Don't Show It All Off
At that time Marduk-Baladan . . . king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah's illness. Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his store houses -- the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine olive 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.
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."
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."
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." 2 KIngs 20:12-18
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."
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."
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." 2 KIngs 20:12-18
Discernment: the ability to have insight about what to make of any situation you face in life is a rather critical thing. Discernment is the ability to perceive or see in your spirit and soul, something that is hidden or rather obscure. Discernment helps you detect what might not necessarily be that easy to see. A discerning person has great insight and acuteness of judgment. Discernment helps you to ferret the hidden from that which is being presented on the surface!
The days in which King Hezekiah lived were days of constant warfare. Kings were routinely attacking other nations and stripping them of all their treasures. So why in the world would King Hezekiah show off all his treasures to another king? Didn't he realize that it was an open invitation for that king to attack Judah in the future? Hezekiah showed a total lack of discernment. He showed a lack of judgment and did not perceive the harm he was inviting on his nation because he was simply looking at things on the surface without perceiving what could be behind the "little gift" that he had received from the king of Babylon. He fell for the bait.
No wonder God was upset by his behavior. Hezekiah did not use wisdom. In his excitement, he boastfully showed off all the blessings God had given him to a potential enemy, the king of Babylon and his envoys. So, God said to him, "The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left." His lack of discernment opened the door for the enemy.
In our daily living, we must have the ability to see through situations and act in a way that protects us from the possible harm that could be inflicted on us from adversarial people. We must exercise caution in what we let out for the whole world to see. We must use a lot of discretion even in talking rather openly to people about all that the Lord has blessed our lives with. Obviously, we need to thank God and testify about His blessings but we also need to show discretion in what we "let out" and who we open up to in terms of our deepest issues. Sometimes we talk too much to the wrong people and it can come back to haunt us! May the Lord grant you wisdom and discretion to know when to hold off and when to completely open up as you deal with people. There are times when we ought to be a little more discreet and not to show it all off.
The days in which King Hezekiah lived were days of constant warfare. Kings were routinely attacking other nations and stripping them of all their treasures. So why in the world would King Hezekiah show off all his treasures to another king? Didn't he realize that it was an open invitation for that king to attack Judah in the future? Hezekiah showed a total lack of discernment. He showed a lack of judgment and did not perceive the harm he was inviting on his nation because he was simply looking at things on the surface without perceiving what could be behind the "little gift" that he had received from the king of Babylon. He fell for the bait.
No wonder God was upset by his behavior. Hezekiah did not use wisdom. In his excitement, he boastfully showed off all the blessings God had given him to a potential enemy, the king of Babylon and his envoys. So, God said to him, "The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left." His lack of discernment opened the door for the enemy.
In our daily living, we must have the ability to see through situations and act in a way that protects us from the possible harm that could be inflicted on us from adversarial people. We must exercise caution in what we let out for the whole world to see. We must use a lot of discretion even in talking rather openly to people about all that the Lord has blessed our lives with. Obviously, we need to thank God and testify about His blessings but we also need to show discretion in what we "let out" and who we open up to in terms of our deepest issues. Sometimes we talk too much to the wrong people and it can come back to haunt us! May the Lord grant you wisdom and discretion to know when to hold off and when to completely open up as you deal with people. There are times when we ought to be a little more discreet and not to show it all off.
Prayer: Father, I thank you for all the blessings that you have bestowed upon my life. I confess that there have been times when I might not have used much wisdom or discretion in my comments or statements. Please give me the wisdom to know what to say and do at every point in time. Amen.