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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Isaiah XXXIX].</TITLE>
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"This site is for those friends and family members who may or may not know Our Lord Jesus Christ, and if not, they may come to know Our Lord through His Prophets."> <meta name="author" content="Brian Duncalfe">
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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<h3><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank">Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page</a>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>I S A I A H.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XXXIX.</FONT>
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<P>
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The story of this chapter likewise we had before,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+20:12">2 Kings xx. 12</A>,
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&c. It is here repeated, not only as a very memorable and improvable
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passage, but because it concludes with a prophecy of the captivity in
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Babylon; and as the former part of the prophecy of this book frequently
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referred to Sennacherib's invasion and the defeat of that, to which
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therefore the history of that was very fitly subjoined, so the latter
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part of this book speaks much of the Jews' captivity in Babylon and
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their deliverance out of that, to which therefore the first prediction
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of it, with the occasion thereof, is very fitly prefixed. We have here,
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I. The pride and folly of Hezekiah, in showing his treasures to the
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king of Babylon's ambassadors that were sent to congratulate him on his
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recovery,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+39:1,2">ver. 1, 2</A>.
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II. Isaiah's examination of him concerning it, in God's name, and his
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confession of it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+39:3,4">ver. 3, 4</A>.
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III. The sentence passed upon him for it, that all his treasures
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should, in process of time, be carried to Babylon,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+39:5-7">ver. 5-7</A>.
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IV. Hezekiah's penitent and patient submission to this sentence,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+39:8">ver. 8</A>.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Isa39_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa39_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa39_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa39_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Hezekiah's Vanity.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 712.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of
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Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard
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that he had been sick, and was recovered.
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2 And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them the house of
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his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices,
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and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and
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all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his
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house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.
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3 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said
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unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto
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thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto
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me, <I>even</I> from Babylon.
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4 Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And
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Hezekiah answered, All that <I>is</I> in mine house have they seen:
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there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Hence we may learn these lessons:--
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1. That humanity and common civility teach us to rejoice with our
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friends and neighbours when they rejoice, and to congratulate them on
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their deliverances, and particularly their recoveries from sickness.
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The king of Babylon, having heard that Hezekiah had been sick, and had
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recovered, sent to compliment him upon the occasion. If Christians be
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unneighbourly, heathens will shame them.
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2. It becomes us to give honour to those whom our God puts honour upon.
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The sun was the Babylonians' god; and when they understood that it was
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with a respect to Hezekiah that the sun, to their great surprise, went
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back ten degrees, on such a day, they thought themselves obliged to do
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Hezekiah all the honour they could. Will all people thus walk in the
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name of their God, and shall not we?
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3. Those that do not value good men for their goodness may yet be
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brought to pay them great respect by other inducements, and for the
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sake of their secular interests. The king of Babylon made his court to
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Hezekiah, not because he was pious, but because he was prosperous, as
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the Philistines coveted an alliance with Isaac because they saw the
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Lord was with him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+26:28">Gen. xxvi. 28</A>.
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The king of Babylon was an enemy to the king of Assyria, and therefore
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was fond of Hezekiah, because the Assyrians were so much weakened by
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the power of his God.
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4. It is a hard matter to keep the spirit low in the midst of great
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advancements. Hezekiah is an instance of it: he was a wise and good
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man, but, when one miracle after another was wrought in his favour, he
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found it hard to keep his heart from being lifted up, nay, a little
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thing then drew him into the snare of pride. Blessed Paul himself
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needed a thorn in the flesh, to keep him from being <I>lifted up with
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the abundance of revelations.</I>
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5. We have need to watch over our own spirits when we are showing our
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friends our possessions, what we have done and what we have got, that
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we be not proud of them, as if our might or our merit had purchased and
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procured us this wealth. When we look upon our enjoyments, and have
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occasion to speak of them, it must be with humble acknowledgments of
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our own unworthiness and thankful acknowledgments of God's goodness,
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with a just value for the achievements of others and with an
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expectation of losses and changes, not dreaming that our mountain
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stands so strong but that it may soon be moved.
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6. It is a great weakness for good men to value themselves much upon
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the civil respects that are paid them (yea, though there be something
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particular and uncommon in them) by the children of this world, and to
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be fond of their acquaintance. What a poor thing was it for Hezekiah,
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whom God has so dignified, to be thus over proud of the respect paid
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him by a heathen prince as if that added any thing to him! We ought to
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return the courtesies of such with interest, but not to be proud of
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them.
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7. We must expect to be called to an account for the workings of our
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pride, though they are secret, and in such instances as we thought
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there was no harm in; and therefore we ought to call ourselves to an
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account for them; and when we have had company with us that have paid
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us respect, and been pleased with their entertainment, and commended
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every thing, we ought to be jealous over ourselves with a godly
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jealousy lest our hearts have been lifted up. As far as we see cause to
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suspect that this sly and subtle sin of pride has insinuated itself
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into our breasts, and mingled itself with our conversation, let us be
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ashamed of it, and, as Hezekiah here, ingenuously confess it and take
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shame to ourselves for it.</P>
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<A NAME="Isa39_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa39_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa39_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa39_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Hezekiah's Vanity Punished.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 712.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> of
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hosts:
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6 Behold, the days come, that all that <I>is</I> in thine house, and
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<I>that</I> which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day,
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shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the
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L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt
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beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the
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palace of the king of Babylon.
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8 Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good <I>is</I> the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>
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which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be
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peace and truth in my days.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Hence let us observe,
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1. That, if God love us, he will humble us, and will find some way or
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other to pull down our spirits when they are lifted up above measure. A
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mortifying message is sent to Hezekiah, that he might be humbled for
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the pride of his heart, and be convinced of the folly of it; for though
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God may suffer his people to fall into sin, as he did Hezekiah here, to
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<I>prove him, that he might know all that was in his heart,</I> yet he
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will not suffer them to lie still in it.
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2. It is just with God to take that from us which we make the matter of
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our pride, and on which we build a carnal confidence. When David was
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proud of the numbers of his people God took a course to make them
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fewer; and when Hezekiah boasts of his treasures, and looks upon them
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with too great a complacency, he is told that he acts like the foolish
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traveller who shows his money and gold to one that proves a thief and
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is thereby tempted to rob him.
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3. If we could but see things that will be, we should be ashamed of
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our thoughts of things that are. If Hezekiah had known that the seed
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and successors of this king of Babylon would hereafter be the ruin of
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his family and kingdom, he would not have complimented his ambassadors
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as he did; and, when the prophet told him that it would be so, we may
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well imagine how he was vexed at himself for what he had done. We
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cannot certainly foresee what will be, but are told, in general, <I>All
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is vanity,</I> and therefore it is vanity for us to take complacency
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and put confidence in any thing that goes under that character.
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4. Those that are fond of an acquaintance or alliance with irreligious
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men will first or last have enough of it, and will have cause to repent
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it. Hezekiah thought himself very happy in the friendship of Babylon,
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though it was the mother of harlots and idolatries; but Babylon, who
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now courted Jerusalem, in process of time conquered her and carried her
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captive. Leagues with sinners, and leagues with sin too, will end thus;
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it is therefore our wisdom to keep at a distance from them.
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5. Those that truly repent of their sins will take it well to be
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reproved for them and will be willing to be told of their faults.
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Hezekiah reckoned <I>that</I> word of the Lord good which discovered
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sin to him, and made him sensible that he had done amiss, which before
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he was not aware of. The language of true penitents is, <I>Let the
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righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness;</I> and the law is
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<I>therefore</I> good, because, being spiritual, in it sin appears sin,
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and exceedingly sinful.
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6. True penitents will quietly submit, not only to the reproofs of the
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word, but to the rebukes of Providence for their sins. When Hezekiah
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was told of the punishment of his iniquity he said, <I>Good is the word
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of the Lord,</I> not only the mitigation of the sentence, but the
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sentence itself; he has nothing to object against the equity of it, but
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says <I>Amen</I> to the threatening. Those that see the evil of sin,
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and what it deserves, will justify God in all that is brought upon them
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for it, and own that he punishes them less than their iniquities
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deserve.
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7. Though we must not be regardless of those that come after us, yet we
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must reckon ourselves well done by if there be <I>peace and truth in
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our days,</I> and better than we had reason to expect. If a storm be
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coming, we must reckon it a favour to get into the harbour before it
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comes, and be gathered to the grave in peace; yet we can never be
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secure of this, but must prepare for changes in our own time, that we
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may stand complete in all the will of God, and bid it welcome whatever
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it is.</P>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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<!--Matthew_Henry's_Commentary_on_the_Whole_Bible:_Isaiah_XXXIX.--><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank"><b>Back to Bibles Net . Com - Online Christian Library </b></a><br>
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