And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD.
This word comes in the account after God raised Hezekiah from sickness and extended his life. It introduces Isaiah's word from the Lord to Hezekiah after Hezekiah showed the Babylonian ambassadors, envoys and visitors the treasures, riches, resources and advantages of his house and kingdom. That display included God's house and the temple's sacred treasures. It was the showing of the Lord's riches to Babylonian visitors.
God left Hezekiah to himself in this display to test and reveal what was in his heart. The test exposed pride and self-exaltation. Hezekiah wrongly thought that displaying his wealth and advantages would gain him influence with his visitors. He expected the display to gain influence, but the ambassadors left planning how to take those advantages for themselves.
By displaying his possessions Hezekiah began to betray his trust and invited Babylon to plunder them. The disclosure was a grave sin, and the Lord pronounced judgment upon it. The episode shows the sin and danger of exposing one's prosperity to the enemy. It warns against pride and using God's resources for self-exaltation. Trusting and joining with unbelievers instead of relying on God brings loss of God's favor and harms those under one's care.
The incident illustrates the harm caused by exposing an institution's affairs to outsiders. It warns against exposing the church's troubles and weaknesses to hostile outsiders. It illustrates the harm of exposing the Sanitarium's books and affairs to outsiders.
This word comes in the account after God raised Hezekiah from sickness and extended his life. It introduces Isaiah's word from the Lord to Hezekiah after Hezekiah showed the Babylonian ambassadors, envoys and visitors the treasures, riches, resources and advantages of his house and kingdom. That display included God's house and the temple's sacred treasures. It was the showing of the Lord's riches to Babylonian visitors.
God left Hezekiah to himself in this display to test and reveal what was in his heart. The test exposed pride and self-exaltation. Hezekiah wrongly thought that displaying his wealth and advantages would gain him influence with his visitors. He expected the display to gain influence, but the ambassadors left planning how to take those advantages for themselves.
By displaying his possessions Hezekiah began to betray his trust and invited Babylon to plunder them. The disclosure was a grave sin, and the Lord pronounced judgment upon it. The episode shows the sin and danger of exposing one's prosperity to the enemy. It warns against pride and using God's resources for self-exaltation. Trusting and joining with unbelievers instead of relying on God brings loss of God's favor and harms those under one's care.
The incident illustrates the harm caused by exposing an institution's affairs to outsiders. It warns against exposing the church's troubles and weaknesses to hostile outsiders. It illustrates the harm of exposing the Sanitarium's books and affairs to outsiders.