Today you should read: 2 Kings 20
Today we are landing in about 713-712 B.C. which is about 15 years before the death of Hezekiah. Hezekiah is at the point of death when Isaiah comes in to tell him that God wants him to get his house in order because he is about to die. How good would that news be… Hezekiah’s response was that he wanted to be left alone (v.2 …turned his face to the wall..). After this broken prayer, God tells Isaiah to return to Hezekiah and tell him that he would now be healed.
Not only does God heal Hezekiah, He also promises fifteen more years, deliverance from Assyria, and protection for the city. This is a pretty awesome moment. But what is crazy in this passage is how everything concludes. You would think that there would be a crazy amount of gratitude for all that God had done and all the promises He made, but that wasn’t the case. Hezekiah becomes very prideful of his wealth and success. Then later Isaiah comes back to Hezekiah and tells the prophesy of how things are going to turn out after he dies.
What Isaiah tells him is not what someone would call good. But Hezekiah shows a complete lack of empathy for what was told to him. He feels that it is good because while he is alive things would be fine. This is a heart of selfishness and ungratefulness. God gave him so much and answered his prayers and this is how he ends up being. We do the same thing… We have been given life and salvation through Jesus and yet we are selfish, prideful and disobedient. We are not using the life that we have been given to bring glory to God as we should. This passage should cause us to check our pride and our motives, and bring us to a place of deep gratitude to God.
By: Dakota Gragg — Student Ministry Associate
JumpstartCPC.com 
When I think of Hezekiah’s lack of care for his own children it makes me think of the contrasting promise our Father has given us as parents:
Psalm 78:4-7
4… we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
The Father extends His great mercy forward to our future generations if we are diligent to instruct them in His ways. Each child is responsible for their personal walk with God but we have great hope that His promises are true to unnumbered generations. Our God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.
Good word today, Dakota! Pride & selfishness lead to ruin. Gratitude to God for His gifts and our salvation through Christ are the appropriate response for the believer.