The Folly of a Full Treasury Text: Isaiah 39:1-4
Introduction: The Intoxication of Blessing
There is a peculiar danger that stalks a man after a great deliverance. When God has acted mightily on your behalf, when He has rolled back the waters, or healed your sickness, or defeated your enemies, the temptation is not always to apostasy, but rather to a subtle and ruinous pride. The blessing itself can become the snare. The very gifts of God can become the idols we worship, and we can become the high priests of our own little shrine of accomplishments. This is the story of Hezekiah, a good king, a reformer, a man of prayer, who, fresh off a staggering display of God's grace, makes a fool of himself.
Hezekiah had been at death's door, and God granted him fifteen more years of life. He had faced the entire Assyrian war machine under Sennacherib, and God had sent an angel to obliterate 185,000 of them in a single night. God had given him victory and health. But then another test came, not in the form of an invading army or a terminal illness, but in the form of a flattering letter and a present from a far country. And this test, a test of peacetime prosperity, found a crack in his foundation.
We live in a culture that is obsessed with the display of strength. We flex. We post our achievements, our acquisitions, our victories. We curate our lives to look like a long highlight reel. We do this as individuals, as families, and sadly, as churches. We think that the way to influence the world is to impress the world. We want the Babylonians to see our treasuries, our programs, our budgets, our book sales, and our influence, and we want them to be impressed. But what we see in this chapter is that worldly impressiveness is not the mission of the church. In fact, it is a profound betrayal of that mission. When the church tries to impress Babylon with Babylon's trinkets, it is only a matter of time before Babylon comes to collect.
This passage is a cautionary tale about the subtle corruption that follows blessing. It is a warning against the pride that mistakes God's gifts for personal achievements. It is a lesson in political and spiritual discernment, showing us that the most dangerous emissaries often come bearing gifts and speaking words of flattery.
The Text
At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and was growing stronger.
And Hezekiah was glad about these things and showed them all his treasure house, the silver and the gold and the spices and the good oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, "What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?" And Hezekiah said, "They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon."
And he said, "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah said, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them."
(Isaiah 39:1-4 LSB)
The Flattering Letter (v. 1)
We begin with the arrival of the delegation from Babylon.
"At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and was growing stronger." (Isaiah 39:1)
On the surface, this is standard international diplomacy. A king hears of another king's recovery and sends a congratulatory note. But we must always look underneath the surface. Babylon was a rising power, but at this point, they were still chafing under the thumb of Assyria. Merodach-baladan was looking for allies in a future rebellion against Assyria. Hezekiah had just successfully defied Assyria, with God's help, and so this visit was a political reconnaissance mission disguised as a get-well card. The Babylonians were not interested in Hezekiah's God; they were interested in Hezekiah's strength. They were sizing him up as a potential partner in a coalition of the willing.
The world always approaches the people of God with this kind of utilitarian calculus. They are not interested in our gospel, but they are very interested in our potential usefulness to their projects. They want our voting bloc, our moral credibility, our institutional stability, or our cultural capital. And the temptation for the church is to be flattered by this attention. We get excited that the "king of Babylon" has noticed us. We think, "Finally, a seat at the table. Finally, some recognition." But the world never offers a seat at its table for free. The price of admission is always compromise.
The Foolish Tour (v. 2)
Hezekiah's response to this flattery is immediate and disastrously naive.
"And Hezekiah was glad about these things and showed them all his treasure house, the silver and the gold and the spices and the good oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them." (Isaiah 39:2 LSB)
Hezekiah was "glad." The Hebrew indicates he was exceedingly joyful. He was puffed up. This attention from a foreign power went straight to his head. And in his gladness, his pride, he gave them the grand tour. He showed them everything. The gold, the silver, the spices, the armory. He laid bare the economic and military strength of his kingdom.
What did he fail to show them? He failed to show them the one thing that made him strong. He didn't take them to the Temple and explain the meaning of the sacrifices. He didn't unroll the scrolls of the law and read to them about the covenant-keeping God of Israel. He didn't recount the story of how 185,000 Assyrians were struck down by one angel, not by his armory. He showed them the gifts, but he hid the Giver. He showed them the fruit of God's blessing, but he was silent about the God who blessed.
This is the essence of all pride. It takes credit for God's work. It boasts in the resources God has provided as though they were our own accomplishment. Hezekiah was acting like a self-made king, not a covenant king. He was trying to impress the Babylonians with his worldly might, hoping to secure a political alliance based on human strength. But in doing so, he was not just being foolish; he was being unfaithful. He was presenting Judah as just another pagan kingdom, with a treasury and an army, instead of as the unique people of God, whose strength was in the Lord alone.
And notice the thoroughness of his folly: "There was nothing...that Hezekiah did not show them." He gave them a complete inventory. He was essentially handing a future enemy a catalog of all the loot they could expect to carry away. This is what happens when we seek the world's approval. We adopt their metrics for success. We start boasting about the things they value, and in the process, we forget the one thing that makes us distinct.
The Prophetic Interrogation (v. 3)
Into this scene of self-congratulatory folly walks the prophet Isaiah. The man of God is never invited to these kinds of parties.
"Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, 'What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?' And Hezekiah said, 'They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.'" (Isaiah 39:3 LSB)
Isaiah's questions are sharp and probing. They are designed to expose the heart. "What did these men say?" What promises, what flatteries, what worldly whispers have captivated your heart? "And from where have they come?" What is the source of this influence you find so intoxicating? Hezekiah's answer is telling. "They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon." There is almost a note of pride in it. "Important men, from a powerful, distant kingdom, have come to see me." He is still impressed with his guests.
Hezekiah is focused on the geo-political significance of the visit. Isaiah is concerned with the spiritual implications. Hezekiah sees an opportunity; Isaiah sees a temptation. This is the constant duty of the prophet, and by extension, the preacher. It is to ask the uncomfortable questions. It is to force God's people to examine the "why" behind their actions. Why are you so excited about this? What are you hoping to gain? And from where does this influence truly come? Is it from God, or is it from Babylon?
The Full Confession (v. 4)
Isaiah presses in with a second, more pointed question.
"And he said, 'What have they seen in your house?' So Hezekiah said, 'They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.'" (Isaiah 39:4 LSB)
This is the heart of the matter. "What have they seen?" What have you put on display? What is the testimony you have given? Hezekiah's answer is a full confession of his folly, though he does not yet see it as such. "They have seen all." He repeats the phrase from verse 2, almost boasting of his transparency and the sheer volume of his wealth. "There is nothing...that I have not shown them."
Hezekiah thought he was showing them his strength, but he was actually showing them his weakness. His true strength was in the Lord, the God who had healed him and delivered him. But he kept that hidden. Instead, he showed them the very things that would provoke their greed and invite their attack. He showed them a kingdom that was rich and, in his telling, self-sufficient. He presented Judah as a prize to be taken, not as a people to be feared because of their God.
This is the great danger for the church in any age, and particularly in our own. When the world comes looking, what do we show them? Do we show them our slick productions, our impressive buildings, our big budgets, our celebrity speakers, and our cultural savvy? Do we, in other words, show them everything that Babylon can do, only better? Or do we show them the one thing Babylon does not have and cannot replicate? Do we show them the cross? Do we show them forgiven sinners, transformed lives, and a people who live by faith in a crucified and risen King? Do we show them a treasure that is not of this world?
When we try to impress the world with the world's baubles, we are simply putting a "For Sale" sign on our own inheritance. We are telling Babylon exactly what we have, and it is only a matter of time before they come to take it. The judgment that Isaiah is about to pronounce is not an arbitrary punishment. It is the natural, logical, covenantal consequence of Hezekiah's pride. What you boast in, you will lose. If you trust in your treasury, your treasury will be taken. If you trust in your armory, your armory will be emptied. If you put your faith in the princes of Babylon, then to Babylon you shall go.