Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit.
      - Colossians 2:8

Hezekiah was a faithful king of Judah, reigning at the turn of the 7th Century B.C. During his reign, Hezekiah had removed elements of idol worship in the nation and had eliminated oppressive enemy threats against his kingdom. God declared there was never a king in Judah as faithful as he (2 Kings 18:1-8).

But then the words of the prophet Isaiah announced that Hezekiah's time of service was ended. An illness would lead to death (2 Kings 20:1). This was a great grief to the king, as it might have been to anyone, naturally speaking. Instructively for us, though, Hezekiah's response to the Lord and the events which subsequently unfold reveal several specific errors in thinking. Since they are mistakes which are often repeated, an evaluation of them is still helpful today.

"If I do good, I should receive good."
Hezekiah's first thought, expressed in his prayer to God, was the remembrance of all the good he had done before the Lord and for the nation. "Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have ... done what was good" (2 Kings 20:3). This statement was true; he had done much good. In the same way, many expect God simply to place their deeds on a scale, weighing the good against the bad and then deciding on a reward. To expect this is to be mistaken about God's own statements about Himself.

Many people truly try their best to be good. However, God is not just good; He is perfect. And He calls sinful any action, word, or thought contrary to that standard. Since not one blot of sin can enter His holy presence, He declares, "There is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). However, because all are under guilt, God can also offer mercy to all through the work of Jesus Christ, who was God's own perfect sacrifice for sin. According to the Bible, it is only those who accept that substitutionary sacrifice who in turn are unconditionally accepted by God (Romans 3:21-26). God justifies "the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).

"Only what is observable is real."
God graciously did grant Hezekiah's request for an extended time of life. When this message reached Hezekiah, the king responded in 2 Kings 20:8 with a question: "What is the sign that the Lord will heal me?" Through even greater grace, God provided the miraculous sign of the sun actually reversing course for a brief time: the shadow on the king's sundial went backwards by ten degrees. This demonstration of power must have been completely heartening to Hezekiah. Yet, by requesting a sign, Hezekiah demonstrated some degree of a lack of confidence in God's own word. He had to see it before he would believe it.

There is doubtless a real need to benefit from the observable world. Scientific and medical advances, for example, are based on recording and testing observations. The results come to us as practical innovations and life-saving procedures, benefiting millions. But the natural world is not all there is. There is a spiritual realm which has undeniable claims on every person. Every honest person recognizes the yearning to find meaning in life that extends beyond the observable.

The spiritual realm is just as substantive as the physical---even more so, because the natural world decays and grows weak (2 Corinthians 4:18). However, spiritual growth comes through faith in God, not through natural understanding. The Bible says, "We walk by faith, not by sight;" and, the things of God are "spiritually discerned" (2 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Corinthians 1:14). God's Word is recorded in the Bible for two reasons: so people will understand God, and so they will respond to Him. When we read the Bible, we are in touch with God's own thoughts. It is then our choice whether we will believe and act upon them. Unlike Hezekiah, may we accept them!

These and other expressions from King Hezekiah may sound quite normal even to the ears of many today, but they don't line up with God's own thoughts about Himself. This is why a dependence on the Bible is so essential to every Christian. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Colosse, he warned them not to be deceived by the principles and philosophies of the world (Colossians 2:10). The Apostle John warned his readers to "test the spirits, whether they are of God," measuring every idea against the standards revealed by God about Jesus Christ (1 John 4:1-3). This is always the safe road.

S. Campbell