Series: Questions
Title: What Have They Seen in Thine House?
Text: Isaiah 39: 4-7
Date: June 9, 2019
Place: SGBC, NJ
The next question is
a question to Hezekiah, king of Judah. Let me give you some background. Hezekiah was a child of God; a good king who believed
and served the Lord faithfully. Last
time, we saw Hezekiah on his face asking God to save Judah from the hand of the
king of Assyria—God did just that and God also gave Hezekiah great riches and
honor.
2 Chronicles 32: 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 [the LORD] guided them on every side.
23: And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah
king of Judah: so that [Hezekiah] was magnified in the sight of all nations
from thenceforth…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.
Then Hezekiah got sick unto death. Again, Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD
and the LORD healed him and told him he had 15 more years to live. The LORD even gave Hezekiah a sign—the LORD
made the sun go back ten degrees. (Is
38: 8). Here is our text. We will use 2 Chronicles 32 to get a fuller
picture of what all was taking place.
Isaiah 39: 1: At that
time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a
present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.
2 Chronicles 32: 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 [Hezekiah] might know all that
was in his heart.
Isaiah 39: 2: And
Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things,
the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all
the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was
nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. 3: 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 come from a far country unto me, even
from Babylon. 4: Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah
answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing
among my treasures that I have not shewed them.
2 Chronicles 32: 25: But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the
benefit done unto him; [he did not give God the glory due to God before
the Babylonians] for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon
him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
Isaiah 39: 5: Then
said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6: Behold, the
days come, that ALL that is in THINE house, and that which thy
fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: NOTHING
shall be left, saith the LORD. 7: 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.
2 Chronicles 32: 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.
Isaiah 39: 8: Then
said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast
spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
Question: What Have They Seen
in Thine House?
Proposition: Everything a child
of God has is directly from the hand of the Lord so that we should give God all
the glory in everything—especially before this Babylonian world we live in.
EVERYTHING IS OF GOD
Like Hezekiah and the
children of Judah, everything we have is from God. The LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem from the Assyrians. The
LORD saves his elect from all our enemies.
From our guilt and
the curse of the law:
Galatians 3:13: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being
made a curse for us:…
From the bondage of
our sin-nature:
Romans 7: 24: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? 25: I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 8: 15 For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God:
The LORD guided
Hezekiah and Judah on every side. It is
the LORD who guides our way.
Isaiah 30: 21: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,
This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when
ye turn to the left.
The LORD healed Hezekiah
and gave him 15 more years to live and turned back the sun to give him a sign. The LORD healed us and gave us eternal life
in Christ. God wrought a greater miracle
and a greater sign than Hezekiah—the Sun of righteousness arose on us with
healing in his wings (Mal 4:2).
Scripture says of Hezekiah “God had given him substance
very much.” What about us, brethren.?
Ephesians 3: 8: Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is
this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ
Anything else we
have—everything—comes from God by his free and sovereign grace!
1 Corinthians 4: 7: For who maketh thee to differ from another?
and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
Brethren, what have they
seen in thine house? Are we going to
boast that anything came of our hand?
Brethren, we must always render again to God glory to whom glory is due
Jeremiah 9: 23: Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory
in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not
the rich man glory in his riches: 24: But let him that glorieth glory in
this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which
exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in
these things I delight, saith the LORD.
TRIALS AND THEIR
PURPOSE
God graciously gives
us trials, like he did Hezekiah, to remind us that we are yet sinners. By this God keeps us stayed on Christ rather
than trusting ourselves.
Hezekiah was a child
of God. So like you and I, he had a new
nature created by Christ and an old nature from Adam. After the LORD delivered Hezekiah from death,
he was abased and humble and thankful to the Lord. He said from his new heart,
Isaiah 38: 20: The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will
sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house
of the LORD.
But all it takes is
health, prosperity or honors and we quickly we become puffed up in pride. The LORD left the ambassadors of Babylon to
try him to show Hezekiah what was in his fleshly, old, sinful nature.
The LORD said, “What
said these men?” Did you notice,
Hezekiah did not answer that question? Why? It had something to do with the
fact they came to “enquire of the wonder that was done in the land.” The Babylonians worshipped the sun. Not the S.O.N. They were idolaters. God made the sun go back ten degrees. They
wanted to know about that. If Hezekiah
had said they came to enquire about how the sun went back then the LORD would
have said, “What did you tell them?” Hezekiah apparently did not give
God the glory for doing that miracle! Or
the LORD would have asked, “Why did you let these idolaters in your house at
all?” So Hezekiah skipped that question.
The LORD said, “From
whence came they unto thee?” Listen to the pride. Hezekiah answered, "They are come
from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.” He did not say they came from that cursed land
of Babylon, from a heathen land of idolatrous rebels. He was proud they came all that way just to
see him.
The LORD said, “What
have they seen in thine house?” God
was asking, “Have you declared to them that everything came of God’s hand? Have you told them God is our salvation? Have you declared how God freely saved us by
his grace?”
Brethren, when men
see our stuff: our houses, cars or whatever they admire, do we tell them it
came of God’s hand? Do we use our stuff
to say, “You think that is something, let me tell you about the unsearchable
riches of Christ my Lord?” Or do we say, “All that is in MINE house have
they seen: there is nothing among MY treasures that I have not shewed them?”
This is why the LORD
tried Hezekiah. It is why the LORD tries
us—“that he [Hezekiah] might know all that was in his heart.” Hezekiah was a faithful believer. The LORD said there was none like him. But the LORD left Hezekiah to himself just
enough to show him what was in his heart of flesh, his sinful nature of Adam. And Hezekiah did exactly what you and I will
do if the LORD leaves us to our sinful flesh—“his heart was lifted up!”
Brethren, pride is
our worst enemy! God hates pride! And our flesh is nothing but pride! We are so easily lifted up; so easily put on
a proud look—and God hates a proud look (Pro 6: 16-19) “The heart”—our old sinful nature from
Adam—“is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know
it?” (Jer 17: 9) By God’s grace, through the trial the Lord
shows us we need him to keep us constantly!
THE CHASTENING HAND
The LORD humbles us
by his chastening hand to keep us submitting to Christ. In Chronicles we read that due Hezekiah
failing this trial, “therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and
Jerusalem.” Notice, when Hezekiah was
lifted up in pride, he also led Judah and Jerusalem into pride with him. Brethren remember that we are always leading
someone. God give us grace to lead them
to Christ, not away from him!
So the LORD chastened
Hezekiah and Judah and Jerusalem.
Hezekiah boasted of ALL that was in his house—the Lord said, “ALL
that is in THINE house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until
this day, shall be carried to Babylon” Hezekiah
said, “NOTHING” have they not seen. The
LORD said, “NOTHING shall be left.” Even Hezekiah’s sons would be taken and
made eunuchs by the Babylonians.
Believer, Christ has
borne our curse. God will not judge us
again so as to bring down his fiery wrath upon us. He never casts one off for whom Christ died. But our faithful Father does correct his sons
and daughters because he loves us. (Heb 12)
And God’s chastening always accomplishes his will in his child—"Then
said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken.
He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days” (Is 39:8). The LORD’s hand had humbled
Hezekiah. So we read “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.” (2 Chr 32: 26).
Unlike the scorner, due to the Spirit of God dwelling in a believer, the
LORD makes us submit to the word of the Lord.
“Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he
will love thee” (Pro 9:8). Hezekiah
is not thinking selfishly here; he acknowledges that the peace and truth given
him in his days was by the grace and mercy of God, despite his sin. The Lord never withdrew his lovingkindness
from Hezekiah, nor will he ever remove it from any of his children.
Romans 11: 29: For the gifts and calling of
God are without repentance.
So from all of this, remember:
1) Let us give God all the glory all the time before all!
2) Let us be thankful for the trial: by it we learn never to trust
ourselves, only trust the Lord!
3) Let us be thankful for our heavenly Father’s faithful correction by
which he keeps us partaking of Christ’s Holiness!
After all we see here, the LORD says of Hezekiah, “He trusted in the
LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of
Judah, nor any that were before him.” (2 Kings 18: 5.)
Amen!