(Isaiah 39:1-8)
1 At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah was pleased, and let them see all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the balsam oil, the excellent olive oil, his entire armory, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his realm that Hezekiah did not let them see. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, from Babylon.” 4 Then he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not let them see.”
5 Isaiah then said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of armies, 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when everything that is in your house, and what your fathers have stored up to this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘And some of your sons who will come from you, whom you will father, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
In and for every circumstance, we are to be praying for God's help and guidance. Then with God's wisdom, we can effectively apply and live in His will. As believers, while we are told in 1 Corinthians 13:7 that love "believes all things" (or, to "believe the best" of others), it is important to understand that that means we are not to assume the worst of others, particularly of those we are closest to. Therefore, if and when we hear gossip or a rumor, if it is safe, go to them and ask them about it.
As well, while we are told to be loving, kind and respectful to all people, it is also clear that we are not to trust everyone. For instance, we are told in Matthew 7:15, “beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves".
And we are told in Matthew 18:7, “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes!" Therefore, why would one flaunt what they have, even to close friends and family members? We know that it is wrong to be jealous and covet, so why would we do or say something that would entice someone to sin?
Under the guise of kindness and friendship, Hezekiah decided to show off, which made the entire nation vulnerable to attack. Just because we are a believer and a child of God, does not exempt us from consequences. Our actions can also bring about consequences for generations to come.
So with everything, by continually putting God first in our lives, our humility should keep us from showing off. And by diligently seeking out God's will in every circumstance, our prudence and reliance on God's strength and wisdom will keep us from getting ourselves into trouble, as well as help us foster better relationships with those around us!
(Jeremiah 9:23-24) This is what the Lord says: “Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment