Responding to God’s Amazing Grace. (2 Kings 20: 1-21)

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Episode Notes: Responding to God’s Amazing Grace. (2 Kings 20: 1-21)

God’s grace is amazing; we even sing about it. But maybe we say that so often that sometimes we forget just how astonishing it really is.

 The Bible says: “For by grace are you saved through faith… it is the gift of God, not of works.” But consider the backdrop of that verse. What were we really like before we came to Christ? 

 But in some passages, it describes us as being in enmity with God — not neutral, not mildly indifferent, but opposed to Him. And yet, in that condition, God loved us. And God demonstrated His love by sending His Son to die for our sins so that we could receive eternal life as a gift.

 That is amazing grace.

But that’s only the beginning.

 God’s grace doesn’t just save us.

 Grace saves us.

Grace strengthens us.

Grace sustains us.

Exceedingly.

Abundantly.

Above all, we could ask or even imagine.

So, if God pours out grace like that, then how should we respond?

 There are many possible biblical answers to that question.  But since we’re walking through 2 Kings, chapter by chapter, we’ve now arrived at a moment in Hezekiah’s life where God poured out extraordinary grace on him, and then Scripture shows us exactly how he responded.  

And tucked inside this story is something every one of us needs to hear. Something about our hearts right now, not just Hezekiah’s…..

Transcript

Responding to God’s Amazing Grace. (2 Kings 20: 1-21)

God’s grace is amazing; we even sing about it.

But maybe we say that so often that sometimes we forget just how astonishing it really is.

Just pause for a moment and think about it.

The Bible says:

“For by grace are you saved through faith… it is the gift of God, not of works.” But consider the backdrop of that verse. What were we really like before we came to Christ? 

The bible says says: “There is none righteous, no, not one.” And “No one seeks after God.”

And in some passages, it describes us as being in enmity with God — not neutral, not mildly indifferent, but opposed to Him.

And yet, in that condition, God loved us. And God demonstrated His love by sending His Son to die for our sins so that we could receive eternal life as a gift.

That is amazing grace.

All you have to do to go to heaven is trust Jesus Christ, trust what He did, not what you do.

Because what you do can’t fix the problem anyway.

But that’s only the beginning.

God’s grace doesn’t just save us, we are told it strengthens us.

Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:16:

“That God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.”

We all know John 3:16.

But maybe we need to memorize Ephesians 3:16 right beside it.

John 3:16 gives us eternal life.

Ephesians 3:16 gives us strength for this life until we get there.

Grace saves us.

Grace strengthens us.

Grace sustains us.

And then Paul adds this in Ephesians 3:20:

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…”

Exceedingly.

Abundantly.

Above all, we could ask or even imagine.

That’s grace.

So, if God pours out grace like that, grace that saves, strengthens, sustains, and blesses, then the question becomes….

How should we respond?

There are many possible biblical answers to that question. 

But since we’re walking through 2 Kings, chapter by chapter, we’ve now arrived at a moment in Hezekiah’s life where God poured out extraordinary grace on him, and then Scripture shows us exactly how he responded.

And tucked inside this story is something every one of us needs to hear. Something about our hearts right now, not just Hezekiah’s…..

Before we read, let me mention something briefly:

Many scholars believe the events of chapter 20 actually occurred earlier, perhaps around chapter 18, which means the book isn’t strictly chronological.

But what we have here is a snapshot going back and highlighting one of the most remarkable moments of God’s grace he ever experienced.

1 In those days, Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ”

2 Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

(2 Kings 20: 1-3)

And the first part of the chapter tells us exactly where we are.

Hezekiah was sick and near death…” Later, we learn he had boils, so not only was his condition painful, it was terminal…. And then Isaiah walks in and says:

“Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.”

This is the ancient equivalent of a doctor saying. “There’s nothing more we can do. You have months to live. Go home and get your affairs in order.”

Some of you may have sat beside someone who heard those words. Some of you have heard those words yourself. 

That’s where Hezekiah is. And remember — this is happening during the days when Sennacherib had surrounded Jerusalem. So on top of the national crisis, Hezekiah now faces a personal one.

So Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed. He wanted privacy, and he wanted to talk to the Lord. And he prayed: “Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart…”

And he wept bitterly.

He wasn’t ready to die. Maybe because the city was under threat.

Maybe because his son wasn’t old enough to reign. Maybe simply because he longed to live.

But whatever the reason, he turned to the Lord in his grief, not to idols, not to alliances, not to human schemes, but to the Lord.

And that’s where the story of grace begins.

4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 5 “Return and tell Hezekiah, the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day, you shall go up to the house of the Lord. 6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.”’ ”

7 Then Isaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” So, they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord the third day?”

9 Then Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?”

10 And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.”

11 So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the Lord, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.

(2 Kings 20:4–11)

So, Isaiah delivers the message — “Set your house in order, you’re going to die.”   He turns to leave. His job is done. He walks out of the palace, crosses the courtyard… and then something remarkable happens.

He is told to “Stop. Turn around. Go back.”

Why? “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Surely I will heal you.”

Isn’t that beautiful? Hezekiah prays and before Isaiah can even get out of the building, God answers.

You can only draw one conclusion from that:

God hears prayer, God sees tears, and God responds.

That ought to encourage every one of us to pray more boldly, more honestly, more frequently.

This wasn’t a casual prayer. This was a man who had walked with God, who had a loyal heart, who had lived faithfully and God, in grace, responded to him.

But grace doesn’t stop there because God says, “You’re not only going to live, you’re going to worship again.”

And then comes the astonishing part: “I will add to your days fifteen years.”

Fifteen years!

Grace upon grace.

And then God adds: “I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria… and I will defend this city.”

So, God gives him:

·         Healing

·         Extended life

·         National deliverance

·         Divine protection

That is abundant grace.

What would you do with the rest of your life?

Some of you have more than fifteen years.

Some of us likely have less.

Some of you are already living on “borrowed time,” as we like to say.

But the real question is:

What are your spiritual goals for the years you have left?

Most have bucket lists, places to visit, things to see, and experiences to enjoy. Nothing wrong with that. 

But do you have a spiritual list?

What do you want to learn?

Who do you want to serve?

What part of Scripture do you want to master?

What kind of person do you want to become?

If God said to you, “I’m giving you fifteen more years,” what would you do with them?

Let me be personal for a moment.

I’m just under halfway through preaching through every book of the Bible.

One day I met get through the whole bible, with God's grace, and when I’m done, do you know what I plan to do? 

If I’m alive and still have my faculties, I’ll do it again.

Differently, with a different approach, but I do it again because you can’t exhaust it.

You can’t outgrow it, and you can’t reach the bottom of it.

And I want to challenge you:

Make studying scripture part of your spiritual bucket list. (Expand)

In the next couple of years, we are going to read study like Proverbs every day — one chapter for each day of the month. Do together, and scripture promises that we will become wise.

We will soon immerse ourselves in Ephesians, a book that, if you truly understand it and live it, will transform your spiritual life.

And then there’s the Psalms.

We’re probably going to spend over 6 months in the Psalms, and I’ve noticed something: Almost every psalm is written in a crisis.

You could title them all with one word: “When…”

·         When people lie about you

·         When you’re afraid

·         When you feel abandoned

·         When you’re overwhelmed

·         When enemies surround you

·         When you don’t know what to do

Study a psalm and a page a day for 150 days, and it will change your life.

I don’t say that lightly. But I say it because I believe the Psalms will shape your soul like nothing else.

12 At that time, Berodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 And Hezekiah was attentive to them and showed them all the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armoury, all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?”

So, Hezekiah said, “They came from a far country, from Babylon.”

15 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?”

So, Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 18 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

19 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “Will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?”

Death of Hezekiah

20 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah—all his might, and how he made a pool and a tunnel and brought water into the city—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 21 So Hezekiah rested with his fathers. Then Manasseh, his son, reigned in his place.

(2 Kings 20:12–21)

So — let’s gather the pieces.

God has just poured out astonishing grace on Hezekiah. 

He healed him.

He extended his life by fifteen years.

He promised deliverance from Sennacherib.

He promised to defend Jerusalem.

He even gave him a miraculous sign.

Grace upon grace.

Now the question becomes: How will Hezekiah respond to that grace?

And this is where the story takes a surprising turn.

The text tells us that the king of Babylon, not Assyria, but Babylon, sent envoys to Hezekiah.

At this point in history, Babylon is not yet the world power it will become. Assyria still dominates the world stage but Babylon is rising, and they’ve heard two things:

Hezekiah was sick, and he recovered miraculously.

So, they send a delegation, and what does Hezekiah do?

He paraded his wealth.

He opened the vaults.

He displayed the armoury.

He showed them everything.

Why?

Most scholars agree that he was afraid of Assyria and was trying to impress Babylon, perhaps to form an alliance.

But here’s the deeper issue:

He left God out.

After all that grace… After all that blessing… After all that deliverance…

The Chronicles commentary on these events fills in some of the missing pieces here

Second Kings gives us the facts.

Second Chronicles gives us the interpretation.

2 Chronicles 32:24–25:

“Hezekiah was sick… and God gave him a sign.

But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favour shown him,

for his heart was lifted up.”

What the term “his heart was lifted up” means is not a positive thing it means he did not respond to grace with humility.

He responded with pride.

And then verse 31 adds something even more sobering:

“God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.”

God stepped back — not to abandon him, but to reveal him.

To expose what was inside.

To show Hezekiah and us what grace is meant to uncover.

Hear me carefully. Life’s troubles reveal who we really are. But so do life’s blessings.

Sometimes God allows trouble to teach us. Sometimes He allows blessings to expose us and Hezekiah had been blessed beyond measure:

·         Healing

·         Extended life

·         Deliverance

·         Protection

·         A miraculous sign

And yet in a moment of pride, he left God out.

Now there is a little Hezekiah in all of us.

We receive grace… We enjoy blessing… We experience God’s kindness…

And then we slip into:

“I can handle this.”

“I’ve got this one.”

“I’ll do it my way.”

“I don’t need to pray about this.”

That’s pride, not the modern “I’m proud of my work” kind of pride — but the biblical kind, which is simply leaving God out.

That’s the pride of Satan in Isaiah 14: “I will ascend… I will be like the Most High.”

Biblical pride is always vertical. It’s always about independence from God, and that’s what happened to Hezekiah.

You see, grace always demands a response

God’s grace is meant to produce humility, but Hezekiah’s example shows us that grace can also expose pride.

And now the consequences come. If you go God’s way, there’s grace and peace and joy. If you go your way, there are consequences.

So, he showed Babylon all his treasures. He paraded his wealth, he displayed his strength, and he did it without consulting the Lord.

And Isaiah confronts him: “Everything you showed them will one day be carried to Babylon.”

And Hezekiah thankfully responds with humility and says, “The word of the Lord is good… at least there will be peace in my days.”

He accepts God’s discipline, he acknowledges his pride and he bows before the Lord.

And that brings us to the heart of the message of this passage today. 

Even the most blessed people can leave God out.

That’s the lesson of Hezekiah….

And that’s the lesson for us.

We rejoice in God’s grace, and rightly so.

But grace is not a license to drift. Grace is not permission to freewheel, and Grace is not an excuse to become self‑sufficient.

Grace is meant to humble us.

Grace is meant to soften us.

Grace is meant to make us dependent on God, not independent from Him..

Because Jesus said: “Without Me you can do nothing.”

Nothing of spiritual value.

Nothing that lasts.

Nothing that bears fruit.

So the question I asked at the beginning today was…. How should we respond to the grace of God?

And for that answer, we turn to Romans, where we are told that grace can and should lead us to worship.

Romans 11:29 says: “The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.”

Eternal life is irrevocable. God’s mercy is irrevocable. His grace toward us is irrevocable. 

Then Paul erupts in praise: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God…”

That’s where grace should take us, to wonder, to worship, to awe.

But Paul doesn’t stop there because grace demands a response

Romans 12:1: “Therefore, by the mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice…”

Because God has been so gracious, because His mercy is so deep, because His salvation is so secure…

Therefore, obey Him.

Therefore, surrender to Him.

Therefore, give Him your life.

This is not legalism…. This is gratitude.

Grace also renews the mind.

Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

Renovate your mind. Throw out the old thinking. Replace it with truth.

And what is the first thing Paul says needs to go, is pride.

Romans 12:3: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think…”

There it is again…. Pride.

The very thing that tripped Hezekiah.

The very thing that lives in all of us.

The very thing grace is meant to uproot.

And what replaces pride?

·         Think soberly.

·         Think like a servant.

·         Think like someone who recognises they have been gifted by God to bless others.

·         Think like someone whose purpose is to edify, not to exalt.

Because spiritual gifts are never given for our sake, they are given for the sake of others.

You want joy? 

Serve people.

You want peace?

Serve people.

You want purpose?

Serve people.

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

The Hymn writer Isaac Watts captured this perfectly:

“Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

That is the proper response to grace.

Not pride.

Not independence.

Not self‑reliance.

But surrender.

Service.

Humility.

Obedience.

God’s grace saved you.

God’s grace sustains you.

God’s grace strengthens you.

God’s grace blesses you.

And God’s grace calls you to give Him everything.

Your soul.

Your life.

Your all…..

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