# The Danger of Pride. (2 Chronicles 32: 1-31)

An episode of [The Bible Journey Daily Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1570210433), 25 Sep 2026, 31 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1728449/episodes/19789252-the-danger-of-pride-2-chronicles-32-1-31.mp3

Send us Fan Mail To continue receiving this podcast, please subscribe to: https://thebiblejourneydailypodcast.buzzsprout.com This Podcast is part of season 23 of a project to complete an in-depth study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Episode Notes: Most people assume pride and spirituality cannot coexist. Surely, if someone is truly spiritual, they wouldn’t be proud… would they? Yet the Old Testament records the story of a deeply spiritual man who also struggled with pride. His experience warns all of us who genuinely desire to walk with the Lord. So, what lessons can we learn from his example?.... Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show This podcast is entirely the work of Jeremy R. McCandless... Follow and support me as an independent podcast creator on Patreon. Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at: Jeremy McCandless | Substack Check out my other Podcasts. My History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com The L.I.F.E. Podcast: Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment. https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891 The Classic Literature Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906 To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle, and now also on Audible, Visit: Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

## Chapters

- 15:32 \[Ad\] Save the World Podcast
- 16:19 (Cont.) The Danger of Pride. (2 Chronicles 32: 1-31)

## Transcript

[0:15] SPEAKER_00: Hello everyone, welcome to today's episode of the Bible Journey Daily Podcast.
[0:20] SPEAKER_00: It's great to be with you here today.
[0:23] SPEAKER_00: It's wonderful to know that you've chosen to gather with me today, wherever you're based around the world, to take the time to make the study of the Word of God, the study of the Bible, part of your rhythm today.
[0:38] SPEAKER_00: Today we're continuing our chapter by chapter, verse by verse study through the Book of Two Chronicles, and today we will be covering all 31 verses of Chronicles chapter 32, and I've called today's episode The Danger of Pride.
[0:56] SPEAKER_00: Now, most people assume that pride and spirituality can't coexist.
[1:02] SPEAKER_00: Surely some would say if someone is truly spiritual, they wouldn't be proud, would they?
[1:08] SPEAKER_00: Yet the Old Testament records this story for us of someone who is said to be a deeply spiritual man who also struggles with pride.
[1:16] SPEAKER_00: So because of that, this, his experience, stands as a warning to all of us who simply genuinely desire to walk with the Lord and have the right attitude and humility in doing that.
[1:30] SPEAKER_00: So that's what we're going to think about today, in today's episode of the Bible Journey Daily Podcast.
[2:09] SPEAKER_00: Today's chapter will actually divide rather naturally into four segments for us.
[2:16] SPEAKER_00: The first one will deal with Hezekiah's preparation for the situation that they're facing, then we will witness his persistence, then we will see him respond in prayer to the threats that are received, and then at the end, sadly, we will see him trip over somewhat because of his pride.
[2:35] SPEAKER_00: So let's begin with the first, Hezekiah's preparation.
[2:39] SPEAKER_00: And verse 1 sets the scene for this.
[2:43] SPEAKER_00: And it says, After these acts of faithfulness, that's which we described yesterday in our study covering chapter 31, Shenechareb, king of Assyria, came and invaded Judah.
[2:56] SPEAKER_00: He encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself.
[3:01] SPEAKER_00: So after Hezekiah, remember, he's just restored the temple, he's re-established and reopened up the worship again, he's cleansed the land spiritually, and that has led the nation to a revival.
[3:14] SPEAKER_00: And then at that point, Assyria turns up.
[3:17] SPEAKER_00: Now Shinechareb, this king of Assyria, had already carried the northern tribes, the tribes in the partial nation of Israel, into captivity, but now he turns his attention to the south, threatening to do the very same to Judah.
[3:34] SPEAKER_00: Now, Hezekiah had previously paid tribute to this king Shinepared as a sort of way of trying to avoid conflict, but the two Kings chapter 18 accounts tells us that Hezekiah threw off the Assyrian yoke, his father Ahaz had accepted.
[3:51] SPEAKER_00: But it was probably this act of independence that provoked Shinecharib, and now he's demanding an unconditional surrender.
[3:58] SPEAKER_00: The narrative continues, picking up in verse 2.
[4:01] SPEAKER_00: When Hezekiah saw that Shinechareb had come and intended to wage war against Jerusalem, he consulted with his officials to stop the water from the springs outside the city.
[4:13] SPEAKER_00: He consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him.
[4:22] SPEAKER_00: They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the streams that flowed through the land.
[4:29] SPEAKER_00: Why should the king of Assyria come and find plenty of water, they said.
[4:33] SPEAKER_00: Hezekiah's first move, therefore, was strategic.
[4:37] SPEAKER_00: He cuts off the water supply outside of Jerusalem.
[4:41] SPEAKER_00: Now the Gihon Spring flowed outside the city walls.
[4:44] SPEAKER_00: So if Assyria besees Jerusalem, they would not only have access to fresh water, but they could cut it off.
[4:51] SPEAKER_00: So Hezekiah blocks the springs and he diverts the water into the city through a tunnel.
[4:57] SPEAKER_00: Now this is wise preparation indeed, isn't it?
[5:00] SPEAKER_00: And what that tells me is trusting God does not mean ignoring the practical steps we need to take.
[5:05] SPEAKER_00: Hezekiah also, we know, had repaired breaches in the wall previously.
[5:10] SPEAKER_00: He built new defensive towers, remember.
[5:13] SPEAKER_00: It previously told us how he also constructed a new outer wall.
[5:17] SPEAKER_00: He fortified the city and he manufactured more weapons and shields for the defenders, so he was preparing physically, militarily, and structurally before this all happens.
[5:30] SPEAKER_00: And in verse six it says he appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square of the city gate and encouraged them.
[5:40] SPEAKER_00: So Hezekiah mobilizes the army.
[5:43] SPEAKER_00: He gathers the people, and now he encourages them by simply telling them the truth.
[5:49] SPEAKER_00: Verse 7 and 8 says he encouraged them with these words, be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged, because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.
[6:05] SPEAKER_00: With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us fight our battles, and the people gain confidence from Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and what he said.
[6:19] SPEAKER_00: So Hezekiah's resurance here does indeed strengthen the people.
[6:24] SPEAKER_00: He reminds them that Assyria is relying on human strength, but Judah has divine strength in their arsenal.
[6:32] SPEAKER_00: Now it's not mentioned in the Chronicles account here, but recorded in 2 Kings chapter 18 is the fact that Hezekiah also attempted initially to appease Shnecharib with a large offering of a payment of gold and silver.
[6:47] SPEAKER_00: It was a moment of weakness, and indeed it did not stop this invasion.
[6:53] SPEAKER_00: So to summarize, when Shinecherib invaded Judah, Hezekiah responded by cutting off the external water supply, repairing and rebuilding Jerusalem's defenses, providing weapons for his soldiers and army and appointing officers, and then encouraging all the people, gathering them together and encouraging them to trust the Lord.
[7:15] SPEAKER_00: His faith was renewed, his courage was revised, and he took immediate action, both practical and spiritual, and thereby did the same for the army and the nation as a whole.
[7:28] SPEAKER_00: Hezekiah understood a vital truth here.
[7:31] SPEAKER_00: Trust in the Lord does not eliminate other forms of preparation, but it should shape our preparation.
[7:39] SPEAKER_00: Pray to the Lord, yes, but also follow his counsel, do what he says, and part of what he says is always to take wise practical steps.
[7:49] SPEAKER_00: So so far we've seen his preparation.
[7:52] SPEAKER_00: Now the chapter moves to the second segment, and we witness in it Hezekiah's steadfast persistence.
[8:00] SPEAKER_00: The text now gets to the heart, I think, of the message in this chapter.
[8:04] SPEAKER_00: It says, Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged, because this king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater po with us one with him.
[8:16] SPEAKER_00: With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us fight the battles.
[8:22] SPEAKER_00: And then the Scripture adds the people gain confidence from what Hezekiah the King of Judah said.
[8:28] SPEAKER_00: So this is good leadership, strong leadership.
[8:32] SPEAKER_00: This is a demonstration of persistence, and this is also shows great faith under pressure.
[8:38] SPEAKER_00: Hezekiah, remember, is facing the most terrifying military machine of the ancient world.
[8:43] SPEAKER_00: Assyria was known for its brutality, its ability to wage siege warfare, the psychological intimidation it brought along with its overwhelming force.
[8:54] SPEAKER_00: Their armies were vast, their reputation was fearful, and their previous past victories legendary.
[9:01] SPEAKER_00: Yet Hezekiah stands before the people and says, Be strong, be courageous, and do not be afraid.
[9:07] SPEAKER_00: Do not be discouraged because there is a greater power with us than is with them.
[9:13] SPEAKER_00: So he acknowledges the reality and says, Yes, Assyria does have a vast army, but he reframes the situation.
[9:21] SPEAKER_00: Assyria only has an army, it only has the human power of flesh.
[9:27] SPEAKER_00: Judah has the Lord their God with them.
[9:30] SPEAKER_00: So this is persistence, yes, but it's persistence rooted in the knowledge of God.
[9:36] SPEAKER_00: This is courage rooted in faith and leadership steadfastly rooted in truth and faith.
[9:42] SPEAKER_00: Hezekiah is not pretending the danger isn't real here, but he is declaring that God is more real and more able to address these situations.
[9:52] SPEAKER_00: He's not denying the size of a Syria's army, but he is affirming the greatness of God who can fight for his people against an army of any size.
[10:02] SPEAKER_00: And we see the people respond to these words.
[10:05] SPEAKER_00: Their confidence grows, it tells us.
[10:07] SPEAKER_00: Their courage strengthens, and their hearts steady, becomes steadfast, some translations say.
[10:13] SPEAKER_00: So Hezekiah's persistence becomes the people's persistence, and that is what good spiritual leadership looks like.
[10:21] SPEAKER_00: This is someone who has prepared wisely, acted decisively, speaks the truth, but still encourages the faithful and persists, and understanding the spiritual dynamic of what is going on here.
[10:37] SPEAKER_00: And now the chapter moves to its third movement, so to speak.
[10:41] SPEAKER_00: The enemy sends threatening letters, and then we see his prayer, Hezekiah's prayer in response to them.
[10:48] SPEAKER_00: And we will see how he responds when Assyria tries to escalate its threats and psychological intimidation.
[10:55] SPEAKER_00: You see, Senecharev's invitation didn't just stop with the words that he spoke.
[11:01] SPEAKER_00: Verse 17 tells us he also wrote letters, insulting the Lord the God of Israel, and saying, Just as the gods of the other nations of other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from his hand.
[11:18] SPEAKER_00: Now this is astonishing because Shnechereb is now not only mocking Judah, the nation, he is mocking the Lord himself.
[11:26] SPEAKER_00: He has placed Yahweh, the God of all creation, on the same level as the powerless idols of the other nations he's previously conquered.
[11:35] SPEAKER_00: He assumed Israel's God was just another man-made deity, another carved image, another powerless figure.
[11:43] SPEAKER_00: And this was his fatal mistake.
[11:45] SPEAKER_00: Verse 18 continues.
[11:47] SPEAKER_00: Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city.
[11:56] SPEAKER_00: So the Assyrian delegation here shout in Hebrew not the natural Aramaic of their day, so that they do this so that even the common people behind the wall would understand every word and every threat that was being saying to them.
[12:12] SPEAKER_00: Their goal here, their style here is to wage a sort of psychological warfare.
[12:17] SPEAKER_00: They did all this in order to frighten the people, demoralize the city's defenders, and undermine Hezekiah and break their spirit.
[12:25] SPEAKER_00: And they did this by speaking against the God of the city of Jerusalem, as if he were no different from the idols of the nations, the very work of men's hands.
[12:35] SPEAKER_00: So Shennecharib has tried to defeat Jerusalem with threatening words and intimidating letters, but he's now also making blasphemous comparisons.
[12:45] SPEAKER_00: He's trying to s instill a sense of panic in the people of Judah.
[12:50] SPEAKER_00: But now we see the narrative shift.
[12:52] SPEAKER_00: We've seen Hezekiah's preparation, we've seen his persistence, now we come to his prayer.
[12:58] SPEAKER_00: Verse 20 says, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amos, cried out in prayer to heaven.
[13:06] SPEAKER_00: So desperate in some ways, surrounded, certainly, threatened, yes, insulted, Hezekiah turns to the Lord.
[13:15] SPEAKER_00: But he doesn't pray alone, he prays with Isaiah, the great prophet of God, and together they seek the Lord's deliverance.
[13:23] SPEAKER_00: And this is the turning point of the chapter, because following that we see God intervene in verse 21.
[13:30] SPEAKER_00: It says, And the Lord sent an angel who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and the officers in the camp of the king of Assyria.
[13:39] SPEAKER_00: So God's response is one angel on one night and one decisive act.
[13:46] SPEAKER_00: The Assyrian army, an army feared throughout the whole ancient world, is struck down.
[13:52] SPEAKER_00: Now two kings actually adds the extra detail and tells us the number of people involved here.
[13:58] SPEAKER_00: It says 185,000 Assyrians were killed that night, and we then see Shinechareb return home, shamefaced, humiliated, defeated, and broken.
[14:10] SPEAKER_00: And then Scripture records the final blow, telling us that when he went into the temple of his god, his own son killed him with the sword.
[14:19] SPEAKER_00: So wow, this king who mocked the Lord died in the temple of his own idol at the hands of his own children.
[14:27] SPEAKER_00: Now Assyrian historian Alan confirmed that this assassination took place and it took place in 681.
[14:35] SPEAKER_00: So what that means is his death occurred roughly twenty years after the field campaign when he lived with his power stripped, eventually taken, his life taken by his own sons.
[14:48] SPEAKER_00: Now archaeologists have also found Shechareb's own inscriptions describing this whole campaign.
[14:55] SPEAKER_00: And in it, of course, you'd not be surprised to know he boasts of the conquering of many cities.
[15:00] SPEAKER_00: But when he speaks of Jerusalem, it's interesting to note he only says in his normal boastful style, I shut them up like a bird in a cage.
[15:09] SPEAKER_00: So even his own bias record admits that if you read between the lines that he never actually conquered Jerusalem, he just laid siege to it.
[15:18] SPEAKER_00: Anyway, the text continues, verse 22.
[15:20] SPEAKER_00: So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Shenekareb, king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others.
[15:28] SPEAKER_00: He took care of them on every side.
[16:12] SPEAKER_00: So God has saved them, He's protected them, He continues to protect them, He guides them, and it's described as He has surrounded them.
[16:22] SPEAKER_00: And then it says, Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and gifts for Hezekiah the king of Judah.
[16:29] SPEAKER_00: From from then on, he was widely regarded by all the nations.
[16:34] SPEAKER_00: So this miraculous deliverance has become known throughout the whole region.
[16:40] SPEAKER_00: But there's an underlying potential risk and danger here.
[16:43] SPEAKER_00: Nations honored the Lord, yes, but nations are also honoring Hezekiah himself.
[16:49] SPEAKER_00: Jerusalem has become a testimony to God's power, but some are seeing it more so through the hands of Hezekiah the king.
[16:57] SPEAKER_00: So Hezekiah himself prepared properly.
[17:00] SPEAKER_00: He persisted, he prayed, and God's answered, and Jerusalem was saved, and what we've just witnessed is one of the most dramatic deliverances in all of the Old Testament.
[17:10] SPEAKER_00: But there's more to this story, verse 24.
[17:12] SPEAKER_00: In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign.
[17:21] SPEAKER_00: So Hezekiah becomes deathly ill during this time.
[17:26] SPEAKER_00: But in response to his personal prayer, God promised him recovery and extended his life.
[17:32] SPEAKER_00: The sign God gave for doing this is recorded again in 2 Kings chapter 20, in their version of these events.
[17:41] SPEAKER_00: And it is an astonishing sign.
[17:42] SPEAKER_00: It says the shadow and the sundial move backwards.
[17:46] SPEAKER_00: So time itself, it seems, reversed.
[17:49] SPEAKER_00: Now Chronicles abbreviates the story here because his focus is not on Hezekiah's healing, but more on what happens after his healing.
[17:57] SPEAKER_00: Verse 25 says, But Hezekiah did not respond to the kindness shown to him, and his heart became proud, and therefore the Lord sent wrath upon him and on Judah and Jerusalem.
[18:09] SPEAKER_00: So Hezekiah did not really repay the Lord according to all the favour shown to him.
[18:16] SPEAKER_00: Pride was beginning to creep in, becaps because of all the attention these visiting people from other nations and lands were paying him.
[18:24] SPEAKER_00: And this is a sobering warning, isn't it?
[18:26] SPEAKER_00: Many of Judah's good kings followed God faithfully early in life, and like many of them, they failed later through pride, and Hezekiah, despite all his faithfulness, also stumbled towards the end.
[18:40] SPEAKER_00: Why?
[18:41] SPEAKER_00: Because blessing and God's blessing at the same time always has a risk of becoming a breeding ground for pride.
[18:49] SPEAKER_00: Hezekiah had, of course, accomplished much.
[18:53] SPEAKER_00: He had helped restore the temple, he'd led effectively a national revival, and he defeated Seria through God's power, of course, and he was even healed miraculously.
[19:05] SPEAKER_00: But because of all these things he was honored by the nation, and somewhere in all of that pride began to creep in.
[19:14] SPEAKER_00: But verse 26 also brings us a note of hope.
[19:19] SPEAKER_00: Then it says Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem, and therefore the Lord's wrath did not come upon them during the rest of Hezekiah's lifetime.
[19:33] SPEAKER_00: So amazingly, Hezekiah did humble himself again, and the people humbled themselves, and therefore God postponed judgment.
[19:41] SPEAKER_00: Now Hezekiah was not the perfect son of David, just like other kings of Judah, he had his mistakes.
[19:49] SPEAKER_00: But what he did, and what the proud rarely do, and we rarely witness in Scripture, is in the end it says he humbled himself.
[19:58] SPEAKER_00: And verses twenty seven to twenty nine record that Hezekiah had very great riches and honor.
[20:03] SPEAKER_00: He built treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable items.
[20:10] SPEAKER_00: He built storehouses for grain, for wine and oil.
[20:14] SPEAKER_00: He constructed stalls for livestock and pens for flocks.
[20:17] SPEAKER_00: He built cities, he accumulated herds and flocks in abundance.
[20:22] SPEAKER_00: So God has given him much property, and Hezekiah is seen to prosper because God is blessing his faithfulness in this final phase of his life.
[20:35] SPEAKER_00: And then verse 30 reminds us of one of his greatest achievements.
[20:40] SPEAKER_00: It wants us not to miss just how important this was.
[20:44] SPEAKER_00: It says Hezekiah blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon Spring and channeled the water down the west side of the city of David.
[20:52] SPEAKER_00: Now this is the very real and famous Hezekiah's tunnel.
[20:57] SPEAKER_00: It still exists and it is one of the marvels of ancient engineering.
[21:02] SPEAKER_00: It was dug through solid rock, stretching roughly 1,770 feet.
[21:10] SPEAKER_00: So over 400 meters.
[21:12] SPEAKER_00: Imagine a 400 meter running track stretched out in a straight line.
[21:18] SPEAKER_00: Now it was dug from both ends, dug through solid rock, the teams meeting perfectly in the middle.
[21:24] SPEAKER_00: And water from the Gaion Spring was rooted into the city and into the pool of Silome.
[21:30] SPEAKER_00: Now an inscription was found in 1880 near the tunnel's exit, and it describes how the workers dug the in the way they did, a way we still do today, when we dig a major tunnel event at both ends and meet in the middle, and it remains one of the most remarkable engineering feats described in ancient history.
[21:51] SPEAKER_00: Then verse 31 says, When envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask about the miraculous sign that occurred in the land, God led them to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.
[22:03] SPEAKER_00: So we have Babylon here sending in ambassadors, intrigued by the miraculous sign God had given Hezekiah.
[22:12] SPEAKER_00: Remember, Babylon worshipped the sun and stars, so hearing about or even witnessing a supernatural reversal of the sun's shadows would certainly have impressed and fascinated them.
[22:25] SPEAKER_00: But during this time, God, it says, withdrew his protective prompting, not to abandon Hezekiah, but to test him.
[22:35] SPEAKER_00: And at the end, sadly, Hezekiah failed that test.
[22:39] SPEAKER_00: Foolishly showed the Babylonian envoys all envoys, all his treasures, everything in his palace, and everything in his temple.
[22:47] SPEAKER_00: There's a bit of boasting going on here, isn't there?
[22:50] SPEAKER_00: But this act of pride, instead of impressing Babylon, aroused Babylon's desire to possess those very treasures, a desire that would in effect be fulfilled a century later when Babylon would indeed conquer Judah.
[23:04] SPEAKER_00: Now, Chronicles does not detail that incident I've just described, but Two Kings, chapter 20's version of the same event does account for it.
[23:14] SPEAKER_00: The chronicle here simply notes that God uses this moment to reveal what was truly in Hezekiah's heart.
[23:22] SPEAKER_00: God wants Hezekiah to see himself clearly.
[23:26] SPEAKER_00: And Hezekiah, it is believed, learned from the painful consequences of this pride, which brought him back at the very, very end into a better position before the Lord.
[23:38] SPEAKER_00: So as we bring 2 Chronicles chapter 32 to a close, let's look at how the chronicler himself summarizes the end of Hezekiah's remarkable life in verses 32 and 33.
[23:53] SPEAKER_00: It says, Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his goodness, indeed they are written in the vision of the Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos, and then the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
[24:05] SPEAKER_00: So Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper tombs of the sons of David, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him in his death.
[24:15] SPEAKER_00: Then Manasseh, his son, reigned in his place.
[24:20] SPEAKER_00: So when Hezekiah passes, he is buried with full royal honors among the ancestors of King David, and he deserved every bit of honor.
[24:30] SPEAKER_00: Look at what this chapter has shown us.
[24:34] SPEAKER_00: The big thing is, of course, is that when Shnechareb arrived with his mighty army and he invaded Judah and arrived at the gates of Jerusalem itself to threatened them, Hezekiah fortified the cities and endured fierce psychological warfare, but ultimately put his trust in the Lord and led the people to do the same, and because of that God delivered him and them all miraculously.
[25:00] SPEAKER_00: Hezekiah was undoubtedly one of the greatest spiritual reformers in the southern kingdom of Judah.
[25:07] SPEAKER_00: Not since Solomon himself had Judah seen a monarch who so consistently reflected the devotion of David.
[25:14] SPEAKER_00: In fact, scholars often point out that the author of the Chroniclers is deliberately reframing Hezekiah as a sort of second Solomon by choosing to focus his attention on the rebuilding of the temple and the worship life of the nation, the restoring of the temple and the uniting the hearts of the people.
[25:36] SPEAKER_00: Yet even in the life of this spiritual giant, a shadow is seen.
[25:41] SPEAKER_00: In the wake of his astounding accomplishments and his miraculous deliverance, pride crept into Hezekiah's heart, and God had to allow a test, a moment of vulnerability to expose what was really going on inside him, and thereby teach him humility at the end.
[26:00] SPEAKER_00: And that should bring us to an important truth: that pride for any believer is always an ever-present temptation.
[26:09] SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter how long you've walked with the Lord, or how much of the Bible you know, or how many spiritual victories you may have under your belt, so to speak, spiritual pride can infect even the most devout amongst us.
[26:23] SPEAKER_00: Now we see this exact struggle played out and echoed centuries later by the Apostle Paul himself in his own life in the New Testament.
[26:32] SPEAKER_00: In 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul speaks with incredible vulnerability about his own battle with pride, and he writes in verses 7 through 10 for us in that chapter, and lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
[26:57] SPEAKER_00: Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me, and he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
[27:08] SPEAKER_00: Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest on me.
[27:16] SPEAKER_00: For when I am weak, then I am strong.
[27:19] SPEAKER_00: So think about that for a moment.
[27:21] SPEAKER_00: God, it says, loved Paul too much to let the danger of spiritual pride destroy him.
[27:29] SPEAKER_00: After granting Paul this heavenly inspiration, indeed heavenly visions, profound revelation, God also allowed what is described a thorn in his flesh to keep him grounded.
[27:42] SPEAKER_00: God knew that human pride can cut off even great people from divine power.
[27:48] SPEAKER_00: Because when we think we are strong in ourselves, we tend to stop relying on him.
[27:54] SPEAKER_00: Now Hezekiah had to learn that lesson in his royal palace, and Paul had to learn it in his amazing apostolic ministry.
[28:02] SPEAKER_00: True strength is never found in our own accomplishments, our own resume, or even in our supposed acts of piety.
[28:10] SPEAKER_00: True strength is found when we recognize our weaknesses and thereby lean entirely on God's all-sufficient grace.
[29:02] SPEAKER_00: And this chapter ends, and a new chapter will open in Judah, and one that we see will begin with his son.
[29:09] SPEAKER_00: Manesseh takes the throne, and we'll see the choices made in one generation cast long shadows over the next.
[29:16] SPEAKER_00: So join me next time as we turn to chapter 33 for an episode I've titled quite deliberately, God Forgives, but Consequences Are Another Matter.
[29:28] SPEAKER_00: But until then, my friends, may you too walk humbly before the Lord and guard your heart against pride, and do that by relying daily on his grace as recommended here.
[29:41] SPEAKER_00: Thanks for being with me today.
[29:44] SPEAKER_00: Bye bye for now.

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