2021-8-1, The Council of Ancient Kings: Hezekiah Teaches Us About Earnest Prayer, 1 Kings 20:1-11
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2021-8-1, The Council of Ancient Kings: Hezekiah Teaches Us About Heartfelt Prayer, 1 Kings 20:1-11
Introduction-
People can accomplish a lot of things when they put their hearts into what they do.
You can win a gold medal
You can graduate with a degree
You can create a touching piece of art.
You can make a lot of money.
You can put a rover on Mars.
Often, heart can get people further than natural talent or ability.
This makes sense, God gave us our hearts and loves our hearts. Even people who do not know God can accomplish incredible things.
While we can use our hearts to achieve a lot of things, our hearts were specially designed for a particular task. And when we do this with heart, the possibilities are endless.
What is it? Connect with the heart of God.
There is nothing else the Lord wants to see us do more, than to connect with Him in heart.
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
and...
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
and...
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
However, we resist giving our hearts first to God. There are all the other things that we want before Him. We regularly commit idolatry because we give our hearts to other things before the Lord. We often have forgotten our first love (Rev. 2:4).
In doing this we miss out on incredible experiences and possibilities.
Main Point-
Our purpose in life is to connect with God heart-to-heart. Perhaps the most common way that we will do this is through prayer. Before the length of prayer, before fasting, praying with an open heart is the most important thing.
Context-
Assyria is the super-power of the world. The northern kingdom had fallen in 721 B.C.
King Ahaz of Judah paid tribute to the king of Assyria, making Jerusalem subject to Assyria.
Hezekiah becomes king of Judah in 716 B.C. at age 25. Hezekiah is a great king.
And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.
and
5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.
Two things Hezekiah recognized Judah needed to be restored to greatness.
1. Judah needed to re-establish whole-hearted faithfulness to the Lord. He keenly understood that Israel in the north fell to Assyria because of its unfaithfulness and idolatry (2 Kings 18:12).
So Hezekiah begins a campaign of reform greater than any Judean king before him.
A. He reopens the temple, cleansing it of all the idolatry of his father’s reign in just 16 days. He consecrates all the holy items of the temple which were contaminated because of idol worship.
B. He also restarts the Passover, welcoming the remnant of faithful Jews from the north. There is a huge celebration of the restoration of this feast- nothing like it since the dedication of the temple.
C. He takes down the high places- the first of the Judean kings actually to get this done.
4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).
The serpent that Moses made for the Jews to look upon when they were bit by poisonous snacks while wondering in the desert was turned into an idol. Hezekiah got rid of it.
2. Secondly, Hezekiah recognized that Judah must be politically independent rather than oppressed.
He prepared for Judah to rebel against Assyria. It did not seem fitting to him that the people of God should be subject to a foreign king who does not honor the Lord of Israel.
He fortified cities throughout Judah. He also closed the wells around Judah and secured water for Jerusalem. (Tunnel connecting the pool of Siloam and the spring of Gihon- bored through 1,748 of solid rock).
Eventually, around 704 B.C., Hezekiah officially rebelled against Assyria.
7 And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him.
King Hezekiah worked for Judah to serve the Lord faithfully and to be politically independent. He did these things so God would be glorified by Judah.
Assyria’s king, Sennacherib, was not too pleased with this rebellion, so he sent a massive army to burn Jerusalem to the ground.
It’s one thing to rebel against Assyria when its army is hundreds of miles away. It’s a whole different experience when Assyria is at your doorstep.
Hezekiah, and all of Jersualem with him, became frightened.
You see into Hezekiah’s heart during this time that he prays for deliverance.
19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”
Hezekiah wants deliverance for the glory of the Lord.
Obviously, it is all very stressful to have a massive enemy bearing down on you. Hezekiah falls ill at the tender age of 39.
This is a real problem. Not only does Hezekiah want to live, but he saw everything he had worked for about to unravel.
Hezekiah was concerned for his people, their survival, their worship, their independence. He is concerned about the glory of God and how it will look if they fall.
Let’s look at how Hezekiah dealt with this personal and national crisis
Main Text-
1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’ ”
Explain
When it refers to “Those days,” it is referring to the same time of the Assyrian threat, about 702-701 BC.
As if Assyria were not enough of a trial, Hezekiah fell gravely ill. He was at death’s door. This is the worst possible time illness could strike.
Hezekiah received word that Isaiah the prophet wanted to visit with him. Could he be bringing well-wishes? Maybe some flowers? Maybe good news that he would recover?
No, Isaiah brings word from the Lord that Hezekiah is going to die and that he needed to settle matters of his estate while he still could.
Isaiah left with a haunting and unconditional statement, “You shall not recover.” Aren’t you glad Hallmark doesn’t make cards that say such things (You won’t get well cards). But the Lord is very matter-of-fact when He speaks through His prophet.
It is important for us to understand that the Lord may allow us to face challenges in life which seem insurmountable.
A. Though we can suffer as a result of sin, sometimes God allows for us to suffer when we’ve done know wrong.
B. He may allow them in our lives as a test of our faithfulness (which appears to the case here).
C. Suffering may be an opportunity for Him to prune us, refine us, and humble us. It prepares our hearts to connect with Him.
D. One thing we can know is that in every instance in which God allows His children to suffer, God always wills that He will receive glory as He delivers us from suffering.
Illustrate
I’m reminded of when Jesus and the disciples came upon a blind man.
2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
God is glorified when our hearts bond with His.
Apply
While we may not know all the reasons why God allows us to suffer, we do know that God will be glorified as he delivers us from it.
When we do suffer, we should seek the the Lord regarding the whys and trust in Him to tell us if He so chooses. We shall trust Him none-the-less.
Let’s see how Hezekiah handled this news...
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Explain
Isaiah left. Hezekiah turned toward the wall to pray. This prayer was not intended for anyone but the Lord.
He prayed-
“Lord, remember how I have lived a life faithful to you.”
“Lord, please see that my heart has been wholly yours.”
“Lord, please see that, as king, I have done what is good in your eyes.”
Implied in his pleading is his desire that the Lord would give deliverance from the two greatest threats- Assyria, death
Then, the text says he wept bitterly. You can see pruning taking place. God is humbling Him. Perhaps, God is testing Him.
This is a picture of an imperfect man praying to the Lord in desperation and honest despair. Hezekiah pleads with the Lord with earnest prayer.
If this is a test, Hezekiah responds correctly. If this is pruning, it has produced the desired fruit. If this suffering is for God’s glory, then Hezekiah honors the Lord by humbling his heart before the Lord.
It is always right for God’s people to connect with Him heart-to-heart.
Illustrate
This matters most.
23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
and...
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Apply
This is good for us to know whether we are suffering, or if life is good, whatever the case, God’s desire is a rich personal relationship with you. This is an odd view of God for many of us, but this is what God’s desired end game is- that we would freely desire to walk with Him. The common manifestation of this relationship is earnest prayer.
Now that Hezekiah has done the right thing, heart-to-heart connection with the Lord, let’s see what happens in His particular case...
4 And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, 6 and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.”
Explain
Isaiah was out of the palace and well on his way to the temple when the Lord spoke to him again...
“Stop and go back to Hezekiah.”
A. God referred to Hezekiah in terms of his position as leader and king. Hezekiah stood at the intersection of the two threats- sickness and Assyria. The Lord’s message to Hezekiah would be in reference to these two threats.
B. God refers to himself as the God of David, Hezekiah’s ancestor. God revisits the covenant He made with David that He would establish his throne as an everlasting throne. It is on the grounds of His love for David and Hezekiah’s successful imitation of David (remember- no one in the OT connected heart-to-heart with God more than David, he was a man after God’s own heart).
C. Then God responds,
“I have heard your prayer”- Hezekiah’s pleading that the Lord remember his faithfulness, whole-heartedness, and righteous efforts and actions.
“I have seen your tears.” God loves Hezekiah and feels his pain with him and appreciates the heart-connection
God gifts Hezekiah by giving a different decree. God tells Hezekiah that he will not die and the Lord will heal him.
Then the Lord gives him instruction. On the third day from this message, go up to the temple (presumably to offer sacrifices), then I add 15 years to your life.
Further, God promised to deal with the other threat. He would deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrians.
God speaks of His motivation. He does each of these things for the sake of His own glory. He does them also for the sake of David.
Isaiah’s initial prophecy about Hezekiah’s death was stated as unconditional. However, it appears to have had an underlying implied condition, earnestness prayer.
It’s important for us to know that things will always go best for us if we will connect with the Lord in a heartfelt way.
Illustrate
Apply
God’s gifts to Hezekiah are God’s gifts to Hezekiah. I can’t stand up here and say that you will live 15 more years if you connect with the Lord honestly. But, I can say that nothing but good will come of you connecting with the Lord on a heart level and making this a common part of your life.
God will give you good things according to His values if you meet Him with earnest prayer. God will change things for our good if we connect with Him
Remember...
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
and...
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Remember, All deliverance the Lord does in our lives is for His glory’s sake, and for the sake of His Son Jesus. But He gathers us to Him in that glory.
To finish the passage
7 And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.”
Explain
Even though God was healing Hezekiah supernaturally, God used a physical remedy. Figs were believed to have medicinal qualities. The idea hear is that they could serve as a compress and be applied to an abscess.
Illustrate
Apply
God heals you miraculously, and he may use doctors and medicine in the process.
8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” 9 And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” 10 And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” 11 And Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.
Explain
Hezekiah asked the prophet of God for a sign that this word would come true. This showed that Hezekiah needed and accepted help to help to believe God’s promises. It should also be noted that Hezekiah’s dad showed a lack of faith by not asking for a sign
God is willing to oblige the request of His servant. Isaiah gives Hezekiah a choice as to the sign God will provide.
8 Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.
“Do you want the shadow on the steps to advance in the normal direction (lengthen) ten steps or would you like the shadows to go back ten steps?
Hezekiah reasons that it is easier for a shadow to advance normally 10 steps, so he asks for the shadow to go back ten steps.
Isaiah called to the Lord, and the Lord had the shadow go back ten steps.
Nothing is too hard for God. Making a shadow go forward, making it go backwards, healing a sick man and giving him 15 more years, or delivering His people from invasion by a huge foreign power.
The New Testament is clear that we are more blessed when we believe the Lord without asking for signs.
29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
However, this passage shows God’s tenderness toward us and His willingness to help us when we have trouble having faith. If our hearts are soft towards Him, He may well put something in our lives which strengthens our faith.
Illustrate
Apply
Let’s trust God. When we struggle to trust the Lord, we should ask Him to help us believe.
Here is a basic outline for earnest prayer...
Praise God
Thank God
Confess Sins
Pray for Others
Pray for Yourself