as to sacrifice some of his own children in the fire to Molech. Second Kings 24:3-4 makes plain that it was specifically for the sins of Manasseh that God sent Judah into exile to Babylon. It is possible that Manasseh even had Isaiah sawn in two, as some traditions teach us. Could it be that Hezekiah’s lack of any concern for the future led him to be a derelict father who failed to impart to Manasseh a vision for the glory of God and the future of Judah? We must not let that happen to our children through a similar lack of faith-filled concern for what is coming in their future.

Reflect and Discuss

1. How is each believer like a “smoldering flax”? How does Scripture trace this out in Hezekiah’s life?
2. What is the significance of the statement from 2 Chronicles 32:31, “God left him to test him and discover what was in his heart”?
3. How does God test us? How does it relate to John 15:5? Or to Revelation 2:23?
4. How should we learn to say Psalm 139:23-24 to God?
5. What motivated Hezekiah to show all his kingdom’s treasures and riches to the Babylonian envoys? How does this reveal the allure of the world still in our lives?
6. What does Isaiah’s confrontation of Hezekiah teach you about the ministry of the Word and the need to rebuke sinners?
7. How does Isaiah’s prophecy of verses 6-7 stand as a “hinge” in the entire book of Isaiah?
8. How does this passage reveal that there are no truly perfect heroes but Jesus Christ?
9. How does this passage warn us about the danger of pride?
10. What is a “multigenerational vision”? Why is it vital for Christian parents to have? How does Psalm 78:2-7 speak to this? How is Hezekiah’s attitude actually common among Christian parents today?