007: David Collister - Exhortation: Lessons from Hezekiah

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Hello, and welcome to the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast. I'm Levi. This week we're going in a little bit of a different direction. We've been really excited to share good talks every week, but we wanted to include exhortations as well, not only 45 to 60 minute lectures, you know, out of a series or from a Bible school or anything. We have shared some examples of some great and well-known, or really, you know, well-traveled lecturers in our community, but we also wanted to highlight the, I guess, lesser-known brethren in our community. It is one of the most beautiful parts of our ecclesias that we have no paid clergy, and as it says in Romans 2, we are not respecters of persons. We're all getting paid the same amount to give these talks or exhortations.

2. 0:55

   Brother David Collister from Verdugo Hills, California, delivered a really well-thought-out and encouraging exhort. He takes three lessons from the life of Hezekiah and asks us to consider how we want to be remembered by other men, but much more importantly, by our God. I think you'll really enjoy this. This exhort was a suggestion from a listener and was delivered only a few weeks ago, and as we say over and over, we really appreciate these suggestions. Keep them coming. We do include most of these on the show. So, here's David Collister, Lessons from Hezekiah.

3. 1:35

   I have a question, kind of a teaser question to get started this morning. What do you want people to remember about you? And maybe more importantly, what do you want God to remember about you? I wondered if we were written into the pages of the Bible, what would be written about us? What would God cause to be written about us? It's a good question, isn't it? Makes us wonder a little bit. I think I would have very, very few verses, if any. In fact, a lot of the kings of Israel and Judah only got a few verses, a couple verses, and summed up their whole life in just a very, very short space. So, I wonder what I would have to be written about in the Bible.

4. 2:33

   But there is a particular king that we're going to think about this morning that had quite a bit written about him, and I'm talking about King Hezekiah. We're going to be visiting his life again in a few days down the road. I think about 10 days from now, we'll be reading the story of Hezekiah.

5. 2:51

   Does anyone know how many times his story appears? Three. Three times. That's right. So, and it's not just a few verses each time, is it? It's quite a few verses, several chapters. And so, actually, what's interesting to me is, on a Sunday morning, how often the themes come together and ideas come together. There were two particular things that were said during Sunday school this morning. And the first one has to do with what I'm going to talk about right now. When God causes a lot to be written about a person, for example, he repeats something. It's something that we need to take notice of. And when he causes several chapters to be written about a person three times, he obviously wants us to take note of that.

6. 3:45

   So, Hezekiah came from a line of kings in Judah, which were generally good, as you go back over them. However, his father Ahaz was extremely evil. He established all kinds of idolatry in Judah, and he closed the house of the Lord. And so, Hezekiah had a very bad example in his father. Hezekiah was 25 years old when he began to reign. And he, on the other hand, as we know, did a lot of good. And he did right in the sight of the Lord. Now, you may want to get a marker ready because we're going to go back and forth between Chronicles and Kings because there are certain details that come out in one that aren't in the other. So, we're going to use both. And we're going to take some examples and lessons from the life of Hezekiah that will be our exhortation this morning.

7. 4:43

   So, let's start in 2 Chronicles 29. 2 Chronicles 29. And we'll start in verse 2. There's a very interesting little detail. Let's see if you catch it as we read this verse. So, talking about Hezekiah, verse 2, And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.

8. 5:18

   Did you notice a little detail there? Who was his father? Well, it says David, doesn't it? His father was actually Ahaz, but it says David. Interestingly enough, it says this of very few kings. Think through in your mind if you can think of any other kings that it says this of. There's one obvious example.

9. 5:44

   It's Solomon. So, early in his reign, obviously, Solomon was on the right track. And his father was literally David. But there are several other kings besides Hezekiah that it says this of. Let's see if you get these ones. Asa. Anyone get that one? Yeah.

10. 6:04

    Josiah. Kind of an obvious one, right? Jehoshaphat, interestingly enough. And the Lord Jesus. So, those are other kings of whom it was said their father was David. And I think that's an important detail, as we'll see as we go through the exhortation this morning. In verse 3 of the same chapter, notice what he did.

11. 6:33

    In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. So, he didn't waste any time. So, he didn't waste any time, did he? The first year, the first month, he got right to it. And he opened up the doors of the house of the Lord that his father had closed.

12. 6:52

    And he rebuilt them. Then, the rest of this chapter and chapters 30 and 31, we have the account of how he reestablished worship of the Lord in Judah. And he celebrated the Passover. Then, in chapter 32, we have the account of Sennacherib's attack on Jerusalem. Do you all remember that? Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came against Jerusalem and attacked.

13. 7:23

    I think it's very difficult for us, living in our Western society here in Southern California, in a safe environment, let's say, where we can walk out on the street and we can feel relatively safe for the most part. The terror of looking out of a city wall and seeing an army outside and knowing how brutal this army was, because the Assyrians were extremely brutal, as we know from history, and wondering how we could ever be saved from that.

14. 8:01

    That was a very real terror. And we don't feel that terror very often in our lives. But that's what Hezekiah and those of Jerusalem were feeling at that time. Very, very difficult test that they went through. And here we really see Hezekiah's faith in his God. And so the first lesson I would like to take from the life of Hezekiah is, don't blame our upbringing or our circumstances for what we are or who we are in our life.

15. 8:40

    And this is something that, unfortunately, in the country we live in is very, very common. This society teaches us that we're not to blame for who we are, because it's something in our upbringing or it's something in our environment that caused this. But Hezekiah didn't use that as an excuse. He had a terrible example in his father, and yet he didn't follow that.

16. 9:06

    He followed the example of his father, David. That was his real father in terms of his spiritual life. There's lots of other examples in the scripture of people who did right in spite of their circumstances or their upbringing or their parents. One that sprang to my mind right away, and it may have sprung to your mind also, were the children of Korah, for example, who are commended in Numbers chapter 26 for not going after their father in his sin and his rebellion.

17. 9:45

    And they became gatekeepers in the house of the Lord. And there's psalms written by them and for them in the book of Psalms. And there's other examples we could quote. And so we need to follow in the footsteps of the greater son of David, Jesus, just as Hezekiah followed the footsteps of his father, David.

18. 10:11

    Another interesting point, and this is a little bit of a tangent, but you may have noticed how many times when the kings of Israel and Judah are talked about that their mother is mentioned. And it's worthwhile saying that a mother can be a very strong influence in the life of her children. And so that's something to say for all of the mothers how important their job is in the upbringing of the little ones.

19. 10:41

    And, of course, the fathers are also. But I'm sure in Hezekiah's time, the fathers, if they were kings, were very tied up in their lives governing the nation and maybe didn't have as much time with their children as the mothers, especially in the case of several mothers, which some of these kings did have.

20. 11:04

    Not the ideal, obviously. Obviously, several wives, I should say, a lot of these kings had. So each of those wives may have had children. So it's interesting to me that that's mentioned.

21. 11:19

    Now, after God saved Jerusalem from the Assyrians, Hezekiah became ill. And so now we're going to go to 2 Kings 20 for another detail. 2 Kings 20. And we'll read the first six verses of 2 Kings 20.

22. 11:43

    Verse 1. And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And it happened before Isaiah was gone out into the middle court that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Return and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears.

23. 12:31

    Surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, and I will add to your days 15 years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.

24. 12:52

    So God adds 15 years to his life, and he says he's going to save the city from the Assyrians. I'm not sure if it's always a good thing to know how many more years you have of your life. I don't know if I'd want to know that. I don't know if I'd want to know what is coming in the future either.

25. 13:14

    I think it might be easy if I had an extra 15 years and I knew exactly how long it was to get a bit complacent and think, I've got time. I can enjoy myself a little now, and then I can pull it all together before the end. And I wonder if that's what happened to Hezekiah.

26. 13:39

    Let's go back to 2 Chronicles now, but like I say, keep a marker here because we are going to come back to it. So now back to 2 Chronicles, and we are in chapter 32. 2 Chronicles 32.

27. 13:59

    Notice what happened after Hezekiah's life is extended. Verses 24 to 26. So a bit of a reiteration. Verse 24. In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death, and he prayed to the Lord, and he spoke to him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up.

28. 14:27

    Therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart. He and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah. So it tells us his heart was lifted up. He became proud.

29. 14:51

    The account assures us that he did repent, but it doesn't really say what this entailed and how long his heart was lifted up. And I wonder about that myself because now we go back to 2 Kings chapter 20. So back to 2 Kings chapter 20. And we're going to read verses 12 through 19.

30. 15:19

    Just follow this account. 2 Kings 20 verse 12. At that time, Berodak Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah was attentive to them and showed them all 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.

31. 15:49

    There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. Sounds like he was a bit proud of it, doesn't it? Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and said to him, What did these men say? And from where did they come to you? So Hezekiah said, They came from a far country, from Babylon.

32. 16:09

    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 did not show them. Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord. Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and what your fathers have accumulated until this day shall be carried away to Babylon.

33. 16:32

    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, Will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?

34. 16:52

    That's an interesting response too. So, this problem of Hezekiah's pride was going to bring problems for his children. His children were going to suffer because of this.

35. 17:12

    And now let's go to 2 Chronicles chapter 32 and verses 27 to 31. Sorry, we're flipping back and forth, but like I say, certain details are filled in in one or the other. So, 2 Chronicles chapter 32, verse 27. Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items, storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine and oil, and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and folds for flocks.

36. 17:55

    Moreover, he provided cities for himself and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very much property. This same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of upper Gihon and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the city of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works. However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him in order to test him that he might know all that was in his heart.

37. 18:30

    Now, the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his goodness, indeed, 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. And we have both of those other accounts in our scriptures. Some interesting things in this account. First of all, verse 29, God gave him all of these riches.

38. 18:57

    The second thing is that we learn that God withdrew to watch what he did when those men came. It was really a test to see what was in his heart. And what was in his heart at that time is, look at all my riches. Not so much, look at what God did by saving me from the Assyrians.

39. 19:23

    That's interesting. And it's exactly what was said about him. His heart was lifted up. And so our second lesson from Hezekiah, be careful about our attitude towards our possessions, the talents that we've been given, abilities that we've been blessed with. God sometimes watches us to see how we use those things and if we try to use them in his service, just like he did for Hezekiah.

40. 19:58

    So our attitude towards these things is very important. We need to recognize that God gives us our abilities and He gives us the ability to earn money, let's say, to buy the things we have need of. All of that is in His hands and we need to continue to recognize that. Just as Hezekiah slipped up at one point in his life.

41. 20:19

    And of course, we know he did come back. He did humble himself. And so that's a word of comfort to us that even when we slip, we can still come back. And there's forgiveness. But we do need to be careful about how we consider our possessions and our abilities that we've been given.

42. 20:39

    We always need to ask ourselves, is there more that I could do to use my abilities and my possessions in service to God? And so, Hezekiah died after those 15 years and let's go to the end of chapter 32 of 2 Chronicles, verses 32 through the end and then the first verse of chapter 33.

43. 21:04

    Now, the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and the goodness, indeed, 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. So Hezekiah rested with his fathers and they buried him in the upper tombs of the sons of David and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death.

44. 21:25

    Then Manasseh, his son, reigned in his place and how old was Manasseh? Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king and he reigned 55 years in Jerusalem. 12 years old, very interesting. So he was born after Hezekiah was given that additional 15 years. My question, and it's never explained in the scriptures, is was Manasseh influenced by his father's pride?

45. 21:55

    We won't know by reading the scriptures because it really doesn't tell us and we don't know how long Hezekiah's heart was lifted up but for whatever reason, Manasseh was a very, very evil king and he didn't follow in the footsteps and the example of his father, Manasseh. This is another thing that interestingly enough came up in the Sunday school class this morning.

46. 22:24

    We need to be careful about the example we're giving to others, especially our children but even if we don't have children or even if we do to those around us because there's always somebody who's watching us, watching us as an example to see what we allow in our lives and what we do in our lives and sometimes that becomes an excuse to other people, unfortunately, because it's easy to look at others and say, oh well, he does that so I guess it's okay for me to do that as well and it might not be the best thing for everybody.

47. 23:01

    So we need to be careful of the example that we're setting and as I say, we don't really know whether Hezekiah's example of pride influenced his son Manasseh to the negative but he was definitely remembered for that prideful incident and it is written up as a warning to all of us. And so, let's consider these lessons from Hezekiah's life.

48. 23:31

    Number one, we need to take responsibility for our actions and not blame anyone else when we do something wrong or we fall into sin. It's nobody else's fault but our own. Number two, we need to recognize that our possessions, our abilities, talents come from God and we should use them in His service.

49. 23:55

    And number three, we need to be careful about the example that we give our children and to those around us. And now, we're going to take the bread and the wine and we're going to remember Jesus Christ. We remember that He was able to do the will of His Father in every aspect of His life throughout His entire life up to the point of giving His life as a sacrifice.

50. 24:21

    We pray that these reminders may help us to put these lessons from Hezekiah into practice and as he followed in the footsteps of His Father David, we may follow in the footsteps of the greater Son of David, Jesus Christ, a little better each day as we await His return. Thank you.

51. 24:44

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52. 25:07

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53. 25:31

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