Friday, June 17
“Not my problem”
Scripture: 2 Kings 19-20, 1 Thessalonians 5
2 Kings 20:19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good,” for he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security during my lifetime?”
Observation
This is one of those verses that shocks me every time I read it.
King Hezekiah was healed by the Lord and gifted 15 additional years of life, during which he fathered Manasseh. When the prophet Isaiah told him that everything in his palace and his descendants would be carried off to Babylon, this was his response: “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good,” for he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security during my lifetime?”
It is remarkably selfish and short-sighted. “Not my problem.”
Another indication that Hezekiah cared for himself but not for the future of his family and people is that 12 year old Manasseh succeeded him as king and was a disaster. Manasseh was one of the most wicked kings in Judah’s history. It seems that righteous Hezekiah failed to invest in his son. Of course it’s possible that Hezekiah did invest in his son and Manasseh chose to rebel anyway—it happens. But given Hezekiah’s selfish attitude toward the future, it seems likely that he didn’t invest in his son’s spiritual and moral training.
When Hezekiah heard the ominous news of the future, rather than doing anything to change that narrative, he simply said, “Not my problem.”
Application
I don’t want to be a short-sighted selfish leader like Hezekiah. I want to care as deeply for the future of my family, friends and church as I have for myself in the present. This means doing everything I can to prepare the next generations and investing all I can in their well-being and success. It means caring for and being as invested in their success as I have been in mine.
I catch myself sometimes thinking, “Not my problem.” And in one sense, it isn’t—I’m not in charge. But I should care like I am. Because I want the next generations to thrive and succeed, I should care and invest.
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times I think “Not my problem” and disengage. Help me instead to care and invest all I can in the next generations for their well-being and success.