Despite all the advancements of our modern era, people are still the same. We may claim to be more sophisticated or advanced or civilized, but we haven’t really changed. We share most of the same attitudes as our ancestors. We handle things very much the same way.
I was reading in Isaiah this week and got to chapter 39 about King Hezekiah. Hezekiah did some things well and other things not so well. When Sennacherib, King of Assyria came against Hezekiah and the nation of Israel, Hezekiah turned to God and God delivered them. When he fell ill and was close to death he prayed again, and God granted him an additional 15 years.
But when Merodach-Baladan, King of Babylon, sent Hezekiah a gift through envoys, Hezekiah got a bit puffed up in pride and showed off everything he had. So, God sent Isaiah to Him with a word that the time was coming when everything – all the glory of Israel – even some of Hezekiah’s very own descendants – would be carried off to Babylon.
It’s Hezekiah’s response that always reminds me of us … “The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.” [39:8]
Ah, at least everything will be good for me … people who come after me can deal with the rest of it! Isn’t that us, today? Greed influences some corporations to do long-term damage to environments. We drive governments into debt that our children will struggle to repay. We pollute, we destroy, we “advance” without thinking of long-term consequences or even if we should!
We are very good at passing off the consequences of our actions to the next generation. At least, “there will be peace and security in my lifetime.” God forgive us.
