Hezekiah has survived three major events in his life:
- His dysfunctional home life
- An attack on Jerusalem by Assyria
- A serious illness that nearly took his life
The fourth event that Hezekiah survives took place shortly after his miraculous healing and involves an ignoble series of events for him.
Historical Note of Interest:
It is possible that Hezekiah’s healing, miraculous sign, and visitors from Babylon preceded the direct assault on Jerusalem by the Assyrians. The primary reason some consider this a possibility is that Hezekiah stripped the palace and Temple of its silver and gold (2 Kings 18:14-16), giving it to the Assyrians as payment in an effort to avert their attack. This would have meant that few of these things would have been available to display (2 Kings 20:13) before the Babylonian entourage when they arrived, if this had occurred after the Assyrian attack.
One possible solution permitting the traditional order of events (Assyrian attack, illness/healing, miraculous sign...then the Babylonian visitors) is possibly found in 2 Chronicles 32:23. After the Assyrians were turned away through God’s intervention, Hezekiah again amassed a significant amount of wealth from gifts that were brought to him. If the Babylonian visit occurred after the Assyrian defeat, these gifts would have had to come to him quickly as the Babylonian King only lived a short time after his ambassadors visited Jerusalem.
Either way, these events (Hezekiah’s illness/healing, miraculous sign, Assyrian attack, Babylonian visit) all occurred in the same year...the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign. It was a very difficult year for the King internationally and personally.
When the emissaries from Babylon arrived in Jerusalem they were bringing well wishes from the King of Babylon after hearing of Hezekiah’s illness. They also had seen and were interested in the sign given to Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 32:31), as the Babylonians were known for their studies of the heavens.
This visit probably involved more than just well wishes and included some kind of attempt to create a confederacy between the two nations to turn back/attack aggressors like Assyria. This aspect of trusting the nations around them for their defense, rather than relying on God alone to defend them was a constant temptation to all Israel.
In the process of showing off his wealth (2 Chronicles 32:27-29), he also gave the Babylonians another reason to later attack and carry away that wealth for themselves. By 586 B.C. Babylon had become the dominant world power and they captured Jerusalem, carrying away its inhabitants into captivity.
God sent Isaiah to confront Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:14-19) about showing the Babylonians the wealth of Jerusalem and to tell him prophetically what would eventually happen to his people, even to some of his own biological descendents.
Hezekiah’s response is both appropriate and confusing, at the same time. By acknowledging that the Word of the Lord is “good” (2 Kings 20:19), he is accepting his guilt for what he did, but the second part of his response is what’s puzzling. Was he saying (selfishly) that he was glad that the ultimate punishment would be averted till he was gone? Or, is he acknowledging his wrong and rejoicing that God has been merciful in not bring the punishment immediately? This is the quandary of his confession.
The phrase, “he said,” is the translation of a Hebrew word that can mean, “to think or say to yourself.” Several translations pick up this idea making this an “under-the-breath” (almost sarcastic) kind of comment from Hezekiah, which clearly would be an indictment against Hezekiah’s confession.
Others point to the overall godly character of Hezekiah and assume that he was genuinely sorry for what he had done and grateful that there would be at least fifteen years (the length his life was extended) before God’s punishment fell upon them. We’ll never know for certain the genuineness of his confession until we get to Heaven.
Having said that, don’t let your confession of sin/failure be called into question and here’s how to avoid it.
WHEN CONFESSING SIN...
1. Acknowledge it quickly.
The smell at an overflowing garbage landfill site became a growing public concern. So workers installed high-pressured deodorant guns to counteract the smell. The cannons could spray several gallons of fragrance a minute over a distance of up to 50 yards across the mounds of putrefying garbage. However, no matter how many gallons of deodorant are sprayed to mask the odorous rubbish, the fragrance will serve only as a coverup until the source of the stench is removed.
- King David tried a coverup as well. After his adultery with Bathsheba, he attempted to use silence, deceit, and piety to mask his moral failures (2 Sam. 11–12).
- Psalm 32:3-5 points out how David felt during that period of guiltiness and the fact that God forgave him when he acknowledged his sin.
2. Own it completely.
- Stop shifting the blaming to other people.
- cf. Genesis 3:8-13
- Don’t include excuses in your confession.
3. Confess it humbly.
- All God asks is that we agree with Him that our sin is SIN!
- David’s confession is the classic prayer of confession.
- cf. Psalm 51:1-17 (notice 51:17)
- cf. 1 John 1:9
4. Restore it fully.
- What you have taken from others you must replace...where possible.
- When you have offend others you must reconcile...where possible.
- “...I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” (Acts 24:16)
5. Forsake it sincerely.
- “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)
- There’s an insincere sorrow you got caught and there’s a sincere sorrow for what you’ve done. They inevitably produce different results!
- “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)
6. Prove it intentionally.
- Don’t run away!
- Don’t hide out!
- Don’t withdraw!
- Prove you’re confession by letting people see it in your life through your transformation.
- Rebuild your testimony and reputation in the presence of the people that knew your sin.
Closing Illustration:
During the first half of 2006, two performing artists named Laura Barnett and Sandra Spannan created an exhibit in a storefront in Manhattan that allowed passers-by to alleviate their guilt.
The two women dressed as 19th century washerwomen and sat in the storefront with one of them underlining the words on the glass—"Air your dirty laundry. 100 percent confidential. Anonymous. Free."— while the other painted. Onlookers were encouraged to write their deepest secrets on pieces of paper. When they had disappeared from sight, the women collected their confessions and displayed it in the window for all to see.
The confessions ranged from slightly humorous to sordid:
- "The hermit crab was still alive when I threw it down the trash shoot."
- "I want to see SUVs explode. Those people are so selfish."
- "I make fun of this one friend behind her back all the time. She just enrages me! But I get freaked out when I think of what she might say about me—I worry this means we're not really friends? Human relationships are infinitely confusing!"
- “I haven’t slept with my husband in a year and I’m about to start an affair.”
- "I haven't yet visited my dead parents' grave."
- I’m dating a married man and getting financial compensation in exchange for the guilt. It pays to be young.
- "New York makes me feel lonely."
Barnett told the New York Times that the women are often overwhelmed by the weight of others' sins: "We go there, and the window is empty, and we're wearing all white. And at the end, the window is full, and we're covered with paint. It's exhausting. Some of those things are really, really sad. And afterwards, I need to take a bath." -- Kathryn Shattuck, "Artists Display Confessions of Passers-By on a 44th Street Storefront," The New York Times (May 6, 2006)
You don’t need to air your dirty laundry on a storefront window, but you do need to confess it to God! Your forgiveness is possible because of the death of Jesus Christ. Apart from His sacrifice on Calvary there was no hope of being released from our guilt and regret. But, Jesus paid the debt of our sins and stands ready to forgive all that come to Him.
“...who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
