The Depravity of Our Own Strength, or the Story of the Arrogant Power Strip
11/7 Reading Portions: 2 Kings 20; Hebrews 2; Hosea 13; Psalms 137-138
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11/7 Reading Portions: 2 Kings 20; Hebrews 2; Hosea 13; Psalms 137-138
2 Kings 20:19
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”
GOOD
Many Bible scholars have touted Hezekiah as a good and righteous king; and he was, according to the Word of God:
And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 2 Kings 18:3
Nevertheless, while he did many wonderful things for the honor of the LORD God, and in the name of YHVH (2 Ki 18:4-8), the best of his righteousness was still not enough to merit salvation or sanctification in this life (Isa 64:6). Hezekiah, like his ancestor David before him, required all of God’s grace for both salvation and ongoing sanctification until his death. Yes, he sought the LORD when the Assyrian Empire threatened (2 Ki 18:13-19:37), and he beseeched YHVH with tears (2 Ki 20:5) for healing (2 Ki 20:2) when he was on the brink of death (2 Ki 20:1), yet the king of Judah received God’s mercy, not because he “walked before [YHVH God] in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and [had] done what is good in [His] sight” (2 Ki 20:3), but because of God’s amazing grace, and by His grace alone. God extended Hezekiah’s life another fifteen years. What was accomplished by Hezekiah through his extended life? He arrogantly revealed the treasures of the kingdom to Merodach-baladan (2 Ki 20:12-15), and three years after his healing, his son Manasseh was born (2 Ki 21:1), who became one of the most wicked kings in Judah’s history (2 Ki 21:2-9). The extent of Hezekiah’s depravity is exemplified by his thoughts in today’s verse. Though he pleaded on behalf of his own righteousness before God (2 Ki 20:3), he betrayed himself as having an outward righteousness and an inward selfishness. He didn’t care a whit for the future of Judah. This is what lies in the center of us all. We all require the grace of God in Christ Jesus, all the time. Salvation by the power of our own good works and righteousness is akin to the illustration my friend Eddie Eddings posted on Facebook some time ago, akin to this power strip receiving power from itself…
While our mortal flesh will never be perfect until the resurrection in that Day of Christ’s return, our sanctification, which is our transformation from one degree of glory to another while we sojourn on this planet (2 Cor 3:18), is also accomplished by God’s grace in Christ alone. Hallelujah! What a Savior!