2Kings 20-21

A Lofty Direction

Sometimes, God giving us our desires, is not the best thing for our life.  God gives to Hezekiah what most people desire, a longer life.  Told by a prophet that his life is about to end, Hezekiah, cries out to God, who graciously gives to him his desire for a longer life. God declares that Hezekiah will have 15 more years of life.

Unfortunately, during these extra 15 years, two horrible events occur.  First, Hezekiah makes a poor decision of proudly showing to individuals, who are enemies of God and His people, all the treasures of his home.  As a result of this poor decision, God pronounces that the day will come when everything in Hezekiah’s home will be taken and carried off to Babylon.  The second horrible event happens in the third year of these extra 15 years. Hezekiah has a son, Manasseh. What is so horrible about this is the fact that Manasseh reigns for 55 years doing evil in the sight of the Lord by following the abominations of the nations.  As a result of Manasseh walking down this evil path, this horror is compounded as his son, Amon, the grandson of Hezekiah, follows in these evil footsteps of his father.

Two horrible events that occurred because God gave Hezekiah his desire to live longer.  God’s desire was for Hezekiah’s good life to come to an end.  But God graciously gives to Hezekiah, Hezekiah’s desire for his life to continue. The result? Things go bad for Hezekiah and his family for several generations.

Here is what God tells us when it comes to His desires and our desires.

Isaiah 55:8-9 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

For every facet of our life and every desire for our life, one thing we need to remember is that no matter how lofty our desires may be, the Lord’s desires for us are much loftier.

The Lord has declared

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

That is exactly what the Lord did for Hezekiah.  The path for Hezekiah was the Lord giving to him the desire of his heart.

But the better path will always be an awareness of God’s desire for our life (like Hezekiah was) and a willing desire to go down this loftier path.