A bad politician or ruler cares only for his immediate interests. He has no concern for future generations. There is a story in the Prophetic book of Isaiah in Bible which illustrates this. King Hezekiah of Judah fell terminally sick and was saved from death by miraculous divine intervention. The King of Babylonia sent emissaries to the Judean capital Jerusalem to visit the convalescing King. Hezekiah welcomed the messengers and to make a good impression, showed them all his royal wealth including stores of silver, gold, spices and military equipment.
After the messengers departed, Prophet Isaiah asked the King who the visitors were. "They are from a distant country, Babylonia", replied the King. "What have you shown them", asked the Prophet. "They have seen everything. There is nothing in my storeroom that I have not shown them", replied the King.
The prophet then told the King that the Lord Almighty has revealed to him a time in future when everything in his palace, everything he and his ancestors have stored up, will be carried off to Babylonia. Some of Hezekiah's own direct descendants will be taken away and made eunuchs to serve in the palace of the King of Babylonia.
What do you think was Hezekiah's response to this prophesy of doom? Let the Bible speak in its style unmatched in economy of words: "King Hezekiah understood this to mean that there would be peace and security during his lifetime; so he replied, "The message you have given me from the LORD is good."
Bible portrays Hezekiah as a righteous King in an age known for alround moral decline. How terribly evil the age would have been when a person like Hezekiah was the standard of virtue?
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