What Have They Seen In Thy House?

Isaiah asked Hezekiah this question in II Kings 20:15. The Babylonian envoy had come for a visit and Hezekiah was showing them everything concerning the prosperity which the Lord had given to Judah. He was a king that had been given fifteen more years to live and yet, instead of showing these emissaries from Babylon the Temple, he showed them the great wealth instead. He could have taken the opportunity to make it about the Lord, but instead he was lifted with pride. “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” the Proverb tells us. I love reading this passage because one of the commendations that Hezekiah is given is that of the tunnel he built so Jerusalem would have fresh water when the siege of the enemies would come against Judah.

As I read the passage several times the question, “What have they seen in thy house?” kept ringing in my mind. I had a recurring thought that somewhere in the past I had read a sermon about this passage. I found it in a book I’ve had for thirty years. It was a sermon preached by J. Wilbur Chapman sometime around 1900. He used this passage to preach about the home. I won’t use his thoughts in this article, but I will address the home because in May we celebrate Mother’s Day and in June we celebrate Father’s Day. What have they seen in thy house? Who are the “they”? We know that the “they” in our text are the Babylonians. But what about the “they” at your house?

1. It could be the children that live in the home. They see what happens day in and day out. The greatest and best influence in the life of a child is a godly mother and a godly father! I don’t make any apologies for that statement. I realize in the days we find ourselves that both father and mother are not always in the home. I also realize that the grace of God is greater than any situation, but the optimal situation is the traditional nuclear family. The beliefs that I have concerning the family are old-fashioned. As a general rule of thumb, a huge number of people would classify me as a dinosaur from the stone age. A man once accused Spurgeon of being two-hundred years behind the times. Spurgeon responded, “I’m so sorry to hear that, I wished to be two-thousand years behind the times.” My position on the best type of family goes back to the beginning, all the way to the first father and mother, Adam and Eve. It was the pattern the Lord gave to all of us for the best environment to rear children. I hope that “what is in thy house” are a mother and father that have a burning desire to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

2. It could be the guests that are invited regularly into the home. Zig Ziglar said many years ago, “You will be just like you are now in ten years with the exception of the people you hang out with and the books you read.” If you want your home to be a place where godliness, peace, love, kindness, etc. reside, it is intentional on your part. Fellowship is a big deal at a church, including ours. Your home is also a place of fellowship, it is your castle. Hezekiah invited the Babylonians to come into Judah and he just bragged and bragged about all the material blessings his beloved Judah had. He had the enemy within the gates as the old saying goes. What and who are you inviting into your home? Do you take the Shema seriously? If you don’t know the “Shema” look up Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Read it over and over. Take each phrase from each verse and ask yourself, “Is this happening in my house?” Your guests, whether people or things, “they” are extremely important in the success of your home. Protect your castle.

Let me say a closing word to those mothers and fathers that may be single now. You have a hard job, but remember this, you have an omnipotent heavenly father. Your situation isn’t unique in the history of God’s people. Sometimes through no fault of their own spouses and children are left to fend in a harsh, cruel world. But our God is the one that provides over and over, again and again. You simply determine that no matter the difficult circumstances in which you find yourself, you will keep your commitment to the Lord. Part of making the best of a bad situation is to be careful concerning “what have they seen in thy house?” The home is to be a place of protection from the enemy. This Mother’s Day and Father’s Day let’s all meet together and celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ by honoring the home.