VERSES: 2 Kings 20:12-21; 2 Chronicles 32:31
MEMORY VERSE: 2 Kings 20:15 "And he said, "What have they seen in thy house?..."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Review all 39 Old Testament books.
PRAYER: May we be discreet and know when to and not to tell personal information.
SPECIAL SONG: Be Careful Little Eyes (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog)
VISUAL AID: Map showing Babylon and Jerusalem. Draw a picture of the Activity below.
LESSON POINTS:
- Sometimes there are people who pretend to be our friends, but they really are not our friends. At times, it is difficult to tell who are friends are and who are not our friends. Until we know the difference, we should use discretion. This means that we are a little cautious with our words. It means that we do not need to tell everything that we know just because someone asks us a question. Discretion. A hard word for even adults to master. King Hezekiah learned the hard way who his friends were, all because he talked too much. He caused himself and his family a lot of trouble!
- About the time that Hezekiah had recovered from his boil and almost died, the king of Babylon, a king we have not studied before, sent messengers with letters and a present to King Hezekiah because he had heard he had been sick. Hezekiah did not know the King of Babylon well, but he was flattered that the King of Babylon was concerned with his health enough to send letters and a present! Flattery will sometimes get us in trouble because flattery is a whole lot of insincere words that make someone feel good. The King of Babylon, whose name was Berodachbaladan, flattered King Hezekiah with words that King Hezekiah wanted to hear. They made Hezekiah feel good and important. The King of Babylon wanted something from Hezekiah, but Hezekiah did not know it when the messengers came for a visit.
- The messengers of Babylon wanted to know what was in King Hezekiah's house. This made King Hezekiah very proud. Pride is not always good. The Bible says that "Pride goes before a fall" ( Proverbs 16:18). God wants us to be humble and not think too much of ourselves. But pride got the best of King Hezekiah! Hezekiah showed the Babylonian messengers everything in his palace. He showed them his precious things. He showed them his gold and his spices and his precious ointments and his house of armor and all of his treasures. There was nothing that Hezekiah hid from the men from Babylon. He showed them everything he had control over.
- God noticed what Hezekiah had done because God knows everything. So God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah and Isaiah asked him a question. Isaiah asked, What have they seen in your house?" Hezekiah admitted that he had shown them absolutely everything he had. Then Isaiah had hard words for Hezekiah from the LORD. Isaiah said that there would be a day coming that everything Hezekiah had in his palace and everything that his father had given him would be taken away to Babylon and there would be nothing left! King Hezekiah had told the men where everything he owned was! They didn't even need to search for it! Isaiah said that the soldiers from Babylon would even take away his sons to Babylon.
- When Hezekiah heard Isaiah's words, he knew they were true. He knew they were God's words and he knew that he had been trying to show off, making himself important in their eyes which was wrong. Hezekiah said that God's word was good, meaning he deserved them and they were just. Hezekiah had made a mistake and he was going to have to pay for his mistake of having too much pride and not enough discretion. He talked too much.
- Hezekiah was a good king even if he did make the mistake of having too much pride. He had done many good things. He had made a pool which was a hard thing back then. He made a conduit which was like a tunnel that brought water into the city. This, too, was difficult, but they were done to Hezekiah's credit and are written in the Bible. So Hezekiah lived fifteen years after his bout with the boil and he, too, died.
"Older Student" Tips:
- Hezekiah suffered from pride and indiscretion like many people do today. 2 Chronicles 32:31 says that God tried Hezekiah that God might know what was in Hezekiah's heart, to see if he was proud.
ACTIVITY: Hezekiah's Mistake
Materials needed: 9" x 12" yellow construction paper, scrap of different colored paper, marker, crayons, glue, scissors.
- Hand out yellow paper.
- Fold up bottom edge 4 inches.
- Crease fold.
- With edge folded up, draw a picture of Hezekiah talking to three Babylonian men in his palace.
- On a scrap of paper, cut out a speech bubble.
- Write "Let me show you EVERYTHING in my palace!" inside the bubble.
- Label Hezekiah and Men from Babylon.
- Unfold bottom edge of paper.
- Write PRIDE in large letters across the bottom.
- Color letters.
- Write "King Hezekiah's Mistake" and "2 Kings 20:12-21" at the top of the yellow paper.
- Before leaving class, fold up the word pride, so others may guess what the mistake was.
