FBC Morning Light – September 16, 2023

Good Saturday morning, people of faith.

We are in Isaiah chapter 39 this morning, and I'm going to read the first four verses and talk about it for a bit, and then relate it to a New Testament passage, and then come back to the last four verses of Isaiah chapter 39.

Before I begin reading, though, Hezekiah, the king, has just recovered from a very serious illness. You may remember when we were talking back, I believe in 1 Kings, a few months ago, how Isaiah had come to him and told him that he was going to die, and how he prayed and the Lord relented, and how then Isaiah went back to him and told him that he had more time to live, all right?

And so, with that in mind, that has just happened, and here we have in chapter 39, beginning in verse 1. At that time, Merodach, Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.

And Hezekiah was pleased with them and showed them the house of his treasures, the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory. All that was found among his treasures, there was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

Then Isaiah the prophet went to the king, Hezekiah, and said to him, What did these men say, and from where did they come to you? So Hezekiah said, They came to me from a far country, from Babylon. And he said, What have they seen in your house?

So Hezekiah answered, They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them. So what's going on here is Hezekiah has been given a gift and letters from the king of Babylon, and who are the messengers that have brought these things.

Hezekiah likes them, and so he shows them around the place. He shows them all the gold and the silver and everything that the kingdom is in the kingdom that is under the dominion of Hezekiah, Hezekiah shows to the Babylonians.

Hezekiah is demonstrating here something that Jesus warned us about. In Matthew chapter 7, there's a series of short verses where Jesus is giving instruction, and it's a bit like a proverb in that it's just kind of right in the middle of a context that, and it's just jumping around a bit.

So this kind of stands on its own. Let me read to you chapter 7, verse 6 of the book of Matthew. Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

So let's pick this back up in verse 5 with what Isaiah says. 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 what your fathers have accumulated until this day shall be carried to Babylon, nothing shall be left, says the Lord.

And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, the word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.

For he said, at least there will be peace and truth in my days. Now I really believe that this whole picture of what happened here demonstrates a lack of a momentary perhaps, but a lack of good judgment on Hezekiah's part.

These people that he didn't know, that he thought was from too far away to be too much trouble, he shows them all that he has. And for that reason, like throwing pearls before swine, everything that is his will eventually be taken.

And you think of the holy things as it says, do not give what is holy to the dogs. Remember the picture in Daniel of Belshazzar. What is he using to drink with but the cups from the temple and using the instruments of the temple in their drunkenness and in their revelry.

And just what an awful picture that becomes. And so as far as Hezekiah's last statement here, the word of the Lord which you have spoken is good. That is always true. The words that the Lord speaks are always good.

We just don't always like them and they don't always pronounce good things for us. God is good and everything he does is good. So he is also right to say that it was good in the sense that Hezekiah would have offspring, which apparently he did not have at this time.

But there is still this tinge of almost nearsightedness or selfishness within what Hezekiah says when he says at least there will be peace and truth in my days. Well I think it would be good for us to take a little bit longer term perspective and say we want good in our days and in good for our future generations.

And so anyway, this provides hopefully some good things for us to think about this morning and let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for your word in that it fits together. We see here in Isaiah an example of what Jesus was talking about.

And may we not present our things, our wealth, and whatever as curls before swine. That we would share your gospel without reservation, but yet use wisdom in how we go about getting of ourselves in the work of ministry.

In your son's name, Jesus, we pray, amen. Have an excellent day, people of faith.