July 2, 2024

Isaiah 39.8 (NIV)

“The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”

Après moi, le déluge.*

Isaiah has just delivered a devastating prophesy to King Hezekiah: your kingdom will be destroyed by the Babylonians and your people taken into captivity. Hezekiah seems to choose to look at the bright side of the bad news: at least it wouldn’t happen during his reign.

The Bible doesn’t condemn or commend Hezekiah for his attitude, it merely reports the event. Here is a sampling of how others view Hezekiah’s reaction:

   ·         “a humble inquiry”* 

   ·         “a wish”*

   ·         “dares not request more”*

   ·         “submission” and “thanksgiving”*

   ·         “a mixture of feelings”*

I, on the other hand, see his response as self-centered and short-sighted. Read what others have to say in agreement:

   ·         “God announces coming judgment, and all he can respond with is relief that it will not happen in his lifetime.”*

   ·         “It would . . . have been . . . nobler . . . to beg that he alone might bear the punishment, as he alone had sinned.*

It is true that “what is present and immediate has stronger claims” on our attention* but did he have no thought for the people who came after him?  Do we not behave in a similar fashion by using up the earth’s resources without regard to future generations?

An implication of greater importance is our attitude towards our role as guardians of the truth. By our actions (or by our inaction) we selfishly hoard the good news. When we say, “Thank you for giving me the truth,” and give no thought to the fate of the rest of the world and future generations, we are defying Christ’s command to spread the gospel to the world.

The question of bread for myself is a material question, but the question of bread for my neighbor is a spiritual question.*