Isaiah 38
COMMENTARY:
: 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. (2142 “Remember” [zakar] means mention, recorder, recall, bring to mind, to recall information or events, think about, meditate, or be mindful.)
DEVOTION: My memory has been going for years. I sometimes walk into a room and forget to do two or three things because I am thinking about something else. I can recall many things about the Word of God but other things are I consider “non-essential” I forget easy.
Here we have Hezekiah asking the LORD to call to memory all the great things he has done in his life. Now we realize that the LORD is omniscience, which means, that HE knows everything. Did Hezekiah think that the LORD could forget anything? Do we think these thoughts?
He wanted to live longer. I have found individuals, when we talk about the LORD’S return, wanted to live to see their grandchildren married or some other event in the distant future. Is this how we should think?
Are we supposed to be ready to be with the LORD or rather wants to stay here for as long as we can? Paul looked forward to be with the LORD. He also thought that he needed to stay to help train more workers for the LORD. His reason was to do more service to the LORD.
Hezekiah seemed to think he could do more for the LORD. He told the LORD all the good things he had done in his lifetime. He walked in the truth of Word of the LORD. He had a perfect heart toward HIM. He stated that he did “good” in the sight of the LORD. Is that part of our testimony to the LORD?
Longer life was important to Hezekiah. He didn’t want to die. He thought he had more to live for than to end his life young. The LORD granted his request. HE gave him fifteen more years to live. During that time period he had a son named Manasseh. Manasseh did evil in the sight of the LORD.
Have we ever regretted a prayer that we had prayed and the LORD had answered? Should we watch what we pray for? Should we ask the LORD for wisdom regarding our requests to HIM?
CHALLENGE: Study the Word of God regarding prayer. Answer the questions asked above. Be ready to give an answer to someone who might ask these questions.
: 14 Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me. (6148 “undertake” [arab] means to stand surety for, to be responsible for someone, lend support for, to give help or assistance, be of service, or to become surety.)
DEVOTION: Here we find the king of Judah asking the LORD for help. The LORD had given him a sickness to get his attention. He was not living as he should for the LORD and the LORD told him to prepare to die.
However, King Hezekiah prayed for the LORD to forgive him and the LORD answered HIS prayer with healing.
We need to realize that the LORD sometimes sends things our way to get our attention and to cause us to repent or deal with the judgment HE has sent on our life. We know when we sin and we know that sometimes the LORD waits a long time to send judgment on us but HE is going to chasten us to get our attention.
HE wants us to pray the same prayer that Hezekiah prayed. HE wants us to realize that if we claim to be a follower of HIS that we need to live a life that is pleasing to HIM. If we are not, HE is going to send judgment.
There are many people who claim to be followers of HIM but when the LORD sends judgment they don’t turn to him but just complain that HE is not doing what HE said HE would.
CHALLENGE: One sign of a genuine believer is when a testing come they will turn to the LORD and ask for HIS help and HIS forgiveness. Hezekiah realized this – do we??
: 17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. (2836 “love” [chashaq] means be attached to, attachment, longed for, desire, set one’s affections or delight in.)
DEVOTION: Hezekiah is facing death. He doesn’t want to die. He prays for restoration. The LORD sends Isaiah back to tell Hezekiah that he has fifteen more years to live.
Hezekiah had no children at this point in his life. In the next few years he had a son named Manasseh. He was one of the worst kings of Judah. He did repent at the end of his reign. His son was one of the best kings in Judah.
The LORD not only healed him but gave him a sign regarding the healing. HE turned the sundial back ten degrees. With this in mind we find that historians say that somewhere in history there was a day lost. This is part of the day that was lost. The LORD is in control of the rotation of the earth. HE is in control of everything on this earth.
In John 3: 16, we find that “God so ‘loved’ the world” and here in book of Isaiah Hezekiah believed that only because of the delight of the LORD in him that HE cast all his sins behind HIS back.
Here there seems to be a connection between sin and sickness. This is not always the case regarding sickness but this verse implies that Hezekiah was not living the way he should. He was trusting in others besides the LORD alone. The sickness caused Hezekiah to change his direction. He reaffirmed his submission to the LORD. Isaiah came back in the room and gave him the directions for healing from the LORD.
When we follow Christ because of HIS shed blood on the cross our sins are forgiven and put behind the back of the LORD. They are buried in the deepest sea. They are as far as the east is from the west. We are delivered from the “pit of corruption” that is for eternity.
Hezekiah understands that it is not just the grave but he knows that once he is dead he can’t praise the LORD anymore. He knows that his sins need to be confessed and forgiven for the LORD to place them behind HIS back. God no longer looks on the sins of those who follow Christ. They are gone forever. Praise HIS name.
CHALLENGE: Do we understand the love of God? We must not place over HIS holiness. If we keep these two attributes of God in check we have a message to give to the world. If we place one over the other we lose our message.
: 21 For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover. (2416 “recover” [chay] means live, alive, return to life, get over an illness or procedure, to flourish, or revive.)
DEVOTION: Does the LORD ever change HIS mind? We find here that HE tells Isaiah to tell Hezekiah to set his house in order because he is going to die. Hezekiah goes to the LORD and prays for healing from his physical illness.
The LORD answers his prayer by telling Isaiah that HE will give him fifteen more years to live because of his actions. What actions was HE talking about? The action of turning to the LORD in prayer when things were going wrong in the nation. He prayed for the LORD to spare the nation from the attack of Assyria. The LORD answered the prayer with deliverance.
Now we find that the LORD was going to allow Hezekiah to die from an illness and what does he do but go to the LORD in prayer and remind HIM of his past actions. The LORD honors his past actions by promising to heal him.
Now Isaiah comes with a second message and a cure for his illness. So the prophet who brought the news of his death was also the one who brought the cure for his illness and promise of life.
God still answers the prayers of those who are faithful to HIM. It would be great if there were prophets like Isaiah coming and going from the presence of the LORD to tell them when HE was going to heal them or help them.
Today we have the ministry of the Holy Spirit to come and give us the assurance that the LORD is always going to do what is best for us. Sometimes we wish HE was a human being that could come and talk with us like Isaiah but doesn’t seem to be the case.
It seems that those who are close to the LORD through their prayer life and personal service to the LORD know what is going to happen in given circumstances. HE still answers prayer. We have to be listening better today.
CHALLENGE: Do you want to receive a message from the LORD? Then we need to be faithful in our service to him and have a prayer life in which the LORD can speak to us. Are you listening?
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.