Isaiah 39:1 At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.
Have you ever known someone who lived better when they were in trouble than when they were at ease? Sometimes people act with nobility and great virtue when they are in difficulty, but then when the screws are off and things ease up, they get lazy, complacent, arrogant, and forget about God.
You know, it is not just our troubles that test us; sometimes it is also our prosperity. Hezekiah was a man who had known both. He had known prosperity as a king, and he had known great difficulty when Assyria had surrounded Jerusalem and threatened him. On more than one occasion, when he had very big problems, God had intervened and answered his prayers. But, there came a time in his life when he was at ease and in comfort. It was a time when people were not sending letters to threaten; they were sending letters to congratulate.
Isaiah 39:1 says, “Now at that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.” Now, you may know that previous to this, Assyria, the world empire at this time, had sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah in Jerusalem. Assyria promised they would conquer Jerusalem. I love what the Bible says next. It says that Hezekiah “spread the letter before the LORD.” Hezekiah took the threat to God. He depended upon God and realized his need and weakness. He also realized God’s power, and God came through for Jerusalem.
At this time, Babylon was not yet a world power but was beholden to Assyria just as Jerusalem was. The rulers of Babylon heard about Hezekiah. They heard that he had been sick, they heard about the wonders that had happened, and they heard about the sign that God had given at Hezekiah’s healing. Babylon sent a letter and a present to Hezekiah. Later, the Bible says that “Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things.”
It wasn’t just that Hezekiah showed Babylon all that was in the treasury; it was that he did it with a bit of arrogance. The Bible tells us later in the Chronicles that Hezekiah’s heart was lifted up. In other words, he wasn’t afraid or being threatened anymore. He was being congratulated and patted on the back. He failed that test. Little did he know that the Babylonians, who were wicked, would one day conquer his country just as the Assyrians had conquered many of God’s people earlier.
Our prosperity tests us just as surely as our problems. It may be that today you have got a dark day, a day with problems. Problems don’t come one at a time; they come in herds. Know that God is more than able to do what you cannot do. It may be that your day is cloudless and the sun is shining brightly; people are congratulating you. They are sending letters of congratulations, not letters of threat. Remember on the happy days that God is still on the throne, is still the king, and that we are often not as strong as we feel that we are.
Sometimes God tests us through adversity, and sometimes God tests us with the praise that others heap upon us. In dark days and bright, remember Who God is, depend on Him, and do not allow yourself to put your faith, trust, dependence, and worship in anyone other than Him.