The first part of Hezekiah’s ministry is seasoned with humility and wisdom. But success appears to have corrupted him, here’s what he did:
Hezekiah is no dummy. He is able to look into the near future and see danger approaching, so he takes action. He fortifies the city, and plugs the wells outside town. Once the city gates are closed, the people outside will have no access to water. Hezekiah reasons that they will tire of the siege before he runs out of food and water.
But he does one more thing that really turns the tide of the battle. He prays. This isn’t a casual prayer, it’s a desperate plea for help to God. Hezekiah and Isaiah are now both imprisoned within the walls of the city, and if the Lord doesn’t show up and help them, death is certain.
It’s a good reminder to us that this is exactly the sort of situation in which God loves to reveal himself. Impossible situations where human strength cannot carry the day. And on top of that, the enemy was not only insulting Hezekiah and his subjects, they dared to insult God himself. They paid dearly. One morning they woke up and thousands of them were dead, the army withdrew broken and humiliated. Hezekiah was cheered as a hero.
But while Hezekiah handled the crisis very well, he didn’t do so well with success. Pride got a hold of him, and he began to make tactical and spiritual errors. Where he once could do no wrong, he now blundered.
Have you ever prayed that God would allow you to be successful? I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that, but maybe instead we should be praying that God would keep us humble in the event of our success. It’s far worse to be successful and proud than it is to be poor.
faithfully,
PR