The Pride of Ingratitude

The Setting of Isaiah 39 and the Division of the Book

Please turn in your Bible to Isaiah 39. Isaiah 39 can be found on page 599 of your pew Bible. Isaiah is almost universally broken down when people try to break it down into a table of contents or an outline broken into two halves Isaiah 1 through 39 and 40 all the way to 66.

Excuse me.

All the way to 66.

So.

We are at the very end of the first half of Isaiah. Themes that unite this half of Isaiah have to do with the assault from Assyria. Things that unite the second half of Isaiah have to do with looking forward to Babylon.

And so it is interesting that in this narrative. We see Babylon that. This narrative explains why it is that the people end up eventually going off into Babylon. So it makes a transition here from chapter 39.

Hezekiah’s Welcome of Babylonian Envoys and the Reading of Isaiah 39

When you have 39, please stand for the reading of God's Word. At that time Merodach Baladon the son of Baladon king of Babylon sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered and Hezekiah welcomed them Gladly and he showed them his treasure house the silver the gold the spices the precious oil his whole armory.

All that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the Prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him. What did these men say and from where did they come to you?

Hezekiah said they have come to me from a far country from Babylon. He said what have they seen in your house? Hezekiah answered they have seen all that is in my house. There's nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah hear the word of the Lord of hosts behold the days are coming when all that is in your house and That which your fathers have stored up till this day shall be carried to Babylon.

Nothing shall be left says the Lord and some of your own sons who will come from you. Whom you will father shall be taken away and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 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 in my days.

Amen. You may be seated dear Heavenly Father your word is as sharp as any two-edged sword. It divides Soul and spirit joints and marrow. It shows the thoughts and the intentions of our heart. We ask that you would open us up today and reveal to us who we are that we might know ourselves.

That we might be aware of our own weaknesses and failings and that we might Turn in full reverence and humility towards you Jesus name. Amen. Something that I've been repeatedly struck with More and more in Scripture is how much of a theme Thanksgiving is I?

Used to think of Thanksgiving as being a very Small theme in Scripture something that speckled the pages of the Bible enough that you could bring it up once every year during November. But it turns out it is much more of a pervasive Theme than that scriptures replete with commands toward Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is what is the issue here Hezekiah has not given. Thanks to the Lord for what he has done and This is pride. A lack of thanksgiving to the Lord is pride because it attributes that which God has given to yourself and pride Always results in a lack of thanksgiving because if you think you have anything of yourself Then you will be not grateful for it and so I would like us in considering this passage to simply consider the importance of the importance of humility and thankfulness.

The Timing of the Event and the Background of Assyria and Babylon

So what happens here in this passage? So first of all, let's talk about the timing at that time. Now if you recall Isaiah 36 all the way to 39 is Happening as a unit. This is described as something that is happening Together.

These are not these are passages that are not going strictly in order. But are but are passages that are dated back to the 14th year of King Hezekiah in chapter 36. Now these are things that happen After the previous chapter because the previous chapter he was healed in chapter 38.

But here it describes them coming because they had heard that he had been sick and then recovered. However, these are things that likely are happening before chapters 36 and 37 because We have extra biblical information We have data that shows that Merodach Baladan his reign ends before the March of Sennacherib on.

On.

Jerusalem and so given that extra bit of data we can place this in Between those two sections. This is happening after chapter 38 and very likely before Chapter 36. So it is after God has promised Hezekiah that he will deliver them from Assyria.

But before he has actually done it and we know that given God's promises and the way he frames things Though he is true to his word There's always some circumstance you could bring on more judgment upon yourself if you do not Follow in the way that God has that God has set before you if Hezekiah has turned to the Lord.

If he has asked him for healing and then he does not continue in faithfulness. Then though the Lord will be good to his promise. There's no doubt that he will. There will be consequences for this just as there were to Ahaz.

Ahaz was given a promise that he would be delivered from the the alliance between Syria and Israel the northern kingdom of Israel and he was delivered. But though because he did not follow after the Lord that is why Assyria came and.

And.

Assaulted them and so we end up seeing Something very similar with Babylon coming against the people. Because of Hezekiah's sin that though he is spared from Assyria Babylon will come and take the people away.

So what happens here. We have Merodach Baladan who comes and he brings letters and a present to Hezekiah. He has heard that Hezekiah has been sick and then recovered. Second Chronicles also tells us that he had heard of the miraculous sign.

If you remember the miraculous sign is that the shadow on Something that functions like a sundial went backwards and so God was even Turning back time at least metaphorically with the shadow. And so they had heard about both those things and want to come and bring him this present.

They bring multiple letters which indicates if you go and you look for other places in Scripture where where. Official messengers bring them multiple letters. It is for multiple officials. So it is not just Hezekiah that's being addressed here likely.

It's others as well and They bring him a present now. Why would a king do this it is to seek the favor of? Some other king if you have a God that is so powerful that he could save you from death. That he causes the Sun to go backwards.

Is this not a God that you would want his power if you are some other king who hopes to? Who hopes to be victorious even one who is also? Fighting with Assyria at this time. And so he's heard that Hezekiah's God has done miraculous signs and guaranteed success against Assyria.

Babylon is at war with Assyria as well. Certainly, this is one that he would want to. That he would want to have an alliance with have power from so he comes. With intentions. That would be within this realm.

So Hezekiah welcomes him. He shows him everything in the house and then later Isaiah comes and he confronts him. Yes. What did this man say? Where did they come from? He says that they came from a far country.

What did they see. The answer is everything and so Now we have the penalty. The penalty is that all these things will be taken away to Babylon. Now what is Hezekiah's sin? It's not explicitly stated here.

We're left with in Isaiah. With the task of drawing from it the implications. What is it exactly that Hezekiah did wrong? Thankfully 2nd Chronicles interprets this for us. 2nd Chronicles 32 speaking of this event.

Says. And I'll go ahead and have you turn there to 2nd Chronicles 32. 2nd Chronicles 32 verse 24 in those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, but he prayed to the Lord and he answered him and gave him a sign.

Okay, so these are the events of that's a chapter 38 in a nutshell right there. But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem.

But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. So that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah. Okay, so 2nd Chronicles.

It's interpreting Isaiah chapter 38 and 39 for us. It was it saying God was merciful to Hezekiah. He spared him from death, but Hezekiah did not return. Thanks to God because his heart was proud. However, he repented he repented and the wrath of God did not come on him in those days.

So it's saying that so there's there's several things in Isaiah that you might be confused about you might be saying What is his sin? The answer is he did not give thanks because he was proud. You might also wonder when you look at Isaiah.

Well, was he truly repentant. 2nd Chronicles says yes. He was truly repentant. So it gives you the answers to these things. Hezekiah is proud and he has not. He has not given thanks to the Lord now. That's usually not what we think of when we think of pride when we think of pride and boastfulness.

We don't think of a lack of gratitude. But this is this is indeed What pride is this is what ingratitude is ingratitude is pride and pride is ingratitude. 2nd Corinthians 4 7 says what do you have that you did not receive?

If then you did not receive it, why do you boast as though you did receive it as though you did not receive it. Everything we have we receive from the Lord. There's no health that we have that is from ourselves.

There is no Prosperity that we have that is truly from ourselves. There is nothing that we have that is Not gotten out of those things that God has given us you see pride is wrong because it is a lie is not wrong because it is a High statement.

Pride, Ingratitude, and the Weakness of Flattery

Okay, God makes Statements about himself and about how high and glorious he is, etc. None of those we would be right as labeling as the sin of pride. All those things are totally appropriate for God to say about himself.

What makes them inappropriate is when they are lies when there are things that are not true. Okay, when you say when you speak of yourself in a way that suggests that your own Success in life your own prosperity your own whatever it may be is something that is not originated from God.

You are in essence lying. You are robbing God of glory that belongs to him and you are attributing it to yourself. And that is what makes it sinfully proud. That is what makes it wrong. And this happens all the time.

All the time we are given opportunities to praise the Lord and we choose not to all the time. People compliment us on things that. Things that we've accomplished and we not do not give glory to the Lord.

You know think about all the opportunities you have to give glory to the Lord when someone compliments you when someone Observes how much you have or what kind of prosperity you have or the family life you have.

When you choose to receive that as though it were something that you have done of your own. This is not something of God's. That is an example of pride. And it's very easy to tell yourself. Oh, yes. Well, I say, you know, I say thank you etc to this other person and I Don't verbally acknowledge God, but God knows my heart in the matter there is.

We should not give ourselves free passes. So easily easily God has called us to praise his name to others to thank him to others. Is something that we ought to do even though it is very. It is very countercultural.

It's not something that's normal today, right? Not only do you not see it that often among Christians. But then of course you go and you say those kinds of things to non-christians and they think you're crazy.

Talk about God that way just speak as though things come came from him and not you. I knew that when I have done that. People have rebuked me right? They've said oh, no. No, you're being too humble. No, this is this is proper humility.

These things did not ultimately come from me. Now. I am I am thankful that the Lord would use me in certain ways. I do think there's something meaningful to boasting in the Lord that is personal right and it's not.

Paul talks in first Corinthians 9 about his boast. This is not a boast of another person. Right. So when it says let he who boasts boast in the Lord. I don't think that this means that our boasts are entirely impersonal as though.

As there there can be no acknowledgement of you having been used as a as a particular vessel. But you must acknowledge God and his greatness and to choose not to his pride. Now consider how this pride weakens you and how it weakens Hezekiah here.

Okay, so Hezekiah because of his pride is very susceptible to flattery all right, if you are one who.

Is.

Responsible for great things then it is right for you to be praised and you should desire that praise. Okay. God is great. He has done great things. He desires to be praised. It is right for him to desire to be praised if You feel that way about your own self.

You are going to want praise you are going to know when it is lacking and do things in order to receive that praise. Right and if you have that need now. It's no need in God because he does not he does not live off of our praise or anything.

He has no needs even though it is right for us to praise him. But you are a person of needs and if you sense that you need praise because it is right to give you praise. You are going to find yourself Frequently weak.

A lot of people think of being proud as being strong right those things go together, you know. Proud is the line strong is the line. The person who is proud as a strong person, but the reality is the person who is proud.

Because they feel the need for praise because they need to feel the need to present them. Someone who is worthy of praise is Actually someone who is very weak because they are very susceptible to flattery.

There is something they need from something else something that they want from something else that they do not have that they will they will compromise their own standing in order to get and. So consider the way how he's he's so flattered by these people.

Isaiah asks him two questions. He says what did these men say and From where did they come. Hezekiah only answers the latter question? He's not interested in talking about what they said says they have come to me from a far country from Babylon.

You know, what is that? What does that say about Hezekiah's thinking at this time? Okay, they came from a far country. If someone comes from a far country to visit you it means you're a really important person.

You know the Queen of Sheba came from the ends of the earth to see Solomon, right? Maybe Hezekiah is thinking this in his head. Maybe he's thinking wow. This is just like the days of Solomon. You know, my great-grandfather Solomon had people come from the ends of the earth to visit him.

This is what I have coming to visit me now. Okay, but this is very different picture because. With Solomon there was a clear acknowledgement that all his wisdom was from the Lord that all his prosperity was from the Lord.

He had prayed to the Lord the Lord had very specifically given it to him and he had acknowledged this to Sheba but. But Hezekiah has not made this acknowledgement and he is he is susceptible to flattery.

Trusting in Nations, Not in the Lord of Hosts

Consider also some of the. How this fits into the context of Isaiah a repeated theme throughout Isaiah repeated concern has been the folly of trusting in the nation's. Right the folly of saying, okay, we're not strong enough.

We need the help of Syria. We're not strong enough. We need the help of a Syria. We're not strong enough we need the help of Egypt rather than simply trusting in the Lord and this is really what's in the background here that you should be thinking about as you're reading this passage and Not just other nations, but the other nations and their gods and consider who this king is named after.

He's named Merodach Baladan. Who's he named after? Well first his father. We see that in this verse the son of Baladan. But Merodach is a king, you know, there there's a passage in Jeremiah not a king.

Excuse me a god. There's a passage in Jeremiah that talks about him being destroyed along with other gods and so here you have a man who's named after his father and named after God and he's coming and Hezekiah is is happy about this about the sense of power that this other foreign power has come and Brought to him and has given him a gift this sign of showing like we are we are willing to support you and so he is.

Yeah, his his he is flattered by this. He has a sense of Of importance now Isaiah notice how he responds then Isaiah said to Hezekiah hear the word of the Lord of hosts. All right, that's always important.

When that happens, there are actually a few there are a number of places where this narrative is different than the one in Kings. Where this is described in?

In Kings.

This is one of those examples. It does not say in Kings hear the word of the Lord of hosts. It just talks about the Lord. Isaiah uses the word Lord of hosts frequently uses that phrase to describe any time where power where National power is in mind.

Okay, hear the word of the Lord of hosts. In other words, you should not be Caring so much about this guy and his power and his armies. You should care about the Lord and his armies. Okay, he is the Lord of hosts a Few other things that are distinct here Here in Isaiah.

It also speaks of him being glad and Kings. It just says and Hezekiah welcome them. Welcome them not welcome them gladly. So he is uh, he is very excited to to have these guests here visiting him now consider also that it that not only does it make him weak because he has to Because he craves that flattery, but then also it makes his whole nation weak, right?

He's jeopardized them. He goes and shows how many treasures he has how much stuff he has. What does that do that paints a big red target on his back that says if you ever come and Plunder all this land to the to the West.

This is a this is a great place to come and get more treasure. That's essentially what he's doing when he when he does this and so he He makes himself weak. The second chapter of Isaiah in describing pride in the sin of pride.

Spoke of people raising themselves up so that they will be cut down. Every high and lofty thing will be cut down. So that is what someone does when they when they boast in themselves when they refuse to give thanks to God is they raise themselves Up and they make themselves more precarious you know, you could take a fine piece of China that belongs on a lower shelf and because you really want to Set it up above everything else put it on a really high shelf.

What does that do that makes it more precarious? It's if it falls it will crash as opposed to if it's on a low shelf. It will not crash, right? This is what the one does who is proud who lifts himself up as they make themselves more precarious more apt to fall and Not only are there the natural consequences of weakness that come from From refusing to give thanks to God and from boasting and having this sort of pride.

But there is the supernatural weakness that comes as God disciplines proportionally to the sin if someone boasts and something that they have as though they as Though they did not receive it what happens if God takes it away so that they don't have it so consider Exactly how proportional the punishment is here.

Hear the word of the Lord of hosts. Behold the days are coming when all that is in your house and that which your fathers have stored up till this day. In other words all the things that he showed Shall be carried to Babylon.

Nothing shall be left says the Lord and some of your own sons who will come from you. Whom you will father shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace the king of Babylon.

The Proportional Judgment of Loss, Exile, and Eunuchs

So.

He bragged and all the things that he had and all of them will be taken away, and then not only that Not just the things that he spoke of but also his sons. Recall. What was it that God had given in the previous chapter.

It was not just restoring his health in order that he might defeat Assyria. It was restoring his self in order that he could have a son. Remember. He is sonless at this point. He does not have a he does not have an heir to the throne.

There was a question about whether or not the throne of David would even continue through Hezekiah and So God has promised him that it will but now he has determined that. Though he will have that legacy some of those sons will go away, and they will be cut off.

So God had promised him you will have sons you will continue the line will not end with you. But now. Now that that promise has been given now that Hezekiah disobeys in this way some of it is taken back away from him.

So that some of them will be cut off and made eunuchs. Right. And what is the significance of being a eunuch. Well if you're A eunuch you can't have children. If you're a eunuch there is no legacy. And these come together.

These come together both of these being the legacy all the things all the children. Right. And this is. This is emphasized also in Daniel. Daniel 1 Says in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

Remember. This is what this is what Isaiah is prophesying. Jerusalem is going to come he's going to take all the things. He's going to take some of Hezekiah's children. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah Into his hand and some of the vessels of the house of God and he brought them to the land of Shinar.

To the house of his God and he placed the vessels in the treasury of his God. So it does not mention the vessels of the palace. But it does mention the vessels of the house of God and we can only presume that he's taking away the vessels of the palace as well.

Then the king commanded Ashvanaz His chief eunuch to bring some of the people of Israel both of the royal family and of the nobility youth without blemish of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom and doubt of knowledge understanding learning and Competent to stand in the king's palace and the teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

Okay, so he's chief eunuch also known as chief of the eunuchs because he is going to be. He is going to be in charge of eunuchs, right. And who is taken away? Well, I have Daniel and his three companions.

These are part of the the royal family in the nobility. It's never said explicitly, but it's quite possible that One if not, all four of these are Hezekiah's descendants. It's possible that Daniel is a direct descendant of Hezekiah and so Daniel being made a eunuch being taken off into this land because of Hezekiah's sin.

All right, so you have you have here not just the weakness that is natural that comes from pride But also the supernatural weakness if God gives you a gift and you do not appreciate it. He takes it away.

Okay, I remember there was one Christmas Where I was incredibly ungrateful to my parents and I said some very ungrateful things and they Did not take away those things that they had given but they made sure that I never had a fit.

I never got nearly as much any subsequent Christmas. Okay, they My father knew that it was not if I could not appreciate this thing. It must be taken away, right? So in a Christmas where you get a whole bunch of presents, that's that's not happening and more you're.

We're doing something far more low-scale after this. All right. This is how God operates. All right. He's a good father. He knows what's good for his children. If his children do not appreciate the things that they are given he will take them away.

Okay, so another reason to to be thankful to him. Now consider also How he is testing he is testing Hezekiah. So this is not just a Situation that came about by happenstance. This is a situation that came about about by divine ordination.

Second Chronicles 32 31 says and so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon Who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land? It's talking about Hezekiah, of course.

God left him to himself in order to test him and to know what was in his heart. This passage says that God Sent the envoys of Babylon. He sent them in order to test him or to expose what's in his heart.

Now God already knows all things here he knows what's in Hezekiah's heart. In fact, it's precisely because he knows what is in Hezekiah's heart. He sends these envoys to expose it in order that His own children's sin can be exposed in order that they can repent from it in order that they can turn from it.

You should not think of Our trials as being something that come just by happenstance. The Lord tests his children intentionally on purpose to either to Vindicate them and declare their righteousness to the world or in order to expose themselves their own Sinfulness in order that they might repent of it.

Hezekiah’s Repentance and the Meaning of Real Repentance

Now consider his repentance in verse 8. Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah the word that you have spoken is good for he thought there will be peace and security in my days. Now it'd be very easy to read that and to say okay.

Well Hezekiah is not taking this penalty very seriously. This is not true repentance. You might get a similar picture from 2nd Kings where it says where he says why not? That sounds very apathetic. Why not?

That's not so bad. However, like I said 2nd Chronicles interprets this passage for us. It tells us that he did repent and So we are to read this not as him being apathetic and recall that the whole penalty was his legacy.

Anyway, if he only cares about himself and not future generations, then the penalty mate meant nothing to him in the beginning. But we know that it does So clear that this is not apathy about future generations.

Instead we are to see him as repenting, right? He is not owed anything from the Lord. These things are not his own, but he is open-handed with them. It is fine that the Lord takes them away. Just as Job said the Lord gives and the Lord takes away blessed be the name of the Lord.

This is what real repentance looks like. Real repentance is Always willing to accept the appropriate punishment or the appropriate consequences punishment discipline, whatever the circumstance may be.

You see this often in kids, right they might say that they're sorry they might ask for forgiveness. But if they are but if then they receive a consequence where you say, okay. You can no longer have this thing and there's just they're scandalized scandalized by the fact that this would be taken away.

That's not real repentance. Okay, real repentance recognizes the the rightness of the consequence. Okay, and this is what Hezekiah is doing. He is recognizing the rightness of the consequence. And so as we apply this passage to our own lives and consider the importance of thankfulness of gratitude of humility.

Consider the following consider how how weak it makes you to be proud a lot of times we have the opposite. Thought I know I know I do often. I Think there is something in me that when it comes to Thanking others or or Complimenting them or acknowledging goodness, right?

There is a a sense of oh, well that puts me in like a weaker position, right? But no, the reality is to acknowledge truth puts you in a stronger position because then you aren't susceptible to lies. Okay, then you aren't trying to figure out how to.

Then you aren't craving or needing some kind of Some kind of Affirmation in the direction that you are looking for. This is what a lot of people think about about truth and in lies a lot of people think that.

They do not see lies as being inherently weak. Right, they think of lies as possibly working toward strength. There's a lot of people who would distinguish in the Bible The notions of inerrancy and infallibility if you've ever heard those terms and not been sure what they're about a Lot of times when people are talking about the Bible being inerrant what they mean is the Bible has no errors.

Okay, it's true. A lot of times what they mean when they say infallible is not the same thing. A lot of times what they mean is that it will never lead you astray. Okay, so if you follow it Good results will come from that.

Okay, so a lot of times people will affirm infallibility.

To the.

Exclusively and say the Bible is not inerrant, but it is infallible and what they're saying is basically, you know. There might be some lies in here, but they're good lies. They're lies. We should believe.

Okay. This is this is not the right way of thinking about truth and lies. Okay lies will always make you weak. Truth will always make you strong. Okay, you do not want to Embrace any kind of lie including the lie that you have what you have of your own and it is not a gift from God.

What you have doesn't matter what it is doesn't matter if prosperity good success at work any kind of possessions. Any kind of healthy relationships happy family any of that? They are all gifts from the Lord and need to be acknowledged as such.

You should give thanks to the Lord. You should record the good things that God has done in order that you can give thanks to him today in our family prayer. Tried recalling some things that the Lord had done this past year some of the larger things.

And I was disappointed that I could only name three off the top of my head. Now I do have recorded a list. I have done what I'm telling you to do. But without pulling it out, they did not come to mind.

This is how weak we are when it comes to thinking of the good things that the Lord has done. It is hard for us to do because our sinful mind is eager to attribute things to ourself and not to see them as great excellent gifts from the Lord.

And keep in mind also that The Lord tests his children. This means that you should especially be thankful when in times of prosperity. Right a lot of people will go to the Lord in prayer and Thanksgiving and worship in times of trouble.

Right, but in the times of trouble you're already being tested right and and the times where things are going well. That is the time where you should be anticipating tests from the Lord. You should not be thinking that okay, things are going good.

That means there's no attack from the enemy. That means that while that could come I don't need to be too worried because I'm in the clear for now. No, the Lord is actively Actively concerned about his children.

And so if there is a pride building up within you God will Expose it. God will show it because he cares about you because he cares about his own children. So do not think that you are if you're experiencing a season of ease that that means that you are In the clear from temptation because it is in those times of ease that God would make that God would by his testing expose any kind of pride that is that is building up and we should We should be eager to repent of our pride.

We should be willing to accept any kind of penalty. The Lord should send our way anything He should use to expose how attached we are to the things that he has given us that our gifts from him and that we're not ready to say Blessed be the Lord.