June 17, 2024
“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 safety be in my days?” 2 Kings 20:19
At first glance, the answer seems clear. Peace and safety are ideal. Isaiah told King Hezekiah that God promised him that he would have peace and safety for the rest of his life. What a wonderful promise from God. Who wouldn’t want to receive the same promise?
If you examine this more closely, this response from the good King becomes even more disappointing and confusing. Isaiah simply told the king that his sons would be taken into captivity and made eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon, verse 18. Eunuchs? Did he not care that this would happen to his sons? He also said that all the treasures of the temple of God in Jerusalem would be taken to Babylon. But Hezekiah, because of his faithfulness, will not see any of this. How could such a good King, and there were very few good Kings in Israel and Judah, be so self-centered and selfish? Did he not care about his sons? Did he not care that the people of Jerusalem would be sacked by the Babylonians?
The King had an opportunity to change things, but apparently, he didn’t care much about those who were to follow him. God had given Hezekiah a promise to extend his life by 15 years. Knowing that, why didn’t he prepare the next King—one of his sons—for leadership? His son Manasseh took over when he was only 12 years old after King Hezekiah had died. Was there no other godly option? Why Manasseh? Did the King not know his son? Did he do anything to prepare him for the position before he died? He knew he only had a few years left before his death.
You will recall that Manasseh became one of the most wicked kings to ever rule the Kingdom of Judah. He led the people into idol worship and the shedding of innocent blood, among many other sinful practices. It certainly doesn’t seem that King Hezekiah spent his last 15 years raising a godly son to succeed him, does it? It looks like he squandered his most precious legacy. It appears that he was only interested in his own pleasure and happiness. What a tragedy. Maybe Hezekiah was so focused on the duties of running the nation that he neglected his most sacred and vital responsibility: preparing the next king to rule in Judah.
I do not know how else to interpret this passage of scripture. It also reminds me of how our nation is being run. Our leaders are so focused on their own happiness and well-being that they are clearly neglecting the future of their children and grandchildren, as well as all of us. What if their children will be taken to ‘Babylon’ as slaves and their sons made eunuchs for the King of Babylon? If you listen closely, you can almost hear our leaders saying, “Is it not good if peace and safety be in my days?”
How will our 35 trillion-dollar debt ever be paid off? How long before other nations stop buying our debt? When will our leaders get our fiscal house in order? When will we stop spending more than we earn? When will our leaders care more about the lower and middle classes in the USA? When will they cease inciting foreign wars? Will our leaders ever stop the madness and return to God? When will they be motivated by a legacy that goes beyond themselves?
How many of us ordinary people are like Hezekiah? It seems many parents are only concerned about “peace and safety in their days.” Many of us, including Christians, appear to focus only on the present and not the hereafter. The next generation of leaders needs more mentorship and nurturing than just education. They require godly mentors to guide them in leading God’s way. They need us to show them what it means to be a child of God. That is a legacy worth living and dying for, isn’t it? Let us learn from the tragedies of Hezekiah and Manasseh.
In conclusion, we cannot give what we do not have. To provide our loved ones and friends with a spiritual legacy, we must first walk closely with God. Then, they must become a top priority in our lives. This has been and remains one of my main priorities in retirement. What does it profit a man or woman to gain the whole world but lose their soul? What does it profit a Christian to have peace in their day but lose their most precious loved ones?
