Blessing from God can be difficult to navigate. Too much and we may be tempted to point to the material riches rather than the riches of God’s grace to give this to us. During King Hezekiah’s reign, Jerusalem witnessed one of the greatest standoffs ever, they staved off the powerhouse Assyrian army, God put to death 185 thousand Assyrians the night before their planned attack. The foreign king withdrew and the people of Judah were elated. 

 

However, following this, Hezekiah was induced with illness. And while feeling weak he welcomed a visit from a Babylonian. This foreign visitor brought a gift and letters to condole him. And Hezekiah took this as a gesture to showcase all the treasures of his storehouses,  in fact, there was nothing in all his palace or kingdom that he didn’t reveal. Hezekiah had the wool pulled over his eyes. 

 

The prophet Isaiah would tell him afterwards, as recorded in 2 Kings 20:16, “the time will surely come when everything in your palace will be carried off to Babylon.” 

 

It’s a lesson for us all to be more shrewd, but to remember it’s not just about pointing to what God had given you, but it’s also about pointing to God himself.