Pride threatens Successful Leaders ~2 Kings 20

2 Kings 20

Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

Text for Study
*2 Kings 20 (2 Kings 20:1-7, 12-21)

Up to Date
The Prophet Elisha had raised the Shunammite woman’s son to life at about 849 BC. Today, the element of our study is Hezekiah’s reign into which we are jumping into the part of his life that he is dying. The actual dates are a little confusing because he reigned alongside his father toward the beginning of his reign and then alongside Manasseh toward the end of his reign. Hezekiah was overall considered a good king as he re-instituted worship of God in Judah, by tearing down the altars and re-initiating the Passover, yet; as today’s study will point out, he had one flaw. Hezekiah appears in our study as being childless, at least at the start of it. He died in 687 BC

Hezekiah, having done all sorts of good things like bringing revival to Judah, and re-establishing the ancient traditions of worship toward God; found himself in a place where he lay dying.

This is an intriguing part of his life as so much mystery surrounds it. Josephus refers to the sickness as distemper and is described by him as being severely discouraged because he had no child to succeed him on the throne.

2 Kings 20:1-11 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. 2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, 3 I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. 4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. 6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. 7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. 8 And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day? 9 And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? 10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. 11 And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.

It is interesting to me how our record of Hezekiah up to this point is that of a good king and by all appearances has a good heart as well, but Isaiah, the Prophet of God comes in to tell him to get ready you are going to die. Hezekiah’s house was not in order.

There were things he needed to take care of so God’s people wouldn’t be left without a leader. There were things he needed to take care of spiritually in his own life before dying.

Was Hezekiah’s Prayer for healing wise? What can we learn from this?
If Hezekiah had died in this initial bout of sickness there would be so much that we wouldn’t know about him. Is it wrong to pray for healing? No, that isn’t even scriptural. Yet, though Hezekiah was considered a good king; there was an underlying character trait that plagued him throughout the latter end of his life. Hezekiah was a proud, selfish man which we see in this passage and others like it. Hezekiah wanted God to remember him for all the good he did during his life and honor him for it.

Do we ever pray that God would remember our works and bless us for our faithfulness? What about asking God to physically bless us because we have been faithful up to now. What would we do with the blessing? Would we honor God with it?

2 Chronicles 32:25 “But Hezekiah rendered not according to the benefit done unto him; therefore his heart was lifted: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.”

Hezekiah did not become a better man for his extension of life, rather he had become focused on himself and how he thought things should be. When he was faced with the destruction of Jerusalem and his actual death, he was pleased that Jerusalem would not be destroyed during his time. Though he had set Jerusalem up for its destruction through his bad choices, he refused to recognize his sin.

Compare 2 Kings 20:3 with the prayer of the publican in Luke 18:9-14 9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

What purpose did putting the figs on the boil serve?

God often chooses to use natural means to bring healing; even Jesus used mud to bring healing to a blind man. But in some other examples in scriptures, God simply spoke and healing came.

It would seem then that God uses natural means when they best suit His purpose. Hezekiah wanted a sign to be sure of God’s promise, he wanted evidence. Might this be the reason why God chose to use figs? We should not depend on a sign or on the medicine to be healed, but God who gave the healing. While figs are very healthy for you, I am not aware of any topical ointment that is made from figs that works on boils or distemper. I think that God wanted this to be clear to Hezekiah, This is my doings, not yours. Hezekiah had seemingly missed the point so far and was focused on all he had done for God rather than what God had done through him. Through this it seems as though God was trying to show him that he, Hezekiah was helpless without God’s help.

Isaiah 42:8 “I am the Lord; that is My name. And My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.”

“What Have They Seen in Thy House?”

2 Kings 20:12-15 12 At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. 14 Then came Isaiah the Prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are from a far country, even from Babylon. 15 And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

The word Letter as used in 2 Kings 20:12 is defined in Hebrew as this:
סֵפֶר çêpher, say'-fer; or (feminine) çiphrâh; (Psalm 56:8 (H9)), from H5608;
properly, writing (the art or a document); by
implication, a book:—bill, book, evidence, × learn(-ed) (-ing), letter, register, scroll.

The word Present as used in 2 Kings 20:13 is defined in Hebrew as this:
מִנְחָה minchâh, min-khaw'; from an unused root meaning to apportion H4503
, i.e. bestow; a donation; euphemistically, tribute; specifically a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary):—gift, oblation, (meat) offering, present, sacrifice.

The word Hearken as used in 2 Kings 20:13 is defined in Hebrew as this:
שָׁמַע shâmaʻ, shaw-mah'; a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.):—× attentively, call (gather) together, × carefully, ×certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, × diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), × indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, × surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.

What weakness did Hezekiah reveal when he showed ambassadors from Babylon all that he had?

Hezekiah revealed that he enjoyed praise even if it came from the heathen. When a king showed his wealth and his treasures to another king from another place, it was usually for the wow factor. This only would breed jealousy and covetousness in the hearts of the visitors as they would go back home and think about it. As Isaiah prophesied to Hezekiah, the king of Babylon would remember this and come back to get it. Most likely the king of Babylon had sent his ambassadors to give a show of joy at Hezekiah’s restored health to actually do a little sleuthing to find out the secrets of the kingdom.

How did God test Hezekiah?
God wanted to confirm where he thought Hezekiah’s heart was so He allowed the ambassadors from Babylon to come test Hezekiah. Hezekiah forgot that everything he had came from God.

Hezekiah had been a successful leader. What are some of the temptations that are unique to successful leaders?

The temptation is there to think of one’s self more highly than he ought to think. Through Hezekiah’s reign the blessing of God had returned to Judah as he obeyed God’s Voice and destroyed the idolatry out of the land.

“Hear The Word of The Lord”

2 Kings 20:16-21 16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord. 17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. 18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days? 20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

After reading this account in 2 Chronicles 32 which is as follows we see things a little differently than we do if we read 2 Kings 20.

2 Chronicles 32:1-33 After these things, and the establishment thereof, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, 3 He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. 4 So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water? 5 Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance. 6 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, 7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. 9 After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, 10 Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem? 11 Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The Lord our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 12 Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it? 13 Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand? 14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand? 15 Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand? 16 And his servants spake yet more against the Lord God, and against his servant Hezekiah. 17 He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand. 18 Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city. 19 And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man. 20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. 21 And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword. 22 Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side. 23 And many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth. 24 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the Lord: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah. 27 And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels; 28 Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks. 29 Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance: for God had given him substance very much. 30 This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. 31 Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. 32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

When the Word of the Lord came to Hezekiah through Isaiah, he found out that God was not pleased with his heart’s condition and that because of his sin, Jerusalem would be destroyed even if it would not be during his time. Hezekiah responded by saying “Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?” Hezekiah didn’t seem to catch on very fast. His words just oozed of selfishness as if he had a no-care attitude toward the suffering the Israelites would suffer due to his sin. As long as he escaped he thought, but he goes down in history as a good king turned selfish.

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