Hezekiah's mistake

“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.’” 2 Kings 20:15
Hezekiah was one of the southern kingdom of Judah’s notable godly kings. It was he who had held fast in faith to God in spite of the Assyrian army laying siege to Jerusalem, and as a result saw God bring about a great victory (2 Kin. 19:32-36). It was he who had further purified the worship practices of the Israelites, destroying the bronze snake that had survived from the time of the Moses and had become an idol for some of the people (2 Kin. 18:4). God was with him and gave him success in everything he did (2 Kin. 18:7).
Yet, as is so often the case, towards the end of his life, Hezekiah’s fervour for the Lord waned. He was recovering from an illness that would have brought about his death, had God not healed him (2 Kin. 20:1). It was at that time that some messengers came from Babylon bearing gifts.
At that time, Babylon was on the rise. It would be the empire that God used to discipline His people Israel and take them away into captivity for failing to keep His commands. They were a brutal people, yet Hezekiah welcomed the messengers into his palace as if they were friends. He let his guard down. Although the men came with good intentions, he should not have shown them around.
As Christians, there are certain parts of our life that we ought not to share with anyone who is not a believer. They may say they’re trying to help you, they may befriend you, but putting your trust in them instead of in the Lord is a big, big mistake. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have non-Christian friends, but that we need to be careful how much we allow them to influence us.