Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWhat Have They Seen?
Bible TextIsaiah 39:1-7
Synopsis Everything a child of God has is directly from the hand of the Lord so that we should give God all the glory in everything—especially before this Babylonian world we live in. Listen
Date09-Jun-2019
Series Sincere Questions
Article Type Sermon Notes
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: What Have They Seen? (32 kbps)
Audio CD Quality Listen: What Have They Seen? (128 kbps)
Length 36 min.
 

Series: Questions

Title: What Have They Seen in Thine House?

Text: Isaiah 39: 4-7

Date: June 9, 2019

Place: SGBC, NJ

 

The next question is a question to Hezekiah, king of Judah. Let me give you some background.  Hezekiah was a child of God; a good king who believed and served the Lord faithfully.   Last time, we saw Hezekiah on his face asking God to save Judah from the hand of the king of Assyria—God did just that and God also gave Hezekiah great riches and honor.

 

2 Chronicles 32: 22: Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and [the LORD] guided them on every side. 23: And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that [Hezekiah] was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth…27: And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels; 28: Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks. 29: Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance: for God had given him substance very much.

 

Then Hezekiah got sick unto death. Again, Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD and the LORD healed him and told him he had 15 more years to live.  The LORD even gave Hezekiah a sign—the LORD made the sun go back ten degrees.  (Is 38: 8).  Here is our text.  We will use 2 Chronicles 32 to get a fuller picture of what all was taking place.

 

Isaiah 39: 1: At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.

 

2 Chronicles 32: 31: Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he [Hezekiah] might know all that was in his heart.

 

Isaiah 39: 2: And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.  3: Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. 4: Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

 

2 Chronicles 32: 25: But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; [he did not give God the glory due to God before the Babylonians] for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

 

Isaiah 39: 5: Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6: Behold, the days come, that ALL that is in THINE house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: NOTHING shall be left, saith the LORD. 7: And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

 

2 Chronicles 32: 26: Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

 

Isaiah 39: 8: Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

 

Question: What Have They Seen in Thine House?

 

Proposition: Everything a child of God has is directly from the hand of the Lord so that we should give God all the glory in everything—especially before this Babylonian world we live in.

 

EVERYTHING IS OF GOD

 

Like Hezekiah and the children of Judah, everything we have is from God.  The LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the Assyrians.  The LORD saves his elect from all our enemies.

 

From our guilt and the curse of the law:

 

Galatians 3:13: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:…

 

From the bondage of our sin-nature:

 

Romans 7: 24: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25: I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Romans 8: 15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

 

The LORD guided Hezekiah and Judah on every side.  It is the LORD who guides our way.

 

Isaiah 30: 21: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

 

The LORD healed Hezekiah and gave him 15 more years to live and turned back the sun to give him a sign.  The LORD healed us and gave us eternal life in Christ.  God wrought a greater miracle and a greater sign than Hezekiah—the Sun of righteousness arose on us with healing in his wings (Mal 4:2).

 

 Scripture says of Hezekiah “God had given him substance very much.”  What about us, brethren.?

 

Ephesians 3: 8: Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ

 

Anything else we have—everything—comes from God by his free and sovereign grace!

 

1 Corinthians 4: 7: For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

 

Brethren, what have they seen in thine house?  Are we going to boast that anything came of our hand?  Brethren, we must always render again to God glory to whom glory is due

 

Jeremiah 9: 23: Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

 

TRIALS AND THEIR PURPOSE

 

God graciously gives us trials, like he did Hezekiah, to remind us that we are yet sinners.  By this God keeps us stayed on Christ rather than trusting ourselves.

 

Hezekiah was a child of God.  So like you and I, he had a new nature created by Christ and an old nature from Adam.  After the LORD delivered Hezekiah from death, he was abased and humble and thankful to the Lord.  He said from his new heart,

 

Isaiah 38: 20: The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

 

But all it takes is health, prosperity or honors and we quickly we become puffed up in pride.  The LORD left the ambassadors of Babylon to try him to show Hezekiah what was in his fleshly, old, sinful nature. 

 

The LORD said, “What said these men?”  Did you notice, Hezekiah did not answer that question? Why? It had something to do with the fact they came to “enquire of the wonder that was done in the land.”  The Babylonians worshipped the sun.  Not the S.O.N.  They were idolaters.  God made the sun go back ten degrees. They wanted to know about that.  If Hezekiah had said they came to enquire about how the sun went back then the LORD would have said, “What did you tell them?” Hezekiah apparently did not give God the glory for doing that miracle!  Or the LORD would have asked, “Why did you let these idolaters in your house at all?” So Hezekiah skipped that question.

 

The LORD said, “From whence came they unto thee?” Listen to the pride.  Hezekiah answered, "They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.”  He did not say they came from that cursed land of Babylon, from a heathen land of idolatrous rebels.  He was proud they came all that way just to see him.

 

The LORD said, “What have they seen in thine house?”  God was asking, “Have you declared to them that everything came of God’s hand?  Have you told them God is our salvation?  Have you declared how God freely saved us by his grace?”

 

Brethren, when men see our stuff: our houses, cars or whatever they admire, do we tell them it came of God’s hand?  Do we use our stuff to say, “You think that is something, let me tell you about the unsearchable riches of Christ my Lord?” Or do we say, “All that is in MINE house have they seen: there is nothing among MY treasures that I have not shewed them?”

 

This is why the LORD tried Hezekiah.  It is why the LORD tries us—“that he [Hezekiah] might know all that was in his heart.”  Hezekiah was a faithful believer.  The LORD said there was none like him.  But the LORD left Hezekiah to himself just enough to show him what was in his heart of flesh, his sinful nature of Adam.  And Hezekiah did exactly what you and I will do if the LORD leaves us to our sinful flesh—“his heart was lifted up!”

 

Brethren, pride is our worst enemy!  God hates pride!  And our flesh is nothing but pride!   We are so easily lifted up; so easily put on a proud look—and God hates a proud look (Pro 6: 16-19)  “The heart”—our old sinful nature from Adam—“is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”  (Jer 17: 9)  By God’s grace, through the trial the Lord shows us we need him to keep us constantly!

 

THE CHASTENING HAND

 

The LORD humbles us by his chastening hand to keep us submitting to Christ.  In Chronicles we read that due Hezekiah failing this trial, “therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.”  Notice, when Hezekiah was lifted up in pride, he also led Judah and Jerusalem into pride with him.  Brethren remember that we are always leading someone.  God give us grace to lead them to Christ, not away from him!

 

So the LORD chastened Hezekiah and Judah and Jerusalem.  Hezekiah boasted of ALL that was in his house—the Lord said, “ALL that is in THINE house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon”  Hezekiah said, “NOTHING” have they not seen.  The LORD said, “NOTHING shall be left.”  Even Hezekiah’s sons would be taken and made eunuchs by the Babylonians.

 

Believer, Christ has borne our curse.  God will not judge us again so as to bring down his fiery wrath upon us.  He never casts one off for whom Christ died.  But our faithful Father does correct his sons and daughters because he loves us. (Heb 12)  And God’s chastening always accomplishes his will in his child—"Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days” (Is 39:8).  The LORD’s hand had humbled Hezekiah.  So we read “Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.” (2 Chr 32: 26).

 

Unlike the scorner, due to the Spirit of God dwelling in a believer, the LORD makes us submit to the word of the Lord.  “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee” (Pro 9:8).  Hezekiah is not thinking selfishly here; he acknowledges that the peace and truth given him in his days was by the grace and mercy of God, despite his sin.  The Lord never withdrew his lovingkindness from Hezekiah, nor will he ever remove it from any of his children.

 

Romans 11: 29: For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

 

So from all of this, remember:

 

1) Let us give God all the glory all the time before all!

 

2) Let us be thankful for the trial: by it we learn never to trust ourselves, only trust the Lord!

 

3) Let us be thankful for our heavenly Father’s faithful correction by which he keeps us partaking of Christ’s Holiness!

 

After all we see here, the LORD says of Hezekiah, “He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.” (2 Kings 18: 5.)

 

Amen!