Recording:

When Hezekiah saw God personally strike down 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian empire, his trust in God was unwavering. In this chapter, you will see Hezekiah, a man of unwavering faith, continue to scale new heights in his faith. At the same time, you will see why a king who so deeply believed in God would stumble.

Questions for reflection:

From the incident where Hezekiah asked God for more years, what do you see about his faith?

Why did Hezekiah show his treasures to the king of Babylon? What were the consequences?

When your life begins to be blessed by God, how should you guard your heart?

Hezekiah's Faith

Regarding Hezekiah's faith, I want to talk about two things. These two things have something in common: he asked for things that seemed impossible from a human perspective.

Proactive Faith

When God declared that Hezekiah would die, Hezekiah still cried out to God. God had already declared such an end, and it was about to befall Hezekiah. If you were in Hezekiah's shoes, would you have such faith? Everyone should note that later, God added fifteen years to his life. In fact, God's responses to people are mostly what they ask for. Actually, Hezekiah asked if he could have another fifteen years. The question now is: Can a lifespan that God has already declared be changed? The answer is yes! God changes what he does at any time because of people's faith.

That is to say, there is no such conclusion in the world that God has decreed something, it is set in stone, and no one's prayer will work. It's not like that. Even though God had already declared that Hezekiah would die, Hezekiah understood very well what kind of God He is, so he asked God to remember how he had walked before Him in faithfulness and with wholehearted devotion, doing what was good in his eyes.

Don't think it's not good to say this. It is very important for a person to know what he is doing in his heart. If a person does not know what he is doing, does not know whether what he is doing is right in the eyes of the Lord, then he is a muddled person. A muddled person does not know whether what he is doing is right in the eyes of God. If he does what is right in the eyes of the Lord, he must be very clear in his heart what God wants. In fact, we all have a scale in our hearts; you know what you are doing, and you also know whether it is in accordance with God's will.

What does God consider good and what does he consider evil? Whatever is done in faith is good in God's eyes. Hezekiah removed the high places and idols, which was actually a great political risk. Without faith in God, understanding, and knowledge, he could not have done these things. So we must know that when Hezekiah did these things, he knew very well what he was doing, definitely not on a whim, and then realized later that he had done right. His knowledge of God is absolutely unambiguous.

Today you must learn to know God, to know what kind of God he is, and then act according to what pleases God. This is what Hezekiah did. If you know what kind of God God is, but you do what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, then that's trouble. In fact, later I pondered about the previous kings before Hezekiah. Those among them who did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord basically did not know God very well. They did not know what God wanted, and they went to worship idols in a daze. But the kings who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord were all very clear-headed. So do you want to be a clear-headed person today? I know what my God wants from me, and then I go and do it. So what does God want from you? It is to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). You must know God.

It says in the Bible: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Many people go to the high places to burn incense, thinking they are worshiping Jehovah God; many people go to worship the golden calf, thinking they are worshiping Jehovah God. Jeroboam built two golden calves, but God's prophet quickly declared Jeroboam's sins and the judgment on his house there. But later, the people of Israel still went there to worship the golden calf, and then said, Jehovah, I praise you; this is Jehovah. There was also a bronze serpent that was later destroyed. Wasn't that bronze serpent made by Moses and Aaron? Didn't many people look at the bronze serpent and get healed (cf. Numbers 21:4-9)? As a result, the Israelites said, This is Jehovah God. How foolish! Whether you are a foolish person today determines whether you can do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

This Hezekiah is definitely not a fool. He knows very well what God wants. He said, I have done these things, but God, now I am going to die. I want to do more for you, but I am going to die (cf. Isaiah 38:18). He was very moved, saying:

The grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness.

We all think now that it is great to go to heaven after death. But in Hezekiah's time, Jesus had not yet come. After people died, they would definitely go down to the grave, and no one in the grave could praise God. So in the time of Matthew's Gospel, when Jesus resurrected, the tombs were opened, and many holy people came out of them and entered the city of Jerusalem, and many people saw them, and then when Jesus ascended to heaven, they ascended with Jesus (cf. Matthew 27:52-53). So at that time, Hezekiah knew very well where he was going: I am going to die, I am going down to the grave, and the grave cannot praise you. So he pleaded with God, saying, If you let me live, can I do more for you?

Today, while we are alive, we must not live in vain. It says in Revelation that the effects of our labor follow us (cf. Revelation 14:13). Do you think the effects of labor are those engineering, accounting, and nursing jobs? No, it's the effect of your service to God. You serve God, serve this generation, and this is the effect that can last forever. The reason why Hezekiah's lifespan could be increased is because he yearned to serve that generation. He thought in his heart: My ancestors, generation after generation, so many kings, took the people to sacrifice at the high places. No one tore down these high places. No one knows you. No one is willing to take the political risk. But in my time, Hezekiah, I tore down these places, but I only served you for fourteen years, and there are still many people who do not know you.

This is Hezekiah. Did you think he was crying because he was about to die? No, it was because he could not serve God. Although he only served God for a short period of fourteen years, he encountered many difficulties: the political risks of removing the high places, the national crisis brought about by the Assyrian king's army pressing the border, all of which were overcome by faith. In the process of serving God, whether we have Hezekiah's ambition is very important. Don't live in vain. Don't live in vain. I believe that God is deliberately manifesting his power on Hezekiah.

Faith That transcends human Reason

Today we are very moved when we read this: a person who is willing to serve God, his days on earth are not in vain. So God gave him fifteen more years of life. The things you ask from God must begin to transcend your reason. The increase in human lifespan cannot be understood by human reason. Many people recorded in the Bible, such as old Eli (cf. 1 Samuel 3:1-18), and others, once God declared it, they sat there passively waiting. That is not faith. Hezekiah had a proactive faith. He cried out to God: I still have many things I have not done, and there are still many people in my country who have not turned to you. This is Hezekiah. Lifespan can be changed, but you must know what your days are used for.

He asked God for a sign, which in itself is a very interesting thing. Isaiah said: The Lord will do what he has said. This is his sign to you: Should the shadow go forward ten steps, or should it go back ten steps? He said I asked that it go back ten steps. Can you understand? If a prophet comes and asks you: Do you want the shadow to go back ten steps? Or do you want it to go forward ten steps? Don't say God, it's too hard for the shadow to go back 10 steps. It's too hard for you to go back ten steps. You're in trouble! Don't say that. The more impossible something is, the more God will do it. If you think it is too difficult for God to go back ten degrees, then there will be no sign of even going forward ten degrees.

The response of faith is to transcend your reason; that faith is faith in God. So brothers and sisters, we really need to start changing our concepts: isn't time created by God? Is it? From a physics point of view, what does it mean to go back ten degrees? That is, the earth turns back! It's not easy for such a heavy object to turn back ten degrees! The earth's radius is more than 6,000 kilometers, and a circle around it is more than 40,000 kilometers. But the shadow turned back ten degrees is completed immediately. How much force does that take? It's hard to imagine.

If we use today's control theory, the results of other systems rise slowly and rotate slowly, but the sign that God gave to Hezekiah is to go back ten degrees immediately, that is, the output curve reaches the point you want in a very short time, which will require almost infinite energy, and human-made systems can never achieve this effect. But God is the God who created time, and God's ability is immeasurable. Don't use human concepts to measure it. Can God create extra time in your life? The answer is yes! So brothers and sisters, don't use human logic to limit God's actions. Once we fall into human logic, we immediately become entangled, because human logic makes people helpless, because there is only so much time, so much lifespan, and so few things that can be done. When you start thinking like this, you start to fall into such a helpless situation. So brothers and sisters, we must begin to transcend your reason.

When I led the brothers and sisters to move forward on the road of transcending reason, I transcended it myself once! In 2012, many brothers and sisters were willing to come back to pray, and I was particularly worried. I really had no faith. Why? I was worried that praying would delay the brothers' and sisters' studies and work. As a result, the facts proved that it did not delay: they studied, worked, had to take exams, and had to serve, and spent a lot of time serving. I was surprised by God's actions. God was able to enable them to pass the exams smoothly. On the contrary, their friends did not need to come to church on Sundays, they did not come to study the Bible on Wednesdays and Fridays, and they did not need to come to pray at ordinary times, but they failed the exams. So brothers and sisters, we must begin to transcend our reason. There are 24 hours in a day. If you do this, you can't do that. This is the understanding of ordinary people, but if we do this, we can also do that. If we come to worship God, nothing else will be delayed.

Later, in 2013, my faith greatly increased. Now I tell the brothers and sisters: it will not be delayed, nothing will be delayed. As a result, nothing was really delayed. So brothers and sisters began to learn not to be entangled, and began to follow faith. Like Hezekiah, the shadow could be turned back ten degrees for him, so what else can't be done?

If we have Hezekiah's ambition in our lives—afraid that we are not doing enough in serving God, afraid that our days are too short, and that we are too indebted in serving God—what will happen? Your time can be completely transformed by God. Thank God, it is written like this in the Bible. This transcends our reason. The more it transcends your reason, the more you must learn to believe. According to human mathematics, the time calculated by adding the numbers together is unreasonable. But in fact, it is reasonable, because nothing is impossible with God.

I once did such an experiment with my own child: I asked him to attend Bible studies and gatherings, even if he had an exam the next day. As a result, he told me good news: he got an A+ in one subject, and this subject was to be counted in the college entrance examination. This way, next year he can choose not to take this subject again, and just use this grade. Thank God! In this way, did his participation in the meeting delay his time? It didn't delay it. Worshiping God, drawing near to God, and serving God will never delay time.

Humble Yourselves Before God, Be Watchful and Alert

The Ability to Make Money Comes from God

Hezekiah, despite having such faith, later became arrogant. Although Hezekiah had once removed gold from the temple to give to others (see 2 Kings 18:13-16), it was because of his complete trust in God that God added many treasures to him. As for how these treasures came about, I believe that when Hezekiah trusted in God, God magnified him, making the economy of Judah very strong. However, after economic strength, people's vision can become problematic.

Why? Because people can easily get lost in daily decisions and plans. As a king, most of Hezekiah's daily decisions were related to politics and economics, and gradually his wealth increased. On the surface, it seemed that Hezekiah made the right decisions, but in reality, it was because he had such faith in God that God increased his wealth. As a result, after his wealth increased, he forgot that the ability to make money comes from God. Although you make the decisions, it is because you please God that He gives you the ability to make money, so you can make the right decisions every time.

As time went on, Hezekiah became a little dizzy. People often get caught up in the decisions of daily life. I believe that Hezekiah's desk was probably full of memorials, perhaps like Emperor Kangxi, a thick stack that he could not finish reading, but he still had to read them every day and make decisions on each one, which was really hard work. It is possible that Hezekiah had just finished approving the memorials and was feeling dizzy when the Babylonian envoys arrived, and he took the Babylonian envoys to see his wealth. In fact, King Hezekiah was usually quite clear-headed, but he was afraid of such occasional confusion, so we really need to be alert. Hezekiah was thinking: You Babylonian envoys have come to me, let me show you my strength, my soft power and hard power. With such a display, he fell into the trap of the devil.

Never Show Off Worldly Things

We people are often tempted by the devil. Even King Hezekiah could not overcome such temptations, let alone you and I? Today, you and I must remember one thing: Never show off worldly things, only boast about what God has done in us. If King Hezekiah had said to the Babylonian envoys at that time: Look, I have my God, and today our country has such strength, not because of anything else, but because I have my God. The result would have been completely different.

What is the reason behind what King Hezekiah experienced? At that time, God temporarily left Hezekiah to test him (2 Chronicles 32:31). The voice of the devil entered Hezekiah, and Hezekiah followed the voice of the devil and fell into this trap. But I think Hezekiah should have woken up quickly. When God proclaimed His judgment, Hezekiah said: ...The word of the Lord is good. For he thought, Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime? (2 Kings 20:19). Do not think that after arrogance, you will immediately receive the evil consequences. Hezekiah understood very well: If I sow arrogance today, I do not know who will reap it next, maybe he will reap it, maybe his descendants will reap it. But the prophet said that your descendants will reap what you have sown. This matter may not be reversible, because it is called the accusation of the devil. The devil has seized King Hezekiah's handle, so these things he boasted about will be taken to Babylon. But Hezekiah is very clear-headed. Do not think he is confused. He was indeed confused once in a while, but when he woke up, he was still very clear-headed.

Be a Person of Faith, Learn to Entrust to God

I will teach you a principle: Do well the things you can control. I can have faith in God, so I will do well and serve God well. As for whether my descendants can serve God well, you cannot control that either. Because it is all people's own choice. God does not let you choose for your descendants. God treats your descendants according to their choices, and treats you according to your choices. So do not learn to worry about your descendants in a杞人忧天 way. But because of our faith, God may remember us, just as He remembered David and Hezekiah, and also remember our descendants, just as He remembers the Jews today because He remembers Jacob. Maybe that grace will continue to flow.

But I want to teach you a lesson: Entrust the things you cannot control. Do not worry so much. So sometimes, we especially like to管管不了的事, and living like that will definitely be very纠结. We can ask in faith before God, and we continue to pray for what we should ask for, but I absolutely cannot replace my son or my grandson in choosing to fear God or not to fear God. We cannot, really cannot, and you do not need to try. Hezekiah is very clear about this, so from now on, I will continue to choose to follow God, and even if I am occasionally arrogant, I will immediately begin to declare positively: In the years that I can control, I will still serve God well in faith. And if there is peace and security in my lifetime, will that not be good? So everyone should start to learn, do what you can do, and entrust what you cannot do, and have faith in God. You must have faith. Perhaps God will be gracious to your descendants because He remembers you, which is what God wants to do.

The reaction of faith is to transcend your reason,
that faith is faith in God.

Scripture

2Ki 20:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2Ki 20:2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying,
2Ki 20:3 I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
2Ki 20:4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
2Ki 20:5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
2Ki 20:6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
2Ki 20:7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
2Ki 20:8 And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?
2Ki 20:9 And Isaiah said, This shall be the sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?
2Ki 20:10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.
2Ki 20:11 And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.
2Ki 20:12 At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
2Ki 20:13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto the messengers, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.
2Ki 20:14 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.
2Ki 20:15 And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them.
2Ki 20:16 Then said Isaiah unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD.
2Ki 20:17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.
2Ki 20:18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
2Ki 20:19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?
2Ki 20:20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
2Ki 20:21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.