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I guess it's award season in Hollywood. I'm not really sure, I don’t pay attention to that kind of stuff. Actually, I believe that most people don’t. I heard a proverbial phrase the other day that in your 20’s you care a lot what other people think, by your 40’s you care much less what others think, and by your 60’s you realize people didn’t think much about you at all. I don't know if that is true, but I do think that we often think of ourselves more highly than we ought. This is especially true in reference to our so-called accomplishments. I say “so called” not because they are not real or because we didn’t truly work for them, but because humans are prone to not give credit where it is really due. We live in a narcissistic culture in which we are encouraged to evaluate our life, value, and success by how many likes, clicks, views, follows, or shares we can amass from other people. At the root, so much of what drives our culture is pride. The arrogance of constructing a view of ourselves that is all about us. However, if God is the center and focus of all things, then this should destroy our boasting. For everything is about Him and not us! Show Off In 2 Kings 20:12-21, we read that after God healed King Hezekiah of a deadly illness the king of Babylon sent messengers to comfort Hezekiah, because they heard that he was sick. (That seems kind of suspicious to me.) But Hezekiah, possibly still full of euphoria because of his healing, welcomed these men into his palace and proceeded to give them an exhaustive tour of his kingdom, wealth, and military provisions. Hezekiah clearly desired to show off all that he had. He proudly desired the admiration, not only of these men, but of the king of Babylon. Whether Hezekiah thought that this was a strategic way to flex on the Babylonians or simply the foolish arrogance of materialism, Hezekiah was clearly all about himself and his own power and prosperity. The question we must ask ourselves is: Did Hezekiah really have anything to boast about? Of course, the wealth and weapons were really there but were they really his? In the passage Isaiah goes on to tell Hezekiah of the punishment of God that will befall his house, his children, and his nation because of this foolish and reckless action. Of course, God was going to judge Judah with the 70 years of exile for far more reasons than just this but while Hezekiah was gloating over all that he had he failed to attribute this all to God. I think that a big part of Hezekiah’s sin was not only the strategic foolishness of helping his enemies to case the joint but also in not remembering that Hezekiah was only a steward and manager of the nation that belonged to God. Hezekiah is so oblivious to his pride and selfishness that even after Isaiah proclaims the judgment, he is content because the disaster will not happen until after his death. Even in this Hezekiah’s concern is not for his nation, his family, or his God. Show Out So, how do we guard ourselves against becoming like Hezekiah? I think it starts with an understanding that everything belongs not to us but to our great God (Psalm 24:1-2). Hezekiah had lost sight of the reality that every blessing and good thing that he had was from God (James 1:16-18). In this we need to remember that it is not wrong to publish the news of all the things that God has done. We should be readily and regularly testifying to what God has done in our lives (Psalm 34:1-3) but the necessary emphasis must remain on the fact that God has done this and not us. One practical way that we can cultivate this kind of genuine humility is by fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2) and His accomplishment on the cross for us. If we are to boast, let it be in the cross (Galatians 6:14) and the resurrection of Christ our Lord. Let us glorify our Father in heaven through the Spirit whom He has given to us! (1 John 3:24)
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