Isaiah 38:1-3. “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and sakd unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, 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.”
(For more information about this part of Hezekiah’s story, consult 2 Kings 18:2; 2 Chron. 32:24-26.)
Hezekiah was suffering from some sort of ulcer or boil that was poisoning his whole body (v. 23). He didn’t have long to live, but clearly he wasn’t ready to accept that verdict. He turned his face to the wall when he heard Isaiah’s announcement of his impending death, and he wept as he prayed, asking God to remember how he had faithfully served Him.
Hezekiah had indeed been a good king, but perhaps his illness at this time was because, as we read in 2 Chronicles, his heart had become “lifted up,” or full of pride. Maybe he was taking too much credit for the defeat of Sennacherib. We don’t know if that was the specific problem, but we do know that pride had slithered into his thinking.
The timing for this part of his story is put together from several things. First, v. 1 says “In those days” which implies that this all took place during the same period of time of the events in chapter 37. He reigned for a total of 29 years, and the events with Sennacherib took place in the 14th year of his reign. We know that God relented and gave him another 15 years, totaling the required 29.
In his prayer, he was truthful for the most part. He was one of only a handful of kings of Israel, from Saul to the captivity, who were somewhat godly.
Tomorrow we’ll see how God responds to Hezekiah’s sorrowful prayer.
Linda's Bible Study 