Walking in Humility

The story in Isaiah 38, of Hezekiah’s illness and subsequent healing has long fascinated me. When Isaiah, as commanded by God, told Hezekiah that his illness would result in death, Hezekiah’s response is so human, so real, so me. Verse two reads, “When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ‘remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.’ Then he broke down and wept bitterly.” Hezekiah didn’t hide his feelings from God; rather he was brutally honest in his plea.

The awesome thing is God didn’t even let Isaiah get out of the royal courtyard. Instead God sent him back with a new message for Hezekiah, “Tell him, ‘This is what the God of our ancestor David says, I have heard your prayers and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria.” God, out of immense kindness, not only heard Hezekiah’s pleas, but saw his tears. He entered into Hezekiah’s grief, and He gave Hezekiah 15 more years of life, plus the promise of deliverance from the Assyrians!

Hezekiah was rightly amazed and praised God with a poetic psalm. He boldly proclaimed, “Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt.” What a precious confession. What truth–suffering humbles; it creates in us an awareness of our neediness. But alas, as the suffering passes, so can the humility.

All of Hezekiah’s grand intentions of walking in humility for the rest of his life, came to naught. Instead, he proudly displayed the riches of his kingdom to the Babylonian diplomats. And when God pronounced judgement on him and Israel, the Bible tells us that Hezekiah accepted the judgement as good for he reasoned in his heart that it would not take place in his lifetime. He was OK with Babylon invading as long as it didn’t inconvenience him. How sad that the humility he experienced as a result of God’s merciful healing did not carry him through the rest of life.

What a challenge and reminder to me. Lessons learned are not guaranteed for the future. Walking in humility all my life, can only come one moment at a time, constantly aware of my neediness before a Holy and Merciful God.


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