The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 368

of fifteen years to man's brief existence in this life is a consi<lerable item, and the more Fo when that fifteen years is added at a period when the man has fully reached middle life, and pas_sed through the chief trl\ining experiences. He who can add fifteen years to a man's life can add eternity. "Our times are in his hands." 6. 'l'he mentnl ine.ffi- cie:ncy of its arrest. What spiritual good did these additional fifteen years accomplish for the king? '!'.hey might have done much; they ought to have done much. But did they make hun a morally better man, or an inte\lectunlly wiser man? Not the former, I trow, for mark his vanity. The letters which the King of Babylon, Mero- dacb-Baladan, despatched to him, together with a present, so excited his egotism that he "hearkened [or, as Isaiah puts it, • was glad'] unto them," that is, the Babylonian deputies; and "showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, e.nd the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, aud all that was found in bis treasures: there was nothing in his house, uor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not." At this time he had enormous possessions. We find from 2 Chron. xx:xii..23 that presents were brought to Hezekiah from various quarters. "He had," says the Chronicler, "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 ; storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks" (2 Chron. xxxii. 27, 2S). All tbis, with an elated vanity, he exposed to the Babylonian magnates. Vanity, for many reasons, is one of the worst of all the bad elements of depravity; it is a species of moral evil, hideous to all beholders, and damnable to its possessor. Did these fifteen years added to his life make Hezekiah an intellectually wiser man t No; his jud.gment was not improved. In sooth, he seems to have lost tbat renetratiou, that insight into things and men, which he had previously possessed. How blind was he not to see that, by exposing his treasures, he was exciting the avarice of the Babylonians, tempting them to make an invasion of his country! This Isaiah told him: "Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have la.id up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord." Affliction does not always improve men, either morally or intellectually. Ah me! how many have I known who, when they have "turned their face to the wall," writhing in agony, with grim death before them, have solemnly vowed improvement should they ever recover? They have recovered, and become worse in every respect than before. What boots a term of fifteen years, or even a thousand years, added to our existence, if our souls are not improved thereby? III. As ULTIMATELY TRIUMPHANT, "And Hezekiah slept with his fathers." The end of the fifteen years came, and he meets with the common destiny of all The unconquered conqueror is not to be defrauded of his prey, however long delayed. Since death cannot be escaped by any, whether young or old, it has been asked, is there any advantage in longevity? Rather, would it not be better to die in the first dawn of infancy, than in any subsequent period? "Whom the gods love die young," was said of yore. We may go a step further, and say, "Why live at all? "-D. T. Vers. 1-11.-Hezekiah's sickness. Jn order of time, this recovery of King Hezekiah from sickness stands before the destruction of Sennacherib, though in order of narration it comes after it. So with the Babylonian embassy (see on eh. xviii. 1-13). . L WARNING OF DEATH. 1. Unexp7,a,ined sickness. "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death." His disease was some ulcerous growth, called in the narrative "a boil." We have been accustomed in this history to see troubles of body, and cala~ities in the state, connected with sin, as part of its temporal punishment. But there 1s no reason to believe that Hezekiah was guilty of any special transgression which led 0 his being visited with this sickness. Hill own conscience was clear, and there. 1s no indication of blame in the narrative. Affliction is sent for other reasons than the punishment of sin, aud we grievously err, and do great injustice to the su_fferers, if we insist on always interpreting it in this light. Job's friends committed this error (Job xlii. 7, 8; cf. Luke xiii 1-5; John ix. 1-3). In Hezekiah's case affliction was no doubt sent as a purificatory and strengthening discipline, intended to try his faith, and lead him to new experience of the grace of God. 2. TM announcement of death. . It was while Hezekiah's wind was troubled about his sickness that the Prophet Isaiah OH. XX, 1-21.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 417 - - - --·---------- came to him, and brought the message, " Thus saith the Lord, . . . thou ehalt die, and not live." In its natural course the sickness would have had a fatal issue. The fact of our morlnlity is one we should often have before us. Every ache, pain, and trouble of body, reminds us that we are here but for a time-that this is not our rest. They are prophetic of the end. A time, however, comes when the near approach of the end is unmistakable, if not to the individual himself, yet to others. If a man is dying, it is the truest kindness to let him know it. Isaiah might have withheld this information from Hezekiah on the ground that it would agitate him, might hasten bis death, could do• no good, etc.,-the usual pleas for keeping back from a patient the news of his hopeless condition. We bave only to put the matter to ourselves: would we like to be within a few weeks or days of our death, and not be made aware of the fact? Would we in such circumstances like to be buoyed up by false hopes? Then w by buoy up others? By acquainting a patient with his real state, we give him opportunity for setting his house in order; for prayer to God that might, as in Hezekiah's case, lead to his recovery; in any case, for suitably preparing his mind in view of departure. 3. The duty of preparation. " Set thine house in order," said Isaiah; " for thou shalt die." It is a duty incumbent on us, even in health, to have our worldly affairs so arranged that, if we should be unexpectedly removed, they would be found in order. The neglect of this simple duty-the putting it off under the idea that there is still plenty of time-leads in numberless cases to confusion, heartburning, strife, and loss. If the putting the house in order has not been attended to, the approach of death is a solemn call to do it. In any case, there will be final arrangements, last words, loving directions which belong peculiarly to the dying hour. If it is important to set our worldly affairs in order in view of death, how much more to have every spiritual preparation made I 11. PRAYER FOR LIFF:. 1. Hezekiah's distress. The announcement that he was soon to die filled Hezekiah with deep grief. He turned his face to the wall, prayed earnestly to God, and wept sore. The grounds of his distress may be inferred from the hymn composed by him after his recovery (Isa. xxxviii. 9-20). (1) The natnral love of life. This is implanted in every one. It has its root in a true instinct, for death in the case of the human being is unnatural. It was not a pa.rt of the primal order. Man as made by God was destined for immortality, not immortality of the soul only, but immortality of the whole person. Death is the violent wrenching asunder of two parts of his personality which were meant to be inseparable. It is the fruit of sin, and abnormal (Rom. v. 12). (2) The want of a clear hope of immortality. The experience of the Old Testament saints teaches us to distinguish between a mere idea of future existence, and such a hope of immortality as is now possessed by Christians. The Hebrew believed in the after-existence of the soul. But this of itself brought no comfort to them. Sheol was uniformly pictured as a region of gloom, silence, and inaction. Its shadowy life was no compensation for the loss of the rich, substantial joys of earthly existence. In hours of depression this was the view of Sheol that prevailed. Only in moments of strong faith did the believer rise to the confidence that God would be with him even in Sheol, and would deliver his soul out of these gloomy abodes. The Hebrew hope of immortality was really a hope of resurrection (Ps. xvi. 10; xlix. 14, 15). It is Jesus Christ who, in the full sense of the words, has brought life and immortality to light (2 Tim. i. 10). (3) The thought that death would cut him off from the comforts of GoJ's presence, and the privilege of waiting on God and serving him. This is implied in his view of Sheol, and is expressed in his song (Isa. xxxviii. 11). It was, therefore, no unmanly fear of death which Hezekiah showed, but one resting on good and substantial reasons. 2. Hezekiah's prayer. Cut off from earthly help, Hezekiah betook himself in earnest prayer to God. 'l'he fact that he did pray, and that his prayer was answered, is an encouragement to us to pray for recovery from sickness. The New Testament also holds out this encouragement (Jas. v.13-16). In his pleadings with God, Hezekiah adopted a tone which may seem to us to savour too much of self-righteousness. "I beseech thee, 0 Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart," etc. It was not, however, in a spirit of self-righteousness that he urged this plea. He wa~ conscious of many sins (cf. Isa. xxxv-iii. 17). His meaning was that he had endeavoured to serve God faithfolly, and ,vith an undivided heart, and h~d the clairµ which God's own promises gave him of ltfe ,l. KINGS. • 2 E  THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. [OH, XX. 1-21,