Isaiah 38:1-22 Ten-Step Sign
King Hezekiah is deathly ill. God sends Isaiah to tell him he will die, but after Hezekiah’s heartfelt prayer God gives him 15 more years. God provides a ten-step sign as confirmation.
God has been very generous with King Hezekiah when it comes to providing him with proof. I don’t recall any other king getting personal signs from God; or at least not so many of them. Some of the signs took place right away and were completed in moments. Other signs lasted for years. Today’s sign happened quickly but was unmistakable as to its authenticity. Did Hezekiah receive so many signs to build his faith or because he had been faithful? I often wish my prayers would be answered by signs.
God also answered Hezekiah’s prayers quickly; or at least the ones we have seen featured in our reading. Today’s answer is so quick that Isaiah didn’t even have time to get out of the courtyard before the answer came from God. But there was another prayer that wasn’t answered immediately. It is not one we are told about but it is one I’m certain was made.
Hezekiah is sick. A part of his sickness included at least one boil. Whatever disease this was, it was BAD! I have NO DOUBT that Hezekiah prayed for his own relief. He may have even asked the priest to pray for him. Isaiah’s visit to the king was in response to that prayer, but it was being answered with a “No” instead of a “Yes.” NOT what Hezekiah was hoping or praying for.
I’m wondering if Hezekiah even believed his illness was that serious. Was he expecting to recover? He didn’t send for Isaiah. He was crushed when Isaiah delivered his original message. And this despair is what brought on the prayer we do read about.
In this prayer, Hezekiah didn’t ask why he was sick. He didn’t seek forgiveness for some sin he assumed had resulted in his illness. He didn’t make promises about what he would do IF God would heal him. And he didn’t tell God how bad off Judah would be without him. He appealed to God on behalf of the relationship he had with 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” (verse 3). When words failed him, he cried bitterly.
God heard him and it touched His heart. God turned Isaiah right back around and sent Hezekiah a word he would like. Another 15 years added to his life. Isaiah then told his servants how to deal with the illness. And he gave Hezekiah an unmistakable sign as proof.
In 2 Kings 20, we hear a little more of the exchange between Hezekiah and Isaiah. Isaiah offered Hezekiah a choice. He could either have the shadow of the sundial advance ten steps or retreat ten steps. Hezekiah chose the retreating sun. And this is exactly what God did! He set the sun back by about 40 minutes.
Our account today adds something that the account in 2 Kings 20 does not share. It is King Hezekiah’s praise to the Lord. Hezekiah speaks of his heart’s condition before AND after his ordeal. He apparently believed he would die of this illness. His words were dire, but they didn’t end there. They sang of God’s deliverance. And of his desire to return to the house of the Lord.
King Hezekiah’s praise reminds me of a newer song I have been hearing on the radio. It’s called “That’s the Thing About Praise” by Benjiman William Hastings, Blessings Offor. It speaks of the ability of praise to break through the darkest moments in our life. Praising God doesn’t have to be only in response to an answered prayer. Hezekiah’s was, but that’s not a requirement for praising God. David said he would “bless the Lord at ALL times.” Hezekiah got God’s attention through bitter tears but it is just as effective to get His attention through praise.
Praising God regardless of your circumstances tells Him that your trust Him NO MATTER WHAT. It changes our heart, even if it doesn’t change our circumstances. I wonder what it would have done for King Hezekiah if he had chosen praise instead of bitter tears. It isn’t always easy to praise God instead of weep. It’s hard to sing when all you want to do is cry. But it puts everything in perspective. And it is the ONLY thing that brought me out of my deepest despair. Only when I turned my heart and mind to singing God’s praise was I able to take my eyes off my own concerns. It didn’t happen immediately, but it DID begin the change that brought me back to life. Praise literally saved my life. I won’t promise what it will do in yours, but I will promise that God can use that praise to work something in your heart.
Father God, thank You for hearing my prayers. I know I don’t always get the answer that I wanted, but You listen EVERY TIME. THANK YOU for returning music to my soul. THANK YOU for giving me the strength to sing that first praise song to You, even when all I felt like doing was crying. YOU brought me life again when I surrendered myself to You in praise. YOU broke the yoke of bondage. PRAISE YOU HOLY SPIRIT for singing loud enough that I just had to join in!
