•Isaiah 39
•One Still Greater
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•1 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 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?” Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” 4 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
(Isaiah 39:1-4, ESV)
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•5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. 7 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”
•(Isaiah 39:5-8, ESV)
•Main Point
•These verses describe what happens after Hezekiah has been healed
• The Babylonians send letters and envoys
• Hezekiah shows them everything he has
• Isaiah confronts Hezekiah with a prophetic statement that in the future Babylon will rule over Judah
•Application Points
•One Still Greater
•The kings after David and Solomon were lackluster at best
•Hezekiah had established the practices God had wanted
•When it comes to the Assyrian threat, Hezekiah was a leader willing and able to stand
•He was just as worried about God being dishonored
•When we find Hezekiah on deaths doorstep, we find him to be a man of faith
•His prayer and psalm show us an individual who believes God is capable of bringing him from death to life
•Application Points
•One Still Greater (2)
•It is interesting right after God does this for Hezekiah this Babylonian envoy arrives
•One can surmise it is because God had granted Hezekiah life that they came at all
•Through that envoy came the declaration from God through Isaiah
•The first lesson is clear, let’s not squander the gifts and blessings God has given us
•If you are talented, strong, have spiritual gifts, why were they given?
•Were they given for you and I could be seen and recognized as the great person we are?
•Application Points
•One Still Greater (3)
•We know that the gifts given were not given just for our own benefit
•They are given and bestowed so that we can glorify God
•Life itself is a gift given to us
•We could have never existed and experienced the wonders, feelings, thoughts, and being of existence
•Hezekiah’s story, is not so different than each of our own
•We may not be ill, or damaged, but the truth is death is a blinking light
•In God’s time each of us will arrive at that blinking light
•Application Points
•One Still Greater (4)
•We also know that though we should face death we know it has no power over those who are in Christ
•This new ife begins the moment we accept His Lordship over us
•Just as Hezekiah was granted life from death, so we are as well
•Instead of rejoicing in God by telling the Babylonians God exists, instead of showing the world the glory of God, Hezekiah showed his own glory
•This is a temptation to take for granted the gifts
•Could there be anything more foolish than this?
•What do have to glory about in the end when our very lives depend on God?
•Application Points
•One Still Greater (5)
•That such a king as Hezekiah was able to fall so quickly…shows us why the ultimate point of Isaiah 1-39 is that there is One greater than all the earthly powers and personal strengths
•The One who is powerful where we are powerless
•We should be thanking God for reminding us of this
•Even the best of us are incapable of reaching the glory of God, for we all fall short
•Hezekiah was great in comparison to the other kings
•Yet in comparison to God he is as small and quaint as the king of Assyria
•Hezekiah is not the one we were hoping for, the one who would bring about the ultimate peace
•Application Points
•One Still Greater (6)
•No there is another, God Himself
•The encouragement from all of this is to look forward from the time of Hezekiah
•Be reminded that no human person alone can truly save us
•If we want to know the way, the path of righteousness, of goodness, of morality, it requires us to acknowledge Him
•“You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16, ESV)
•Let’s not let our light be squandered, but let us seek to give glory to the One who is greater
•Application Points
•The Gospel of Christ
•Origins
•Where we began
•Fall
•What went wrong
•Redemption
•How it is fixed
•Glorification
•Where it at leads
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