#1001 Isaiah 39 Enemy of My Enemy

 

At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” 4 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”

5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. 7 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.” Isaiah 39 ESV

Isaiah 39 The soft approach

…30It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Spring of Gihon and channeled it down to the west side of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did. 31And so when ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon were sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone to test him, that He might know all that was in Hezekiah’s heart. 2 Chronicles 32: 30-31

1-4. At that time Merodach-baladan - He was the son of a Babylonian king from a pagan land that also had issue with Assyria. He is the hereditary chief of the Chaldeans and his name breaks down to "Bitter Oppression :Not Lord". 

“To the Assyrians Merodach-Baladan was a terrorist; to himself he was a freedom-fighter with his life devoted to the liberation of his beloved Babylon from Assyrian tyranny.” (Motyer)

Sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah - This is by some estimates an 869 mile trip, or approximately 288 hours of walking time. There were not a lot of planes, trains or automobiles back then, so even if you walked 12 hours a day, it would be at least a 24 day caravan trip. The Bible is an enormous book, yet one can't help but marvel at the economy of words. The envoy is coming from the land where Abraham was called out of by God, somewhere in what is present day Iraq. It is not an unusual thing for leaders to present gifts or show professional courtesy, like when the Queen of Sheba presented Solomon with gifts. 

For he heard he had been sick and recovered - In 2 Chronicles 32:31 we get a bit more insight: "sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land." What was the wonder around this time?

1. When Hezekiah was told by Isaiah that he would recover he was also given a sign. This sign was for the shadow on the sun dial to move backwards. The Babylonians were watchers of the sky, and it is from this land in the east that the wise men will come in Jesus time. Bethlehem Star
2. The king had been really sick at a time when they were coming under attack by the Assyrians, but Isaiah prophesied that he would recover and live 15 more years.
3. 185,000 Assyrians were destroyed and Jerusalem didn't lift a finger to do so. The Assyrians had taken the northern kingdom, had decimated Judah, but this one city survived. 

And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly - We also see from 2 Chronicles 32:31 that God had left Hezekiah alone to test him. There is a saying, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", and this may have been the logic employed by Hezekiah, but it is also a worldly logic that often has future consequences. Our country has armed and funded terrorist groups who were fighting with our enemies during cold wars, only to have to deal with those same terrorists later. When dealing with an open enemy, like Assyria, Hezekiah went to God in prayer, and to God's prophet for counsel, but here he doesn't feel the need.

And he showed them - Gifts, smiles, soft speech and common interest can often override discernment, and reveal the true nature of our hearts. I have seen men, including myself, susceptible to compliments, shared interest, and people saying all the things that seem to be right. Unfortunately, people write books on "how to win friends and influence people", but the words, the way they dress, shave, shake your hand and smile are all things that can be learned, recited, mimicked and in no way reveal their actual intentions, sincerity or integrity. Such is the nature of politics. Hezekiah shows them all his wealth and even his armory.

5-8. The days are coming - Everything Hezekiah was most proud to show them, all those things would be taken by the Babylonians after they rise to power. 

And some of your own sons - They would become eunuchs in a foreign land, a place that worshiped gods and materials that were not the true God or Creator of all the things they served. Daniel and his friends would be part of this group.

For he thought, "there will be peace and security in my days" - This is the most heart breaking line in the last 3 chapters, and this chapter is a transition point in the book of Isaiah. If someone came to your house and said, "you have to leave, and you can take only one thing from your house," what would you take? What is your greatest joy, your most prized possession? What is the one thing that you are most earnest to show or tell others about? It is a difficult exercise, for we have all read or thought about what we are supposed to say, but think about what it is that you think about the most, and this will bring you somewhat closer to the truth. Prosperity, the comforts that come with it, they can be more intoxicating than any drink, suggesting to our pride that it is justified. We need discernment, God help us to be honest with ourselves, to prize that one pearl of infinite value.

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus and Peter

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Jesus and the Beloved Apostle

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. John 21 ESV