The two southern kingdoms: Judah and Benjamin had been taken captive at the foolish whims of her king, Hezekiah. King Hezekiah had welcomed, entertained, and revealed his entire armory to his espying rival, Merodach-Baladan, the king of Babylon!
Here's the complete picture: King Hezekiah had been sick and stricken with boil, ready to die. God had instructed His Prophet Isaiah to go advise sick Hezekiah to prepare and "Set your house in order; for you shall die and not live!" But the king had turned into a punk: The Bible records that he had then turned his face toward the wall and protested God's perfect will for his time, life and season as he had prayed:
“Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with an undivided heart and have done what is good in Your sight.”
Hezekiah had wept bitterly! Consequentially, before Isaiah had left the palace courtyard, God had re-instructed him to return to the king - and deliver the 'good news' of his answered prayer! The prophet said: "God has heard your protest, and has added fifteen more years unto your reign!"
Protest?
Yes; a protest! That's what it is called: A protest is defined as an action - or writing - expressing disapproval of or objection to someone else's word or deed! So, King Hezekiah's prayer, pleading before God about his good works was an official act of protest at the perfect will that God had laid out for him.
Do you also protest God's perfect, expressed will for your life, season, and time? Or do you wisely say to Him: "LORD, have Your very way in me!"?
Fast forward, to a surreptitious 'Get-Well-Wishes' visit arranged by Hezekiah's Babylonian counterpart. Recovering from a major catastrophe could task any person's mental aptitude: Unfortunately for Hezekiah, he had kissed the palace protocol 'Goodbye'. MerochBaladan's emissary had not been charged with the motive of wishing Hezekiah a buoyant health-recovery alone, but to espy the strength of the robust southern kingdom and seek an alliance with Judah against the Assyrians. So, happily, Hezzy had shown his great wealth and armory to the spies! | 2Ch 32:27-29 NKJV
God had been wroth with Hezzy's departure of common sense in the moment of his rejoicing!
Have you also thrown caution to the winds in your exultation moments? Have you revealed trade and wealth secrets to the spies who posed as well-wishers?
At a Raptor's speed, God had spoken. His Prophet had another message for the happy king, Hezekiah, after the spying entourage had returned home. So, Isaiah had visited the palace with God's message: "Thus says the LORD, the days will come when all that's is in your palace; everything that you predecessors had laid in storage up unto this day shall be carried into Babylon: Nothing shall be left ... Even your sons shall be captives. The Babylonians will make them eunuchs in the Babylonian palace!" | 2 Kings 20:17.
Then replied Hezekiah to Isaiah: "That's fine by me, as long as I have peace in my tenure in office - and this evil news does not happen in my days!" | vs. 19.
That was how stoutly selfish the king had grown. Yes, the gift of those additional years had been granted. But within fifteen years King Hezekiah had managed to wrest, twist, and mangle away from God's perfect will had been born Manasseh, the wickedest and longest-ruling King of Judah. (Five other kings away from Hezekiah - and one-hundred and thirty years later, Jehoiakim would be captured and taken to Babylon in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy).
Then Had Ascended, CYRUS
Then had ascended another world power: Cyrus, the King of Persia! God had raised him to prominence mainly to achieve three objectives: Conquer Babylon, emancipate the subjugated, enslaved people of Judah in Babylon, and render help to the Jews in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem!
Here's another Heavenly truth I have been sent to say to you in light of the catastrophe that our world is experiencing right now in the unlawful invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, 2022: "Weeping may endure the night, but joy cometh in the morning" | Psalms 30:5. Additionally, God will comfort His people all across the world!
I may not know of your personal situation right now, but God does! He will rouse up, and even raise up the Cyrus' to emancipate His people - and fulfill His perfect will. God's Prophet Isaiah had been awoken from a dream. Or was it a vision? It was definitely not a nightmare: It had been the prophecy of God's help unto His people! Here was how it had sounded in Isaiah's ears, talking about King Cyrus:
“In fact, I have made of you a new, sharp threshing implement with sharp edges; You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and make the hills like chaff.
“You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And a high wind will scatter them; But you will rejoice in the LORD, You will glory in the Holy One of Israel." |Is. 41:15-16.
_________________________________
Written by Dr. Sammy JOSEPH.
Photo credit courtesy PULSE Publishing House, UK (copyrighted). Visit our PULSE Publishing House Store here https://www.harvestways.org/shop to order his books, and Youtube.com/user/Harvestways to freely subscribe to his messages. Also, please feel free to share. Thank you!