INTRODUCTION: In many ways Jimmy Carter was a very good President. He is intelligent, hard-working, and cares about the poor. He works often with Habitat for Humanity, and teaches Sunday School. But he is not perfect (recent approval of Mormonism). As we see in Isaiah 39, Hezekiah was very much like Jimmy Carter.

I. Hezekiah was a very good king (2 Kings 18:1-8).

II. But Hezekiah had some grave faults:

1. He didn't take his enemies (the Babylonians) seriously (Is. 39:1-2a).
The Babylonians were an idolatrous and wicked people.

We too have a dangerous enemy that we must take seriously (I Peter 5:8).
Beware of giving in to temptations to do wrong.

Our churches must beware of the temptations to become acceptable to
society or to the religious liberals, lest we fall into immorality and unbelief.

2. He was proud of his wealth (Is. 39:2b-4).

Much wealth had been accumulated by David and Solomon (I K. 10:14-23).
Much was still there when Hezekiah showed off to the Babylonians.

Paul wrote Timothy about how to handle wealth (I Timothy 6:6-9; 17-19).

Hezekiah forgot that the wealth actually belonged to God. So us!

3. He was selfishly shortsighted about the future (Is. 39:5-8).

Isaiah foretold the Babylonian invasion of 586 BC, which entailed great suffering.

Hezekiah didn't care what would happen to his people, including his own gggsons.

What about us? Do we care what kind of a world, a society we are leaving to
our grandchildren? Are we doing what we can to be responsible toward them?

CONCLUSION: Hezekiah wasn't perfect, but God loved Him anyway. We are not perfect, but God loves us anyway. He sent his Son to die for sinners. Let's love Him, and serve Him.