My Private Side


Hezekiah was a king of Judah whose footsteps we can still encounter in Jerusalem. He was one of the so-called good kings who followed God. Hezekiah even experienced great divine miracles. The world at that time did not have our modern media, but news spread anyway. Thus, in faraway Babylon, King Merodach-Baladam also learned that Hezekiah had been very ill and had recovered, and sent messengers with gifts to Hezekiah to congratulate him on his recovery. In some countries, when guests come to the house for the first time, it is the custom to show them the whole house. King Hezekiah did the same. "Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his storehouses – the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine oil – his armoury and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them" 2 Kings 20:13 NLB.

"Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, ‘What did those men say, and where did they come from?’ ‘From a distant land,’ Hezekiah replied. ‘They came from Babylon.’ The prophet asked, ‘What did they see in your palace?’ ‘They saw everything in my palace,’ Hezekiah said. ‘There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.’” (verses 14-15). All these treasures were later taken to Babylon.

As I thought about this story, it occurred to me how we carry everything we have in our hands. In our smartphones, you can see everything we own that is of value to us. The contents of our phones expose our interests and beliefs. If someone gets access to my phone, they can see everything that has meaning in my life. This can become very dangerous when privacy is abused and human rights are violated and people are arrested based on the contents of their phones.

When the word "war" was banned in Russia in March 2022, travelers at the border with Finland experienced close searches by Russian authorities as they left the country. If the banned word was discovered on their cell phones, they were not allowed to continue their journey. What happened to them then is not known.

When I think about what news I follow, I know that I have to remove some content before I travel to certain countries to avoid any inconvenience. This teaches us that we shouldn't disclose everything. On the other hand, I am convinced that I don't have anything to hide. I stand by my interests and content. I don't mind people knowing what news channels I subscribe to. I realize that some people have put me in some box anyway, based on their perception of me. I am known to be an advocate for gender equality. And yet, that may be just one part of me that people notice at a first glance. The rest is not immediately seen.

The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Cor. 3:3 NIV). What does it mean for us to be a  letter from Christ? What is “our” content? Who can read "us"? How hard is it to open and read "us"?

After all, today we hardly write letters. Our communication is through digital media. Might Paul have said today, "You are the smartphone of Christ"? And if so, should we all disclose our content? Should we show all our "treasures" as Hezekiah did? We have so many opportunities today to reach people through the new media! Despite the many negative effects of these media, we should strive to take advantage of the positive opportunities. But the most important thing is that we should make sure that our private side is in harmony with our public appearance and that we are authentic and genuine.

King David's legacy to his son Solomon can also be an important message for us today: “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him" (1 Chronicles 28:9 NIV).



Photo: Pixabay free

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