Dwell in the Word: Isaiah 38:1-22

Consider these questions as you dwell in Isaiah 38:1-22:

1. Hezekiah prayed fervently for his life to be spared, not only because he wanted to live but also because he desired an heir to carry on the promise of a descendant of David ruling on the throne. How can we relate this to our own desires and prayers, particularly when we seek God's will for our lives and families?

2. God provided Hezekiah with a miraculous sign involving the sundial, demonstrating His power and ability to fulfill His promises. In what ways can we recognize and appreciate the signs and wonders that God may place in our lives to confirm His faithfulness and love?

3. Hezekiah's response to his illness and recovery was one of praise and gratitude to God. How can we cultivate a similar attitude when facing difficulties, seeing them as opportunities for growth and a deeper understanding of God's grace?

Transcript:

As we progress through the Book of Isaiah, we come across an interesting story about Hezekiah. We find out that he is sick, very sick to the point of death. And the prophet comes to him and tells him that, Hey, get your house in order. You're going to die. You're not going to recover. Now, I've never had somebody tell me anything like this, but I think the last person I would want to inform me of that things would be a prophet, particularly one of the stature of Isaiah, right? But Hezekiah, he turns his face to the wall we read, and he prays to the Lord. He cries out to him, Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight, and Hezekiah wept bitterly. Now, one thing that we don't see here is that part of this whole problem is more than just that Hezekiah is desiring not to die. If we look into this a little bit, it turns out he doesn't have a male heir. He doesn't have someone who is going to pass on the name. Ultimately, being a descendant of David, he is desiring to have this kingdom go forward with the one who is promised on the throne.

And so we see that this prayer, this desire that he has to live longer, is more than just, Hey, I don't want to die. It is God, I want to have an heir who passes on your name, who passes on my name, who passes on your promise. And so, we see this in the fact that when God answers him through the prophet Isaiah, this is thus said the Lord, the God of David, your father. Notice that claim there. David isn't his dad. David is his grandfather, great-grandfather, whatever it is down the line. But there's this connection to David, this promise that a descendant of David will always be on the throne. There's your connection. There is God hearing the prayer of Hezekiah. And so we also see something else, that God is going to deliver Hezekiah and the city out of the hand of the King of Syria and will defend the city. Hezekiah is going to see the promise come to pass not only in his living, but also in the fact that God has said that he is going to defend the city, and Hezekiah is going to see this with his own eyes.

Something interesting happens here. God gives him a sign. It isn't asked for, but God gives Hezekiah a sign, and it's an interesting one. The shadow cast by the declining son on the dial of Ahas will turn back 10 steps. Now, what's interesting here is that there's believed to be some primitive timekeeping device that was more than just a Sundial. It maybe was a way that the steps in the palace or whatever of Hezekiah told the time, and so it went back 10 steps. Not 100 % sure, but just that's what's believed to be the case. But God delivers this sign, and it's a miraculous sign, right? God could simply have shown him this, but God is wanting to give him, shown him this by his healing. But God wants to give him a greater sign, something of greater significance to have the son turn back the dial 10 steps, just as he said. And the idea here is that God is capable of anything God can definitely do for Hezekiah what he has desired. We see a wonderful attitude out of this from Hezekiah in what he writes. I want us to really dwell and think about verse 17, Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness, but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

Now, Hezekiah is acknowledging that his being sick actually ended up being a good thing. He was bitter and he was angry about it. But he's learning that even though that was a difficult thing, God has used it. God has shown His love for Hezekiah in the fact that was healed. God is showing His love in a way that Hezekiah truly realizes was for His benefit. God has used something terrible to grow Hezakiah. We see that there's something else that Hezekiah understands. For you've cast all my sins behind your back. In other words, you no longer see them. He is understanding grace. He's understanding the love of God. It was through the difficult circumstances of his life that God was able to change his heart. God used those circumstances for the benefit of Hezekiah. What is his response? He says, The Lord will save me, and we will play my music on string instruments all the days of our lives at the house of the Lord. In other words, he is going to praise the Lord for what he has done for him. Now, as far as our application for today, sometimes we look on the things that we are afflicted with, and sometimes it seems like it's too much to bear.

But at the same time, how often have we seen that God has used those things for our benefit? As we look at the life of Hezekiah here and we see what happened for him, may we see those difficulties that come at us? May we see those as an opportunity for God to work on us, for us to see his grace in our lives, for us to appreciate what God has done for us more, that we might be like Hezekiah, that we would praise God for how he has used those afflictions to bring himself glory, but also to build us up to help us to move towards Him in holiness.