Pride goes before Destruction
Envoys From Babylon
12 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah's illness. 13 Hezekiah received the messengers and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, "What did those men say, and where did they come from?"
"From a distant land," Hezekiah replied. "They came from Babylon."
15 The prophet asked, "What did they see in your palace?"
"They saw everything in my palace," Hezekiah said. "There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them."
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD : 17 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 18 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."
19 "The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?"
20 As for the other events of Hezekiah's reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 21 Hezekiah rested with his fathers. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.
Bee's Thoughts:
King Hezekiah's showing off of his wealth in his pride had brought about his downfall. In fact, he didn't believe when Isaiah prophesied about his wealth being taken away (v19).
There is a human tendency to show off one's achievements, especially if they were obtained through much hardship. I remember my ex-boss (unbelievably also a 'pastor') kept bragging about his wealth, his son's and wife's intelligence, etc, to me and other staff. He would repeat the same thing each time he had a chance. He even went to the extend of buying a 'PhD' cert for his wife finally when she couldn't even produce a basic degree cert. All these came about because he went though much pains and difficulties in his youth. I just feel sorry for him. He would haev been a very good and successful man if not for his pride.
Pride not only comes through bragging, but many times it's in our attitude too. When we try to do things by our own strength instead of relying on God, that's pride. The bible warns that pride comes before a fall, so we have to be very careful not to fall into it. Jesus shows the way of true humility by becoming a man and die on the cross for us.
Dear Lord,
Please forgive me for my own pride too when at times I tend to rely on my own natural talents and abilities instead of on You. Forgive me too for saying things that appeared as pride to others unknowingly. I want to humble myself before You now and ask that You will guide and lead me in my speech and my walk. I want to commit my work and my relationship with people to You now. May You get the glory in all I do and say.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Tommy's Thoughts:
Pride.
C. S. Lewis in his book explains: "Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone."
It’s said in the Bible, the proud love "the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:42-43). They compete in all kind of ways solely to win men's praise and approval, to be a cut above the rest. Instead of being thankful by giving credits to God, they try to impress others with the blessings they received. But, pride often goes before destruction (Prov. 16:18).
Dear Lord, thank You for the many gifts and blessings I received from You. Teach me Lord not to be proud with the sense of self-congratulations or aggrandizement, striving only in earning the favor and admiration of others. Rather, guide me to always humbly acknowledge all I’ve received came from You, and to give You praise and thanksgiving for everything. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
