Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 20

The trouble that Babylon will cause

2 Kings 20:16-19

2 Chronicles 32:26-27 says that Hezekiah’s proud attitudes brought God’s anger against him. However, Hezekiah then turned away from those proud attitudes and he turned back to God. For that reason, God’s anger did not come against Judah and Jerusalem during Hezekiah’s life.

Hezekiah had tried to impress the officials who came to him from the king of Babylon. For that reason, Hezekiah proudly showed them every valuable thing in his palace. However, God declared to Hezekiah by Isaiah the prophet (holy man) what would happen to Hezekiah’s great wealth.

In the future, the king of Babylon would take away all the valuable things that his officials had seen. He would claim for himself everything that Judah’s kings had owned.

In fact, the king of Babylon would even take away for his palace some members of Hezekiah’s royal family. They would become servants and officials in the palace of the king of Babylon. There, in that distant country, they would have to remain for the rest of their lives.

Hezekiah heard that severe message from God. As we have seen, he turned from his proud attitudes. He even humbly declared that the message was good.

Hezekiah approved of that message because he could see the kindness of God. He deserved punishment for his proud attitudes – but God had delayed that punishment until the time of his son. We might think that Hezekiah should have prayed for God to stop these troubles. It may in fact be that Hezekiah did pray that. However, God only agreed to delay the punishment and not to prevent it. If Hezekiah’s son turned to God, then that might further delay or even prevent this punishment. Clearly, that would be a matter for Hezekiah’s son when he became king, and not for Hezekiah himself.

Next part: The great acts of King Hezekiah, and his death (2 Kings 20:20-21)

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