Slices
Prepare
‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:9).
Bible passage
Envoys from Babylon
39 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. 2 Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses – the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil – his entire armoury and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, ‘What did those men say, and where did they come from?’
‘From a distant land,’ Hezekiah replied. ‘They came to me from Babylon.’
4 The prophet asked, ‘What did they see in your palace?’
‘They saw everything in my palace,’ Hezekiah said. ‘There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.’
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: 6 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. 7 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.’
8 ‘The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,’ Hezekiah replied. For he thought, ‘There will be peace and security in my lifetime.’
Explore
On his deathbed, weak, vulnerable and diminished (chapter 38), Hezekiah was spiritually far stronger than we find him in chapter 39. News of his miraculous recovery had prompted a state visit, accompanied by gifts and no doubt a generous helping of flattery (v 1). Babylon’s ascendancy was in the future. Hezekiah’s guard was down, and he gave away valuable information about his people’s assets for the simple and basic pleasure of showing off (v 2). Isaiah is left to tell him the scope of his error: Babylon will one day take all the treasures of the kingdom and his descendants into exile (vs 5–7).
1 Peter 5:8 says, ‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’ Our enemy is the master of disguise and knows better than to prance around with a pitchfork and flashing red eyes, advertising his presence. We need to get wise to his tactics, one of which is to attack when we are most complacent and comfortable, as we can see he did in today’s reading (v 8). There is a reason the church often flourishes under persecution: everyone knows how very badly they need the Lord. We don’t need to make ourselves suffer to grow in spiritual strength and maturity, but we should be mindful that it takes extra effort when life is good.
Respond
Consider where you might be most vulnerable to the devil’s trouble-making and pray for God’s protection.
Deeper Bible study
What leader, missionary or unsung hero from Christian history inspires you the most? Why?
I wish this chapter wasn’t in the Bible. I’ve been so inspired by Hezekiah’s gritty determination to seek God under pressure, but here, a friendly letter and gift from the king of Babylon turns him into a completely different leader: suddenly, it’s more important to him to show off his wealth than to remain faithful to God. Worse, Hezekiah seems nonchalant about the implications of his mistake (v 8). What happened?
The answer is that good times proved to be a stronger temptation for him than bad times, which is a warning to us as well. When life is good, we can become complacent about our walk with God and casual about our need to trust him, which is exactly what our enemy wants. Hezekiah’s error may have been even more serious: his conspicuous hospitality may have been intended to prepare the way for an alliance with Babylon, which was the same mistake as Israel made with Egypt.1 Ironically, a little over a century later it was Babylon who destroyed Jerusalem and took God’s chosen people into exile, just as Isaiah prophesied (vs 5–7). Trusting your security to anything other than God never turns out well.
Today, we don’t like to hear of Christian leaders who have feet of clay, who falter at the end of their ministry careers, but it’s not just leaders who are vulnerable. Every follower of Jesus is susceptible to the spiritual dangers of the good life, especially since the advertising world is hell-bent on convincing us we deserve it. So, we need to make a conscious commitment that, with God’s help, we will finish well. When I worked with Chuck Colson at Prison Fellowship, I liked the little plaque he kept on his desk that read, ‘Faithfulness not success’. I wish Hezekiah had had one of those in his palace.
Pray for the Christian leaders you know today, that God may help them persevere in faithfulness to the end of the race.2
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Amos 1,2; Revelation 6
Pray for Scripture Union
Mission Partner Lightspace in Grantham is thankful for Jennie Fytche, Schools Worker, and asks us to pray that the resources needed will be provided, and that the work will have an impact. Pray too that they will see growth in volunteers, links with churches, the pastoral base and the schools’ worker team.
WordLive Changing Messaging
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From January 2024, Word Live will look a little different as we introduce a new format, but it is our hope and prayer that you will continue to find the content engaging as you delve into scripture and walk with God.
If you’d like to know more about the journey that we have been on that has led to these changes please click here. And if you’d like to know more about our full range of Bible Reading Guides, please click here.
