2 Kings Chapter 20
Lord, I Need More Time
Have you ever found yourself
saying- I wish I had more time!
A) There is not enough time in the day or week to get
done everything I need to get done.
B) Time is a Precious commodity that there just never
see’s to be enough of.
C) I am sure that there are times when we could call
say: Lord I need more time –
1) But here is the Question - What would you do if you
were given more time – How use it.
Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards
that one be found faithful.
Now the Word Steward
there is house manager
A) Paul was a house manager of the gospel – God had
given him the gospel to preach –
B) But you also are a Steward a house manager –
1) Work Time
2) Play Time
3) Family Time
4) Free Time – how use it for what purpose
C) House manager of our
finances –
D) House manager of our gifts
and talents and abilities – how are they being used
1) Our glory or God’s glory
2) Our Kingdom or God’s
Kingdom
E) Listen we are all going to give an account for what
we have done with what God gave us
1) Moreover it is required
in stewards that one be found faithful.
F) That is what God is looking for – Faithful servants
1) What am I
doing with the time that I already have.
Now with that as a back drop let’s
focus here on
A) So the Lord comes to Hezekiah – saw last time he
was a very godly King – revival
B) Miraculous deliverance from
So in those days [days after
the Revival] Hezekiah was sick and near death.
C) Now this text supports the idea that being a godly
man/ woman in the midst of times when the HS is moving – does not guarantee
immunity from sickness
D) When things were going great Hezekiah gets
seriously sick – NEAR DEATH!
And Isaiah the prophet, the
son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Set your
house in order, for you shall die, and not live.'"
A)Wow! – How would you respond and what would you have
to change – Lord said Set house in order.
B) Hezekiah was given an advance notice – Most of us
are not – Death just comes
1) Days are numbered – we assume – 80yrs – not
guaranteed that at all.
C) Notice how Hezekiah
responds – RD V.2-4
I like Hezekiah. Now you have to realize
that at this point he’s only thirty nine years old, and he hasn’t had a son as
an heir yet, to the throne.
A) Thirty nine’s pretty young, to get the summons from
God, “Get your house in order man. It’s all over”.
B) Notice
Hezekiah’s first reaction to this – He turns to Pray!
1) Did the same with the King of Assyria’ letter
C) For Hezekiah
– Prayer was a first resort – not a last
resort – what about in your life?
1) Plan or Pray?
Skeeme? Or Seek the Lord
D) I’ve
found if you make prayer your first resort, you usually don’t get to the last
resort.
“Oh
what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in
prayer.”
E) I am so thankful for the men in
leadership with me at this Church – who men of Prayer
1) Rarely a
decision especially important ones that have not been bathed in prayer.
F) Hezekiah
was the kind of guy, when anything came up, he prayed about it.
1) That’s what made him such a successful king.
Now To our ears, Hezekiah’s
prayer might sound a little prideful.
A) Because In it, his focus
is on self-justification and his own merits. It is pretty much as if Hezekiah
prayed, “Lord, I’ve been such a
good boy and you aren’t being fair to me.
B) In fact in
I shall go to
the gates of Shell;
I am deprived of
the remainder of my years."
C) “Lord, I haven’t really
lived out my life. If I go to the grave now, I’m being cut short.”
Now here is what we need to
understand: Under the Old Covenant, this was a valid principle on which to
approach God.
A)
Passages like
B) But under the New Covenant
we now can approach God on the basis of Christ performance – not our own
1) His righteousness
C) SO Hezekiah here is doing
that which was consistent with the OT mindset – Lord I have been a good guy
1) We noted in ch.18 – For
the most part he was a great King – none like him
since David.
But I want you to notice that God responds to Hezekiah
not really on the basis of his goodness
BUT ON THE BASIS OF HIS BROKENESS
4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone
out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5
"Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD,
the God of David your father:” I have heard your prayer, I have seen your
tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of
the LORD. 6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and
this city from the hand of the king of
Several Key things to see
here: God responds to Hezekiah because of His tears – Broken
A) God’s heart goes out to the broken hearted
B) He gives Hezekiah more than he asked for.
1) 15yrs – didn’t need that many to father a son
2) Promise to Defend the City
C) And note the Promise was based on who God was and
who David was / not who Hezekiah was
D) God works in our lives that same way:
1) Who God is and Who
Jesus is –
2) Fact that we are in Christ
As if God was saying – Not doing this because you have been
a great guy – [God knows our hearts]
A) Sees the wickedness / selfishness / sees all of
that
B) God says I am going to do this because you are
broken and contrite –
1) Do it for the sake of My Glory and the Glory of my
son. The fact that you are in Christ
C) God takes it one step further and gives Hezekiah a
sign. RD
V.7-11
Sun back 10 degrees = 45 minutes
Appropriate sign – God giving him more
time.
Now this presents an
interesting question can our prayers – change the mind of God.
A) Perfect will / Permissive will – Yes
B) Example: 1 Samuel – give us a King like the other
nations – No don’t need one I am your King
1) We want a man we can see
C) Ok – I will give you a
King – but know this there will be consequences – here is what that King
will do
1) Take your possessions – use your Children – he is
going to take more than give –
D) Basically saying: He is going to be the opposite of
me - Exactly what happened –
Children of
They were never satisfied -
Psalm 106:15 “And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.”
In the case of Hezekiah – God
gave him more time 15yrs – in the first 3 yrs he had a son – heir
A) But that son Manasseh – became the most ungodly
King in
B) Had he known – He would not have asked for more
time – Before we get to 21 – note how Hezekiah used that extra time.
RD V.12-13
One of the strange habits of
the human heart is to feel proud about what we receive by grace!
A) When the Lord does something
special for us, we are tempted to believe it is about us rather than about him.
B) That is what Hezekiah
is doing here. –
C) See the purpose of this visit was not just a get
well or glad you and doing better visit
1)
D) This visit must have been flattering to Hezekiah –
for
1) Where as
E) So Hezekiah responds by
seeking to show off his greatness –
1) A greatness that had everything to do with God and
nothing to do with him
F) But that is what he fails to recognize.
Hezekiah was guilty of a
number of sins here.
1) Pride
In those days Hezekiah was sick and near
death, and he prayed to the LORD; and He spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25
But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was
lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him and over
His heart was filled with Pride because of his wealth
2) Not giving credit where
credit was due – He doesn’t acknowledge God.
However, regarding the ambassadors of the
princes of
Missed opportunity to testify: he could have declared
– God’s Glory but he didn’t
3) Abusing the gifts God gave
him – he gave them to the Babylonians
4) Carnal confidence – Putting his trust in an
alliance with
Giving into Peer Pressure.
Pride – We can all struggle with it. –
RD V. 14-21
Prophetic –
Your Sons – Daniel / Shadrach …….
So Hezekiah has a good
beginning but not a good end!
A)He asks for more time – Doesn’t use it right
B) Misses an opportunity –
1) Misplaced his confidence
C) He wanted an HEIR –
he gets one – but what a son he will be –
1) From the perspective of
eternity only wonder if Hezekiah felt – I should have died when I had the
chance
D) Watch God might just give you what you ask for!
CH.21 Manasseh-
See next week - Would You Save Him?