The Danger of Spiritual Pride After Victory
As we come to Isaiah 39, we arrive at a key turning point in the book of Isaiah. The first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah have emphasized several major themes:
- God is sovereign over the nations. Kings rise and fall according to His purposes.
- God calls His people to trust Him rather than human alliances.
- Judgment invariably comes on sin, revealed in rebellion and unbelief.
- Blessings flow from submission and dependence on God.
- The Holy One of Israel remains committed to His redemptive purposes through the Davidic line.
The historical section of Isaiah 36–39 illustrates these truths through the life of King Hezekiah:
In Isaiah 36 we see Hezekiah’s faith displayed when he was under pressure. Jerusalem faced an overwhelming crisis as the Assyrian king Sennacherib invaded Judah.
Rabshakeh mocked God and urged the people to surrender. Humanly speaking, Judah had no hope. Yet Hezekiah turned to the Lord. So in that chapter we learned that genuine faith trusts God in times of overwhelming pressure.
In Isaiah 37 we see Hezekiah’s faith answered by God’s deliverance. Through Isaiah, God promised that Assyria would not capture Jerusalem. In one night, the Angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
Judah was delivered without firing a single arrow. So, in that chapter we learned that salvation, deliverance and blessing in the face of overwhelming odds belongs to the Lord. God fights for those who trust Him (Ex 14:14).
In Isaiah 38 we learned about God’s great compassion. Hezekiah had become gravely ill. Isaiah then told him that he would die, but Hezekiah prayed earnestly, and God graciously extended his life by fifteen years. As confirmation, God gave him a sign by causing the shadow on Ahaz’s stairs to move backward.
So, in that chapter we learned that God is both sovereign and compassionate. He hears the prayers of His people.
After experiencing a miraculous deliverance from Assyria and then healing from a fatal illness, you might expect the testimony of Hezekiah to end victoriously. Instead, Isaiah 39 reveals a warning to us all, that spiritual victories do not eliminate the danger of spiritual pride. Paul warns of this in 1 Cor. 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall”.
One of the greatest dangers we face is pride after experiencing God’s blessings, victories, and successes. On the other hand humility recognizes that everything we have comes from God and exists for His glory.
Let’s consider the historical setting of chapter 39. During this period, Babylon was a rising power that would soon dominate as a world power. Assyria still ruled the ancient Near East.
Babylon had rebelled several times against Assyria. Merodach-baladan, king of Babylon, was actively seeking allies against Assyrian domination. Hezekiah’s miraculous recovery had become widely known.
Second Chronicles provides additional insight: “However, regarding the ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart” (2 Chron. 32:31). So here we learn that this event became a test of Hezekiah’s character.
V 1-2 “At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.” The Babylonian delegation likely had multiple motives:
To congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery; to investigate the miraculous sign involving the sun; and to seek political alliances against Assyria.
Hezekiah had an opportunity to testify about God’s greatness and His provision for the nation and for himself personally. Instead, “Hezekiah was pleased and showed them all his treasure house…” (Isa. 39:2).
He showed them the national treasury, including silver, gold, spices, precious oil, his armory, everything in his house, and quite possibly the Temple. He showed them everything in his “dominion.”
The problem was not hospitality; it was pride. Second Chronicles 32:25 says: “But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud; therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.”
The king who trusted God during the attacks by Assyria and looked to Him now appears to be seeking recognition from ungodly Babylonian emissaries.
We often depend on God during adversity. But prosperity and success often expose the pride hidden in our hearts. Noah faithfully obeyed God for decades, built the ark, and survived the flood. Yet after the flood: “Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk…” (Gen. 9:20–21).
The man who stood faithfully against an unbelieving world became a stumbling block to his sons. It came during a season of peace and blessing. So, a strong finish in one season does not guarantee faithfulness in the next. We need to continually depend on and abide in God.
Success may tempt us to take credit for what God has done. The question is not merely how we respond to hardship, but how we respond to blessings. When God blesses us, do people hear more about what we have accomplished, or about what God has done? Do our victories make us more humble, or more visible? Are we using God’s blessings as a platform for His glory or our recognition?
V 3–4 Isaiah confronts Hezekiah: “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” God already knew the answers. The questions were designed for self-examination, just as God asked Adam, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” God’s Holy Spirit, through His Word, is designed for self-examination.
Hezekiah replied: “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” Isaiah asked: “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered: “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
Hezekiah’s own words exposed his failure. He had shown them everything. The problem was not ignorance but pride: Hezekiah, rather than God, had become the focus of God’s blessings. The Lord had healed him, delivered Jerusalem from Assyria in answer to his prayers, and extended his life. Yet instead of giving glory to God, Hezekiah drew attention to himself.
God continually examines our motives. We are all prone to talk about our accomplishments and seek recognition for what we have done. Yet we need to remember that everything we have, everything we have accomplished, and everything we have become is because of God’s grace.
He has given us our abilities, opened doors of opportunity, and entrusted us with places of influence so that we might serve Him in our workplaces, our families, and among our friends.
We should regularly ask ourselves: Are we drawing attention to ourselves, or acknowledging God as the source of our success? Are we seeking our own glory, or are we using every opportunity to make God’s goodness and greatness known?
Jesus taught: “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
The goal of our lives should never be self-promotion. It should always be God’s glory.
V 5–7 Isaiah announced God’s judgment: “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts.” The same Babylonian kingdom that Hezekiah sought to impress would one day conquer Judah.
Isaiah prophesied: “Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left.”
Even Hezekiah’s descendants would be taken away: “And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
More than one hundred years before it occurred, Isaiah predicted the Babylonian exile. That prophecy was fulfilled in 586 BC. Among those carried into Babylon were Daniel and his companions. What Assyria could not accomplish through military force, Babylon would eventually accomplish under God’s discipline.
Sin often carries consequences beyond ourselves. Pride can affect future generations. Choices made today may shape tomorrow’s spiritual legacy. Galatians 6:7 reminds us: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
God forgives sin. Yet consequences may still result, so we need to cultivate humility every day in our walk with Him.
V 8 Hezekiah responded: “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good.” Then he said: “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”
There is possible evidence of humility here according to 2 Chron, 32:26: “However, Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.”
He accepted God’s judgment. However, his statement seems self-serving in that he found comfort in a disaster that would not occur during his own lifetime. While Hezekiah may have repented, there appears to be little concern for future generations.
Faithful leadership needs to think beyond the present, and that only comes through a day-by-day walk with the Lord, being led by the Spirit and having our minds transformed by His Word (Rom. 12:1–2).
God calls us to consider the spiritual welfare of those who follow us. This is a call to parents and grandparents, to pastors, and to all who serve in ministry within the congregations entrusted to us. Our responsibility extends beyond our own generation. Deut. 6:6–7 says, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
We are called to leave a legacy of faithfulness.
As we draw the chapter together, Isaiah 39 leaves us with four sober lessons.
First, spiritual victories do not eliminate spiritual vulnerabilities. After great victories, we often face great temptations. Elijah faced discouragement after Mount Carmel. David fell after military success. Peter stumbled after boldly confessing his faith in Yeshua as Lord, and, as we have seen, Hezekiah struggled after experiencing miraculous deliverance.
Second, pride is subtle and dangerous. Pride shifts attention from God’s grace to man’s achievements. It forgets that every blessing comes from the Lord.
James 4:6 says: “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humility recognizes that every opportunity is God’s gift, every accomplishment is God’s grace, and every victory belongs to God.
Third, we learn here that God disciplines those He loves. The Babylonian exile would become part of God’s redemptive purposes. Discipline is not abandonment. It is evidence of God’s fatherly care. Hebrews 12:6 says, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines.” God uses correction to conform His people to His purposes.
Fourth, we learn that God remains faithful despite our failures. Isaiah 39 ends on a sad note. Kings and leaders fail, even good kings. Hezekiah’s shortcomings prepare us for the greater King promised in Isaiah.
Unlike Hezekiah, the Messiah remains perfectly faithful. He always glorifies His Father. Hezekiah showed his treasures and failed to give God the glory, but Messiah gave Himself and perfectly glorified the Father. Hezekiah’s kingdom would fade, but Messiah’s Kingdom will never end.
Our ultimate hope is not in human leaders. Our hope is in the Messiah, Yeshua, and in abiding and walking in His Kingdom.
Isaiah 39 serves as a bridge. It concludes the historical narratives of Isaiah 36–39 and prepares us for the comforting message that begins in Isaiah 40. It also serves as a reminder: “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory” (Psalm 115:1). History belongs to God before it unfolds, and all that we have is ultimately for His glory.
