Isaiah 38:1-11

Isa 38:1

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.

Right at the height of the victory of the defeat of the Assyrians, Hezekiah now has a personal situation which he must deal with.  The LORD sent Isaiah to him and told him to set his house in order because he was about to die from a sickness.  It does not matter what rank a person holds in this world, sickness will always be at the door and death will always be close at hand.

Isa 38:2

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,

Hezekiah probably was distraught by Isaiah’s words concerning his impending doom and probably wanted to remain because of the times the people had live through with him as their king.  So Hezekiah did the right thing and turned toward the wall thus shutting the world out and began to pray to the LORD focusing only upon him.

Isa 38:3

And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

Hezekiah was very sad as he began to pray to the LORD.  He brings before the LORD his walk in the presence of the LORD and how he walked uprightly during the entire situation with Assyria at the gates of Jerusalem.  He details to the LORD that he had a perfect heart before the LORD and that his upright heart caused him to do good in the sight of the LORD.  It is not that Hezekiah did not want to be with the LORD in glory but as a true and faithful leader he wanted to be with his people during their time of rebuilding what Assyria had broken down and destroyed.

Isa 38:4

Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,

Then in response to the prayer which Hezekiah prayed, Isaiah now comes back to him with the word from the LORD.

Isa 38:5

Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

Then God being a compassionate God told Isaiah to relate to Hezekiah that the LORD had seen his tears and would add fifteen years to his life.  God identifies himself as the covenant keeping God as the God of David they father.  Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. (2 Kings 20:5)  Hezekiah lived until 686 B.C. and Manasseh was co-regent with him the last ten years of his reign.  When the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day, then all the Elect of God came into the house of God.  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24 )  Christ had healed all the Elect completely from their sickness of sin.

Isa 38:6

And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.

The promise to save Jerusalem and Hezekiah from the king of Assyria was indeed fulfilled as God completely destroyed the Assyrian army.  God’s promise to Hezekiah of fifteen more years of life was indeed fulfilled as the third day he completely recovered and was able to go to the house of the LORD and was now beginning his fifteen years of additional life.

Isa 38:7

And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;

Then God not only gives a verbal response to Hezekiah in promising him fifteen more years of life but he chooses to give Hezekiah a visible sign to further confirm his words of promise.

Isa 38:8

Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

The God uses the sun which is his timekeeper given to the human race.  He then has the sun dial go back ten degrees.

⁸ And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day? ⁹ And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? ¹⁰ And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. ¹¹ And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz. (2 Kings 20:8-11)

Psalm 120-134 are fifteen songs of degrees and it is believed that each psalm represents one year that God gave Hezekiah.  Just as God had the power to grant extra life to Hezekiah, he also has the ability to control the sun.

Isa 38:9

The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:

Then Hezekiah begins to write of his experiences during the time he was sick and when he recovered from his illness.

Isa 38:10

I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.

Hezekiah then writes about how he was given the command by Isaiah to set his house in order and that he was told that he was going to die.  He believed he should have been able to live longer than he was at the time of Isaiah’s declaration to him.  He was ready to go to the grave as his days were being cut off.

Isa 38:11

I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.