The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 60

Yer. !.-Friendship that serves its own ends. A kind of friendship only too common. Illm;tratcd in the motto of a successful Birmingham tradesman, "Friendly with alJ, thick with none." Which in full means, "Friendly with all, that I may get all I can out of everybody; thick with none, lest anybody should get anything out of me." This is surely the meanest of mottoes ever set for the toning of a life. But Merodach- Baladan's offered friendship with Hezekiah was much of the same kind. The only question with him was, what advantage he could gain for himself by it. And there is no possibility of noble friendship until we can forget self, and say, "What can this friendship be to my friend?" Tbe historical facts of special importance to us are these: The family of Merodach-Baladan ruled in Southern Babylonia, on tbe shores of the Persian Gulf. The district of the marsh-land of the delt!l formed, for a period of many centuries, the place of refuge for fugitive rebels from Assyria. While the Assyrian armies were engaged in tbe siege of Samaria, Merodach-Baladan seized the Babylonian throne, and naturally tried to support his position by securing alliances with distant nations, especially such as were tributary to Assyria. A good excuse was found in the case of Hezekiah, in the report of bis serious sickness. In our day the illness of a sovereign is the occasion for sending all sorts of telegrams and embassies. I. OFFERED FRIENDSHIP MAY FIND GOOD EXCUSES. True in common life of the individual; specially true in the relation of nations. Diplomacy is the art of working out a policy under tbe shelter of tbe deception of skilful excuses. It seems to mean a very simple thing; it really works a very subtle work. Baladan had two excuses, 1. His messengers honoured Hezekiah with congratulations on his recovery. A polite thing, quite likely to disarm all suspicions, and win confidence, 2. From 2 Chron. x.xxii. 31 we learn that Baladan also framed a scientific excuse•, snd desired his ambas- sadors to inquire concerning the singular astronomical phenomenon which had been reported. All this ktpt out of sight Baladan's political echomings. II. OFFERED FRIENDBBil' HUST DE JUDGED BY THE 0HABA0TEB OF THOSE WHO JrlAKB THE OFFER. It was at least suspicious that Baladan was acting as a rebel against his OII, XXXIX. 1-8.J 'l'HE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 63