What Have They Seen in Your House? (Part 1)

Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came from a far country, from Babylon.” And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”     2 Kings 20:14‒18

During his reign over Judah, Hezekiah proved himself an honorable man, a faithful servant of God, and an outstanding ruler. He became king in place of his wicked father Ahaz, who offered one of his sons as an offering to Molech (2 Kings 6:3), made a league with the king of Assyria (vv 7–9), and replaced the altar of Jehovah with a replica of one he had coveted in Damascus (vv 10–16). Hezekiah ridded Judah of idolatry (18:4) and prayed for Jerusalem’s deliverance from Assyria (19:14–19). When he fell ill, the prophet Isaiah visited the king and told him that death was imminent (20:1), but when the king prayed for mercy, God added 15 years to his life (vv 2–7). After these things, however, Hezekiah committed a serious mistake of judgment. When the Babylonian king heard of the recovery of Hezekiah (and possibly connected it with the sun’s peculiar movement) and sent him gifts by officers, Hezekiah showed his visitors all his wealth (vv 12–13). Isaiah rebuked the king for doing this and prophesied that his sons would be eunuchs in the palace of the Babylonian king (vv 14–18). Hezekiah would have done far better if he had shown the Babylonians his fear of the Lord and given Him the praise for his success as king. The problem wasn’t so much what these men saw, but what they didn’t see. What do people see in your house?

Might they see or hear things that don’t belong in a Christian home? Would they hear foul language there? Paul commands us to remove “filthy communication” from our speech (Colossians 3:8) and to let it instead be always “with grace, seasoned with salt” (4:6). Would they see immodest apparel there? Paul desired that “women adorn themselves in modest apparel” (1 Timothy 2:9). This simply means that their manner of dress should not attract undue attention, either from wearing too much (so as to show off how rich they are) or too little (so as to show off how sexually attractive they are). It always amazes me when I learn that men who would never dream of letting their wives or daughters leave home in their undergarments will allow them to play at water parks in as little. Would people ever see promiscuous behavior in our homes? Speaking of forni-cation, Paul said, “Let it not even be named among you” (Ephesians 5:3). While we might never commit such acts ourselves, do we allow it into our homes through the television programs that we view for entertainment?

We must be careful what we allow into our homes. Could you imagine turning a snake loose in your home and leaving it unattended? Parents need to monitor what their children see on television and the internet. There are filters available that will block most foul language and obscenities on television programs and videos. Before you go to a movie (or send your children to one), there are some free websites at which you can check more than just the rating: www.pluggedinonline.com and www.kids-in-mind.com. Of course, you can’t go so far as to stop going to the movies altogether...or can you? Perhaps we need to reassess what we find entertaining. When Ham found his father uncovered and intoxicated, he “told his two brothers,” who were not equally amused at the shameful spectacle as he was (Genesis 9:20–23). If we find sin amusing, something is terribly wrong. One Christian couple put a simple sign on their television as a reminder which reads, “How dare we be entertained by the things that sent Jesus to the cross!”

What are people seeing in your home? Don’t you think the Lord sees it, too?

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