"'!~illy. Hezekiah seems to have been completely imposed on by the fair words of his v1s1tors. Ho felt flattered at being singled out for notice by this king of "a far country," and spared no pains to impress the ambassadors with ideas of his own greatnes~. He showed them all his treasures, all the resources of his kingdom, his silver, his gold, his precious things, everything he had. This love of display, this vain desire to stand woll in the estimation of a foreign potentate, this boasting of mere worldly wealth as the distinction of his kingdom, shows a weakness we should not have expected in thi~ good king. No man is perfect, The best character has its side of weakness, and men are singularly apt to be led astray when skilful appeals are made to their vanity. 3. Hezekiah's sin. It was not a mere weakness of human nature that Hezekiah was guilty of when he "hearkened" unto the ambassadors, and showed them all hi~ precious things. It was not for a mere yielding to vanity that Isaiah afterwards so severely rebuked him. His offence was of a graver kind. The ambassadors had come with proposals for an alliance, and in hearkening to them on this subject Hezekiah had really been unfaithful to his position as a theocratic king. He was departing from the example set him by David. As king of the holy nation, it was his duty to keep himself free from entangling worldly alliances, to make God his boast, to rely on him for defence and help, and to resist solicitations to worldly pride and vanity. From this ideal he had fallen. Flattered by the attention of his visitors, deceived by their specious proposals, and led away with the idea of figuring as an important political personage, he consented, or was dispo_sed to consent, to the alliance sought. In displaying his treasures, he was practically placing them before God, as the glory and defence of his kingdom. In reciprocating the friendship of the foreigners, accepting their gifts, and encouraging their advances, he was taking a first step in that direction of forming worldly alliances, which afterwards brought such trouble on the state. It was this policy, indeed, which ultimately led to the Captivity, as already a similar policy had wrought the ruin of Israel. The lessons for the Christian are obvious. "The friendship of the world is enmity with God" (Jas. iv. 4). It is his duty to avoid worldly display, to guard n;1;ainst being ruled by worldly motives and ambitions, and to avoid ensnaring worldly alliances. He who gives way to these thing~ is laying the foundations of his own spiritual overthrow. II. PREDICTION OF THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY. 1. The prophet con/ronts the king. In the theocracy the prophet stood beside the king, to be his friend, gnide, and counsellor if he did right, and his accusing conscience if he did wrong. Thus Nathan confronted David (2 Sam. xii. 1-14), Elijah confronted Ahab (1 Kings xviii. 17; xxi. 17-24), Zechariah confronted Joash (2 Chron. xxiv. 20). Here Isaiah confronts Hezekiah, and calls him to account for his transgression. The king did not seem aware of his wrong-doing, for he answered the prophet's qnestions with the utmost frankness. (1) The questions Isaiah asked were searching ones. He made Hezekiah tell out of his own mouth who the men were that had come to him, whence they came, and how he had received them. The object of these interrogations was to make Hezekiah aware of his sin. Many a thing is done, of which we do not at first perceive the criminality, but the sin of which is obvious enough when we have had the deed set objectively before us. (2) Hezekiah's answers revealed the folly he had committed. In the very stating of what he had done, Hezekiah must have perceived the magnitude of his error. It is God's design in his questioning of us to bring us to conviction. He would have us judge ourselves. It does not follow, that because we are unconscious of sin, therefore we have no sin. The object of Divine discipline is to make us conscious. Every sivner will at the last be convicted out of his own mouth. 2. The prophet predicts the Oaptivity. If doubt remained in Hezekiah's mind as to his wrong-doing, it was speedily dispelled by Isaiah's stern answer to him. The prophet, without further parley, announced God's punishment for the sin committed. 'l'he p<lnalty answered, as so many of God's penalties do, to the nature of the transgression. The meRsengers had come from Babylon; into Babylon should Hezekiah's sons (descendants) be carried away. He had displayed his treasures; these treasures would be carried to Babylon. He desired union with Babylon; he should have it in a way be did not look for. A prophecy of this nature implied a collapse of the kingdom of Judah as complete as that which had overtaken Israel. Such a·collapse was, of cour~e, the product of many causes, most of them already in operation. But not the least potent was the species of worldly 420 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. [oH, XXI, 1-20,
polic:I_' of which Hozekiah's action was a typical example. As an outstanding and contributory umse, God fixes on it as the point of connection for the prophecy, We must. take our share of the responsibility of every event which our actions have contributed to produce. 3. The king's reply. Hezekiah was no doubt shocked and startled by Isaiah's message. The only ray of consolation ho derived was in the thought that the predicted evil was not to fall in his days, but in that of his des?Cndants. His language on this point, "Is it not good, if peace and truth shall ~e m my days?" -may seem selfish and even cynical. It is doubtful, however, if there 1s much room for blame. Hezekiah gathered that a period of respite was granted, and that the fulfilment of the threatening was- somewhat remote. He rightly took this as an act of mercy to himself. There are probably few who would not feel relieved to know that, though calamities were to fall upon their land in future days, there would be peace and truth in their own lifetime. With lapse of time, too, ·opportunity wa.~ girnn for repentance; and who knew but that the sentence of doom might be re\'ersed 'P-.J. 0.
Vers. 20, 21 sum up briefly the good deeda of Hezekiah for the city, and narrate his end (see 2 Chron. x:u:ii. 1--5).-J. 0.