A new super power in the form of Babylon now comes on the scene. Delegates are sent from their King Merodach-baladan to greet Hezekiah after his illness (v1). This just seemed to be a very warm and courteous call and Hezekiah received them gladly (v2). Sadly, though Hezekiah drops his guard, and in trying to impress these envoys he shows them all the treasures he had.

After enquiring as to what had happened (v3-4), Isaiah warns that the consequences will be that all that the king valued would be carried off, including some of his sons (v5-7).

This was certainly one of those cases in which pride would come before a fall. We always need to be humble, we always need to be watchful, for the enemy is always seeking to attack and trip us up. Even in days of peace, we always need to be aware that the next attack is just around the corner. We battle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces who have been engaged in this warfare for centuries. Only by fleeing to Jesus can we know safety.

Hezekiah is not too disturbed by what he hears because he believes it will not happen in his life time (v8). Here is a tremendous example of selfishness. Something very similar to the individualism of today. We need to realise that our actions will have impact on the next generations and we need to be greatly concerned about them. Our goal should be to lay a foundation of righteousness in Christ that will last through many, many generations.