In yesterday's study King Hezekiah received an amazing sign from the Lord as proof that he would recover from his illness: the sun went ten steps (or ten degrees) backwards up the steps (or sundial) that Hezekiah's father had built at the palace.
Hezekiah's recovery is not described in medical detail to us in the Bible but it must have been swift and astonishing, for the Lord had promised that he would be able to go to the temple for worship within three days. Hezekiah had been near death when the Lord sent this word to him. Now that Hezekiah has recovered he writes down the thoughts that were on his mind while he lay ill. This passage of Scripture is not found in the books of 2 Kings or 2 Chronicles but in the book of Isaiah.
"A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery: I said, 'In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years?'" (Isaiah 38:9-10) Death at any age is sad but it seems so unfair to the human mind when someone's life ends before old age. Hezekiah was approximately thirty-nine years old when he fell ill---an age at which we would consider anyone to be in their prime. There was still so much he wanted to do, both in his political life and in his personal life. Naturally he felt as if he would be "robbed" of the rest of his years if he passed away at only thirty-nine years of age. That's too young, even in his era when many of the kings only lived into their fifties or sixties.
In the next segment we find Hezekiah crediting the Lord, so to speak, with causing him to fall ill. I don't want to say he "blames" the Lord but he does view his illness as coming from the Lord's hand. He is not wrong, spiritually speaking, for nothing comes upon the child of God that God has not allowed. The Lord allows hardships for various purposes in our lives, such as to help us build spiritual muscle for the future or to correct sinful behavior. I don't necessarily think Hezekiah is saying that the Lord actually pointed His finger at him and struck him with a deadly infection but I do think he is saying that the Lord allowed (did not prevent) him from coming down with a deadly infection.
"I said, 'I will not see the Lord again in the land of the living; no longer will I look on my fellow man, or be with those who now dwell in this world. Like a shepherd's tent my house has been pulled down and taken from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up my life, and He has cut me off from the loom; day and night You made an end of me. I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion He broke all my bones; day and night You made an end of me. I cried like a swift or thrush, I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens. I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!" (Isaiah 38:11-14) Hezekiah knew the Lord could have prevented his calamity but he also knew the Lord could heal him. It was to the Lord he cried for help.
The Lord answered by healing him and Hezekiah credits the Lord for this great miracle. It was not the poultice of figs or any other medical treatment that healed him. "But what can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul. Lord, by such things people live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live. Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In Your love You kept me from the pit of destruction; You have put all my sins behind Your back." (Isaiah 38:15-17)
We were told earlier in our study of Hezekiah that he struggled with the sin of pride, both before and after his illness. He vows here to "walk humbly" for the rest of his life but we know that the author of 2 Chronicles stated that he was not always successful at this even after his recovery---that he did not entirely respond correctly to the kindness shown to him by the Lord. (2 Chronicles 32:24-26) But the same thing could be said of every person who has ever lived except for the Lord Jesus Christ. We have all failed at times to respond correctly to the Lord's kindness to us, for we have all sinned against Him. Hezekiah appears to view his illness as the correction of the Lord and he has (at least for now) responded by repenting of whatever was wrong in his heart and he thanks the Lord for allowing him to experience this trial because, now that it is over, he sees that it was for his own good. King David said a similar thing in Psalm 119:67 about an unspecified hardship: "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word."
Because the Lord has corrected him, accepted his prayer of repentance, and healed him, Hezekiah praises Him and vows to continue to praise Him for the rest of his days in the land of the living. "For the grave cannot praise You, death cannot sing Your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. The living, the living---they praise You, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about Your faithfulness. The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord." (Isaiah 38:18-20)
Hezekiah isn't denying a belief in the eternal life of the soul when he says things like "the grave cannot praise You", "death cannot sing Your praise", and "those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness". What he's saying here continues the theme of being cut off in his prime: he's speaking of the inability (after death) to give testimony of the faithfulness of the Lord to others. He's speaking of being unable to do anything more for the Lord in this world. He's talking about being unable to continue declaring the mighty works of the Lord to the people of Judah and to the next generation of the Lord's people, for he talks about parents telling their children about the Lord's faithfulness. Which brings us to a final thought on today's passage: It is unclear whether Hezekiah had ever yet fathered any children. The only mention of children for Hezekiah will be made after he recovered from his illness, and having no son and successor may be another reason Hezekiah mourned so deeply what appeared to be his impending death. He fathers his son and successor three years after recovering from his illness.
So we see that Hezekiah is not saying that he didn't expect to spend eternity in the presence of the Lord after death but that he mourned being removed from the world where he was serving the Lord and serving the Lord's people. Hezekiah was one of the better kings of Judah and he did good things for his people. He made a lot of religious reforms and helped an untold number of people to scorn idolatry in favor of serving the living God. Hezekiah believed he had an eternal soul but that doesn't mean he wanted to die in his prime. You and I believe we have eternal souls but that doesn't mean we want to leave this life right this minute; Hezekiah felt the same way. He has been given a reprieve from death and he praises the name of the One who healed him and he intends to continue proclaiming the Lord's praises on the earth for as long as the Lord allows him to live.
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