Merodach-Baladan, the king of Babylon, once experienced something that shook his understanding of the natural order. The Talmud records that he noticed the sun behaving strangely — moving backward in the sky, reversing its course in a way that no astronomer could explain.
This was the miracle performed for King Hezekiah of Judah, when God caused the shadow on the sundial to move backward ten steps as a sign that Hezekiah would recover from his illness (2 Kings 20:11, Isaiah 38:8). The miracle was visible not only in Jerusalem but across the entire world.
Merodach-Baladan investigated and learned that the sun's reversal was connected to the God of Israel and His servant Hezekiah. Astonished, the Babylonian king sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah — an act of respect for a God who could command the sun itself.
The sages noted a detail about the letters. Originally, Merodach-Baladan's scribes had written the greeting in ordinary order: "Peace to King Hezekiah, peace to the city of Jerusalem, peace to the great God." Nebuchadnezzar, then a young scribe in the Babylonian court, objected: "You call God 'great' but mention Him last?" He insisted the letter be rewritten with God's name first.
For this single act of respect — honoring God's name in a letter — Nebuchadnezzar was later rewarded with kingship over the entire world. Even a small act of reverence toward the divine, the sages taught, carries enormous consequences.