Fair Weather Faith

Scripture: But the envoys came from the officials of Babylon who were sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been given in the land. God left him alone in order to test Hezekiah, to know what was in his heart. 2 Chronicles 32:31

Observation: The Assyrians, who just destroyed and exiled Israel, were about to attack Judah and Jerusalem. Instead, God intervened, killed much of the Assyrian army without any battle, and caused them to retreat. This was a sign promised to Hezekiah - that the Lord would "put a hook into his nose" and a "bridle into his mouth" and turn the king of Assyria back the way he came and home.  All is well again in Judah.

And then ... Babylon arrives on the scene.

We know Babylon will become the sword God uses to deal with the rebellious Judah. We also know that, before that happens, Babylon will wipe out Assyria and become the largest and strongest empire in the world. So what are they doing in Jerusalem now? They have come to "inquire about the sign". This easily has two meanings. First, they wanted to understand the devastation to the Assyrian army so they could determine how it had been weakened. Second, they wanted to asses the power of Judah to determine how they had inflicted such damage on Assyria.

And what did they find? They found Hezekiah, a servant of the Lord, successful in all he does, yet exuding pride and without any obvious power at the moment (as God has "left him alone"). Out of that pride, they certainly found the facts about Assyria's weakness and the death of their king - also part of the "sign". In other words, Babylon found encouragement ... they found that Assyria was weakened, and that Judah - without the presence of the Lord - was nothing special.

As always, the downfall for Judah would be consistency. When Hezekiah lead the people in faith, they prospered and were protected. When they turned away (and they would again of course), they were not. And even when the great Assyrians left, that didn't mean they would now be safe.

Application: Judah was like me - and others - who turn to God in trouble but abandoned him once delivered. Hezekiah did that in a big way, with the issues concerning Assyria. He also did it in a small way, with his health and healing giving way to pride.

We all do this, and I do this. I pray for wisdom at work, then think how wonderful the solution "I" discovered is. I pray for my family, then marvel at their talent.

Well, we are going through stress right now. I know we are all praying. I do not think we ever relented in our prayers, but I know I could be better during the easier times. This, again, is a theme I see right now, repeated to me over and over.

Prayer: Lord, please to aid my family in this time. But likewise, I seek to continue to drive myself closer to you every day, in my struggles and in my times of peace. I wish to always walk with you daily. Amen.