Defining Pride
6/26/26 Bible Thought (2 Kings 20)
Main Idea: Pride takes credit for the gifts and work of God.
A Look at the Text:
Every king had their failings, and Hezekiah unfortunately finds himself in that company in today’s text. After being miraculously healed and also miraculously assured of that healing with the reversal of the sundial, Hezekiah faltered in his last fifteen years of life.
With Babylon on the rise, they sent envoys to Judah. Upon their arrival, Hezekiah proudly showcased all of his treasuries (2 Kings 20:13). Even more, when confronted by the prophet Isaiah about coming judgment, Hezekiah wasn’t concerned (2 Kings 20:19).
So long as there was peace in his days, he wasn’t worried about the fate of his descendants.
The sad irony of this event is, as the Chronicler recounts, the Babylonians came to hear about the sign that God had done (2 Chr. 32:31). At that moment, “God left him to himself in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart” (2 Chr. 32:31).
Hezekiah failed the test. Rather than boasting about his God and the miracle He’d done, he boasted about his riches.
Bringing it Home:
Pride inflates the self at the expense of God. It takes credit for the blessings and gifts that He bestows as if they were earned by personal merit.
Sadly, the great king, Hezekiah, fell to this. The Babylonian envoys came to hear about God’s work and instead saw Hezekiah’s stuff. Even then, Hezekiah could have pointed to God as the Giver, but apparently he didn’t.
Let us always remember it is better to live with less and be humble and grateful, rather than to live with much and to boast in our own success and fall into pride. If God in His grace blesses us with much, let us always remember that it comes as a gift from His hand:
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (Jas. 1:16-17).
Everything good in our lives is a gift from above. As such, our boast should be in the Giver, not in our ability to acquire the gifts.
Challenge:
Am I quick to take credit or give it away?