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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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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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<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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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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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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<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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