A Comment on the Sabbath School Lesson for August 24–30, 2002, on 2 Kings 16, 18, 19; 2 Chron. 29, 30; Isa. 39, "The Rule of Hezekiah in Judah"

The year 701 B.C. was a time of plenty and want, a time of stress and peace. It was something like A.D. 2002! Assyria loomed upon the international horizon with her record of incredible terror. Border countries ticked off their remaining days of hope, scrambling for alliances that never seemed to stick.

Merodach-Baladan and Hezekiah were the leaders of two border countries. Hezekiah had the prestige of thwarting Sennacherib’s first thrust at Jerusalem, as well as a remarkable story of recovery from a severe sickness. And don’t forget that retarded sun, which dazzled the curiosity of astronomers in other countries.

So Merodach-Baladan, exiled king of Free Babylon, calls on Hezekiah in full diplomatic regalia, cementing national interests and seeking the secret of Judah’s successes. Hezekiah is flattered by this royal attention and duped by the diplomacy. He gives the Babylonians the deluxe tour of his palace and his treasures—"nothing…that I have not shown them" (Isa. 39:2).

After all, was not this moment the highlight of his career, showing the world how Judah had done? Hezekiah’s mind reeled at the thought of hundreds of inches in the Babylonian Times, free advertising of Judah’s greatness in the royal courts around the circle!

But there’s always a prophet somewhere with a simple, sometimes sticky question. Isaiah asked, "Hezekiah, my friend, what have they seen in your house?" (vs. 4). After Hezekiah’s smiling report, Isaiah went on, "Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon, nothing shall be left" (vs. 6).

Probably Isaiah’s next question, perhaps with withering eyes, was "And what about the Lord God Almighty—did he get an Oscar for anything?" Hezekiah’s fifteen minutes of fame, his bubble of misplaced pride, suddenly burst with the pinprick of reality. After all, this could have been Judah’s finest hour—the hour toward which God had been helping them for centuries, and Hezekiah blew it. Hezekiah let all previous leaders down, and he let God down.

God intended Israel to be his showcase of honor, integrity, purity, and graciousness—an exhibit of what happens when they let God direct their lives. Other nations were demonstrating what men and women do apart from God. Side-by-side, through the years, Israel would continue to demonstrate intrinsic superiority—in health, intellect, agriculture, animal husbandry, craftsmanship, and national greatness. "God furnished them with every faculty for becoming the greatest nation on the earth" (Ellen G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, 288).

All Hezekiah did was point to Judah’s greatness as if he and his team had produced it all, but not a word about the One who was responsible for Judah’s greatness. And Babylon lost, too—God’s plan misfired and his plan to make Jerusalem the capital of the world was doomed. Babylon did not get the true picture of the only God worth worshiping. What a waste of public relations!

What would Hezekiah say to us today?

1. Don’t fumble any opportunities to bear witness to the wisdom and goodness of God, the architect and spirit behind any denominational achievement. Whenever you get the attention of the media, don’t forget Isaiah’s question, "What do they see in your house?"

2. Don’t focus on rising statistics, increased enrollments, beautiful buildings. Every decent enterprise can do the same. Point them to the secret of your success, exactly what I missed when I had my opportunity.

3. Capture the world’s imagination by showing the quiet, unambiguous results of trusting God’s principles. Let thoughtful people see how inclusive we are, how fundamentally concerned we are with the world’s fundamental problems—why evil, how come so much suffering, what about death, how come you live so much longer than others, and on it goes.

What matters most is our spiritual treasury, not material achievements alone. Merodach-Baladan may have perished for lack of knowledge—the very knowledge he needed most. How many around us know what is in "our house," but still not get the knowledge they are really seeking?

EMAIL THIS ARTICLE