Hezekiah's Mistake

An Illustration for the Security of God's Greatest Promise

Speaking to believers who don't believe that they can always stand before God because they think that they can loose their salvation has alarmed me of the need for us to rest in the promises of God. This is what I studied in my Bible reading this morning.

In chapters 38 and 39 of the book of Isaiah, we find a wonderful illustration of God's faithfulness to his promises. Following is a brief sketch of the two chapters ending with an explanation of this illustration.

Beginning in Chapter 38 of Isaiah, Hezekiah had become sick. Isaiah, the prophet, came to the king and told him that he should make arrangements for his death because it would be approaching soon. The news of this devastated Hezekiah and he invoked God to remember his faithfulness to Him throughout his life. Hearing the cry of Hezekiah, God spoke to Isaiah that he would extend the life of the king by 15 years.

In chapter 39 we read that the king of Babylon heard of Hezekiah's miraculous recovery and sent messengers to Hezekiah who bore a gift. This pleased King Hezekiah, so he showed the messengers of Babylon all that was in his possession, including his treasury. In his excitement, Hezekiah forgot to use discernment by realizing the possibility that Babylon's king might have had ulterior motives.

Immediately after the messengers left Hezekiah, Isaiah approached him to ask where these men were from and what he had shown them. Upon hearing of Hezekiah's lack of discernment, he pronounced a prophecy that the day would come when Babylon would carry away everything they had seen back to Babylon.

God responded to the faithfulness of Hezekiah with grace, by extending his life by 15 years. This was a promise of God in the same way that salvation is a promise to us who have faith in God today. Though he was a godly king, Hezekiah was still an ordinary man, just as you and I. After receiving the blessing of an extended life from God, he turned around and sinned by showing a lack of discernment. In the same way, we sin though we have received the greatest promise from God, which is eternal salvation.

Notice that God never revoked his promise to Hezekiah, though he allowed natural consequences to follow his sin. This is because God is faithful to his promises even when we lack faithfulness after receiving them, “Indeed, let God be true and every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4) God's faithfulness is not dependent upon the faithfulness of man. We cannot lose out on the promises God gives to us, no matter how faithless we become. God cannot lie, and His promises are sure. (Titus 1:2)

Please, be diligent to enter into the rest given to you through the promise of God's gift of salvation. (Hebrew 4:11) Be diligent to renew your mind today and everyday, because we all know that the temptation to base our relationship with God upon our performance rather than upon his promises will always remain. (Romans 12:2)

May this creed of the early church in 2 Timothy 2:11-13 become your meditation for the renewal of your mind:

For if we died with Him,

We shall also live with Him,

If we endure,

We shall also reign with Him,

If we [humanity] deny Him,

He also will deny us,

If we [the church] are faithless,

He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself.