Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?” 2 Kings 20:19 – Depending how you read this, you can walk away with very different outlooks on King Hezekiah. The king had just been told by the prophet Isaiah that Babylon would one day come and cause havoc in his land and to his people. What is the response from Hezekiah? This word is good. If understood as Hezekiah respecting the word of the Lord and accepting the Lord’s consequences on his sin, then him saying this is “good” makes sense and we can respect that. If understood as Hezekiah saying as long as my days are peaceful and secure, I’m good with whatever havoc God wants to bring to the land and people after I’m gone, then that’s an extremely selfish posture for the king. Which is the way to understand this? Likely a bit of both, but difficult to pinpoint for scripture doesn’t elaborate on it. For our takeaway hopefully we can address both. The Lord’s word will always be good, even if it speaks hard things. Yet if our embracing of God’s word causes us to somehow settle in not caring for others, then we’ve missed the mark. If we hear the good message of “you are secure in Christ and your sins are washed clean,” but then settle in a posture of carelessness for the outcome of the life of those around us, we’re in sin. Absolutely it’s a good word to hear we are saved from our sin, but if the people around us are perishing still, we should never settle in our security, forsaking the lives of those around us who are still in danger. Embrace the promise that you are safe with God and step out to be the gospel bringer to those who aren’t saved yet. While it’s a good word that you are saved, it’s a better word that the world has heard the Gospel and has the opportunity to embrace Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3086
Question To Ponder: How might you share the good word with someone today?
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