Isaiah Chapter 39
Isaiah 39, Showing Off the LORD’s Treasure
Isaiah 39 is short, but it is a major turning point in the book. The earlier chapters focused heavily on Assyria as the immediate threat. This chapter introduces Babylon as the future threat. After God spared Hezekiah’s life and gave him fifteen more years, envoys from Babylon came with letters and a gift. Hezekiah was pleased with them and showed them all his treasures, his armory, and everything in his dominion. What looked like a harmless royal visit exposed Hezekiah’s pride, his desire to impress ungodly men, and his failure to glorify the Lord. Isaiah then declared that the treasures Hezekiah displayed would one day be carried away to Babylon, and some of his descendants would become servants in the palace of Babylon’s king. The notes provided cover Isaiah 39:1-8, including the Babylonian visit, Hezekiah’s foolish display, Isaiah’s questioning, the prophecy of Babylonian captivity, and Hezekiah’s disappointing response.
Isaiah 39:1
Isaiah 39:1, KJV, “At that time Merodachbaladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.”
The chapter begins “At that time,” connecting this event to Hezekiah’s recovery from sickness. God had shown Hezekiah great mercy. He had heard his prayer, seen his tears, added fifteen years to his life, and confirmed His promise with the sign of the shadow moving backward. Now the question becomes, what will Hezekiah do with the mercy God has given him?
This is a serious spiritual issue. Being spared does not automatically make a man wiser. Being healed does not automatically make a man humbler. Being given more time does not automatically mean that time will be used well. The mercy of God must be received with humility and lived out in obedience.
Merodachbaladan, king of Babylon, sends letters and a present to Hezekiah because he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and recovered. On the surface, this appears courteous. A foreign king sends congratulations and a gift to another king who has recovered from illness. But the visit carried political significance. Babylon was an enemy of Assyria and would have had interest in drawing Judah into opposition against Assyria.
This means Hezekiah faced another test. Earlier, Judah was tempted to trust Egypt against Assyria. Now Hezekiah is tempted to receive Babylonian attention as flattering, useful, and politically significant. The threat is no longer only fear. Now the threat is pride.
Pride often comes after deliverance. A man may seek God earnestly in crisis, but when the crisis passes, he may become careless, self important, and eager for human recognition. Hezekiah had prayed well when threatened by Assyria and when facing death. But now, after mercy, he is tested by praise.
2 Chronicles 32:24-26, KJV, “In those days Hezekiah was sick to death, and prayed unto LORD: and he spake unto him, and he gave him sign. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for pride of his heart, both he and inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that wrath of LORD came not upon them in days of Hezekiah.”
Chronicles explains the heart issue directly. Hezekiah did not respond properly to the benefit God had given him, because his heart was lifted up. Isaiah 39 shows how that pride appeared in action.
Isaiah 39:2
Isaiah 39:2, KJV, “And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them house of his precious things, silver, and gold, and spices, and precious ointment, and all house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.”
Hezekiah “was glad of them.” He was pleased by the attention from Babylon. This is understandable at a human level. Judah was small. Babylon was rising in significance. To have Babylonian envoys arrive with letters and a gift could easily make Hezekiah feel honored and important. But the danger was that he received the attention wrongly.
Instead of using the moment to testify of the Lord’s mercy, Hezekiah used it to display his own greatness. He showed them “the house of his precious things,” the silver, gold, spices, precious ointment, armory, and all his treasures. The verse emphasizes total exposure, “there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.”
This was proud foolishness. The treasures were not truly Hezekiah’s to display for self glory. They existed under God’s providence. His kingdom, wealth, armory, recovery, and protection from Assyria were all gifts from the Lord. Yet Hezekiah acted as though the moment was about impressing Babylon instead of honoring God.
This is the failure of a man who wants to please and impress men. Hezekiah did not consult Isaiah. He did not seek the Lord. He did not ask whether these envoys had spiritual danger attached to them. He simply enjoyed their attention and showed them everything.
Galatians 1:10, KJV, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not servant of Christ.”
A servant of the Lord cannot live for the praise of men. Serving men in love is good. Living to impress men is spiritual danger. Hezekiah’s problem was not hospitality. His problem was pride.
The irony is heavy. Hezekiah had been given a sign involving the sun, his life had been spared, Jerusalem would be defended, and the Lord had shown Himself mighty. The Babylonian envoys should have heard about the God who heals, rules time, defends cities, and answers prayer. Instead, they saw treasure rooms and armories.
This is a warning for all believers. When God blesses a man with resources, abilities, influence, testimony, family, ministry, or opportunity, those things must be used to glorify the Lord, not to inflate the self. The question is not merely what we possess. The question is what our possessions say about God when others see them.
1 Corinthians 4:7, KJV, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”
Everything Hezekiah had was received. Therefore, he had no right to glory as though it originated with him.
Isaiah 39:3-4
Isaiah 39:3-4, KJV, “Then came Isaiah prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from far country unto me, from Babylon. Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that in mine house have they seen: there nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.”
Isaiah comes to Hezekiah with probing questions. “What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee?” The prophet likely already knows the answer, but the questions give Hezekiah an opportunity to examine himself. God often questions men not because He lacks information, but because they need to see their own hearts.
This pattern appears throughout Scripture.
Genesis 3:9, KJV, “And LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?”
God did not ask because He did not know where Adam was. He asked because Adam needed to face his condition.
Isaiah asks where the men came from, and Hezekiah answers, “They are come from a far country unto me, from Babylon.” There may be pride in the answer. Hezekiah seems impressed that men from distant Babylon came to him. The visit made him feel significant.
Isaiah then asks the more direct question, “What have they seen in thine house?” This question cuts to the issue. What did Hezekiah display? What did he reveal? What did he choose to show the representatives of Babylon?
Hezekiah answers plainly, “All that is in mine house have they seen.” There is no sense of shame in the answer. He says, “there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.” He appears honest, but not yet humbled. He admits the action without recognizing the folly of it.
This is how pride blinds. Hezekiah could see the value of his treasures, but not the danger of showing them. He could recognize Babylon’s importance, but not Babylon’s future threat. He could enjoy being admired, but not discern the spiritual danger of wanting that admiration.
Proverbs 27:2, KJV, “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; stranger, and not thine own lips.”
Hezekiah may not have praised himself verbally, but his display functioned as self praise. He let his treasures speak for him.
The deeper failure was that Hezekiah did not show the envoys the glory of the Lord. He showed them the wealth of Judah. This is a failure of witness. A man rescued by God should make much of God.
Psalm 107:2, KJV, “Let redeemed of LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from hand of enemy.”
Hezekiah had been redeemed from death and from Assyria’s threat. He should have said so.
Isaiah 39:5-7
Isaiah 39:5-7, KJV, “Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear word of LORD of hosts: Behold, days come, that all that in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall carried to Babylon: nothing shall left, saith LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall eunuchs in palace of king of Babylon.”
Isaiah now brings the word of the Lord. “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts.” Hezekiah had been pleased to hear from Babylon, but now he must hear from the Lord. Babylon’s letters brought flattery. God’s word brings truth.
The prophecy is severe. “All that is in thine house,” and everything the fathers had stored up, would be carried to Babylon. “Nothing shall be left.” The very treasures Hezekiah showed off would one day be taken. His pride effectively gave Babylon a preview of Judah’s wealth.
This would be fulfilled more than a century later when Babylon conquered Jerusalem and carried away the treasures.
2 Kings 24:13, KJV, “And he carried out thence all treasures of house of LORD, and treasures of king's house, and cut in pieces all vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in temple of LORD, as LORD had said.”
2 Kings 25:13-15, KJV, “And pillars of brass that in house of LORD, and bases, and brasen sea that in house of LORD, did Chaldees break in pieces, and carried brass of them to Babylon. And pots, and shovels, and snuffers, and spoons, and all vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. And firepans, and bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, captain of guard took away.”
Isaiah’s word was fulfilled exactly. The treasures went to Babylon.
But the judgment would be worse than lost wealth. “Of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away.” Hezekiah’s descendants would be carried away. The true treasure of a kingdom is not silver and gold, but sons and daughters. Babylon would not only take wealth. Babylon would take the royal seed.
The prophecy says they would become “eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” This points toward the later exile, including the taking of young men from the royal family and nobility.
Daniel 1:1-4, KJV, “In third year of reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of vessels of house of God: which he carried into land of Shinar to house of his god; and he brought vessels into treasure house of his god. And king spake unto Ashpenaz master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of children of Israel, and of king's seed, and of princes; Children in whom no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in king's palace, and whom they might teach learning and tongue of Chaldeans.”
Daniel and his companions fit this prophetic pattern. They were taken from Judah, brought to Babylon, placed under the master of the eunuchs, and trained for service in the palace. Whether every detail of physical condition is stated or implied, the humiliation is clear. The sons of Judah would serve in the court of the foreign power Hezekiah had tried to impress.
This is a sobering judgment. Hezekiah showed Babylon his treasures. One day Babylon would take them. Hezekiah enjoyed Babylon’s attention. One day Babylon would take his descendants. Pride has consequences beyond the man who commits it.
Proverbs 16:18, KJV, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before fall.”
Hezekiah’s pride did not immediately destroy Jerusalem, but it pointed toward a future destruction. God spared Hezekiah in his days, but the seeds of judgment were revealed.
Isaiah 39:8
Isaiah 39:8, KJV, “Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is word of LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall peace and truth in my days.”
Hezekiah’s response is disappointing. He says, “Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken.” In one sense, submission to God’s word is right. But the explanation reveals the weakness of his heart, “For there shall be peace and truth in my days.”
Hezekiah seems relieved that the judgment will not come during his lifetime. Instead of grieving over the future captivity of his sons, the loss of Judah’s treasures, and the humiliation of the royal line, he is comforted that his own days will have peace and truth. This is self centered.
A godly leader should care about future generations. Hezekiah had prayed powerfully when his own life and city were threatened, but here he shows little burden for those who would come after him. He receives the word of judgment with relief because it does not immediately touch him.
This is a warning about finishing poorly. Hezekiah began and largely reigned as a godly king. He trusted the Lord, removed idols, prayed under threat, and saw God deliver Jerusalem. Yet here, near the end of the account, he shows pride and shortsightedness.
2 Kings 18:5-7, KJV, “He trusted in LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which LORD commanded Moses. And LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against king of Assyria, and served him not.”
Hezekiah’s life had much faithfulness. Yet even faithful men can fall into pride, especially after blessing. This should make every believer sober. Past faithfulness does not remove the need for present humility.
The added fifteen years did not automatically make Hezekiah better. Time does not sanctify by itself. Age does not guarantee wisdom. Extra years are only a blessing if they are used under the fear of the Lord.
Psalm 90:12, KJV, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
The issue is not merely having days. The issue is numbering them wisely before God. Hezekiah received more days, but Isaiah 39 shows that he did not use all of them with the humility he should have had.
This chapter also forms a bridge into the rest of Isaiah. The Assyrian crisis has been answered, but Babylon now appears. The enemy in the background changes. Isaiah 40 through 66 will speak comfort, future deliverance, return from exile, the servant of the Lord, and the ultimate salvation of God. Isaiah 39 therefore ends the first major section with a warning, Judah’s greatest future trouble will not come from Assyria, but from Babylon.
The spiritual lesson is sharp. When God delivers a man, heals him, and gives him more time, that mercy must become humility, worship, witness, and concern for future generations. Hezekiah had the opportunity to show Babylon the glory of the Lord. Instead, he showed them the glory of his house. That is why Isaiah 39 stands as a warning against pride after mercy.
