theearl.project Today’s reading
A Year in the Word · 3 min READ

After the crisis passes

“And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.”Isaiah 39:2 · KJV

Read in your Bible: Isaiah 37–39.

Hezekiah brings Assyria's threat to God, then faces illness and receives further mercy. Later, visitors from Babylon are shown the treasures of his kingdom. The opportunity to witness to God's goodness becomes an occasion for display, with consequences he does not fully face.

Receiving mercy does not make pride impossible. The moment after a crisis can reveal whether gratitude has deepened dependence or merely restored self-confidence. What we choose to show others tells a story about what we most want them to admire.

When speaking about a good outcome, name the help received rather than presenting only your achievement. Consider what you are teaching through the things you display. Use attention as an opportunity for truthful gratitude and responsible generosity.

READ DEEPER · ELLEN G. WHITE

Related reading and source notes.

Read the Bible passage first. These notes identify related Ellen G. White chapters; a related reading is not a claim that she wrote this interpretation. Any direct quotations are marked separately. The explanations and applications are The Earl Project’s own.

1Prophets and Kings · Chapter 29—The Ambassadors From BabylonPK, chapter 29

White's chapter on the ambassadors from Babylon is related reading on Hezekiah's response to the visitors and the opportunity his display displaced.

Read alongside: Isaiah 37–39

Read the original chapter on EGW Writings ↗

A question to sit with

What do I most want people to admire when I tell them my story?

AN EVERYDAY ACT OF LOVE

Tell one account of a good outcome with honest credit to those who helped.

Let us pray

Merciful Father, keep me grateful after a crisis eases. Guard my words and displays from pride, and help me use renewed opportunity to honour Your goodness and care for others. Amen.

Your quiet reflection

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An original interpretation from The Earl Project, written from an Adventist understanding of Scripture. It is not an official church publication. Read alongside the beliefs that inform these reflections. Scripture quoted from the King James Version. Ellen G. White sources are cited separately from The Earl Project’s original interpretation.

THE EARL PROJECT · A QUIET MOMENT