Isaiah 39:1-8: a reflection

1At that time, Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick, and had recovered. 2Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah didn’t show them. 3Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and asked him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come from a country far from me, even from Babylon.” 4Then he asked, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.” 5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of Armies: 6‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up until today, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the LORD. 7‘They will take away your sons who will issue from you, whom you shall father, and they will be eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.’” 8Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The LORD’s word which you have spoken is good.” He said moreover, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”

When envoys from Babylon come to visit the recovered King Hezekiah, he proudly shows them everything: all his treasures, his silver and gold, his spices and armor, all that was in his house and dominion. Hezekiah was pleased with them, the account says, and showed them all his precious things; there was nothing that he didn't show them. His pride in his possessions and glory led him to display them all before these foreign visitors; and this proud display, this showing off of all he had, proved to be a fault, for Isaiah then foretold that all of it would one day be carried off to Babylon. The proud showing off of our possessions and achievements can be a fault, a vanity that seeks to impress, that glories in what we have. Hezekiah's proud display of his treasures was a fault. Pride that shows off our possessions and glory is a vanity to guard against. To show off what we have, proud of our possessions, is a fault. The proud display of our treasures is a vanity. Showing off our glory is a pride to guard against.

Notice Hezekiah's fault: pride that showed off all his treasures. When the Babylonian envoys came, Hezekiah, pleased and proud, displayed to them everything he had, his treasures, his wealth, his armor, holding nothing back, eager to impress them with all his glory. This proud showing off of his possessions was a fault, a vanity; and it had consequences, for what he had so proudly displayed would be carried away. There is a warning here against the pride that shows off our possessions and achievements, that displays all we have to impress others, that glories in our own treasures and glory. Such proud display is a vanity, a seeking after the admiration of others, a glorying in what we have rather than in God. We can be tempted, like Hezekiah, to show off our possessions, our achievements, our glory, to impress others and bask in their admiration; but this is a pride to guard against. To glory in showing off what we have is a vanity that seeks the wrong glory. The proud display of our treasures and achievements is a fault worth guarding against. Showing off our glory seeks admiration rather than honoring God. Pride that displays what we have is a vanity.

That is worth taking to heart, for the pride that shows off our possessions and achievements is a fault, a vanity to guard against. We can be tempted to show off our possessions, our achievements, our glory, eager to impress others and bask in their admiration, as Hezekiah proudly displayed all his treasures; but this proud display is a vanity, and it was a fault in Hezekiah. To glory in showing off what we have is a pride to guard against. Do not show off your possessions and achievements out of pride, eager to impress; guard against the vanity that displays all we have to seek admiration, as Hezekiah's proud display was a fault. Guard against the pride that shows off your possessions and achievements to impress others and bask in their admiration, as Hezekiah, pleased and proud, displayed all his treasures to the Babylonian envoys, holding nothing back, and it proved a fault; for the proud display of what we have, our possessions, wealth, and glory, is a vanity that seeks the admiration of others and glories in ourselves rather than honoring God, so that we do well to guard against the temptation to show off our treasures and achievements out of pride, and to seek not the glory of impressing others with what we have but to hold our possessions humbly, giving God the glory rather than displaying our own.

Lord, when envoys from Babylon come to visit the recovered King Hezekiah, he proudly shows them everything: all his treasures, his silver and gold, his spices and armor, all that was in his house and dominion. Hezekiah was pleased with them, the account says, and showed them all his precious things; there was nothing that he didn't show them. His pride in his possessions and glory led him to display them all before these foreign visitors; and this proud display, this showing off of all he had, proved to be a fault, for Isaiah then foretold that all of it would one day be carried off to Babylon. The proud showing off of our possessions and achievements can be a fault. Show me Hezekiah's fault: pride that showed off all his treasures. When the Babylonian envoys came, Hezekiah, pleased and proud, displayed to them everything he had, eager to impress them with all his glory. This proud showing off was a fault, a vanity; and it had consequences. There is a warning here against the pride that shows off our possessions and achievements, that displays all we have to impress others. Such proud display is a vanity, a seeking after the admiration of others, a glorying in what we have rather than in you. I can be tempted, like Hezekiah, to show off my possessions, my achievements, my glory, to impress others; but this is a pride to guard against. Take that to my heart, for the pride that shows off my possessions and achievements is a fault, a vanity to guard against. I can be tempted to show off my possessions, my achievements, my glory, eager to impress others and bask in their admiration, as Hezekiah displayed all his treasures; but this proud display is a vanity, and it was a fault in Hezekiah. Keep me from showing off my possessions and achievements out of pride, eager to impress; help me guard against that vanity, Lord, holding what I have humbly and giving you the glory rather than displaying my own, as Hezekiah's proud display proved a fault.