Day 47 w/David-We must be ready and willing for the Lord to examine our hearts no matter the method.

“Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭26:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Hezekiah was a good man. As a matter fact, he was probably one of the best kings Judah ever had. However, there was one problem. After the Lord had healed Hezekiah and the kingdom had been delivered out of the hands of Sennacherib, he made a mistake, a big mistake, concerning the Babylonians. You see, the king of Babylon—having heard of the miraculous way in which Hezekiah was healed as well as the sign given in the land of Judah (the sun going back on the sun dial)—sent a gift to Hezekiah along with some ambassadors.

“At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭39:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Hezekiah was so impressed and flattered that the king of Babylon would wish him well that he showed off all his treasures (actually, the Lord’s treasures) to these people who did not worship the Lord. In saying that he showed ALL that was in his house, we might imagine that he even showed them the Ark of the Covenant! This was a huge mistake his descendants would later pay for by being taken to Babylon along with all the treasures of Judah.

“Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: ‘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.’””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭39:5-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But how could this happen? How could someone who has done so many good things, fail so miserably to keep holy, the things belonging to the Lord? The following scripture (part of a summation of the works of Hezekiah) gives us some insight into what happened:

“However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.”

‭‭II Chronicles‬ ‭32:31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

You see, God did not speak in advance to Hezekiah as to what he should do when the Babylonian envoy came. The purpose was in order that the full contents of Hezekiah‘s heart might be revealed. And sure enough, what was revealed was a heart given to flattery, easily impressed by the overtures of others, leading him to want to further impress them by flaunting all the riches of the house of the Lord.

Now, when we hear of the Lord searching our heart, and prayers to that effect, we might suppose that always involves the Lord just looking and seeing what is going on in us (which He certainly can do). But many times, the Lord will use a trial, a test, to reveal the full contents of a person’s heart. Consider this Instruction from the Apostle Peter:

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In our portion from Psalms today we see that David—in presenting his case before the Lord concerning his enemies—is inviting the Lord to examine his heart. He felt that such an examination would benefit his case; and so it may have been. We know that David was a man who wanted God‘s will; He sought after the heart of God. As a matter of fact, we see David inviting God’s examination many times throughout the psalms. Here is one of my favorites:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:23-24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But now consider this: one time, the full contents of David’s heart were examined when—instead of going to battle—he stayed at home. And—while on a roof—the attention of his idle mind is caught by a very beautiful woman, bathing.

For today let us know and understand what David knew:

We must be ready and willing for the Lord to examine our hearts no matter the method He chooses to use.

#100dayswithdavid