Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning

How Not To Live Out Your Remaining Days

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2005-06-26

Synopsis: John Weaver uses the account of King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20 and 2 Chronicles 32 to illustrate how not to live out the remainder of one's days. After God graciously heals Hezekiah and grants him 15 additional years, Hezekiah responds with pride, showing off his treasures to Babylonian ambassadors and failing to honor God. Weaver warns against pride, selfishness, and presumption upon God's mercy, urging believers to live humbly and prepared for death at any time.

[John Weaver] Second Kings chapter 20, beginning there with verse 1 and reading through verse 19. In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death, and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amos, came to him and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, set thy house in order, for thou shalt die and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed unto the Lord, saying, 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. And it came to pass, before Isaiah was gone out of the middle of the court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 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 to the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

[John Weaver] And I will deliver thee in 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. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs, and they took it and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. 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? And Isaiah said, This sign shall thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has spoken.

[John Weaver] Shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, Is the like thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees? Nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord, and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which he had gone down on the dial of Ahaz. At that time, Beradach Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters unto the president of Hezekiah, For he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of the precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. Then came Isaiah the prophet unto King Hezekiah, and said unto them, And said, What said these men, and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.

[John Weaver] And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in thine house have they seen. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them. And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord. Behold, the days come that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store to this day, shall be carried into Babylon. Nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 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?

[John Weaver] The message I am going to bring today is entitled How Not to Live Out Your Remaining Day. how not to live out your remaining days. Let me begin by saying the message that I'm going to bring you is a negative. However, I'm going to assure you that it is undergirded with a positive. If I tell you how not to live out the remaining of your days, I am sure that you will recognize how you should live out the remaining of your days.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to hold 2 Kings 20, but look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 33, and I want you to notice particularly verse 10, and look, if you would please, at the question that is asked. I think you will see that this is a very informative scripture, Ezekiel chapter 33, and look at verse 10. In fact, some of you will remember that Francis Schaeffer, who is now dead, has written a book with this title, How Then Should We Live? So look in Ezekiel 33 and verse 10, and you will find it right here. God says through Ezekiel, Therefore, O thou Son of Man, speak unto the house of Israel. Thus you speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? Well, very obviously, if you're pining away in your transgressions and in your sins and in your iniquities, that is not the way that you should live. The question is, how then should we live if we're not going to live in sin and disobedience?

[John Weaver] And let me just point out the fact that living in sin and disobedience is not really living. It is dying. And that's exactly what this verse teaches.

[John Weaver] Now, almost, I would say, The people who hear this message, even those who hear it on tape, and certainly none of our people here, none of our people are murderers or whoremongers or thieves. Yet the truth is we all have our sins and we all need to repent. And it's amazing that as we age, our sins become different. And when I say that, I just simply refer to this. I heard the story.

[John Weaver] about the old man who was 92 years old. And he looked at one of the younger men and he said, praise God. He said, I hadn't had a desire to go dancing in years. Well, I can understand why he hadn't had a desire to go dancing in years at age 92. He couldn't have if he wanted to. But you understand what I'm saying. It's no longer the sins of youth sometimes that affect older people. It's a sin of pride. and complacency and contentment. So as we age, many times our our sins differ, but they're still sins. And we still have pride and comfort and even harshness.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain what I'm trying to show you by the life of King Hezekiah. Now, as you turn back to second Kings chapter 20, I want you to understand that, first of all, it is always bad when your country is under attack from outsiders. But it is even worse when the leader and the captain of your people, who is supposedly leading in the defense of your country, is not only sick but dying.

[John Weaver] Now, what could possibly complicate matters worse? Well, let me tell you. To have a prophet of God or a preacher of God to go to the leader of the people and say, thus saith the Lord, you shall die. And you're certainly not going to live. Therefore, set your house in order.

[John Weaver] Now, undoubtedly, Hezekiah had been sick for a little while. And like most of us, whenever you get sick, the very first thing that you're longing for is to get well, to recover and to get over it.

[John Weaver] Now, how in the world do you think it would make you feel if there you are lying in your bed suffering and thinking, I'm in pain, I'm in agony, and all of a sudden you're told, you don't have to worry about this. You're going to die. You're not going to make it.

[John Weaver] Now, you're not shattering the hopes and dreams and plans, certainly, that would do it. And certainly, it would also destroy any previous encouragement that you'd already gotten.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you, how would you respond to such news? Just think about that. Suppose I walked up to you and said, thus saith the Lord. You shall die and not live. Therefore, set your house in order.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm not Isaiah the prophet, but if you knew that I had received that message from God for you. And you knew for certain you were going to die. How would you respond?

[John Weaver] Now listen, while it would be a blessing on the one hand to be able to know a short while before we die that we're going to die, and it would be a blessing because it would give you time certainly to get your house in order. On the other hand, in all probability, it would certainly fill you with a little consternation, because what must it be like to know and realize that your death is imminent, that you are going to die? And it's not like a doctor is telling you that you're going to die, because doctors can be wrong. I've known plenty of individuals that the doctor has sent home to die, and yet they've lived and lived for years. So this message is not coming from a doctor who could be wrong. This message is coming from God himself. Who the Bible says holds our soul and our life in his hand.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you another question. I'm just trying to get you thinking today. And I'm going to tell you why. If you knew If you knew that you were going to die in the next two weeks, how would you live? Suppose, like Hezekiah, God gave you an additional 15 years. And you knew you had 15 years. How would you use them? Would you throw them away? Would you party them away?

[John Weaver] and then try to repent at the very last and prepare for death. Would you sow to the flesh and hope to reap in the spirit, which is absolutely contrary to the laws of nature and of scripture? Let me ask you in a different way. If you knew that your death was imminent, would it make any difference as to how you listened to the preaching of the Word of God. Would it make any difference as to how you applied the Word of God to your life and conduct? You see, God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah with this message.

[John Weaver] You're going to die and you're not going to live. I want you to remember something. Hezekiah was a good and godly king. He had ruled well. He had lived long enough to see a tremendous awakening in the land. There was a wonderful revival that occurred during the reign of Hezekiah. He was a good and godly man. But let me tell you something, people. Good and godly men have to die just like everyone else. And God said, you're going to die. Now, what did Hezekiah do? Well, look in verse 3. Hezekiah did what any normal individual would do. Verse 3, he turned himself to the Lord and he said, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I've walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in my sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. What is he doing? He's praying. He said, Lord, basically, I don't want to die. I want to live. Now, if I told you you were going to die and you knew that I was right, You'd still want to live.

[John Weaver] That's the natural instinct of self-preservation. All of us want to live. I knew of one young woman who thought she wanted to commit suicide. And she drank rat poison. After she drank it, she regretted it. And then went and told her parents. They rushed her to the hospital. They pumped her stomach out. It was too late. And she died in the emergency room screaming, I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. Now, I'm just simply pointing out the fact that's a normal natural instinct. And when Hezekiah, as good and as Godless as he was, found out he was going to die, he turns his face and begins to pray and says, Lord, I want to live.

[John Weaver] Well, look, if you would please, at verses four and five, how quickly God answered his prayer. The Bible says in verse four, it came to pass before Isaiah had gone out of the middle of the court. In other words, he didn't even get out of the building. Then the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Turn again and tell Ezekiah, 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, and on the third day thou shalt go up to the house of the Lord. So the Bible tells us that before Isaiah got out of the building, God sent him back to go back and tell him he's going to live.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to watch this. On top of the fact that he now has a reprieve God gives some additional good news to Hezekiah. Look in verses 6 and 7. Verse 6, And I will add unto thy days fifteen years, and I will deliver thee of 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.

[John Weaver] And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs, and they took and laid it in the boil, and he recovered. Now watch this. Here's the additional good news. Not just now that Hezekiah's going to live, but God's going to give him fifteen additional years And on top of that, God is going to destroy the Assyrians who are invading the land. He's going to defeat them, and they're going to leave Judah and Jerusalem alone. I mean, all Hezekiah was praying for was to live. God said, I'm not only going to let you live, I'm going to give you 15 years, and I'm going to get rid of these soldiers that are out here attacking you. I'll destroy them as well.

[John Weaver] Now, look at verses, in fact, Let's turn to Isaiah 38. Turn there, because I want you to see how God took care of the Assyrians. I like this. This is one of my favorite passages. Isaiah 38. We don't have to read the entire passage, but I get tickled every time I read this passage. Isaiah 38. And look, if you would please. Actually, it's Let's see, Isaiah 38 verses 9.

[John Weaver] Well, this is the rejoicing that Hezekiah is giving. Verse 9, the writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, when he had been sick and recovered of his disease. And he gives the Lord praise. He rejoices in his goodness and mercy. But the passage that I really wanted was in 37. If you look in 37, look what God says. Isaiah 37. God says in verse 28, talking about the Assyrian army.

[John Weaver] He said, But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in thy rage against me, because thy rage is come against me, and thy tumult is come up into mine ears. Look what God says concerning the Assyrians. Therefore will I put a hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way that thou camest. And this shall be a sign unto thee, You shall eat this year such as growth of itself, and the second year that which springeth the same, and the third year sow ye and reap in plant vineyards, and eat fruit thereof. And the remnant that has escaped the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. Look down in verse 33. Therefore, thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, he shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, the same shall he return.

[John Weaver] He shall not come into this city, saith the Lord, for I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake and for my servant David's sake. Now watch. Then the angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and four score and five thousand, and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." Now, I like that passage, but I want you to note one angel in one night, in one stroke of the sword, killed 185,000 Assyrians. It said when they awoke, of course it means the ones that were not slain, they found the majority of their army dead. What did God do?

[John Weaver] God says, I'm not only going to deliver you, Hezekiah, and give you 15 years, I'm going to get rid of the Assyrian army. Now go back, if you would, to 2 Kings chapter 20, because God is going to give Hezekiah a sign. And it is a miraculous sign.

[John Weaver] Now look in verses 8 through 11. 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? And Isaiah said, The sign thou shalt have of the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he had spoken, shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or backward ten degrees? Hezekiah answered, It's a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees.

[John Weaver] It could get hotter, easier year and summertime, et cetera. So he said, No, no, let the shadow return back ten degrees. Let the daylight go back and not forward. And Isaiah, the prophet, cried to the Lord and he brought the shadow 10 degrees backward by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz.

[John Weaver] Now, so God has confirmed Hezekiah. He's going to give him 15 additional years. God has confirmed Hezekiah. He's going to deliver him from the Assyrians. And he did so.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. How do you think Hezekiah used those 15 additional years that were given to him in grace and mercy? Let me make it a little more personal. How would you have used an additional 15 years that had been given to you? Let me ask you another question. How do you even know you have 15 years left? You know what the Bible declares? Listen to this. Let me just quote. I want you to listen.

[John Weaver] John 14 verses 4 and 5. In reference to man, here's what the Word of God says. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. So no man can purify himself. No man can better himself in his own self. But listen to the rest of this. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. Seeing his days are determined. The number of his months are with thee.

[John Weaver] Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. You know what that verse is teaching us? That God has not only ordained the day of our birth. He has ordained the day of our death. He has appointed us the number of our months. He has given us a boundary that we cannot pass over. The Bible in Job 7 and verse 1 asks the same question concerning man. Here it is. Is there not an appointed time to man upon the earth?

[John Weaver] Are not his days also like the days of a hireling? And certainly there is an appointed time for man upon the earth. Everyone in this room knows that you're not going to live forever. You know that you're going to die. You don't know when. In fact, in Psalm 68 in verse 20. The Bible says this concerning God. He that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God our Lord belong the issues from death. So unto God alone belongs the issues from death. Now listen carefully. The mere fact that you and I are allowed to live another day, another week, another year is only due to the grace and mercy and compassions of God. Do you realize that when you and I assume that we're going to live to a ripe old age, in reality, we are presuming upon the mercies of God.

[John Weaver] Now, stop and think about that. When you and I assume that we're going to live to a ripe old age, in reality, we're presuming upon the mercies of God. Let me just give it to you. It's one of my favorite passages. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23. Listen carefully. It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. So answer the question, why is it that you live through the night only because of the mercies and compassions of God? Had His mercies, had His compassions, had His faithfulness not been there, you would have never made it through the night. That's why I'm telling you to assume that we're going to live to a ripe old age is really to presume upon His mercy. The question is, how would you and I respond to the graciousness of God in allowing us to live another day, another week, another month or even another year?

[John Weaver] Now, I told you the title of this message was How Not to Live Out the Remainder of Our Days. Do you know How Hezekiah responded to God giving him an additional 15 years? Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 32. 2 Chronicles chapter 32. God was gracious to Hezekiah. He said, Lord, I don't want to die, I want to live. God said, OK, I'm going to let you live. I'm going to give you 15 more years. Plus, I'm going to get rid of the Assyrians for you.

[John Weaver] I mean, that should be enough to cause rejoicing constantly and continually. But look at what the Bible says in Second Chronicles 32, beginning there with verse 24. In those days, Hezekiah was sick to the death and prayed unto the Lord and he spake unto him and he gave him a sign. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up, therefore was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem." Look at verse 25 again. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him. In other words, God was gracious and kind and merciful to Hezekiah And what did Hezekiah do?

[John Weaver] He repaid God's graciousness and kindness with sin and disobedience. To me, that is absolutely phenomenal. I like the word benefit. Look in verse 25. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him. Whenever I read this word benefit, I cannot help but think of another passage of Scripture. Let me just quote it. Do you remember Psalm 103 in verse 1 where David said, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, and forget not all his benefits. And then when you get to verse 3, one of those benefits that is listed is who forgiveth all thy sins and healeth all thy diseases. So good health. is indeed a benefit from God. Deliverance from death is a benefit from God.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to make something extremely plain. Hezekiah did not become a whoremonger or a murderer or a thief. All Hezekiah did was lift his heart up in pride. Pride not over only what God had given him, not only in what God had done for him, but also in pride by the attention that the world was going to give to him. Let me ask you to look at 2 Chronicles 32 since you're there.

[John Weaver] Let's begin reading with verse 27. Just showing you the pride in just a moment over the possessions. Look what he said, 2 Chronicles 32 verse 27, And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor, and he made himself treasuries for silver and for gold and for precious stones and for spices and for shields and for all manner of pleasant jewels. Storehouses also for the increase of the corn and wine and oil, stalls for the manner of beasts, and coats for flocks. Mowbring provided him cities and possessions of flocks and herds and abundance where God had given him substance very much. The same Hezekiah also stopped the upper water-courts of Gihon and brought it straight down in the west side of the city of David and Hezekiah prospered in all his works. So here was a man who had an exceedingly abundance of wealth. He had all kinds of works. He had all kinds of things that he could rejoice in.

[John Weaver] And that's exactly what he did, but he did so in a proud, arrogant way rather than a humble way. Look back in verse 25 again. Watch carefully. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him. And here's his sin, for his heart was lifted up. Now, here's the sentence. Therefore, there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Let me ask you a question.

[John Weaver] I don't know if this thought has hit you yet. Why would wrath be upon Judah and Jerusalem? Or the sin of pride in Hezekiah's life? That's a good answer. He was a leader, but it was more than you can imagine. Let me explain it to you. By the way, before I do so, let me point out another verse. Look in verse 26. Now the Bible's already told us that Hezekiah did not render to the Lord for the benefit that God had given him. Look in verse 26. Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah. Let's stop right there.

[John Weaver] Let me give you a sound illustration or two. This is a very, very important point. I want you to listen carefully. Hezekiah had lifted himself up in pride. I'm going to show you sin in just a moment and what he really took pride in. Hezekiah lifted himself up in pride. Judah and Jerusalem did as well. They repented of their sin. Here's the important point. Repentance does not negate reaping the consequences of your sin. Hezekiah repented, but the sin had already been committed. The damage had already been done. The seed had already been sown. Do you remember in 2 Samuel chapter 24 when David committed a sin in numbering the people? Did David repent? Yes.

[John Weaver] But 70,000 soldiers still died. Now, you see, let's suppose that Ed Wolfe and I went out together and we got into a went into a bar and got drunk. But we just didn't get drunk. Then we got mad at each other and got in a fight. And in the fight, I knocked out his eye. And he knocked out two of my teeth.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Would God forgive us for getting drunk? What's the answer? Yes. Would God forgive us for getting into a fight and getting mad with each other? What's the answer? Yes. Does that mean his eyes replaced my teeth replaced? No. We still have to reap and carry the consequences of our sins. You follow that? Just because God forgives us does not necessarily mean that we don't reap the consequences of our sin.

[John Weaver] The truth of the matter is this, folks. Most people want and desire repentance. But what they really want and desire is not just forgiveness and turning from their sin. What they want is for God to save them from reaping the consequences of their sin. Which is not going to happen. For he that sins must suffer. What is it the Bible teaches us that the way of the transgressor is hard? Certainly we're not going to be reaping eternal judgment.

[John Weaver] That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about just simply reaping what we have sown in this life. You and I cannot do wrong. We cannot sow to the flesh and expect to reap in the spirit. Forgiveness does not cancel out the consequences of our actions. Don't you remember that? God may forgive you and you may repent and you may never do it again. But Ed still lost his eye and I still lost my teeth. Even though God's forgiveness. Now. Let me ask you, in what area did Hezekiah allow pride to come into his life and to be his downfall. And here it is. It was in the matter of the Babylonians who were seeking a political alliance with Hezekiah. Now, I don't know if you've picked up on this. I haven't read the verse yet, but the Bible specifically says that this was a test for Hezekiah. Look in your Bibles, the second Chronicles 32 and verse 31. Now what has God graciously done? God has graciously healed him. He's graciously given him 15 more years.

[John Weaver] He's graciously taken care of the Assyrians who were storming the city. But look what the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 32 and verse 31, Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon who sent unto him to inquire the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart.

[John Weaver] Now the word try literally means to test or to try or to prove. So what God is saying is this, Oren Hezekiah, you've turned yourself to me. You have told me that you want to live and that you want to serve me and to honor me and you want to be obedient. Well, here's the matter of these Babylonian ambassadors. I'll just test the sincerity of your desires. and the sincerity of your obedience. Now, I want you to note that the king of Babylon has sent a letter and presents to Hezekiah.

[John Weaver] Go back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 20 and look at verse 12. And undoubtedly, these presents were of a great value. They were certainly not some little insignificant trifle. Notice, if you would, 2 Kings 20, verse 12. At that time, Barad-dak Balad-dan, the son of Balad-dan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a president to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. Now, if the king of Babylon and Hezekiah had not been friends previously, obviously, the king of Babylon wants to be friends with him now. The king of Babylon had not only heard of his friendship or his sickness, he had not only heard of his healing and the sun going backward ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz, he had heard of the Assyrians being defeated. Now, I want you to look in verse 13. When these Babylonian ambassadors came to Hezekiah, notice what is said, and Hezekiah hearkened unto them. He listened unto them. When you get to Isaiah 39 in verse 2, the same story, the same ambassadors, the Bible said Hezekiah was glad of them.

[John Weaver] In other words, Hezekiah was happy Not just to have the presence, but to have the ambassadors themselves. Attention was being lavished upon King Hezekiah. He was the center of attention. I mean, here's a man that has been miraculously cured. Here's a man that has been given a supernatural sign. Here's a man that has been delivered miraculously from an invading army. And all of a sudden now, all this attention is being lavished upon him by these Babylonian ambassadors. Now, why in the world do you think the king of Babylon would want a friendship or an alliance with Hezekiah?

[John Weaver] Let me give you three reasons. First of all, there was a religious reason. You see, the Babylonians worshiped the sun. And when that dial, the sun, went backwards ten degrees on the dial of Hezekiah, what did those Babylonians who worshiped the sun assume? That their God had done a great honor to King Hezekiah. And therefore, they were going to honor Hezekiah themselves.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. Would you not want to be friends with someone whom you perceived was a favorite of heaven or a favorite of the gods? Well, of course you would. Let me tell you something. If David had every one of his prayers answered, and I knew he had every one of his prayers answered instantly and immediately, he couldn't get rid of me. Because I'd be buddy-buddying with him everywhere wanting him to pray for me specifically in a lot of areas. That's normal selfishness. And when those Babylonians saw What they perceived as the blessing of heaven from their God upon Hezekiah, they wanted his friendship.

[John Weaver] Secondly, there was a civil reason. The king of Babylon was in the process of revolting from the king of Assyria. At this particular time, the Babylonians were under the dominion of the Assyrians as well. You can read about that in 2nd Kings 17 verse 24. And remember, it was at this time that God smoked the Assyrians. That's the passage I read earlier from Isaiah 37. Killed 185,000 of them in one single night. Now, it was in the best interest then of the king of Babylon to have some type of civil agreement with Hezekiah. Because Hezekiah is not only now the favorite of heaven, but his prayer has been answered against the Assyrian forces.

[John Weaver] And he's thinking, boy, I could not have a more powerful ally than that. And then thirdly, there was indeed the military reason. Undoubtedly, the message that he received, the letters that he received, not only was congratulations to Hezekiah for healing, but also for the deliverance from the Assyrian armies as well. And in all probability, there's a proposal that they form a military alliance because here the Babylonians are revolting from the Assyrians and they don't want to face them by themselves. And if Hezekiah And if Hezekiah's God has already defeated them one time, he would certainly be a good ally. But please remember this. It was not Hezekiah who defeated the Assyrians. It was God. God said, I'm going to put my hook in his mouth. I'm going to take him back the same way that he came.

[John Weaver] He will not shoot an arrow against Jerusalem. He will not cast a mount against Jerusalem. I will destroy him.

[John Weaver] Now, what did Hezekiah do? Hezekiah showed the Babylonians everything. All of his treasures, all of his armory, all of his warlike stores, and his motive evidently was that Babylonian ambassadors might be the more induced to prize his friendship, to value his arms, and to esteem him a powerful ally. Have you stopped to think about this? Undoubtedly, it was indeed in the best interest of the king of Babylon to be friends with Hezekiah, but it was not in Hezekiah's best interest to be friends with the king of Babylon. Why in the world would you want friendship with the king of Babylon who was a heathen idolater when you already had friendship with the sovereign king of heaven and earth? What possible good could the Babylonian king do for Judah and Jerusalem and Hezekiah? None.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 20 there and verse 13. This is amazing to me. And I want to make a real strong point on it.

[John Weaver] Second Kings 20 verse 13 and Hezekiah hearkened unto them and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious ointment and all the house of his armor and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah showed them not. Hezekiah. Was courteous. to a fault. It was his duty to be civil to them.

[John Weaver] It was his responsibility to receive them with respect due to ambassadors. I understand that. But his pride and his ambition drove him to be courteous and revealing to a fault. Certainly he knew that they were idolaters. And yet he became intimate with them. He desired a confederacy with them, and he granted them all that they came for. He was more open and more free with them than he should have been, and he did not stand at all upon his own guard.

[John Weaver] Can you even conceive of this? Why would I, if I had millions, if I had Why would I show everything that I had to people that I do not know? And especially when I know that they're heathen and they're idolaters and they might try to steal from me. Why would I be so insane as to do something like that? Pride. Because you don't think that they're going to steal from you. You think they're just simply going to value your friendship and value you for what you are and for what you have. Now, let me emphasize something.

[John Weaver] Do you realize that Hezekiah did what most of us do all too often? He said too much. He talked too much. He showed too much. He divulged too much. I have been in airports. I've been in so many places. And get in conversation with perfect strangers. And it is unbelievable. The personal, private information that they share openly, willingly. With you. And you don't know them from Adam's house cats.

[John Weaver] People do that all the time. I want to tell you something, folks. It really is nobody's business but yours as to what God has given to you. It's nobody's business but yours for what God has done for you. I mean, you may praise Him and you may be thankful, but you have to use common sense And you have to guard yourselves. And in this day and age, when you are so vulnerable to persecution, especially from bureaucracies, the three rules that you need to remember in dealing with a bureaucrat is this.

[John Weaver] Shut up, shut up, and shut up. We hang ourselves so many times with our own mouth. That's exactly what Hezekiah did. He either showed them everything, or he had everything shown to them. You know what the Bible says in James 1 verse 19? Listen carefully. James 1 verse 19, Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to rest. What is he saying? Weigh your words, and you don't speak unless you need to. Now, why would Hezekiah desire to have a covenant relationship with a heathen prince when he was already in a covenant relationship with the Sovereign of the Universe? What honor, what dignity could this heathen prince add to Hezekiah, and the answer is absolutely nothing and absolutely none. But yet in his pride, in his arrogance, Hezekiah showed them his palace. He showed them his treasures. He showed them his armory. He showed them everything that they wanted to see so that they might report to their master and tell him what a great king he was and that he was really worthy of all the honor and the esteem that they were given to him.

[John Weaver] That is pride. That is arrogance.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you what is not said. It is not said that he showed them the temple. He may have, but the Bible doesn't say it does. Or that he did. It is not said that he showed them the temple. It is not said that he showed them the book of the law. It is not said that he showed them the manner of worship that he gave to the one true and the living God in order that he might witness to them and convert them to the true religion.

[John Weaver] No, he had a perfect opportunity for doing so. It is not even said that he sought to introduce them to the prophet Isaiah, who was his greatest treasure. In fact, Isaiah had to come to the king and said, Who were these men and what have you shown them? No, Hezekiah did not show them the worship, the law, the temple, Prophet Isaiah, lest he might offend them, give them an affront.

[John Weaver] I mean, after all, they're heathen, they're idolaters. I mean, you know, come on. You know what he was doing? He was trying to gain the pride and the applause and the recognition of men, instead of giving praise and honor to God. And it became a sin to him, just like it does us, when we prefer the favor of men to the favor of God.

[John Weaver] Now, look in 2 Kings 20, because beginning there in verse 14, Isaiah gives him a very strong review. 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. And he said, What have they seen in thy house? What an interesting question. What have they seen in thy house? Listen to the answer. Hezekiah said, There is nothing among my treasures.

[John Weaver] that I have not shown. Let's ask that question, and I want you to think about it like this. Isaiah asked him, what have they seen in thine house? And here's the answer. Everything except what they should have seen. They didn't see a godly, obedient, humble servant of the one true living God who wanted to honor and glorify him above everything else. In his pride, he showed them everything he had. And his judgment was, everything you have is going to be taken from you and given to Babylon, even your sons. Do you realize it is pride that causes most of us to lose our own children, our own possessions, Isn't it amazing how we will not repent even toward our own family? We won't apologize. We won't do what's right. Why? Pride. No wonder the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 18, pride going before destruction, not a haughty spirit before a fall. No wonder Proverbs 29 verse 23 says a man's pride shall bring him low. A man's pride shall bring him love. How much more can you get than to have your family destroyed and your possessions stolen and taken away from you?

[John Weaver] Let me show you. Let me show you what I'm going to call the apex of his selfishness. Skip down to 2 Kings chapter 20. And let's begin reading with verse 18. Isaiah tells Hezekiah of thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. That means his line is going to cease. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, watch. Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken.

[John Weaver] That is, I will submit to it. That is good. But look at what else he said. And he said, is it not good if peace and truth be in my days? Let me ask you, what about peace and truth in the days of his children? What about peace and truth in the days of his grandchildren? Who was Hezekiah interested in? Only himself. Selfish, prideful, Do you realize this is precisely the trouble with America today?

[John Weaver] We don't think far enough ahead to prepare ourselves for anything. We are not dominion oriented or future oriented people. We live for the dirty now and now. Let our kids grow up for themselves. Let our grandkids be slaves. We don't care, just so we have our six-pack, our clown TV, and our boat! Is it not good that there's not peace? Is it not good that I'm comfortable? Don't worry about my children.

[John Weaver] They may be made eunuchs. They may be heathen idolaters. It doesn't matter about them. That's the attitude of the average American and unhappily, the average professing American Christian. I'm telling you, folks. Hezekiah did not render to the Lord for the benefit which he received." This lesson is definitely how not to live out your days. You do not live them in pride and selfishness and disobedience and sin and rebellion.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to think about this. I started off this message asking you some questions. I'm going to come back to those questions. And I'm going to tell you why. What if God revealed to you that you only had a short time to live? Two weeks? Two months? Even a year? What if God revealed to you that you only had a short time to live? Here's my question. Would it make any difference as to how you listened to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God? Would it make any difference as to how you applied the Word of God faithfully? Would it make any difference as to how you changed your life? Let me give you the impetus for this message. Here's what started me thinking about 2 Kings chapter 20.

[John Weaver] Alice and I were recently in a meeting in another state. And I saw a friend whom I had not seen in years. And it was a wonderful opportunity to fellowship again, to reminisce, to think about things, and we had a wonderful time doing that. But during that meeting, and I remember particularly the messages that I preached, they were pointed, they were powerful, And they were playing. And two weeks after the meeting, I got a phone call that my friend had died with a massive heart problem.

[John Weaver] And the thought hit me. If he had known that he was going to die, would he have listened more intently? Would he have been more attentive to the Word of God? Would he have said, I really need to apply that to my life and apply that to my life right now? In two weeks, he was dead. How many weeks do you have left? Truth is you don't know. You may not even have two weeks. The Scripture says in Hebrews 9 verse 27, as it is pointed unto men, once to die, and after that, the judgment. The truth is, folks, everyone sitting in this room is going to die. God has fixed the date of your death exactly as He fixed the date of your birth, and you cannot escape your date with death. The question is, how will you use the remaining time that God has given you? And it doesn't matter, folks. You may only have two hours. You may have two days, two weeks, two years or 20 years. I don't know how much longer time I have, nor do I know how much longer time that you have.

[John Weaver] The truth of the matter is, if God gives us one more day, we ought to use it for Him and not be proud and arrogant and boastful and disobedient. I'll tell you this, folks. None of us know when. And so it's best to always be prepared to die.

[John Weaver] Now let me make some applications. Listen carefully. The first one is this. Do you realize in Scripture we are not only commanded to take heed what we hear? Mark 4 verse 24. We're also commanded to take heed how we hear. Luke verse 18. Luke 8 verse 18. So God says, take heed what you hear, but He also says, take heed how you hear. So if you're listening to His Word with your mind wandering and you're laughing and playing and you know, and all this kind of stuff and nothing is filtering in, what's He saying? You better take heed how you hear. Do you realize throughout the New Testament, our Lord says, He that appears to hear, let him hear. Now, here's my question. Do you really genuinely listen attentively to the Word of God? Do you make application of the Word of God to your heart each time it's read and expounded? What would you change today about the way you listen, the way you heard, the way you applied the Word of God if you knew that you were going to die in two days?

[John Weaver] So you need to make sure you take heed not only what you hear, but how you hear. Number two, we have need to watch our own spirits. especially when we're showing our friends, our possessions, declaring what we have gotten, that we be not proud of them in the sense that we attribute it to our own efforts, our own work. In other words, when we look upon our possessions, when we look upon our enjoyments, we must do with humble acknowledgement of our own unworthiness and thankfulness to God who in His grace and mercy put us in the position that we can have them and gave us the ability to work for them and

[John Weaver] the discipline to keep them.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, It is a great weakness and I might add a great sin for men to value themselves more highly than they ought. Romans 12 and verse 3, the Apostle Paul wrote this, let me quote it. For I say through the grace of God, given thee to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God has dealt every man the measure of faith.

[John Weaver] What did he get out of his mouth? Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. He said, if you're going to think of yourself, you think soberly. That is, you think accurately. How vain would it be, how useless would it be for me to advertise, come hear John Weaver in concert. I'll be singing songs of the past and songs of the present. How vain would that be? I know you're laughing because you know I can't sing. But I've known plenty of people who could not sing who thought they could. I know plenty of people who think they can do a lot of things and when in reality, they cannot do one thing.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something. It should satisfy us to have the favor and the blessing of heaven upon us. We do not need the praise and the adulation of the world. If we are not content with God's blessing upon us, certainly, folks, we're not going to be content with man's blessing upon us. I'd much rather have favor with God than favor with man.

[John Weaver] Fourthly, here's the fourth application. We must always expect to be called into account for the workings of our pride, even though it is a secret pride. Think about that. Do you realize over and over Scripture says you are to do this lest your heart be lifted up?

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bible. I can quote this, but I want you to see it. I preached from this passage for about seven or eight weeks. Deuteronomy chapter 8. But I want to remind you of what God says in this passage. Deuteronomy chapter 8. And look, if you would please there. Beginning with verse. Seventeen. Deuteronomy eight, verse 17. Look what God says. Deuteronomy eight, verse 17, and I'll say in my heart, my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this well.

[John Weaver] But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee poverty and wealth, that he may establish his covenant which you swear unto thy fathers as it is this day. If you have something, I got news for you. God gave it to you. We cannot pretend like everything that we have is the product of our own hands. You say, but Brother Weaver, I worked faithfully and earnestly. I know that. But if God did not bless that work, you would never have prospered. And if God did not give you that work ethic, you would have never done it to begin with. You know what the Bible says in Micah 6 and verse 8?

[John Weaver] Let me just quote it. He had showed the old man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with my God. The walk humbly with my God. And you walk humbly with him, recognizing that he's the creator and you're the creature. He's the father. You're the child. He's the master. You're the servant. He's the Lord. You're the slave.

[John Weaver] One last point, and that's this. What did Isaiah tell his account? Thou shalt die and not live. Set thine house in order. Folks, the truth is we know we're going to die. Our houses should be set in order spiritually, financially, emotionally, mentally, and physically. In other words, we must make preparations to die so that when we do so, it will be pleasing and honoring to the Lord. Some of you folks don't have a will. You don't have a trust. Let me tell you something, folks.

[John Weaver] What little bit I have, I do not want the state to have. I don't want a probate judge telling My family, where things are to go. I want to make sure whatever God gives me continues in the ministry for his honor and his glory. And in my family. I'm just saying, folks, we've got to understand we are going to die. And let me put it to you like this. No one is prepared to live until he's prepared to die. We cannot live out the remainder of our days in disobedience and sin, pride and rebellion. You know, I hope, I hope God gives me a long life, I pray so, but I don't really want a long life. I want life with quality. But I'm going to tell you, if God lets me live to be 90, if God lets me live to be 100, or if God takes me next week, I still want to be ready. And I'm going to tell you, if God allows me to live to be 90, I want to be just as prepared tomorrow as I would be then if I knew that I was going to live to 90.

[John Weaver] No one is prepared to live until he's prepared to die. And you can never be prepared to die until you come to Jesus Christ in faith and repentance. Jesus Christ is not only salvation, he is the only salvation. There is none other than him. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you help us and teach us and speak to our hearts. Help us to see how not to live out the remaining of our days.

[John Weaver] May we not be full of pride, selfishness, and wickedness and disobedience. But may we walk humbly with thee, recognizing that every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from the Father above, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Help us, Lord, to consider this message, that we do not know how much longer we have and that we must be holy and obedient and godly now, and that we must come face to face with Jesus Christ now.

[John Weaver] As scripture does say, behold, now is the day of salvation. Lord, I pray that you'll speak to our hearts. Make us holy and godly. In my name we pray. Amen.

How Not To Live Out Your Remaining Days

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	7205131622
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning
Genre	Sermon
Date	2005-06-26
Dictation Name
Book	Book 084: Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	95

Formatted Transcript

Opening

2 Kings chapter 20, beginning there with verse 1 and reading through verse 19. 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 thy house in order, for thou shalt die and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed unto the Lord, saying, 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. And it came to pass, before Isaiah was gone out of the middle of the court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 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 to the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

And I will deliver thee in 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. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took it and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. 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? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has spoken. Shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? 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. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord, and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which he had gone down on the dial of Ahaz. At that time, Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. 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.

And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them. And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord. Behold, the days come that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store to this day, shall be carried into Babylon. Nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 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?

Introduction: The Question of How to Live

Weaver introduces the message as a negative example from Hezekiah's life, undergirded by a positive lesson on how to live. He references Ezekiel 33:10 to frame the question of how we should live if not in sin.

The message I am going to bring today is entitled "How Not to Live Out Your Remaining Days." How not to live out your remaining days. Let me begin by saying the message that I'm going to bring you is a negative. However, I'm going to assure you that it is undergirded with a positive. If I tell you how not to live out the remaining of your days, I am sure that you will recognize how you should live out the remaining of your days.

Now I want you to hold 2 Kings 20, but look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 33, and I want you to notice particularly verse 10, and look, if you would please, at the question that is asked. I think you will see that this is a very informative scripture. Ezekiel chapter 33, and look at verse 10. In fact, some of you will remember that Francis Schaeffer, who is now dead, has written a book with this title, "How Then Should We Live?" So look in Ezekiel 33 and verse 10, and you will find it right here. God says through Ezekiel,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 33:10

"Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel. Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?"

Well, very obviously, if you're pining away in your transgressions and in your sins and in your iniquities, that is not the way that you should live. The question is, how then should we live if we're not going to live in sin and disobedience?

And let me just point out the fact that living in sin and disobedience is not really living. It is dying. And that's exactly what this verse teaches. Now, almost, I would say, the people who hear this message, even those who hear it on tape, and certainly none of our people here, none of our people are murderers or whoremongers or thieves. Yet the truth is we all have our sins and we all need to repent. And it's amazing that as we age, our sins become different. And when I say that, I just simply refer to this. I heard the story

Hezekiah's Sickness and Prayer for Healing

Hezekiah is told by Isaiah that he will die. He prays earnestly, and God immediately answers, granting him 15 more years and deliverance from the Assyrians.

Now, what could possibly complicate matters worse? Well, let me tell you. To have a prophet of God or a preacher of God to go to the leader of the people and say, "Thus saith the Lord, you shall die. And you're certainly not going to live. Therefore, set your house in order."

Now, undoubtedly, Hezekiah had been sick for a little while. And like most of us, whenever you get sick, the very first thing that you're longing for is to get well, to recover and to get over it. Now, how in the world do you think it would make you feel if there you are lying in your bed suffering and thinking, "I'm in pain, I'm in agony," and all of a sudden you're told, "You don't have to worry about this. You're going to die. You're not going to make it."

Now, you're not shattering the hopes and dreams and plans, certainly that would do it. And certainly, it would also destroy any previous encouragement that you'd already gotten. Now, let me ask you, how would you respond to such news? Just think about that. Suppose I walked up to you and said, "Thus saith the Lord. You shall die and not live. Therefore, set your house in order."

Now, I'm not Isaiah the prophet, but if you knew that I had received that message from God for you, and you knew for certain you were going to die, how would you respond? Now listen, while it would be a blessing on the one hand to be able to know a short while before we die that we're going to die, and it would be a blessing because it would give you time certainly to get your house in order. On the other hand, in all probability, it would certainly fill you with a little consternation, because what must it be like to know and realize that your death is imminent, that you are going to die? And it's not like a doctor is telling you that you're going to die, because doctors can be wrong. I've known plenty of individuals that the doctor has sent home to die, and yet they've lived and lived for years. So this message is not coming from a doctor who could be wrong. This message is coming from God himself, who the Bible says holds our soul and our life in his hand.

Now, let me ask you another question. I'm just trying to get you thinking today. And I'm going to tell you why. If you knew that you were going to die in the next two weeks, how would you live? Suppose, like Hezekiah, God gave you an additional 15 years. And you knew you had 15 years. How would you use them? Would you throw them away? Would you party them away?

and then try to repent at the very last and prepare for death. Would you sow to the flesh and hope to reap in the spirit, which is absolutely contrary to the laws of nature and of scripture? Let me ask you in a different way. If you knew that your death was imminent, would it make any difference as to how you listened to the preaching of the Word of God? Would it make any difference as to how you applied the Word of God to your life and conduct? You see, God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah with this message. "You're going to die and you're not going to live." I want you to remember something. Hezekiah was a good and godly king. He had ruled well. He had lived long enough to see a tremendous awakening in the land. There was a wonderful revival that occurred during the reign of Hezekiah. He was a good and godly man. But let me tell you something, people. Good and godly men have to die just like everyone else. And God said, "You're going to die." Now, what did Hezekiah do? Well, look in verse 3. Hezekiah did what any normal individual would do. Verse 3, he turned himself to the Lord and he said, "I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I've walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight." And Hezekiah wept sore. What is he doing? He's praying. He said, "Lord, basically, I don't want to die. I want to live." Now, if I told you you were going to die and you knew that I was right, you'd still want to live.

That's the natural instinct of self-preservation. All of us want to live. I knew of one young woman who thought she wanted to commit suicide. And she drank rat poison. After she drank it, she regretted it. And then went and told her parents. They rushed her to the hospital. They pumped her stomach out. It was too late. And she died in the emergency room screaming, "I want to live. I want to live. I want to live." Now, I'm just simply pointing out the fact that's a normal natural instinct. And when Hezekiah, as good and as godly as he was, found out he was going to die, he turns his face and begins to pray and says, "Lord, I want to live."

Well, look, if you would please, at verses 4 and 5, how quickly God answered his prayer. The Bible says in verse 4, "It came to pass before Isaiah had gone out of the middle of the court." In other words, he didn't even get out of the building. Then the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, "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, and on the third day thou shalt go up to the house of the Lord." So the Bible tells us that before Isaiah got out of the building, God sent him back to go back and tell him he's going to live.

Now I want you to watch this. On top of the fact that he now has a reprieve, God gives some additional good news to Hezekiah. Look in verses 6 and 7. Verse 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."

God's Gracious Benefits to Hezekiah

God not only heals Hezekiah but also promises to defeat the Assyrian army, confirmed by the miraculous sign of the shadow going back ten degrees.

And Isaiah said, "Take a lump of figs." And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. Now watch this. Here's the additional good news. Not just now that Hezekiah's going to live, but God's going to give him fifteen additional years. And on top of that, God is going to destroy the Assyrians who are invading the land. He's going to defeat them, and they're going to leave Judah and Jerusalem alone. I mean, all Hezekiah was praying for was to live. God said, "I'm not only going to let you live, I'm going to give you 15 years, and I'm going to get rid of these soldiers that are out here attacking you. I'll destroy them as well."

Now, look at verses—in fact, let's turn to Isaiah 38. Turn there, because I want you to see how God took care of the Assyrians. I like this. This is one of my favorite passages. Isaiah 38. We don't have to read the entire passage, but I get tickled every time I read this passage. Isaiah 38. And look, if you would please. Actually, it's—let's see, Isaiah 38 verses 9.

Well, this is the rejoicing that Hezekiah is giving. Verse 9,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 38:9

"The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, when he had been sick and recovered of his disease."

And he gives the Lord praise. He rejoices in his goodness and mercy. But the passage that I really wanted was in 37. If you look in 37, look what God says. Isaiah 37. God says in verse 28, talking about the Assyrian army.

He said, "But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. Because thy rage is come against me, and thy tumult is come up into mine ears. Look what God says concerning the Assyrians. Therefore will I put a hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way that thou camest. And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself, and the second year that which springeth of the same, and the third year sow ye and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat fruit thereof. And the remnant that has escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward." Look down in verse 33. "Therefore, thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, the same shall he return."

"He shall not come into this city, saith the Lord, for I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake and for my servant David's sake." Now watch. "Then the angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand, and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." Now, I like that passage, but I want you to note one angel in one night, in one stroke of the sword, killed 185,000 Assyrians. It said when they awoke, of course it means the ones that were not slain, they found the majority of their army dead. What did God do? God says, "I'm not only going to deliver you, Hezekiah, and give you 15 years, I'm going to get rid of the Assyrian army." Now go back, if you would, to 2 Kings chapter 20, because God is going to give Hezekiah a sign. And it is a miraculous sign.

Now look in verses 8 through 11. "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? And Isaiah said, The sign thou shalt have of the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he had spoken, shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or backward ten degrees? Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees." It could get hotter, easier year and summertime, etc. So he said, "No, no, let the shadow return back ten degrees. Let the daylight go back and not forward." And Isaiah the prophet cried to the Lord, and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz.

Now, so God has confirmed Hezekiah. He's going to give him 15 additional years. God has confirmed Hezekiah. He's going to deliver him from the Assyrians. And he did so.

Hezekiah's Prideful Response

Despite God's benefits, Hezekiah's heart is lifted up in pride. He shows all his treasures to Babylonian ambassadors, seeking their favor rather than honoring God.

I mean, that should be enough to cause rejoicing constantly and continually. But look at what the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 32, beginning there with verse 24.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 32:24-26

"In those days, Hezekiah was sick to the death and prayed unto the Lord, and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up, therefore was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem."

Look at verse 25 again.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 32:24-26

"But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him."

In other words, God was gracious and kind and merciful to Hezekiah. And what did Hezekiah do? He repaid God's graciousness and kindness with sin and disobedience. To me, that is absolutely phenomenal. I like the word "benefit." Look in verse 25.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 32:24-26

"But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him."

Whenever I read this word "benefit," I cannot help but think of another passage of Scripture. Let me just quote it. Do you remember Psalm 103 in verse 1 where David said, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, and forget not all his benefits." And then when you get to verse 3, one of those benefits that is listed is "who forgiveth all thy sins and healeth all thy diseases." So good health is indeed a benefit from God. Deliverance from death is a benefit from God.

Now, I want to make something extremely plain. Hezekiah did not become a whoremonger or a murderer or a thief. All Hezekiah did was lift his heart up in pride. Pride not over only what God had given him, not only in what God had done for him, but also in pride by the attention that the world was going to give to him. Let me ask you to look at 2 Chronicles 32 since you're there. Let's begin reading with verse 27. Just showing you the pride in just a moment over the possessions. Look what he said, 2 Chronicles 32 verse 27,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 32:27-29

"And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor, and he made himself treasuries for silver and for gold and for precious stones and for spices and for shields and for all manner of pleasant jewels. Storehouses also for the increase of the corn and wine and oil, stalls for the manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks. Moreover he provided him cities and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him substance very much. The same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon and brought it straight down in the west side of the city of David, and Hezekiah prospered in all his works."

So here was a man who had an exceedingly abundance of wealth. He had all kinds of works. He had all kinds of things that he could rejoice in.

The Test of the Babylonian Ambassadors

God tests Hezekiah through the visit of the Babylonian envoys. Hezekiah fails by revealing everything and seeking an alliance with idolaters instead of witnessing to them.

He's graciously taken care of the Assyrians who were storming the city. But look what the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 32 and verse 31,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 32:31

"Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon who sent unto him to inquire the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart."

Now the word "try" literally means to test or to try or to prove. So what God is saying is this, "Oren Hezekiah, you've turned yourself to me. You have told me that you want to live and that you want to serve me and to honor me and you want to be obedient. Well, here's the matter of these Babylonian ambassadors. I'll just test the sincerity of your desires and the sincerity of your obedience." Now, I want you to note that the king of Babylon has sent a letter and presents to Hezekiah.

Go back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 20 and look at verse 12. And undoubtedly, these presents were of a great value. They were certainly not some little insignificant trifle. Notice, if you would, 2 Kings 20, verse 12.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:12-13

"At that time, Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick."

Now, if the king of Babylon and Hezekiah had not been friends previously, obviously, the king of Babylon wants to be friends with him now. The king of Babylon had not only heard of his friendship or his sickness, he had not only heard of his healing and the sun going backward ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz, he had heard of the Assyrians being defeated. Now, I want you to look in verse 13. When these Babylonian ambassadors came to Hezekiah, notice what is said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:12-13

"and Hezekiah hearkened unto them."

He listened unto them. When you get to Isaiah 39 in verse 2, the same story, the same ambassadors, the Bible said Hezekiah was glad of them.

In other words, Hezekiah was happy not just to have the present, but to have the ambassadors themselves. Attention was being lavished upon King Hezekiah. He was the center of attention. I mean, here's a man that has been miraculously cured. Here's a man that has been given a supernatural sign. Here's a man that has been delivered miraculously from an invading army. And all of a sudden now, all this attention is being lavished upon him by these Babylonian ambassadors. Now, why in the world do you think the king of Babylon would want a friendship or an alliance with Hezekiah?

Let me give you three reasons. First of all, there was a religious reason. You see, the Babylonians worshiped the sun. And when that dial, the sun, went backwards ten degrees on the dial of Hezekiah, what did those Babylonians who worshiped the sun assume? That their God had done a great honor to King Hezekiah. And therefore, they were going to honor Hezekiah themselves.

Now let me ask you a question. Would you not want to be friends with someone whom you perceived was a favorite of heaven or a favorite of the gods? Well, of course you would. Let me tell you something. If David had every one of his prayers answered, and I knew he had every one of his prayers answered instantly and immediately, he couldn't get rid of me. Because I'd be buddy-buddying with him everywhere wanting him to pray for me specifically in a lot of areas. That's normal selfishness. And when those Babylonians saw what they perceived as the blessing of heaven from their God upon Hezekiah, they wanted his friendship.

Secondly, there was a civil reason. The king of Babylon was in the process of revolting from the king of Assyria. At this particular time, the Babylonians were under the dominion of the Assyrians as well. You can read about that in 2 Kings 17 verse 24. And remember, it was at this time that God smote the Assyrians. That's the passage I read earlier from Isaiah 37. Killed 185,000 of them in one single night. Now, it was in the best interest then of the king of Babylon to have some type of civil agreement with Hezekiah. Because Hezekiah is not only now the favorite of heaven, but his prayer has been answered against the Assyrian forces.

And he's thinking, "Boy, I could not have a more powerful ally than that." And then thirdly, there was indeed the military reason. Undoubtedly, the message that he received, the letters that he received, not only was congratulations to Hezekiah for healing, but also for the deliverance from the Assyrian armies as well. And in all probability, there's a proposal that they form a military alliance because here the Babylonians are revolting from the Assyrians and they don't want to face them by themselves. And if Hezekiah's God has already defeated them one time, he would certainly be a good ally. But please remember this. It was not Hezekiah who defeated the Assyrians. It was God. God said, "I'm going to put my hook in his mouth. I'm going to take him back the same way that he came."

Isaiah's Rebuke and Judgment

Isaiah confronts Hezekiah, and God pronounces judgment: all his treasures and descendants will be taken to Babylon. Hezekiah selfishly accepts this as long as peace remains in his own days.

I mean, after all, they're heathen, they're idolaters. I mean, you know, come on. You know what he was doing? He was trying to gain the pride and the applause and the recognition of men, instead of giving praise and honor to God. And it became a sin to him, just like it does us, when we prefer the favor of men to the favor of God.

Now, look in 2 Kings 20, because beginning there in verse 14, Isaiah gives him a very strong review. "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. And he said, What have they seen in thy house?" What an interesting question. "What have they seen in thy house?" Listen to the answer. Hezekiah said, "There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown." Let's ask that question, and I want you to think about it like this. Isaiah asked him, "What have they seen in thine house?" And here's the answer. Everything except what they should have seen. They didn't see a godly, obedient, humble servant of the one true living God who wanted to honor and glorify him above everything else. In his pride, he showed them everything he had. And his judgment was, everything you have is going to be taken from you and given to Babylon, even your sons. Do you realize it is pride that causes most of us to lose our own children, our own possessions? Isn't it amazing how we will not repent even toward our own family? We won't apologize. We won't do what's right. Why? Pride. No wonder the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 18,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 16:18

"Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

No wonder Proverbs 29 verse 23 says, "A man's pride shall bring him low." A man's pride shall bring him low. How much more can you get than to have your family destroyed and your possessions stolen and taken away from you?

Let me show you. Let me show you what I'm going to call the apex of his selfishness. Skip down to 2 Kings chapter 20. And let's begin reading with verse 18. Isaiah tells Hezekiah, "And of thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." That means his line is going to cease. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, watch. "Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken."

That is, I will submit to it. That is good. But look at what else he said. And he said, "Is it not good if peace and truth be in my days?" Let me ask you, what about peace and truth in the days of his children? What about peace and truth in the days of his grandchildren? Who was Hezekiah interested in? Only himself. Selfish, prideful. Do you realize this is precisely the trouble with America today?

Application: Living Prepared for Death

Weaver applies the lesson by urging believers to listen attentively to God's Word, avoid pride, and live each day prepared for death, since no one knows their appointed time.

Now, I want you to think about this. I started off this message asking you some questions. I'm going to come back to those questions. And I'm going to tell you why. What if God revealed to you that you only had a short time to live? Two weeks? Two months? Even a year? What if God revealed to you that you only had a short time to live? Here's my question. Would it make any difference as to how you listened to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God? Would it make any difference as to how you applied the Word of God faithfully? Would it make any difference as to how you changed your life? Let me give you the impetus for this message. Here's what started me thinking about 2 Kings chapter 20.

Alice and I were recently in a meeting in another state. And I saw a friend whom I had not seen in years. And it was a wonderful opportunity to fellowship again, to reminisce, to think about things, and we had a wonderful time doing that. But during that meeting, and I remember particularly the messages that I preached, they were pointed, they were powerful, and they were plain. And two weeks after the meeting, I got a phone call that my friend had died with a massive heart problem. And the thought hit me. If he had known that he was going to die, would he have listened more intently? Would he have been more attentive to the Word of God? Would he have said, "I really need to apply that to my life and apply that to my life right now"? In two weeks, he was dead. How many weeks do you have left? Truth is you don't know. You may not even have two weeks. The Scripture says in Hebrews 9 verse 27,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 9:27

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment."

The truth is, folks, everyone sitting in this room is going to die. God has fixed the date of your death exactly as He fixed the date of your birth, and you cannot escape your date with death. The question is, how will you use the remaining time that God has given you? And it doesn't matter, folks. You may only have two hours. You may have two days, two weeks, two years or 20 years. I don't know how much longer time I have, nor do I know how much longer time that you have.

The truth of the matter is, if God gives us one more day, we ought to use it for Him and not be proud and arrogant and boastful and disobedient. I'll tell you this, folks. None of us know when. And so it's best to always be prepared to die.

Practical Exhortations and Conclusion

Weaver gives specific applications: take heed how you hear, watch against pride in possessions, think soberly, expect accountability for secret pride, and set your house in order spiritually and practically.

Now let me make some applications. Listen carefully. The first one is this. Do you realize in Scripture we are not only commanded to take heed what we hear? Mark 4 verse 24. We're also commanded to take heed how we hear. Luke 8 verse 18. So God says, take heed what you hear, but He also says, take heed how you hear. So if you're listening to His Word with your mind wandering and you're laughing and playing and all this kind of stuff and nothing is filtering in, what's He saying? You better take heed how you hear. Do you realize throughout the New Testament, our Lord says, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Now, here's my question. Do you really genuinely listen attentively to the Word of God? Do you make application of the Word of God to your heart each time it's read and expounded? What would you change today about the way you listen, the way you heard, the way you applied the Word of God if you knew that you were going to die in two days?

So you need to make sure you take heed not only what you hear, but how you hear. Number two, we have need to watch our own spirits, especially when we're showing our friends our possessions, declaring what we have gotten, that we be not proud of them in the sense that we attribute it to our own efforts, our own work. In other words, when we look upon our possessions, when we look upon our enjoyments, we must do with humble acknowledgement of our own unworthiness and thankfulness to God who in His grace and mercy put us in the position that we can have them and gave us the ability to work for them and the discipline to keep them.

Thirdly, it is a great weakness and I might add a great sin for men to value themselves more highly than they ought. Romans 12 and verse 3, the Apostle Paul wrote this, let me quote it. "For I say through the grace of God, given to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God has dealt every man the measure of faith." What did he get out of his mouth? Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. He said, if you're going to think of yourself, you think soberly. That is, you think accurately. How vain would it be, how useless would it be for me to advertise, "Come hear John Weaver in concert. I'll be singing songs of the past and songs of the present." How vain would that be? I know you're laughing because you know I can't sing. But I've known plenty of people who could not sing who thought they could. I know plenty of people who think they can do a lot of things and when in reality, they cannot do one thing.

Let me tell you something. It should satisfy us to have the favor and the blessing of heaven upon us. We do not need the praise and the adulation of the world. If we are not content with God's blessing upon us, certainly, folks, we're not going to be content with man's blessing upon us. I'd much rather have favor with God than favor with man. Fourthly, here's the fourth application. We must always expect to be called into account for the workings of our pride, even though it is a secret pride. Think about that. Do you realize over and over Scripture says you are to do this lest your heart be lifted up?

Now, I want you to turn in your Bible. I can quote this, but I want you to see it. I preached from this passage for about seven or eight weeks. Deuteronomy chapter 8. But I want to remind you of what God says in this passage. Deuteronomy chapter 8. And look, if you would please there. Beginning with verse 17. Deuteronomy 8, verse 17. Look what God says. Deuteronomy 8, verse 17, "And thou say in thy heart, My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth."

"But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers as it is this day." If you have something, I got news for you. God gave it to you. We cannot pretend like everything that we have is the product of our own hands. You say, "But Brother Weaver, I worked faithfully and earnestly." I know that. But if God did not bless that work, you would never have prospered. And if God did not give you that work ethic, you would have never done it to begin with. You know what the Bible says in Micah 6 and verse 8?

Let me just quote it. "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God." To walk humbly with thy God. And you walk humbly with him, recognizing that he's the creator and you're the creature. He's the father. You're the child. He's the master. You're the servant. He's the Lord. You're the slave.

One last point, and that's this. What did Isaiah tell Hezekiah? "Thou shalt die and not live. Set thine house in order." Folks, the truth is we know we're going to die. Our houses should be set in order spiritually, financially, emotionally, mentally, and physically. In other words, we must make preparations to die so that when we do so, it will be pleasing and honoring to the Lord. Some of you folks don't have a will. You don't have a trust. Let me tell you something, folks.

What little bit I have, I do not want the state to have. I don't want a probate judge telling my family where things are to go. I want to make sure whatever God gives me continues in the ministry for his honor and his glory. And in my family. I'm just saying, folks, we've got to understand we are going to die. And let me put it to you like this. No one is prepared to live until he's prepared to die. We cannot live out the remainder of our days in disobedience and sin, pride and rebellion. You know, I hope, I hope God gives me a long life, I pray so, but I don't really want a long life. I want life with quality. But I'm going to tell you, if God lets me live to be 90, if God lets me live to be 100, or if God takes me next week, I still want to be ready. And I'm going to tell you, if God allows me to live to be 90, I want to be just as prepared tomorrow as I would be then if I knew that I was going to live to 90.

No one is prepared to live until he's prepared to die. And you can never be prepared to die until you come to Jesus Christ in faith and repentance. Jesus Christ is not only salvation, he is the only salvation. There is none other than him. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you help us and teach us and speak to our hearts. Help us to see how not to live out the remaining of our days.

May we not be full of pride, selfishness, and wickedness and disobedience. But may we walk humbly with thee, recognizing that every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from the Father above, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Help us, Lord, to consider this message, that we do not know how much longer we have and that we must be holy and obedient and godly now, and that we must come face to face with Jesus Christ now. As scripture does say, "Behold, now is the day of salvation." Lord, I pray that you'll speak to our hearts. Make us holy and godly. In thy name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Pride as a Root Sin

Summary: Hezekiah's downfall was pride in his possessions and status, leading him to seek the favor of men rather than God.

Evidence: 2 Chronicles 32:25 says Hezekiah 'rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up.' Weaver emphasizes that pride caused Hezekiah to show off his treasures.

The Danger of Presuming on God's Mercy

Summary: Assuming we will live to an old age is presuming upon God's mercies; each day is a gift from God.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Lamentations 3:22-23 and Job 14:5 to show that our days are determined by God, and we should not take them for granted.

Repentance Does Not Cancel Consequences

Summary: Even though Hezekiah later humbled himself, the consequences of his sin (the Babylonian captivity) were not averted.

Evidence: Weaver illustrates with David's sin in numbering the people (2 Samuel 24) and the hypothetical fight with Ed Wolfe, showing that forgiveness does not remove earthly consequences.

The Necessity of Being Prepared for Death

Summary: Since death is appointed for all, we must set our houses in order spiritually and practically, living each day in obedience.

Evidence: Weaver cites Hebrews 9:27 and Isaiah's command to Hezekiah to 'set thine house in order,' applying it to all believers.

The Sin of Selfishness

Summary: Hezekiah's response to judgment—'Is it not good if peace and truth be in my days?'—reveals a selfish disregard for future generations.

Evidence: Weaver points out Hezekiah's concern only for his own peace, not for his children or descendants, and compares it to modern American selfishness.

Key Arguments

Hezekiah's ingratitude led to pride and sin.

Summary: Despite receiving miraculous healing and deliverance, Hezekiah did not render to God according to the benefit received, but his heart was lifted up.

Evidence: 2 Chronicles 32:25 explicitly states Hezekiah's failure to respond appropriately to God's benefits, and Weaver highlights this as the core of his sin.

God tests the sincerity of our devotion.

Summary: The visit of the Babylonian ambassadors was a test from God to reveal what was in Hezekiah's heart, and he failed by seeking their approval.

Evidence: 2 Chronicles 32:31 says God left Hezekiah to try him, and Weaver explains that Hezekiah showed off his wealth instead of witnessing about God.

Pride leads to destructive consequences.

Summary: Hezekiah's pride resulted in the prophecy that all his treasures and descendants would be taken to Babylon, showing that pride brings low.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Proverbs 16:18 and 29:23, and points to the judgment pronounced in 2 Kings 20:17-18.

We must live each day as if it were our last.

Summary: Since we do not know the day of our death, we should always be prepared to die, listening attentively to God's Word and applying it.

Evidence: Weaver asks rhetorical questions about how we would live if we knew we had only two weeks, and cites Hebrews 9:27.

True humility recognizes God as the source of all blessings.

Summary: We must not attribute our wealth or success to our own power, but remember that God gives the ability to gain wealth.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Deuteronomy 8:17-18 and Micah 6:8 to emphasize walking humbly with God.

Scripture References

2 Kings 20:1-19

Context: The main narrative of Hezekiah's sickness, healing, sign of the shadow, visit of Babylonian ambassadors, and Isaiah's prophecy of judgment.

Ezekiel 33:10

Context: Weaver uses this verse to introduce the question 'How should we then live?' if we are pining away in sin.

Isaiah 38:9

Context: Hezekiah's writing of praise after recovering from his sickness.

Isaiah 37:28-36

Context: God's promise to defend Jerusalem and the angel killing 185,000 Assyrians.

Job 14:4-5

Context: Man's days are determined and his bounds appointed by God.

Job 7:1

Context: There is an appointed time for man upon the earth.

Psalm 68:20

Context: Unto God belong the issues from death.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Context: It is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed; His compassions are new every morning.

2 Chronicles 32:24-26

Context: Hezekiah's pride and failure to render according to the benefit, yet later humbling himself.

Psalm 103:1-3

Context: Bless the Lord and forget not all His benefits, including forgiveness and healing.

2 Chronicles 32:27-29

Context: Description of Hezekiah's great riches and possessions.

2 Chronicles 32:31

Context: God left Hezekiah to test him through the Babylonian ambassadors.

2 Kings 20:12-13

Context: Hezekiah shows all his treasures to the Babylonian envoys.

Isaiah 39:2

Context: Hezekiah was glad of the Babylonian ambassadors.

James 1:19

Context: Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

Proverbs 16:18

Context: Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 29:23

Context: A man's pride shall bring him low.

Hebrews 9:27

Context: It is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

Context: Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.

Micah 6:8

Context: What does the Lord require but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

Historical References

King Hezekiah

Context: The good and godly king of Judah who experienced a revival, was healed by God, and given 15 additional years, but later fell into pride.

Isaiah the prophet

Context: The prophet who delivered God's message of death and later healing to Hezekiah, and confronted him about the Babylonian ambassadors.

Berodach-baladan, king of Babylon

Context: Sent letters and a present to Hezekiah after hearing of his sickness, seeking an alliance.

Assyrian army

Context: The invading army that threatened Jerusalem; God killed 185,000 of them in one night as a sign of His deliverance.

Francis Schaeffer

Context: Weaver mentions Schaeffer's book 'How Then Should We Live?' in connection with Ezekiel 33:10.

David's sin of numbering the people (2 Samuel 24)

Context: Used as an illustration that repentance does not negate consequences; 70,000 died despite David's repentance.

Important Quotes

But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up, therefore was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

Significance: This is the key verse summarizing Hezekiah's failure and the cause of God's judgment, central to the sermon's message.

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?

Significance: Highlights Hezekiah's selfishness and lack of concern for future generations, a major point of application.

No one is prepared to live until he's prepared to die.

Significance: A key practical takeaway urging readiness for death as the foundation for godly living.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.

Significance: Quoted to emphasize that each day is a gift of God's mercy, not a presumption.

Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Significance: Used to warn of the inevitable consequences of pride, as seen in Hezekiah's life.

Discussion Questions

How does Hezekiah's response to God's grace challenge our own tendencies toward pride and self-sufficiency?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that Hezekiah's heart was lifted up after receiving benefits, leading to sin.

In what ways do we, like Hezekiah, seek the approval of the world rather than the favor of God?

Context: Hezekiah showed off his treasures to the Babylonians instead of witnessing about God.

Why is it dangerous to presume upon God's mercy by assuming we have many years left to live?

Context: Weaver warns that assuming a long life is presuming on God's mercies, citing Lamentations 3.

How can we balance being prepared for death with living fully for God each day?

Context: The sermon concludes that no one is prepared to live until prepared to die.

What does Hezekiah's selfish statement 'Is it not good if peace and truth be in my days?' reveal about our own priorities for future generations?

Context: Weaver contrasts Hezekiah's selfishness with the need for dominion-oriented, future-focused living.

Applications

Take heed how you hear God's Word.

Summary: Believers must listen attentively to preaching and apply it immediately, especially in light of life's brevity.

Evidence: Weaver asks if knowing you had two weeks to live would change how you listen, citing Mark 4:24 and Luke 8:18.

Guard against pride in possessions.

Summary: When showing or enjoying possessions, do so with humble acknowledgment of God's provision, not self-congratulation.

Evidence: Weaver warns against pride in what we have, referencing Deuteronomy 8:17-18.

Think soberly about yourself.

Summary: Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought; recognize your limitations and depend on God.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Romans 12:3 and illustrates with the absurdity of him advertising a singing concert.

Expect accountability for secret pride.

Summary: God will call us to account for the workings of our pride, even if hidden.

Evidence: Weaver states we must always expect to be called into account for our pride, referencing Deuteronomy 8.

Set your house in order.

Summary: Prepare spiritually, financially, and practically for death, including having a will, so that your affairs honor God.

Evidence: Weaver urges making preparations for death, citing Isaiah's command to Hezekiah and personal advice about wills.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:48:07Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:01:04Z

Clean Transcript

How Not To Live Out Your Remaining Days

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

2 Kings chapter 20, beginning there with verse 1 and reading through verse 19. 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 thy house in order, for thou shalt die and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed unto the Lord, saying, 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. And it came to pass, before Isaiah was gone out of the middle of the court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 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 to the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
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And I will deliver thee in 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. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took it and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. 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? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has spoken.
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Shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? 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. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord, and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which he had gone down on the dial of Ahaz. At that time, Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. 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.
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And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them. And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord. Behold, the days come that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store to this day, shall be carried into Babylon. Nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 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?
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The message I am going to bring today is entitled "How Not to Live Out Your Remaining Days." How not to live out your remaining days. Let me begin by saying the message that I'm going to bring you is a negative. However, I'm going to assure you that it is undergirded with a positive. If I tell you how not to live out the remaining of your days, I am sure that you will recognize how you should live out the remaining of your days.
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Now I want you to hold 2 Kings 20, but look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 33, and I want you to notice particularly verse 10, and look, if you would please, at the question that is asked. I think you will see that this is a very informative scripture. Ezekiel chapter 33, and look at verse 10. In fact, some of you will remember that Francis Schaeffer, who is now dead, has written a book with this title, "How Then Should We Live?" So look in Ezekiel 33 and verse 10, and you will find it right here. God says through Ezekiel, "Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel. Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?" Well, very obviously, if you're pining away in your transgressions and in your sins and in your iniquities, that is not the way that you should live. The question is, how then should we live if we're not going to live in sin and disobedience?
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And let me just point out the fact that living in sin and disobedience is not really living. It is dying. And that's exactly what this verse teaches.
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Now, almost, I would say, the people who hear this message, even those who hear it on tape, and certainly none of our people here, none of our people are murderers or whoremongers or thieves. Yet the truth is we all have our sins and we all need to repent. And it's amazing that as we age, our sins become different. And when I say that, I just simply refer to this. I heard the story
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about the old man who was 92 years old. And he looked at one of the younger men and he said, "Praise God." He said, "I haven't had a desire to go dancing in years." Well, I can understand why he hadn't had a desire to go dancing in years at age 92. He couldn't have if he wanted to. But you understand what I'm saying. It's no longer the sins of youth sometimes that affect older people. It's a sin of pride and complacency and contentment. So as we age, many times our sins differ, but they're still sins. And we still have pride and comfort and even harshness.
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Now, let me explain what I'm trying to show you by the life of King Hezekiah. Now, as you turn back to 2 Kings chapter 20, I want you to understand that, first of all, it is always bad when your country is under attack from outsiders. But it is even worse when the leader and the captain of your people, who is supposedly leading in the defense of your country, is not only sick but dying.
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Now, what could possibly complicate matters worse? Well, let me tell you. To have a prophet of God or a preacher of God to go to the leader of the people and say, "Thus saith the Lord, you shall die. And you're certainly not going to live. Therefore, set your house in order."
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Now, undoubtedly, Hezekiah had been sick for a little while. And like most of us, whenever you get sick, the very first thing that you're longing for is to get well, to recover and to get over it.
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Now, how in the world do you think it would make you feel if there you are lying in your bed suffering and thinking, "I'm in pain, I'm in agony," and all of a sudden you're told, "You don't have to worry about this. You're going to die. You're not going to make it."
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Now, you're not shattering the hopes and dreams and plans, certainly that would do it. And certainly, it would also destroy any previous encouragement that you'd already gotten.
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Now, let me ask you, how would you respond to such news? Just think about that. Suppose I walked up to you and said, "Thus saith the Lord. You shall die and not live. Therefore, set your house in order."
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Now, I'm not Isaiah the prophet, but if you knew that I had received that message from God for you, and you knew for certain you were going to die, how would you respond?
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Now listen, while it would be a blessing on the one hand to be able to know a short while before we die that we're going to die, and it would be a blessing because it would give you time certainly to get your house in order. On the other hand, in all probability, it would certainly fill you with a little consternation, because what must it be like to know and realize that your death is imminent, that you are going to die? And it's not like a doctor is telling you that you're going to die, because doctors can be wrong. I've known plenty of individuals that the doctor has sent home to die, and yet they've lived and lived for years. So this message is not coming from a doctor who could be wrong. This message is coming from God himself, who the Bible says holds our soul and our life in his hand.
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Now, let me ask you another question. I'm just trying to get you thinking today. And I'm going to tell you why. If you knew that you were going to die in the next two weeks, how would you live? Suppose, like Hezekiah, God gave you an additional 15 years. And you knew you had 15 years. How would you use them? Would you throw them away? Would you party them away?
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and then try to repent at the very last and prepare for death. Would you sow to the flesh and hope to reap in the spirit, which is absolutely contrary to the laws of nature and of scripture? Let me ask you in a different way. If you knew that your death was imminent, would it make any difference as to how you listened to the preaching of the Word of God? Would it make any difference as to how you applied the Word of God to your life and conduct? You see, God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah with this message.
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"You're going to die and you're not going to live." I want you to remember something. Hezekiah was a good and godly king. He had ruled well. He had lived long enough to see a tremendous awakening in the land. There was a wonderful revival that occurred during the reign of Hezekiah. He was a good and godly man. But let me tell you something, people. Good and godly men have to die just like everyone else. And God said, "You're going to die." Now, what did Hezekiah do? Well, look in verse 3. Hezekiah did what any normal individual would do. Verse 3, he turned himself to the Lord and he said, "I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I've walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight." And Hezekiah wept sore. What is he doing? He's praying. He said, "Lord, basically, I don't want to die. I want to live." Now, if I told you you were going to die and you knew that I was right, you'd still want to live.
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That's the natural instinct of self-preservation. All of us want to live. I knew of one young woman who thought she wanted to commit suicide. And she drank rat poison. After she drank it, she regretted it. And then went and told her parents. They rushed her to the hospital. They pumped her stomach out. It was too late. And she died in the emergency room screaming, "I want to live. I want to live. I want to live." Now, I'm just simply pointing out the fact that's a normal natural instinct. And when Hezekiah, as good and as godly as he was, found out he was going to die, he turns his face and begins to pray and says, "Lord, I want to live."
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Well, look, if you would please, at verses 4 and 5, how quickly God answered his prayer. The Bible says in verse 4, "It came to pass before Isaiah had gone out of the middle of the court." In other words, he didn't even get out of the building. Then the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, "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, and on the third day thou shalt go up to the house of the Lord." So the Bible tells us that before Isaiah got out of the building, God sent him back to go back and tell him he's going to live.
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Now I want you to watch this. On top of the fact that he now has a reprieve, God gives some additional good news to Hezekiah. Look in verses 6 and 7. Verse 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."
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And Isaiah said, "Take a lump of figs." And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. Now watch this. Here's the additional good news. Not just now that Hezekiah's going to live, but God's going to give him fifteen additional years. And on top of that, God is going to destroy the Assyrians who are invading the land. He's going to defeat them, and they're going to leave Judah and Jerusalem alone. I mean, all Hezekiah was praying for was to live. God said, "I'm not only going to let you live, I'm going to give you 15 years, and I'm going to get rid of these soldiers that are out here attacking you. I'll destroy them as well."
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Now, look at verses—in fact, let's turn to Isaiah 38. Turn there, because I want you to see how God took care of the Assyrians. I like this. This is one of my favorite passages. Isaiah 38. We don't have to read the entire passage, but I get tickled every time I read this passage. Isaiah 38. And look, if you would please. Actually, it's—let's see, Isaiah 38 verses 9.
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Well, this is the rejoicing that Hezekiah is giving. Verse 9, "The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, when he had been sick and recovered of his disease." And he gives the Lord praise. He rejoices in his goodness and mercy. But the passage that I really wanted was in 37. If you look in 37, look what God says. Isaiah 37. God says in verse 28, talking about the Assyrian army.
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He said, "But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. Because thy rage is come against me, and thy tumult is come up into mine ears. Look what God says concerning the Assyrians. Therefore will I put a hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way that thou camest. And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself, and the second year that which springeth of the same, and the third year sow ye and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat fruit thereof. And the remnant that has escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward." Look down in verse 33. "Therefore, thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, the same shall he return."
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"He shall not come into this city, saith the Lord, for I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake and for my servant David's sake." Now watch. "Then the angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand, and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." Now, I like that passage, but I want you to note one angel in one night, in one stroke of the sword, killed 185,000 Assyrians. It said when they awoke, of course it means the ones that were not slain, they found the majority of their army dead. What did God do?
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God says, "I'm not only going to deliver you, Hezekiah, and give you 15 years, I'm going to get rid of the Assyrian army." Now go back, if you would, to 2 Kings chapter 20, because God is going to give Hezekiah a sign. And it is a miraculous sign.
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Now look in verses 8 through 11. "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? And Isaiah said, The sign thou shalt have of the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he had spoken, shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or backward ten degrees? Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees."
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It could get hotter, easier year and summertime, etc. So he said, "No, no, let the shadow return back ten degrees. Let the daylight go back and not forward." And Isaiah the prophet cried to the Lord, and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz.
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Now, so God has confirmed Hezekiah. He's going to give him 15 additional years. God has confirmed Hezekiah. He's going to deliver him from the Assyrians. And he did so.
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Now, let me ask you a question. How do you think Hezekiah used those 15 additional years that were given to him in grace and mercy? Let me make it a little more personal. How would you have used an additional 15 years that had been given to you? Let me ask you another question. How do you even know you have 15 years left? You know what the Bible declares? Listen to this. Let me just quote. I want you to listen.
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Job 14 verses 4 and 5. In reference to man, here's what the Word of God says. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one." So no man can purify himself. No man can better himself in his own self. But listen to the rest of this. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee."
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"Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass." You know what that verse is teaching us? That God has not only ordained the day of our birth, He has ordained the day of our death. He has appointed us the number of our months. He has given us a boundary that we cannot pass over. The Bible in Job 7 and verse 1 asks the same question concerning man. Here it is. "Is there not an appointed time to man upon the earth?"
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"Are not his days also like the days of a hireling?" And certainly there is an appointed time for man upon the earth. Everyone in this room knows that you're not going to live forever. You know that you're going to die. You don't know when. In fact, in Psalm 68 in verse 20, the Bible says this concerning God. "He that is our God is the God of salvation, and unto God our Lord belong the issues from death." So unto God alone belongs the issues from death. Now listen carefully. The mere fact that you and I are allowed to live another day, another week, another year is only due to the grace and mercy and compassions of God. Do you realize that when you and I assume that we're going to live to a ripe old age, in reality, we are presuming upon the mercies of God.
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Now, stop and think about that. When you and I assume that we're going to live to a ripe old age, in reality, we're presuming upon the mercies of God. Let me just give it to you. It's one of my favorite passages. Lamentations 3:22 and 23. Listen carefully. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness." So answer the question, why is it that you live through the night? Only because of the mercies and compassions of God. Had His mercies, had His compassions, had His faithfulness not been there, you would have never made it through the night. That's why I'm telling you to assume that we're going to live to a ripe old age is really to presume upon His mercy. The question is, how would you and I respond to the graciousness of God in allowing us to live another day, another week, another month or even another year?
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Now, I told you the title of this message was "How Not to Live Out the Remainder of Our Days." Do you know how Hezekiah responded to God giving him an additional 15 years? Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 32. 2 Chronicles chapter 32. God was gracious to Hezekiah. He said, "Lord, I don't want to die, I want to live." God said, "OK, I'm going to let you live. I'm going to give you 15 more years. Plus, I'm going to get rid of the Assyrians for you."
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I mean, that should be enough to cause rejoicing constantly and continually. But look at what the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 32, beginning there with verse 24. "In those days, Hezekiah was sick to the death and prayed unto the Lord, and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up, therefore was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem." Look at verse 25 again. "But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him." In other words, God was gracious and kind and merciful to Hezekiah. And what did Hezekiah do?
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He repaid God's graciousness and kindness with sin and disobedience. To me, that is absolutely phenomenal. I like the word "benefit." Look in verse 25. "But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him." Whenever I read this word "benefit," I cannot help but think of another passage of Scripture. Let me just quote it. Do you remember Psalm 103 in verse 1 where David said, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, and forget not all his benefits." And then when you get to verse 3, one of those benefits that is listed is "who forgiveth all thy sins and healeth all thy diseases." So good health is indeed a benefit from God. Deliverance from death is a benefit from God.
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Now, I want to make something extremely plain. Hezekiah did not become a whoremonger or a murderer or a thief. All Hezekiah did was lift his heart up in pride. Pride not over only what God had given him, not only in what God had done for him, but also in pride by the attention that the world was going to give to him. Let me ask you to look at 2 Chronicles 32 since you're there.
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Let's begin reading with verse 27. Just showing you the pride in just a moment over the possessions. Look what he said, 2 Chronicles 32 verse 27, "And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor, and he made himself treasuries for silver and for gold and for precious stones and for spices and for shields and for all manner of pleasant jewels. Storehouses also for the increase of the corn and wine and oil, stalls for the manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks. Moreover he provided him cities and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him substance very much. The same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon and brought it straight down in the west side of the city of David, and Hezekiah prospered in all his works." So here was a man who had an exceedingly abundance of wealth. He had all kinds of works. He had all kinds of things that he could rejoice in.
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And that's exactly what he did, but he did so in a proud, arrogant way rather than a humble way. Look back in verse 25 again. Watch carefully. "But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him." And here's his sin, "for his heart was lifted up." Now, here's the sentence. "Therefore, there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem." Let me ask you a question.
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I don't know if this thought has hit you yet. Why would wrath be upon Judah and Jerusalem for the sin of pride in Hezekiah's life? That's a good answer. He was a leader, but it was more than you can imagine. Let me explain it to you. By the way, before I do so, let me point out another verse. Look in verse 26. Now the Bible's already told us that Hezekiah did not render to the Lord for the benefit that God had given him. Look in verse 26. "Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah." Let's stop right there.
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Let me give you a sound illustration or two. This is a very, very important point. I want you to listen carefully. Hezekiah had lifted himself up in pride. I'm going to show you sin in just a moment and what he really took pride in. Hezekiah lifted himself up in pride. Judah and Jerusalem did as well. They repented of their sin. Here's the important point. Repentance does not negate reaping the consequences of your sin. Hezekiah repented, but the sin had already been committed. The damage had already been done. The seed had already been sown. Do you remember in 2 Samuel chapter 24 when David committed a sin in numbering the people? Did David repent? Yes.
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But 70,000 soldiers still died. Now, you see, let's suppose that Ed Wolfe and I went out together and we went into a bar and got drunk. But we just didn't get drunk. Then we got mad at each other and got in a fight. And in the fight, I knocked out his eye. And he knocked out two of my teeth.
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Now, let me ask you a question. Would God forgive us for getting drunk? What's the answer? Yes. Would God forgive us for getting into a fight and getting mad with each other? What's the answer? Yes. Does that mean his eye is replaced, my teeth replaced? No. We still have to reap and carry the consequences of our sins. You follow that? Just because God forgives us does not necessarily mean that we don't reap the consequences of our sin.
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The truth of the matter is this, folks. Most people want and desire repentance. But what they really want and desire is not just forgiveness and turning from their sin. What they want is for God to save them from reaping the consequences of their sin. Which is not going to happen. For he that sins must suffer. What is it the Bible teaches us? That the way of the transgressor is hard. Certainly we're not going to be reaping eternal judgment.
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That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about just simply reaping what we have sown in this life. You and I cannot do wrong. We cannot sow to the flesh and expect to reap in the spirit. Forgiveness does not cancel out the consequences of our actions. Don't you remember that? God may forgive you and you may repent and you may never do it again. But Ed still lost his eye and I still lost my teeth. Even though God's forgiveness. Now, let me ask you, in what area did Hezekiah allow pride to come into his life and to be his downfall? And here it is. It was in the matter of the Babylonians who were seeking a political alliance with Hezekiah. Now, I don't know if you've picked up on this. I haven't read the verse yet, but the Bible specifically says that this was a test for Hezekiah. Look in your Bibles, 2 Chronicles 32 and verse 31. Now what has God graciously done? God has graciously healed him. He's graciously given him 15 more years.
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He's graciously taken care of the Assyrians who were storming the city. But look what the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 32 and verse 31, "Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon who sent unto him to inquire the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart."
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Now the word "try" literally means to test or to try or to prove. So what God is saying is this, "Oren Hezekiah, you've turned yourself to me. You have told me that you want to live and that you want to serve me and to honor me and you want to be obedient. Well, here's the matter of these Babylonian ambassadors. I'll just test the sincerity of your desires and the sincerity of your obedience." Now, I want you to note that the king of Babylon has sent a letter and presents to Hezekiah.
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Go back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 20 and look at verse 12. And undoubtedly, these presents were of a great value. They were certainly not some little insignificant trifle. Notice, if you would, 2 Kings 20, verse 12. "At that time, Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick." Now, if the king of Babylon and Hezekiah had not been friends previously, obviously, the king of Babylon wants to be friends with him now. The king of Babylon had not only heard of his friendship or his sickness, he had not only heard of his healing and the sun going backward ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz, he had heard of the Assyrians being defeated. Now, I want you to look in verse 13. When these Babylonian ambassadors came to Hezekiah, notice what is said, "and Hezekiah hearkened unto them." He listened unto them. When you get to Isaiah 39 in verse 2, the same story, the same ambassadors, the Bible said Hezekiah was glad of them.
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In other words, Hezekiah was happy not just to have the present, but to have the ambassadors themselves. Attention was being lavished upon King Hezekiah. He was the center of attention. I mean, here's a man that has been miraculously cured. Here's a man that has been given a supernatural sign. Here's a man that has been delivered miraculously from an invading army. And all of a sudden now, all this attention is being lavished upon him by these Babylonian ambassadors. Now, why in the world do you think the king of Babylon would want a friendship or an alliance with Hezekiah?
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Let me give you three reasons. First of all, there was a religious reason. You see, the Babylonians worshiped the sun. And when that dial, the sun, went backwards ten degrees on the dial of Hezekiah, what did those Babylonians who worshiped the sun assume? That their God had done a great honor to King Hezekiah. And therefore, they were going to honor Hezekiah themselves.
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Now let me ask you a question. Would you not want to be friends with someone whom you perceived was a favorite of heaven or a favorite of the gods? Well, of course you would. Let me tell you something. If David had every one of his prayers answered, and I knew he had every one of his prayers answered instantly and immediately, he couldn't get rid of me. Because I'd be buddy-buddying with him everywhere wanting him to pray for me specifically in a lot of areas. That's normal selfishness. And when those Babylonians saw what they perceived as the blessing of heaven from their God upon Hezekiah, they wanted his friendship.
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Secondly, there was a civil reason. The king of Babylon was in the process of revolting from the king of Assyria. At this particular time, the Babylonians were under the dominion of the Assyrians as well. You can read about that in 2 Kings 17 verse 24. And remember, it was at this time that God smote the Assyrians. That's the passage I read earlier from Isaiah 37. Killed 185,000 of them in one single night. Now, it was in the best interest then of the king of Babylon to have some type of civil agreement with Hezekiah. Because Hezekiah is not only now the favorite of heaven, but his prayer has been answered against the Assyrian forces.
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And he's thinking, "Boy, I could not have a more powerful ally than that." And then thirdly, there was indeed the military reason. Undoubtedly, the message that he received, the letters that he received, not only was congratulations to Hezekiah for healing, but also for the deliverance from the Assyrian armies as well. And in all probability, there's a proposal that they form a military alliance because here the Babylonians are revolting from the Assyrians and they don't want to face them by themselves. And if Hezekiah's God has already defeated them one time, he would certainly be a good ally. But please remember this. It was not Hezekiah who defeated the Assyrians. It was God. God said, "I'm going to put my hook in his mouth. I'm going to take him back the same way that he came."
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"He will not shoot an arrow against Jerusalem. He will not cast a mount against Jerusalem. I will destroy him."
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Now, what did Hezekiah do? Hezekiah showed the Babylonians everything. All of his treasures, all of his armory, all of his warlike stores, and his motive evidently was that Babylonian ambassadors might be the more induced to prize his friendship, to value his arms, and to esteem him a powerful ally. Have you stopped to think about this? Undoubtedly, it was indeed in the best interest of the king of Babylon to be friends with Hezekiah, but it was not in Hezekiah's best interest to be friends with the king of Babylon. Why in the world would you want friendship with the king of Babylon who was a heathen idolater when you already had friendship with the sovereign king of heaven and earth? What possible good could the Babylonian king do for Judah and Jerusalem and Hezekiah? None.
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Look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 20 there and verse 13. This is amazing to me. And I want to make a real strong point on it.
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2 Kings 20 verse 13, "And Hezekiah hearkened unto them and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious ointment and all the house of his armor and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah showed them not." Hezekiah was courteous to a fault. It was his duty to be civil to them.
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It was his responsibility to receive them with respect due to ambassadors. I understand that. But his pride and his ambition drove him to be courteous and revealing to a fault. Certainly he knew that they were idolaters. And yet he became intimate with them. He desired a confederacy with them, and he granted them all that they came for. He was more open and more free with them than he should have been, and he did not stand at all upon his own guard.
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Can you even conceive of this? Why would I, if I had millions, if I had—why would I show everything that I had to people that I do not know? And especially when I know that they're heathen and they're idolaters and they might try to steal from me. Why would I be so insane as to do something like that? Pride. Because you don't think that they're going to steal from you. You think they're just simply going to value your friendship and value you for what you are and for what you have. Now, let me emphasize something.
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Do you realize that Hezekiah did what most of us do all too often? He said too much. He talked too much. He showed too much. He divulged too much. I have been in airports. I've been in so many places. And get in conversation with perfect strangers. And it is unbelievable the personal, private information that they share openly, willingly with you. And you don't know them from Adam's house cat.
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People do that all the time. I want to tell you something, folks. It really is nobody's business but yours as to what God has given to you. It's nobody's business but yours for what God has done for you. I mean, you may praise Him and you may be thankful, but you have to use common sense and you have to guard yourselves. And in this day and age, when you are so vulnerable to persecution, especially from bureaucracies, the three rules that you need to remember in dealing with a bureaucrat is this.
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Shut up, shut up, and shut up. We hang ourselves so many times with our own mouth. That's exactly what Hezekiah did. He either showed them everything, or he had everything shown to them. You know what the Bible says in James 1 verse 19? Listen carefully. James 1 verse 19, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath." What is he saying? Weigh your words, and you don't speak unless you need to. Now, why would Hezekiah desire to have a covenant relationship with a heathen prince when he was already in a covenant relationship with the Sovereign of the Universe? What honor, what dignity could this heathen prince add to Hezekiah? And the answer is absolutely nothing and absolutely none. But yet in his pride, in his arrogance, Hezekiah showed them his palace. He showed them his treasures. He showed them his armory. He showed them everything that they wanted to see so that they might report to their master and tell him what a great king he was and that he was really worthy of all the honor and the esteem that they were giving to him.
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That is pride. That is arrogance.
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Now, let me tell you what is not said. It is not said that he showed them the temple. He may have, but the Bible doesn't say it does. Or that he did. It is not said that he showed them the temple. It is not said that he showed them the book of the law. It is not said that he showed them the manner of worship that he gave to the one true and the living God in order that he might witness to them and convert them to the true religion.
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No, he had a perfect opportunity for doing so. It is not even said that he sought to introduce them to the prophet Isaiah, who was his greatest treasure. In fact, Isaiah had to come to the king and said, "Who were these men and what have you shown them?" No, Hezekiah did not show them the worship, the law, the temple, Prophet Isaiah, lest he might offend them, give them an affront.
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I mean, after all, they're heathen, they're idolaters. I mean, you know, come on. You know what he was doing? He was trying to gain the pride and the applause and the recognition of men, instead of giving praise and honor to God. And it became a sin to him, just like it does us, when we prefer the favor of men to the favor of God.
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Now, look in 2 Kings 20, because beginning there in verse 14, Isaiah gives him a very strong review. "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. And he said, What have they seen in thy house?" What an interesting question. "What have they seen in thy house?" Listen to the answer. Hezekiah said, "There is nothing among my treasures
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that I have not shown." Let's ask that question, and I want you to think about it like this. Isaiah asked him, "What have they seen in thine house?" And here's the answer. Everything except what they should have seen. They didn't see a godly, obedient, humble servant of the one true living God who wanted to honor and glorify him above everything else. In his pride, he showed them everything he had. And his judgment was, everything you have is going to be taken from you and given to Babylon, even your sons. Do you realize it is pride that causes most of us to lose our own children, our own possessions? Isn't it amazing how we will not repent even toward our own family? We won't apologize. We won't do what's right. Why? Pride. No wonder the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 18, "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." No wonder Proverbs 29 verse 23 says, "A man's pride shall bring him low." A man's pride shall bring him low. How much more can you get than to have your family destroyed and your possessions stolen and taken away from you?
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Let me show you. Let me show you what I'm going to call the apex of his selfishness. Skip down to 2 Kings chapter 20. And let's begin reading with verse 18. Isaiah tells Hezekiah, "And of thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." That means his line is going to cease. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, watch. "Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken."
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That is, I will submit to it. That is good. But look at what else he said. And he said, "Is it not good if peace and truth be in my days?" Let me ask you, what about peace and truth in the days of his children? What about peace and truth in the days of his grandchildren? Who was Hezekiah interested in? Only himself. Selfish, prideful. Do you realize this is precisely the trouble with America today?
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We don't think far enough ahead to prepare ourselves for anything. We are not dominion oriented or future oriented people. We live for the here and now. Let our kids grow up for themselves. Let our grandkids be slaves. We don't care, just so we have our six-pack, our clown TV, and our boat! Is it not good that there's not peace? Is it not good that I'm comfortable? Don't worry about my children.
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They may be made eunuchs. They may be heathen idolaters. It doesn't matter about them. That's the attitude of the average American and unhappily, the average professing American Christian. I'm telling you, folks. Hezekiah did not render to the Lord for the benefit which he received. This lesson is definitely how not to live out your days. You do not live them in pride and selfishness and disobedience and sin and rebellion.
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Now, I want you to think about this. I started off this message asking you some questions. I'm going to come back to those questions. And I'm going to tell you why. What if God revealed to you that you only had a short time to live? Two weeks? Two months? Even a year? What if God revealed to you that you only had a short time to live? Here's my question. Would it make any difference as to how you listened to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God? Would it make any difference as to how you applied the Word of God faithfully? Would it make any difference as to how you changed your life? Let me give you the impetus for this message. Here's what started me thinking about 2 Kings chapter 20.
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Alice and I were recently in a meeting in another state. And I saw a friend whom I had not seen in years. And it was a wonderful opportunity to fellowship again, to reminisce, to think about things, and we had a wonderful time doing that. But during that meeting, and I remember particularly the messages that I preached, they were pointed, they were powerful, and they were plain. And two weeks after the meeting, I got a phone call that my friend had died with a massive heart problem.
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And the thought hit me. If he had known that he was going to die, would he have listened more intently? Would he have been more attentive to the Word of God? Would he have said, "I really need to apply that to my life and apply that to my life right now"? In two weeks, he was dead. How many weeks do you have left? Truth is you don't know. You may not even have two weeks. The Scripture says in Hebrews 9 verse 27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment." The truth is, folks, everyone sitting in this room is going to die. God has fixed the date of your death exactly as He fixed the date of your birth, and you cannot escape your date with death. The question is, how will you use the remaining time that God has given you? And it doesn't matter, folks. You may only have two hours. You may have two days, two weeks, two years or 20 years. I don't know how much longer time I have, nor do I know how much longer time that you have.
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The truth of the matter is, if God gives us one more day, we ought to use it for Him and not be proud and arrogant and boastful and disobedient. I'll tell you this, folks. None of us know when. And so it's best to always be prepared to die.
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Now let me make some applications. Listen carefully. The first one is this. Do you realize in Scripture we are not only commanded to take heed what we hear? Mark 4 verse 24. We're also commanded to take heed how we hear. Luke 8 verse 18. So God says, take heed what you hear, but He also says, take heed how you hear. So if you're listening to His Word with your mind wandering and you're laughing and playing and all this kind of stuff and nothing is filtering in, what's He saying? You better take heed how you hear. Do you realize throughout the New Testament, our Lord says, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Now, here's my question. Do you really genuinely listen attentively to the Word of God? Do you make application of the Word of God to your heart each time it's read and expounded? What would you change today about the way you listen, the way you heard, the way you applied the Word of God if you knew that you were going to die in two days?
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So you need to make sure you take heed not only what you hear, but how you hear. Number two, we have need to watch our own spirits, especially when we're showing our friends our possessions, declaring what we have gotten, that we be not proud of them in the sense that we attribute it to our own efforts, our own work. In other words, when we look upon our possessions, when we look upon our enjoyments, we must do with humble acknowledgement of our own unworthiness and thankfulness to God who in His grace and mercy put us in the position that we can have them and gave us the ability to work for them and
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the discipline to keep them.
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Thirdly, it is a great weakness and I might add a great sin for men to value themselves more highly than they ought. Romans 12 and verse 3, the Apostle Paul wrote this, let me quote it. "For I say through the grace of God, given to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God has dealt every man the measure of faith."
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What did he get out of his mouth? Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. He said, if you're going to think of yourself, you think soberly. That is, you think accurately. How vain would it be, how useless would it be for me to advertise, "Come hear John Weaver in concert. I'll be singing songs of the past and songs of the present." How vain would that be? I know you're laughing because you know I can't sing. But I've known plenty of people who could not sing who thought they could. I know plenty of people who think they can do a lot of things and when in reality, they cannot do one thing.
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Let me tell you something. It should satisfy us to have the favor and the blessing of heaven upon us. We do not need the praise and the adulation of the world. If we are not content with God's blessing upon us, certainly, folks, we're not going to be content with man's blessing upon us. I'd much rather have favor with God than favor with man.
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Fourthly, here's the fourth application. We must always expect to be called into account for the workings of our pride, even though it is a secret pride. Think about that. Do you realize over and over Scripture says you are to do this lest your heart be lifted up?
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bible. I can quote this, but I want you to see it. I preached from this passage for about seven or eight weeks. Deuteronomy chapter 8. But I want to remind you of what God says in this passage. Deuteronomy chapter 8. And look, if you would please there. Beginning with verse 17. Deuteronomy 8, verse 17. Look what God says. Deuteronomy 8, verse 17, "And thou say in thy heart, My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth."
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"But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers as it is this day." If you have something, I got news for you. God gave it to you. We cannot pretend like everything that we have is the product of our own hands. You say, "But Brother Weaver, I worked faithfully and earnestly." I know that. But if God did not bless that work, you would never have prospered. And if God did not give you that work ethic, you would have never done it to begin with. You know what the Bible says in Micah 6 and verse 8?
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Let me just quote it. "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God." To walk humbly with thy God. And you walk humbly with him, recognizing that he's the creator and you're the creature. He's the father. You're the child. He's the master. You're the servant. He's the Lord. You're the slave.
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One last point, and that's this. What did Isaiah tell Hezekiah? "Thou shalt die and not live. Set thine house in order." Folks, the truth is we know we're going to die. Our houses should be set in order spiritually, financially, emotionally, mentally, and physically. In other words, we must make preparations to die so that when we do so, it will be pleasing and honoring to the Lord. Some of you folks don't have a will. You don't have a trust. Let me tell you something, folks.
#91 | 1:03:01 to 1:03:49 | cleaned
What little bit I have, I do not want the state to have. I don't want a probate judge telling my family where things are to go. I want to make sure whatever God gives me continues in the ministry for his honor and his glory. And in my family. I'm just saying, folks, we've got to understand we are going to die. And let me put it to you like this. No one is prepared to live until he's prepared to die. We cannot live out the remainder of our days in disobedience and sin, pride and rebellion. You know, I hope, I hope God gives me a long life, I pray so, but I don't really want a long life. I want life with quality. But I'm going to tell you, if God lets me live to be 90, if God lets me live to be 100, or if God takes me next week, I still want to be ready. And I'm going to tell you, if God allows me to live to be 90, I want to be just as prepared tomorrow as I would be then if I knew that I was going to live to 90.
#92 | 1:03:50 to 1:05:16 | cleaned
No one is prepared to live until he's prepared to die. And you can never be prepared to die until you come to Jesus Christ in faith and repentance. Jesus Christ is not only salvation, he is the only salvation. There is none other than him. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you help us and teach us and speak to our hearts. Help us to see how not to live out the remaining of our days.
#93 | 1:05:16 to 1:05:54 | cleaned
May we not be full of pride, selfishness, and wickedness and disobedience. But may we walk humbly with thee, recognizing that every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from the Father above, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Help us, Lord, to consider this message, that we do not know how much longer we have and that we must be holy and obedient and godly now, and that we must come face to face with Jesus Christ now.
#94 | 1:05:56 to 1:06:35 | cleaned
As scripture does say, "Behold, now is the day of salvation." Lord, I pray that you'll speak to our hearts. Make us holy and godly. In thy name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:48:07Z

How Not To Live Out Your Remaining Days

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver uses the account of King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20 and 2 Chronicles 32 to illustrate how not to live out the remainder of one's days. After God graciously heals Hezekiah and grants him 15 additional years, Hezekiah responds with pride, showing off his treasures to Babylonian ambassadors and failing to honor God. Weaver warns against pride, selfishness, and presumption upon God's mercy, urging believers to live humbly and prepared for death at any time.

Opening

Introduction: The Question of How to Live

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 33:10

"Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel. Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?"

Hezekiah's Sickness and Prayer for Healing

Hezekiah is told by Isaiah that he will die. He prays earnestly, and God immediately answers, granting him 15 more years and deliverance from the Assyrians.

God's Gracious Benefits to Hezekiah

God not only heals Hezekiah but also promises to defeat the Assyrian army, confirmed by the miraculous sign of the shadow going back ten degrees.

Well, this is the rejoicing that Hezekiah is giving. Verse 9,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 38:9

"The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, when he had been sick and recovered of his disease."

Now, so God has confirmed Hezekiah. He's going to give him 15 additional years. God has confirmed Hezekiah. He's going to deliver him from the Assyrians. And he did so.

Hezekiah's Prideful Response

Despite God's benefits, Hezekiah's heart is lifted up in pride. He shows all his treasures to Babylonian ambassadors, seeking their favor rather than honoring God.

I mean, that should be enough to cause rejoicing constantly and continually. But look at what the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 32, beginning there with verse 24.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 32:24-26

"In those days, Hezekiah was sick to the death and prayed unto the Lord, and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up, therefore was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem."

Look at verse 25 again.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 32:24-26

"But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him."

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 32:24-26

"But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him."

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 32:27-29

"And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor, and he made himself treasuries for silver and for gold and for precious stones and for spices and for shields and for all manner of pleasant jewels. Storehouses also for the increase of the corn and wine and oil, stalls for the manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks. Moreover he provided him cities and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him substance very much. The same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon and brought it straight down in the west side of the city of David, and Hezekiah prospered in all his works."

So here was a man who had an exceedingly abundance of wealth. He had all kinds of works. He had all kinds of things that he could rejoice in.

The Test of the Babylonian Ambassadors

God tests Hezekiah through the visit of the Babylonian envoys. Hezekiah fails by revealing everything and seeking an alliance with idolaters instead of witnessing to them.

He's graciously taken care of the Assyrians who were storming the city. But look what the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 32 and verse 31,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 32:31

"Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon who sent unto him to inquire the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart."

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:12-13

"At that time, Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick."

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:12-13

"and Hezekiah hearkened unto them."

He listened unto them. When you get to Isaiah 39 in verse 2, the same story, the same ambassadors, the Bible said Hezekiah was glad of them.

Isaiah's Rebuke and Judgment

Isaiah confronts Hezekiah, and God pronounces judgment: all his treasures and descendants will be taken to Babylon. Hezekiah selfishly accepts this as long as peace remains in his own days.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 16:18

"Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

Application: Living Prepared for Death

Weaver applies the lesson by urging believers to listen attentively to God's Word, avoid pride, and live each day prepared for death, since no one knows their appointed time.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 9:27

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment."

Practical Exhortations and Conclusion

How Not To Live Out Your Remaining Days

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	7205131622
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning
Genre	Sermon
Date	2005-06-26
Dictation Name
Book	Book 084: Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	95

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Question of How to Live: Weaver introduces the message as a negative example from Hezekiah's life, undergirded by a positive lesson on how to live. He references Ezekiel 33:10 to frame the question of how we should live if not in sin.
Hezekiah's Sickness and Prayer for Healing: Hezekiah is told by Isaiah that he will die. He prays earnestly, and God immediately answers, granting him 15 more years and deliverance from the Assyrians.
God's Gracious Benefits to Hezekiah: God not only heals Hezekiah but also promises to defeat the Assyrian army, confirmed by the miraculous sign of the shadow going back ten degrees.
Hezekiah's Prideful Response: Despite God's benefits, Hezekiah's heart is lifted up in pride. He shows all his treasures to Babylonian ambassadors, seeking their favor rather than honoring God.
The Test of the Babylonian Ambassadors: God tests Hezekiah through the visit of the Babylonian envoys. Hezekiah fails by revealing everything and seeking an alliance with idolaters instead of witnessing to them.
Isaiah's Rebuke and Judgment: Isaiah confronts Hezekiah, and God pronounces judgment: all his treasures and descendants will be taken to Babylon. Hezekiah selfishly accepts this as long as peace remains in his own days.
Application: Living Prepared for Death: Weaver applies the lesson by urging believers to listen attentively to God's Word, avoid pride, and live each day prepared for death, since no one knows their appointed time.
Practical Exhortations and Conclusion: Weaver gives specific applications: take heed how you hear, watch against pride in possessions, think soberly, expect accountability for secret pride, and set your house in order spiritually and practically.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Hezekiah's ingratitude led to pride and sin.

Despite receiving miraculous healing and deliverance, Hezekiah did not render to God according to the benefit received, but his heart was lifted up.

2 Chronicles 32:25 explicitly states Hezekiah's failure to respond appropriately to God's benefits, and Weaver highlights this as the core of his sin.

God tests the sincerity of our devotion.

The visit of the Babylonian ambassadors was a test from God to reveal what was in Hezekiah's heart, and he failed by seeking their approval.

2 Chronicles 32:31 says God left Hezekiah to try him, and Weaver explains that Hezekiah showed off his wealth instead of witnessing about God.

Pride leads to destructive consequences.

Hezekiah's pride resulted in the prophecy that all his treasures and descendants would be taken to Babylon, showing that pride brings low.

Weaver quotes Proverbs 16:18 and 29:23, and points to the judgment pronounced in 2 Kings 20:17-18.

We must live each day as if it were our last.

Since we do not know the day of our death, we should always be prepared to die, listening attentively to God's Word and applying it.

Weaver asks rhetorical questions about how we would live if we knew we had only two weeks, and cites Hebrews 9:27.

True humility recognizes God as the source of all blessings.

We must not attribute our wealth or success to our own power, but remember that God gives the ability to gain wealth.

Weaver quotes Deuteronomy 8:17-18 and Micah 6:8 to emphasize walking humbly with God.

Scripture References

2 Kings 20:1-19: The main narrative of Hezekiah's sickness, healing, sign of the shadow, visit of Babylonian ambassadors, and Isaiah's prophecy of judgment.
Ezekiel 33:10: Weaver uses this verse to introduce the question 'How should we then live?' if we are pining away in sin.
Isaiah 38:9: Hezekiah's writing of praise after recovering from his sickness.
Isaiah 37:28-36: God's promise to defend Jerusalem and the angel killing 185,000 Assyrians.
Job 14:4-5: Man's days are determined and his bounds appointed by God.
Job 7:1: There is an appointed time for man upon the earth.
Psalm 68:20: Unto God belong the issues from death.
Lamentations 3:22-23: It is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed; His compassions are new every morning.
2 Chronicles 32:24-26: Hezekiah's pride and failure to render according to the benefit, yet later humbling himself.
Psalm 103:1-3: Bless the Lord and forget not all His benefits, including forgiveness and healing.
2 Chronicles 32:27-29: Description of Hezekiah's great riches and possessions.
2 Chronicles 32:31: God left Hezekiah to test him through the Babylonian ambassadors.
2 Kings 20:12-13: Hezekiah shows all his treasures to the Babylonian envoys.
Isaiah 39:2: Hezekiah was glad of the Babylonian ambassadors.
James 1:19: Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Proverbs 16:18: Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 29:23: A man's pride shall bring him low.
Hebrews 9:27: It is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18: Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.
Micah 6:8: What does the Lord require but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

Historical References

King Hezekiah: The good and godly king of Judah who experienced a revival, was healed by God, and given 15 additional years, but later fell into pride.
Isaiah the prophet: The prophet who delivered God's message of death and later healing to Hezekiah, and confronted him about the Babylonian ambassadors.
Berodach-baladan, king of Babylon: Sent letters and a present to Hezekiah after hearing of his sickness, seeking an alliance.
Assyrian army: The invading army that threatened Jerusalem; God killed 185,000 of them in one night as a sign of His deliverance.
Francis Schaeffer: Weaver mentions Schaeffer's book 'How Then Should We Live?' in connection with Ezekiel 33:10.
David's sin of numbering the people (2 Samuel 24): Used as an illustration that repentance does not negate consequences; 70,000 died despite David's repentance.

Important Quotes

But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up, therefore was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

This is the key verse summarizing Hezekiah's failure and the cause of God's judgment, central to the sermon's message.

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?

Highlights Hezekiah's selfishness and lack of concern for future generations, a major point of application.

No one is prepared to live until he's prepared to die.

A key practical takeaway urging readiness for death as the foundation for godly living.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.

Quoted to emphasize that each day is a gift of God's mercy, not a presumption.

Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Used to warn of the inevitable consequences of pride, as seen in Hezekiah's life.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does Hezekiah's response to God's grace challenge our own tendencies toward pride and self-sufficiency?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that Hezekiah's heart was lifted up after receiving benefits, leading to sin.

[Question]

In what ways do we, like Hezekiah, seek the approval of the world rather than the favor of God?

[Context]

Hezekiah showed off his treasures to the Babylonians instead of witnessing about God.

[Question]

Why is it dangerous to presume upon God's mercy by assuming we have many years left to live?

[Context]

Weaver warns that assuming a long life is presuming on God's mercies, citing Lamentations 3.

[Question]

How can we balance being prepared for death with living fully for God each day?

[Context]

The sermon concludes that no one is prepared to live until prepared to die.

[Question]

What does Hezekiah's selfish statement 'Is it not good if peace and truth be in my days?' reveal about our own priorities for future generations?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts Hezekiah's selfishness with the need for dominion-oriented, future-focused living.

Applications

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