Broken Kingdoms: WK4 - FRI
Future Generations - 2 Kings 20:16-19
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord:17 The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 18 Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.”
19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.”
This is a hard one for me. On one side, I totally get Hezekiah’s response to this message from the Lord. Bad things are coming for future generations, but for now, in Hezekiah’s time, it’s going to be ok.
On the other hand, I wonder why Hezekiah didn’t immediately turn to prayer, and lead the people in prayer, like he had done in the past? Why is he ok just to accept their fate now? Is it because he won’t personally experience the fallout? If so, what about the future generations? Isn’t a good leader someone who wants to leave a better world for their children, and hopefully their children’s children?
Maybe Hezekiah was at a point in his life where he was ready to accept any good news. Maybe he was tired. Maybe he was in a season where his prayer life wasn’t what it used to be. Whatever the case, the adage that comes to mind is that as good of a king as Hezekiah was, he wasn’t perfect.
Part of the reason I’ve given much of my life to working with young adults, and certain other ministries, is my own drive to want to hand over a better church to my children and grandchildren. I want them to find the Jesus I found in my 30’s, but much sooner in their lives, in grace-filled communities that are daily engaged in bringing more of heaven to earth. If all I do is try to simply make things better for me, then I feel like I’ve failed at the call of Christ, which is to serve others and make the world better…for them.
So though I can understand Hezekiah, I think he missed an opportunity to once again turn to prayer, and lead his people to their knees. Maybe it would have changed what happened with Babylon, maybe it wouldn’t, but one thing is certain, it would have helped to create another generation that sought God first.
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord:17 The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 18 Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.”
19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.”
This is a hard one for me. On one side, I totally get Hezekiah’s response to this message from the Lord. Bad things are coming for future generations, but for now, in Hezekiah’s time, it’s going to be ok.
On the other hand, I wonder why Hezekiah didn’t immediately turn to prayer, and lead the people in prayer, like he had done in the past? Why is he ok just to accept their fate now? Is it because he won’t personally experience the fallout? If so, what about the future generations? Isn’t a good leader someone who wants to leave a better world for their children, and hopefully their children’s children?
Maybe Hezekiah was at a point in his life where he was ready to accept any good news. Maybe he was tired. Maybe he was in a season where his prayer life wasn’t what it used to be. Whatever the case, the adage that comes to mind is that as good of a king as Hezekiah was, he wasn’t perfect.
Part of the reason I’ve given much of my life to working with young adults, and certain other ministries, is my own drive to want to hand over a better church to my children and grandchildren. I want them to find the Jesus I found in my 30’s, but much sooner in their lives, in grace-filled communities that are daily engaged in bringing more of heaven to earth. If all I do is try to simply make things better for me, then I feel like I’ve failed at the call of Christ, which is to serve others and make the world better…for them.
So though I can understand Hezekiah, I think he missed an opportunity to once again turn to prayer, and lead his people to their knees. Maybe it would have changed what happened with Babylon, maybe it wouldn’t, but one thing is certain, it would have helped to create another generation that sought God first.
- What kind of church would you like to leave for future generations?
- What is something you are doing, or that you could start doing, to help obtain that goal?
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