As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. (Proverbs 26:2 [KJV])
In the creation of the world, God set the principles by which all things operate. This is known as the seed principle or sowing and reaping.
And he said, “Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? [It is] like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it”.
(Mark 4:30-32 [KJV])
Being familiar with mustard seeds, and how tiny they are, it is no small wonder that a mustard seed cast into a field, competes against so many other plants until it outgrows the others. Only a God of wonders could invest the mustard with such vitalizing power to withstand all obstacles it faces and rise above it all, thus achieving its full potential.
So amidst evil, God wants his people to bud, blossom and bloom and bring forth fruit to His glory. “And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds”. (Numbers 17:7-8 [KJV])
In the lives of most people, the decisions they make early often fashion the outcome of their life. This is sowing and reaping. While individuals form groups and groups form nations, this dynamic rarely changes. Often the decision of one or a few affect a whole nation. As nations, many of the leaders are elected. Those who are seeking offices and those that elect them pay little attention to what matters most in the individual. Character, is often overlooked, yet it is one of the most essential aspects of one’s life. Remember, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin [is] a reproach to any people”.
(Proverbs 14:34 [KJV])
The life of Hezekiah presented to us a wonderful lesson. Hezekiah was the son of A’haz, a wicked king, who practiced wickedness. See (2 Chronicles 28:19-25). Thus as a legacy, Hezekiah saw and received wickedness. Hezekiah, having seen what his father did chose a different path. The scripture record of Him in the early years as king is such; “Hezekiah began to reign [when he was] five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name [was] Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done”. (2 Chronicles 29:1-2 [KJV])
He had a very prosperous reign, a life that he should be thankful for.
See 2 Chronicles, chapters 29-32. In his days Isaiah was the prophet, and we read;
“In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done [that which is] good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years”. (Isaiah 38:1-8 [KJV])
Being a very successful king, news of his sickness spread far and wide. In granting him fifteen years and the miracle of the sundial going back ten degrees, the Babylonians heard and came to inquire. With the miracle fresh in his mind, one would think he would lift up the God of Heaven, but no; he showed all the gold and silver in his kingdom. Thus; “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. 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. Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 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. 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. (Isaiah 39:3-7 [KJV])
The actions of Hezekiah started a chain of circumstances which caused the house of Judah to go into captivity. Daniel and his companions, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and all that came from that family, down to Zedekiah, the last king of Judah.
In pleading for his life, Hezekiah suggested that God was not fair and that God did not know what was best. God gave him his desire, but showed what was in his heart.
“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 might know all [that was] in his heart”. (2 Chronicles 32:31 [KJV])
Hezekiah had a son born in the third year of that probationary time. The outworking of Manasseh’s life testified that Hezekiah not only failed concerning the ambassador, but as a father. It is amazing that a son born at that time knowing what has been done to his father could practice such wickedness. “Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, [and] hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which [were] before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I [am] bringing [such] evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as [a man] wipeth a dish, wiping [it], and turning [it] upside down”.
(2 Kings 21:11-13 [KJV])
Scripture is clear that God is too wise to err, and too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly.
Hezekiah pressing a perverse will caused the death of tens of thousands, through his son and great grandsons.
“And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for [that] which he did in Jerusalem”. (Jeremiah 15:4 [KJV])
Lessons we need to learn.. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding”. (Proverbs 3:5 [KJV])
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