Bible Reflections - Part 8

Reading in the Old Testament about the various kings of Israel and Judah is a fascinating exercise. Their character, decision-making, leadership... if nothing else, it's very compelling history to digest. But if you're familiar at all with the Old Testament, you also know that the role these kings played in Israel's history had major implications for the spiritual direction of the entire nation and the people's relationship to God. And as you probably know, when it came to the vast majority of these kings, the people were not led in the right direction.

But the Bible does tell us that there were a small handful of kings (mainly in the southern kingdom of Judah) who led well... at least to some degree. One such king was Hezekiah who I recently found myself regarding about in my daily bible reading plan. In 2 Kings 18 we read:

5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast to the LORD and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. 7 And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.

In my estimation, there were only two other Old Testament kings that received this kind of commendation from God - David and Josiah. But like any of us, Hezekiah was still a fallible human being. And toward the end of his days sin is revealed in his life in what I found to be a very eye-opening way.

In 2 Kings 20 we read that the King of Babylon's son sends an envoy with a letter and gifts to Hezekiah because he had heard Hezekiah had been ill. But when the envoy comes, Hezekiah decides to show off a little (ok, a lot) by giving them a tour of all his personal treasures and riches that he kept in his storehouses. Well, God wasn't pleased with Hezekiah's pride and sends a message to him through the prophet Isaiah:

"Hear the word of the LORD: 17 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 18 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

Now, this is a powerful example of pride leading to a fall to be sure - Hezekiah's legacy was going to be severely damaged because of his sin. But it was Hezekiah's response to God's message, revealing further sin and corruption in Hezekiah's heart, that really struck me and gave me pause:

19 “The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime? Hezekiah was a righteous king - one of just a few we read about in the bible. Yet self-centeredness - the universal condition of every man and woman - still had a grip on his heart. Here God is telling him that his actions will lead to serious consequences for his children, yet he concludes that as far as he's concerned everything is still cool because he'll get to finish out his life in peace and comfort. WOW. Is that unbelievable or what?

But it got me thinking - what decisions am I making right now that will affect my kids negatively for years to come? More importantly, do I care more about the legacy I leave through my children than my own peace and comfort in my own lifetime? Or to say it another way, am I willing to obey God - no matter what that means for my life here on earth - in order that they would be given a godly legacy of blessing from God?

Now please don't hear me wrong on this - I believe the Bible is clear that every generation has a choice to turn to God and live the life that is truly life through knowing and following Jesus. The opportunity for grace and wholeness through Christ will be available to my children regardless of what I do here on earth. But our actions have consequences... for ourselves, and our loved ones. And I want to care more about my children and setting them up for spiritual and relational success than I do about my own wants and comforts. I've certainly got a long way to go, but I want to learn from one righteous king's mistakes and cry over my sin rather than feel at ease about it because all in all it won't cause all that much pain to me.

How about you?

-Pastor Dave