Isaiah 38:1

In those days, Hezekiah was sick unto death, and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came unto him and said, "Thus saith the Lord, Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live." Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the Lord. He said, "Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth with a perfect heart and have done that which was good in your sight." And Hezekiah wept sore.

Well, then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, "Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father. I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. And behold, I will add unto your days fifteen years, and I will deliver you and the city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city."

Let's pray. Father, as we look into your word, we ask that you, by your Spirit, would guide and direct us, that you teach us all things. Lord, give us insight and understanding, and application from the passage before us. Lord, continue to transform us by the renewing of our minds. We pray in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen." You can be seated.

Hopefully, you remember a couple of weeks ago, we were in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, where we saw the move of the Assyrian army against the children of Israel in the land of Judah. Isaiah chapters 36 through 39 is a historic interlude in the book of Isaiah. It corresponds perfectly with several chapters in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

2 Kings chapter 18 is where we see the corresponding passage, and then also, I believe, in 2 Chronicles chapter 32. You can see that these things line up perfectly with that passage, and we get a little peek into what was happening in the nation of Judah during the time that Isaiah was writing these prophecies. Remember, Isaiah prophesied for a very long period of time through the reign of four different kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

Although it's not mentioned in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 1, when the names of the kings are mentioned, we know that he prophesied during a portion of the reign of Manasseh. Tradition holds that King Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, was the one who ultimately had Isaiah put to death. During the time of Isaiah's life and his prophetic work, God was calling out to His people, the children of Israel, specifically in the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

The nation had been divided in two after the reign of Solomon, resulting in the northern ten tribes and the southern tribes. This division can often be a confusing issue when studying through Kings and Chronicles, as different names of kings appear, and the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah can become quite perplexing. However, Isaiah spoke primarily to the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

The southern tribes considered themselves to be, shall we say, more special than the northern tribes. They still had the temple, held the city of Jerusalem, and maintained the priesthood and sacrifices. They believed they were doing just fine and were on the right path because of their religious formality. Yet, we see all the way back in Isaiah chapter 1, early in Isaiah's ministry, before the death of Uzziah the king, that the worship of the people of Israel had become a mere external exercise.

God expressed His weariness with their offerings, saying, "I'm tired of these offerings that you're bringing to me. I'm tired of you coming and treading my courts. Who has required this of you? Your incense and your burnt offerings are an abomination to me." The people had departed from the Lord in their hearts. Although they would come and serve Him on the Sabbath day or during festival days, and offer their sacrifices at the appointed times, they were involved in idolatry, adultery, and all kinds of immoral practices.

Thus, they had a good showing on the outside religiously at the temple, but it wasn't a reality in their lives. God spoke to them and called them to repent, warning that if they did not repent, destruction would come. Repeatedly in the book of Isaiah, we see the word "woe" employed to the people. This three-letter word in Hebrew is "oy," like "oy vey." God would say, "Woe to you! Judgment is coming because you've departed from me and my precepts." Even though they still practiced all these religious things, they were far from the Lord.

In their hearts, we see in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37 the culmination of the first 35 chapters of prophecy against the children of Israel. God had been speaking to them, urging them to turn back to Him. He warned them that if they did not turn to Him, they would face judgment as a form of punishment. This punishment was enacted upon them as the Assyrian army came and surrounded Jerusalem, destroying over 40 cities in the land of Judah and taking many people captive.

As the armies of Assyria approached the city of Jerusalem, God ultimately defended His people and His city. A couple of weeks ago, we examined Isaiah chapter 37, where we learned that God's reason for defending Jerusalem was not because the people had been good; in fact, they had not. The reason God defended them, as stated in verse 35 of Isaiah 37, was for His own sake, for His namesake, and because He had made a covenant with David. Although the children of Israel had broken the covenant that God had made with them, He still refused to break His covenant with them. This is an incredible truth to behold: God remains true to His promises and covenants.

Are you not thankful that God stays true to His promises to you and me? The Apostle Paul tells us in the New Testament that all the promises of God are yes and amen. We are grateful that God will fulfill His promised word. In verse 35, He promises, "I will defend the city to save it for my own namesake and for my servant David's sake." However, it is important to note that this defense was not because the children of Judah and Jerusalem had been good; they had not.

When we come to Isaiah chapter 38, we gain another historical glimpse into what was happening during this time, specifically when the Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem. It is believed by nearly every commentator and many Bible teachers that Isaiah 38 actually precedes Isaiah 36 and 37. This reminds us that the prophecies in the book of Isaiah do not follow a linear timeline. In the Western world, with a Greek mindset, we prefer linear timelines that follow a straight line, such as starting at 1800 and ending at 1900, with all the events in between. However, when we read through the Old Testament, and specifically through the Hebrew Scriptures, we see a different approach to time and prophecy.

In the Hebrew prophecies of the Old Testament, we see that many times they move in cycles or sequences, and sometimes the events are not presented in chronological order. The main reason it is believed that this took place before 36 and 37 is found in chapter 38, verse 6, where God told Hezekiah, "I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city."

We know that God did defend the city of Jerusalem at the end of Isaiah chapter 37, specifically in verse 36. Remember, the angel of the Lord came in the middle of the night and killed 185,000 soldiers of the army of Assyria. This destruction of the Assyrian army is recorded in Isaiah 37, verse 36. However, in Isaiah 38, verse 6, it is spoken of as if it had not yet happened. Some people believe that this event actually took place before that, which allows us to place it on a timeline, likely in the later part of the 8th century BC.

Somewhere around 703 BC is probably when this occurred, as we know that the city of Jerusalem was besieged by the Assyrians around 700 or 701 BC. It is important for us to remember that when we read through the book of Isaiah, these events actually happened. This is not just a story illustrating the power of God; it reveals that these occurrences took place in history. You can even read about some of these characters in secular historical texts, which discuss Hezekiah and Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. I encourage you to do so to gain a better understanding of what was happening during that time.

This event likely happened before Isaiah chapters 36 and 37 and the siege of Jerusalem. It is also possible, although it is a minor possibility, that this took place afterward, with God's word in verse 6 being a reassurance that the king of Assyria would not come down again. However, it is more likely that this occurred before the siege.

In verse 1, we read, "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death." During that period prior to the siege of Jerusalem, Hezekiah became ill. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said, "Thus saith the Lord, Set your house in order, for you shall die and you shall not live."

Now, Isaiah did not have the best bedside manner, apparently. Hezekiah was sick, lying in his bed in the palace in Jerusalem. Isaiah was sent with a message, and he just went up to him and said, "Listen, king, you're sick, and God has spoken. This sickness is unto death. You're going to die. You're not going to live." We don't really have any more backstory to it; it just seems like after that, Isaiah left the room. Again, not the best bedside manner.

What did Hezekiah do? He probably did what any of us might do. He turned his face to the wall and prayed unto the Lord. In 2 Kings, when you read this story more fully, you see that he didn't just turn to the wall and say, "Oh, Lord, please don't let this happen." He wept bitterly. We see that also in this passage at the end of verse 3, where it says he wept sore. As Hezekiah hears this word from God through the prophet, he turns to the wall and, just between him and the Lord, cries out.

Notice his prayer. He said, "Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, I beg thee, I pray thee, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, with a mature or complete heart, and have done that which is good in your sight." Hezekiah wept bitterly; he wept sore. His prayer was simple, and he doesn't even give any sort of petition here. We don't see him making any supplication to the Lord. He really doesn't even ask anything of God at this point. He simply says, "Remember how I have been, Lord. Remember the things that I have done."

We may have a hard time with that prayer at first glance because we recognize that you and I do not serve God, nor are we blessed by God, because of our mere works. There are blessings of obedience, and we recognize that. However, primarily, the blessing of God that He has given to us is not because of our own merit; it is because of His grace. God has graciously given us beautiful and wonderful promises. As recipients of those great and precious promises, we experience a wonderful peace that God has given to us, a wonderful joy that the Lord has provided, on top of all the temporal things that God gives to us on a regular basis.

Even here in this room tonight, there are those who are confronted with an illness, perhaps a terminal illness. In those times of illness, you really do search your heart.

You really do search yourself before the Lord, or so I'm told. I've never been in that situation before, but I would imagine that would be the case. Here, Hezekiah turns before the Lord and says, "Lord, you know how I've been. I've walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart. I've done good in your sight."

When you consider this in an Old Testament context, particularly in light of the understanding of the children of Israel under the Old Covenant, it makes perfect sense. If you go back and read Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy chapter 28, you see that God speaks to them very specifically about the blessings He will give them as they obey and follow Him. Essentially, Hezekiah is calling God on His promises. He is saying, "Listen, I've walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart. As a result, would you not bless me like you said you would?"

I don't think this is a wrong way to come before God. In fact, I believe that God wants us to remind Him of the promises He has given to us. The only way you will know the promises of God and be able to remind Him of them is to spend time with the Lord and fellowship with Him in His Word. God actually wants us to remind Him of the promises He has spoken to us, but we will only know to do that if we read His Word and get to know Him.

Here we see Hezekiah come before the Lord and remind God of these promises. He didn't explicitly say it, but we could surmise from Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 that Hezekiah is saying, "God, you said if I do these things, then you are going to bless." Now, I'm sick, and my nation, my people, my city is facing great destruction. On top of the stress of that, I've come down with this illness. The prophet comes and says, "You're going to die. You're not going to live. Set your house in order."

What did the Lord do? In verse 4, the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, "Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord God, the God of David thy father: I have heard your prayer and I have seen your tears." Would you underline in your Bibles that I have heard your prayer?

Last week, or two weeks ago, when we were in Isaiah chapter 37, you may remember that Isaiah received a letter from Sennacherib, the wicked king of Assyria, basically putting the nation of Judah, the city of Jerusalem, and King Hezekiah on notice.

That I'm coming back, and when I do, I'm going to take you out. Hezekiah took that letter up to the house of the Lord and set it out before the Lord. He spread it before the Lord and prayed, asking God to behold the blasphemy of the king of Assyria. God spoke to Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah and told him, "Because you have prayed, this is what I'm going to do," as recorded in Isaiah 37.

Now, once again, here in Isaiah 38, the very next chapter, we see another indication that God hears prayer and answers. This is such a great reminder. However, we must always recognize and admit that sometimes God's answers are not in line with our desires. How many of you have ever experienced that? Just about every hand. Every one of us recognizes and understands that there are many times when our petitions to God do not receive the answer we desire. Sometimes God says no.

There are certainly times when God answers our prayer affirmatively. He says yes and amen, and we experience the blessing of that answered prayer. But there are also those times when He clearly and specifically says no. Other times, God says wait; it's for an appointed time, not for right now.

In this instance, both in chapter 38 and chapter 37, we see the Lord saying, "I have heard your prayer because you have prayed." It really causes me to wonder what would have happened had Hezekiah not prayed. The prophet had told him in verse 1 of chapter 38 that he was going to die and should set his house in order. We can only assume that he would have died because of the sickness he had. But now the Lord says, "Listen, I've heard your prayer."

It is also interesting to note that Hezekiah wept the way he did when death was approaching him. As New Testament believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we sometimes share the same mindset that the Apostle Paul expressed in Philippians chapter 1, where he says, "I'd rather go be with the Lord." He looks forward to being with God, as stated in Philippians 1:21: "To live is Christ, to die is gain."

As Christians and followers of Jesus, we view death differently. The reason we look at death in a different way is because of what Paul tells us in 2 Timothy chapter 1. In 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 10, Paul tells us that Jesus has brought to light...

Life and immortality through the gospel. Think about that for a moment. Jesus, in His coming, brought to light life and immortality through the gospel. What exactly does that mean?

Well, if you wouldn't mind, turn in your Bibles to the book of John. John, the Gospel of John, chapter 11, is a passage that you no doubt have heard if you've been here at Calvary for very long. The story in John is one that you know well. Jesus' friend Lazarus had been sick unto death, but he had died. Jesus was not in the city of Bethany when Lazarus had died. Lazarus was a very good friend of Jesus, and he had two sisters, Mary and Martha.

So, Jesus, with His disciples, came into the city of Bethany after Lazarus had been dead for four days. He had already been in the tomb for four days. You remember that when Jesus was entering into the city of Bethany, or even outside the city, one of Lazarus' sisters came to Jesus. In verse 20, we read that Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went out to meet Him, but Mary sat still in the house.

Then Martha said unto Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, whatsoever You will ask of God, God will give it to You." Jesus said unto her, "Your brother shall rise again." Now Martha said unto Him, "I know that he shall rise in the resurrection at the last day."

You see, she had an anticipation, a hope for the coming resurrection. That was the majority view among the children of Israel at the time of Jesus. Most of the people there in the land of Israel believed in the resurrection. There was a group that did not—the Sadducees. Remember, the Sadducees did not believe in the coming resurrection.

But most of the people believed in the resurrection, although they didn't completely understand it. The concept of the resurrection was something they thought about and looked forward to, but they just didn't quite understand it. They knew that the Old Testament passages of Scripture revealed that there would be a resurrection, but they just didn't know what that meant. As a result, they were confused about the afterlife, and there was a certain level of fear surrounding it. Until Jesus came.

Because notice what Jesus says to Martha. In verse 25, Jesus said unto her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Now, we know that we still die physically. The statistics are staggering: ten out of ten people die. Unless your name is Elijah or Enoch, they apparently did not die. But ten out of ten people die, and Lazarus had died. Jesus says here that those who believe in him shall never die. Clearly, Jesus is not speaking about physical death here; he is speaking about eternal separation—eternal death, separated from God.

When Jesus came, 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 10 says he brings to light life and immortality through the gospel, through the good news about him. Now, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 53 through 55 tell us that the sting of death is gone. You see, Jesus has now removed the sting of death from us. There is no fear in death for the believer. It is the unbeliever who rightly fears death. It is the unbeliever who does not like funerals. You can ask any non-believer if they like to go to funerals, and you will find very few who do. I think that probably 99% of people do not like to go to funerals.

Why? Because there is a recognition when you go to a funeral that death will come. We are all confronted with our own mortality when we attend a funeral. There is a rightful fear of death for the non-believer. But for the person who knows Christ, who understands his resurrection from the dead and believes in him, there is no fear of death. It truly is just a passing from this life on into eternity with the Lord. When you breathe your last breath here, you will breathe your first breath there. All the pain, suffering, and tears of this life will be gone.

How many of you are looking forward to that? We love life, and we should love life. Why? Because God is the giver of life. We should be those who enjoy the life that God has given to us and the way that he intended us to enjoy it. But there should be no confusion about that day.

There should be no fear about that time because the sting of death is gone. However, for those who lived in the Old Testament, even though they were followers of God, there was a fear of death. This is seen very clearly in this passage and in Hezekiah's response to the sickness that was unto death. He wept sore, but God heard his prayer and saw his tears. The Lord said, "Behold," in verse 5, "I will add unto your days 15 years. I will deliver you in this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city."

There are more than one promise in those verses, specifically verses 5 and 6. The first promise is very clear: God says He is going to extend Hezekiah's life for 15 years. This is an interesting thing to consider because the overwhelming majority of people do not know the day of their death. Very few really know the time of their death, and often, it is only the person who is going to be executed that knows the time of their death.

But this man, Hezekiah, was given a clue from God that he had 15 more years. He had a countdown, basically; he knew exactly how much time he had left. It has been asked before: if you knew exactly how much time you had left, how might that change the way you live? For some people, it might change their life for the worse. They might think, "Well, I guess I've got 15 years to live it up. I have 15 years to get it all done, and then, if I know I've only got 15 years, I can make things right in the last year."

This could be a very bad thing, depending on the condition of an individual's heart. However, for some, when they realize that death is near and that they have a short time left, it completely changes their life for the better. A great example of this is a dear friend of our ministry who is actually with the Lord today. I look forward to seeing him one day, and I know many of you do as well: Mike Callahan. Many of you remember Mike and the blessing he was, not just to the ministry of Calvary Chapel of Escondido, but really to the whole of Escondido.

God used him greatly after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. His doctors gave him six months to live, telling him he had no more than six months. However, he went on to live for seven years, confounding the doctors. It was wonderful to witness his impact on his Jewish doctor, and it was awesome to see the way he served the Lord, knowing he had a short period of time left to live.

And so he figured, well, with the short time that I have left, I'm going to live it as unto the Lord. To live is Christ. Now, that ought to be the mindset that every single one of us has, whether we know the day of our death or not. To live is Christ. The condition of your heart will dictate how you live the time you have from now until the day that you die.

Here, Hezekiah was told he has 15 years. Previously, God said, "You're going to die. You're not going to live." So, was God's word to Hezekiah in verse 1 wrong? No. Sometimes God gives us a word to change our direction, to change our path. A great example of this is my own brother, my oldest brother, Alan. For many years, without many in the family knowing it, he was pretty much on crystal meth just about every day of the week. For a long time, this went on, and he was able to function, I guess, even while doing speed.

Then there came a time when he went off. He split, and no one knew where he was for about a week. This was, gosh, maybe six years ago or so, maybe more. He went off and had just this binge high the whole time. He told me after the fact, when he came back, that it was during that time that the Lord spoke to him. The Lord told him, "If you do this again, I'll take your life." That word from the Lord changed his entire outlook. It changed his life. He's never done it since.

What he didn't know was that during that time, the doctors believed he had a heart attack, maybe multiple heart attacks. He didn't even know it. But now he continues with a heart condition and has to be on medication until the day that he dies. He has had to change his career because of the heart condition that he has because of that.

Now, the interesting story about that, the pre-story of that, I remember having a conversation with him a number of years before. We were standing in the garage at my parents' house, talking about the Lord. Alan had always had a good knowledge of the Word of God. He told me, "You know what? I want to wrestle with God like Jacob did in Genesis chapter 32. If God's really real, I want Him to wrestle with me like He did with Jacob." I said, "You know, that's an interesting desire. But I just want you to know that Jacob limped for the rest of his life."

You know what? I think that Alan did wrestle with God, and he limps for the rest of his life. But it was that word that God spoke to him that was a very transformative word for him.

Just as we will see with Hezekiah, he cries out to the Lord. The Lord responds, "Listen, I've heard your prayer. I've seen your tears, and I'm going to deliver your city." The second promise He gives to him is that He will grant him 15 more years of life and deliver the city. His extended life was a promise, but it was also a sign that God would deliver the city of Jerusalem from the king of Assyria. "I will defend the city, and this shall be a sign unto you from the Lord that the Lord will do this thing that He has spoken. Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees which has gone down on the sundial of Ahaz ten degrees backward." So the sun returned ten degrees by which degrees it had gone down.

If you go back and read this event in 2 Kings, you will see that when Hezekiah was speaking with Isaiah, Isaiah said, "The Lord is going to extend your years for 15 years." Hezekiah then asked, "How do I know that this is really going to be the case? What sign will the Lord give to me?" Isaiah replied, "What sign do you want? Do you want the sundial to go forward ten degrees or backward ten degrees?" Hezekiah said, "To go forward ten degrees, that's no special miracle. I mean, it's going to go forward anyway. So I want it to go backward ten degrees."

God caused the shadow on the sundial to go back ten degrees, which extended about 40 minutes of time when it went back. This added time to the day is interesting because God had promised, "I'm going to add time to your life." It was a perfect sign to show Hezekiah that his life would be extended for 15 years. God performed this sign to prove it to Hezekiah.

Now we have the writing of Hezekiah, verses 9 through 22. It is not written by Isaiah; it is not penned by Isaiah. This is the song of Hezekiah when God spared his life. The writing of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, when he had been sick and was recovered from his sickness, states, "I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave or to Sheol, and I am deprived of the residue of my years. 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. Mine age is departed and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent. I have cut off like the weaver my life."

He will cut me off with pining sickness. From day even to night, wilt Thou make an end of me? I reckon till morning that, as a lion, so will He break all my bones. From day even to night, wilt Thou make an end of me? 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. What shall I say? He has both spoken unto me, and He Himself has done it. I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

And so Hezekiah begins this song to the Lord. In the first several verses of it, verses 9 through 14, we read of Hezekiah's bitterness of distress as he is confronted with this illness and the reality that he is going to die quickly. He speaks about his crying out like a crane or a swallow. In verse 14, he says, "I did chatter. I did mourn like a dove." My eyes failed me as I was looking up, calling out to God in tears and in anguish.

Even when we read through verses 9 through 14, we see the confusion surrounding life after death. He did not have a full understanding of these things. Look at verse 16 as we continue. It says, "That's such a beautiful picture, isn't it? Lord, You've cast all my sins behind Your back. For the grave cannot praise Thee, and death cannot celebrate Thee. They that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth."

Here we see the confusion about death, don't we? We recognize that this is not exactly true; the grave cannot praise Thee. After you die, we will be with the Lord eternally, praising Him. Amen? Hezekiah did not have a full comprehension of what would come after these things. That was a mystery in the Old Testament, but it is a mystery that is revealed in the coming of Jesus Christ. He has brought to light life and immortality through the gospel. The living, the living, he shall praise Thee.

As I do this day, the father to the children shall make known thy truth. Now, would you underline that in verse 19? The father to the children shall make known thy truth. Also, if you wouldn't mind underlining verse 15, where it says, "I shall go softly all the years of my life and the bitterness of my soul." Really, that is a great promise, a good intent. Hezekiah, when he was healed by the Lord and his life was extended, had good intentions. He said, "I'm going to walk softly. I'm going to make sure that I follow the Lord. And also, I'm going to make known the truth unto my children."

In verse 20, it states, "The Lord was ready to save me." Isn't that wonderful to know, that the Lord is ready to save? Therefore, we will sing my songs on the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. We have an indication there that this is one of the songs and that Hezekiah himself was a songwriter. We are going to sing this as a song, praising the Lord in the house of the Lord.

For Isaiah had said, "Let them take a lump of figs and lay it up for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover." Now, that's an interesting verse, verse 21. Isaiah says to the servants of Hezekiah, "Well, go and take and make a poultice or a salve with a lump of figs and put it upon him, put it upon this boil, and he shall recover." We don't really know what the condition was that Hezekiah had, but apparently, he had some sort of boil. Here, Isaiah gives some sort of medicinal thing to lay upon it. Ultimately, it was God who healed him, but the Lord said, "You know, I want you to do this."

Now, that's interesting because there are many who find themselves in a position where they're confronted with a serious illness, and the medical community says, "Well, we have this opportunity. We have these drugs that can help you, and maybe they can extend your life." Sometimes, there are Christians who will come to a person facing a terminal illness and say, "No, don't do that. You're supposed to only trust and rely upon the Lord." I say, "Well, I don't know that that's the case here." The Lord gave some sort of medicine through Isaiah.

If you have a terrible migraine headache, pray that the Lord will take it away and take some aspirin. I don't have any problem with that. I have no problem seeing that the Lord has given certain medicinal things in our world. He has also given the understanding to these doctors and scientists to come up with these things. Now, at the end of the day, if someone is cured of an illness, if the Lord desires...

To use the wisdom of medicine is great! But rejoice and praise the Lord for that, because He ultimately is to be thanked; He is the giver of life. Here, Isaiah took a lump of figs and laid it upon Hezekiah, and he shall recover. Hezekiah also asked, "What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?" After he had been healed and had been sick, Hezekiah's desire was to go up to the house of the Lord.

Now, remember, if he had some sort of boil, which was generally looked at by the Levites and priests as an indication of leprosy, he would not have been allowed to go to the temple. Now that he is healed, he is allowed to go, and he is very thankful for the opportunity to visit the temple.

Before we go through chapter 39, and we are going to finish this passage tonight through 39, we have to consider that Hezekiah said in verse 15 that he would spend the next 15 years walking softly and rightly. There seems to be some indication that this whole event was even a result of Hezekiah's sin. In verse 17, he says, "God, you've cast all my sins behind your back. Lord, you haven't looked upon my sins." In his prayer to God, he acknowledged that he had been sinful, saying, "Remember, I've walked rightly before you."

Hezekiah acknowledges that the Lord has cast all his sins behind His back. Therefore, he resolves to walk correctly and softly in the remaining 15 years of his life. In verse 19, he expresses his intention to make known this truth to his children.

What actually took place in those remaining 15 years? Turn in your Bibles back to 2 Kings, chapter 20. It seems that Hezekiah was 39 years old when he became sick, as we know exactly when he died, as we see in this passage. Look at the end of the passage in 2 Kings, chapter 21, verse 20. The rest of the acts of Hezekiah and all his might, including how he made a pool and a conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book?

Of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah, Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and Manasseh, his son, reigned in his stead. Now look at verse 1 of chapter 21. Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign. He reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Hephzibah. Manasseh, the king who came after Hezekiah, born of Hezekiah and his wife Hephzibah, was twelve years old when he began to reign. This indicates that he was born after Hezekiah had been healed and his life had been extended for fifteen years.

Now, what became of Manasseh? Look down in verse 10. Actually, look right there in verse 2. It states that he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. He built again the high places which Hezekiah, his father, had destroyed. He reared up the altars of Baal and made a grove, as did Ahab, king of Israel. Notice that Ahab was the most wicked king that the northern ten tribes had ever had.

Manasseh did not follow in the path of his father Hezekiah, who had been a great reformer and had torn down the high places and the altars to Baal, Asherah, and Moloch. Hezekiah had rebuilt and reestablished the true worship of the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem. Yet, his son Manasseh, who came after Hezekiah had been healed of his sickness, seemed to have forgotten these lessons. He had said he would walk softly all the days of his life and ensure that he imparted these values to his children, but it appears he did not do that.

Why? Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." It is not too far of a stretch to surmise that Hezekiah did not do a very good job of fulfilling his good intentions after he had been healed by the Lord. His son Manasseh undid all the good things that he had ever done.

Not only that, go on down to verse 10 of that same chapter. It says, "And the Lord spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh, king of Judah, has done all these abominations and has done wickedly above all that the Amorites did which were before him and has made Judah..."

Also, to sin with his idols, therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah that whosoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle. I will stretch out over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab. I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies. They also shall become the prey and the spoil to all their enemies because they have done that which was evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger since the day that their fathers came forth from Egypt, even unto this day.

Ultimately, because of the sin of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the children of Judah and Jerusalem would go into captivity in Babylon. It makes you wonder: maybe Hezekiah should have just taken the word of the Lord and said, "The word of the Lord is good." Even though he didn't like it, even though he wanted an extended life, perhaps it was the word that the Lord desired for Hezekiah and for his people. But Hezekiah didn't want that.

I'll be quite honest with you; I am a little bit taken back by that because it causes at least a little bit of concern in our hearts, or should, that we in some way can influence God by our prayers in a direction that He ultimately does not want us to go. I think that's why Jesus tells us that we ought to pray for God's will to be done. You see, our prayers are not to impose our will upon God but to bring us in line with God's will.

Yet, it seems that there are times when God departs from His perfect plan and His perfect will, allowing us to move in a direction that is contrary to what He wants. To give you an example, I have counseled with a number of couples and individuals who told me, "I prayed and prayed and prayed that God would bring this individual into my life and that this would be the person that the Lord wanted me to marry." Then, after marrying that individual, they realized that maybe they had imposed their will and not the Lord's will. It's hard for us to grapple with that, but it seems to be indicated here in this passage. We should at least be open to it as a reality, saying, "Lord, not my will."

Be done, but Your will be done. Don't we even see that as modeled by our Lord Himself? Remember Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane? What was Jesus' will according to His earthly body in the Garden of Gethsemane? It's hard for us to handle this concept, but three times He prayed to the Father, "If there be any other way, let this cup pass from me." This indicates that the desire of Jesus' earthly body, this tent that He had, was not to go to the cross. However, He said, "Not my will, but Your will."

In that, we have the example that we are to submit our will to God's will. I wonder if Hezekiah would not have been better off surrendering his will to the Lord.

We continue in verse 1 of chapter 39, which says, "At that time, Merodach Baladan, the son of Baladan, the king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and that he had recovered."

Now, in 2 Chronicles chapter 32, verse 31, you may want to note that down in the margin of your Bible. It reveals that this was a test from the hand of God. After Hezekiah had been healed and had made the declaration that he was going to walk softly and correctly, God tested him.

2 Chronicles 32, verse 31 states, "Howbeit, the business of the ambassadors of the prince of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that had been done in the land, God left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart." God brought these ambassadors to Hezekiah as a test to see what was in his heart.

So, Merodach Baladan, the son of Baladan, the king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to King Hezekiah. He had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and that he had recovered. Hezekiah was glad, or in another translation, it says Hezekiah was pleased with them when they came. He was excited. Why? Well, Babylon was something of the junior superpower of the world at that time. Assyria was the great power, but Babylon was a subsidiary of Assyria and was the second great power. Ultimately, it would overtake the Assyrians.

Judah and Hezekiah were looked to as a great power, but they were like a little podunk country. They were nothing. It's like when you hear of a nation like Honduras, and you think, "Honduras? Where is that?" You have to look at a map and try to find it. Sometimes that's how we wonder about Judah. We might ask, "Well, Judah? Who's that? Hezekiah? Who's he?"

Yet now, Hezekiah gets visitors from Babylon, and he is pleased with them. He is excited when they show up, glad to welcome them. He shows them the house of his precious things. When they arrived with a gift from Babylon, the king there, Merodach Baladan, prompted Hezekiah to say, "Oh, I want to show you everything I have! Come in and see the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious ointment, and all the house of my armor. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them."

Now remember, God sent them as a test to see what was in his heart. Hezekiah had made a great declaration: "I'm going to walk right for the rest of my life. Lord, you've given me 15 years; I will make sure I use them the right way." God said, "Alright, let's test that." So, He sent these ambassadors from Babylon. They showed up and brought him a gift, and Hezekiah thought, "Oh, let me show you how great I am."

After they departed, or as they were leaving, we read in verse 3 that Isaiah came and said unto Hezekiah, "What said these men? From whence came they unto thee?" Hezekiah replied, "They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon." I really think he was probably pretty excited about this. Isaiah asked, "Who are those guys? Where did they come from?" Hezekiah responded, "They're from a far country, Babylon. They came to see me! Merodach Baladan, the king of Babylon, has heard about me and came to see me."

Isaiah then asked, "What have they seen in your house?" Hezekiah answered, "All that is in my house have they seen."

There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them. Well then, Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the Lord of hosts." I think that was just a very gentle reminder. The Lord of hosts—oh, you're so enamored with this earthly king. You are so amazed with the pomp of Babylon and just the name, the rumor of the Babylonian king, Merodach-Baladan. Yet your God, He is the Lord of hosts; He is the God of all things. Who is this king? Who is this earthly guy? He is nothing.

I want you to hear the word of the Lord: "Behold, the days come that all that is in your house and that which your fathers have laid up in store unto this day shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left," says the Lord. "And thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."

What have they seen in your house, Hezekiah? Well, they've seen everything. I showed them everything. I showed them the armory, the treasures, the silver, the gold, and the spices that we have from the East. I showed them everything. Boy, were they amazed! They were probably writing down, "Well, there's a weak entry point over here, and oh, that's how you get into the palace. Well, that's the secret chamber there. Oh, all right."

Hear the word of the Lord. You see, what was found when God tested the heart of Hezekiah—although God already knew what was there—was revealed even to Hezekiah. He found their foolish pride and blinding arrogance. Although He had been healed of a physical, temporal sickness, the true sickness was a sickness of pride, and it was exposed.

This king, who we are first introduced to back in Second Chronicles, chapter 18, I believe it is, is told of being such a great king. Hezekiah tore down the high places, got rid of all the worship of these false gods, and did many wonderful, great things. He was powerful over the Philistines, and God made him victorious over the great Assyrian army, even Assyria.

Came 185 thousand. That's me; I'm the one that took that before the Lord. I laid that letter out before Him and prayed. He said, "Because you prayed, that's me."

So, He says, "Well, everything that's in your house, all this stuff, is going to be carried away to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, even some of your sons. Those that descend from you, they're going to end up eunuchs in the palace of Babylon." Would these things take place? Yes, they would take place during the time of Jeremiah the prophet. They would take place during the time of Ezekiel. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel speak about these things, but most notably, we know Daniel.

Remember, Daniel was one of those who descended there in the household of the king. Daniel and his friends were the ones mentioned in Daniel chapter one. It says there in verse three that the king spoke to Ashpenaz, the master of the eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, of the king's seed and of the princes' children, in whom was no blemish, but well favored and skillful in all wisdom, cunning, knowledge, and understanding, and science. They had the ability in them to stand in the king's palace, whom they might teach the learning of the tongue of the Chaldeans.

During the time of Daniel, around 586 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar came into Jerusalem and sacked the city, which he did on three occasions before he completely destroyed it. He took from the king's house, all the wealth of the temple, and the wealth of the king, and brought it to Babylon. He said, "You're going to serve me here."

We know Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were only four of them; there were many others as well. This was in direct fulfillment of the word that Isaiah had spoken to Hezekiah because he did not pass the test. He failed, and his prayers were powerful but sobering. You can be very powerful in your prayer life and yet still have wicked pride in your heart. Sobering.

Well then, what was Hezekiah's response to the word that God had given through the prophet Isaiah?

Isaiah chapter 39 is very telling. Remember, these ambassadors came as a test from the Lord. Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "Well, God, I'm sorry. Good is the word that the Lord has spoken. It's true; this is the word that God has spoken." But he said, "Moreover, for there shall be peace and truth in my days."

Do you see it? Do you see the arrogance? Do you see the careless apathy? God told me He’s going to defend my city against the Assyrians. God has defended us against the Assyrians. Yeah, sure, they're not going to come for another 114 years. I'm not going to be around for that. It's going to be my descendants who will have to deal with that.

This is no knock on our current president, but it seems to be the mindset of every single administration that we have. "Well, that's for another president to figure out." Social Security, the problems of this, the problems that another guy can figure out. "I'm not going to be in my day. I'm sure I'll have a good legacy." That was the mindset of Hezekiah. He said, "Well, you know, at least we'll have peace in my day."

This careless indifference is a sin we often don't think about, but it's a sin nonetheless. The heart of Hezekiah is revealed. You know what? For as well as Hezekiah started, he didn't finish well.

How many of you have ever run a distance race? A 5K, 10K, marathon, half marathon? Any runners in here? I ran in a half marathon a few years ago with Rick Kiersted and my cousin. You stand there with a ton of people; everybody's excited at the beginning of the race. A lot of people finish really well. In fact, I went into that race and made a mental note: "Alright, I just want to keep at this pace. That's fine." I had this little GPS thing in my watch that told me exactly how fast I was going. That was the pace I was going to stick with.

But I remember at the start of the race, there was that thought that went from, "Oh man, let's pick up the pace, let's run!" You see some people who just start dead running. They look great until about halfway through the race. Of course, you have those few, the Kenyans most specifically, who run like that through the entire race.

The whole race is no problem; it's like a walk in the park for some. However, it's easy to start well, but it's not about the start. Paul the Apostle, in his last letter, Second Timothy, says to Timothy, "I've run the race; I've finished the course." To the church at Galatia, Paul said in Galatians chapter 3, verse 3, "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"

We have begun in the Spirit, and may we continue to run the race with endurance until the day of Christ Jesus. The finish is the important aspect. There are many people who start out well, but it's only by the Lord's grace, the Lord's strength, and the Lord's power that we finish well. We have to rely on Him to the end and know for certain that the issues of pride will creep up in our hearts after we've been walking with the Lord for many years.

The Old Testament is filled with pictures that fit this truth very well. We talked about King Uzziah when we were back in Isaiah chapter 6. Remember, Uzziah started well; he was such a glorious king. He reigned for something like 52 years, and everybody just loved Uzziah. Yet, at the end of his life, he died alone in a leper's colony. Why? Because his heart was lifted up in pride. Near the end of his life, he went up to the temple and said, "It's not enough that I'm the king; I want to be a priest too."

He thought it was not right that, being the king, he was withheld from going into the Holy of Holies and offering the incense. So, he grabbed the incense and the censer and declared, "I'm going in there; you guys get out." We are told that 80 priests withstood him. He was a pretty stout guy, and while they were trying to keep him from going in, leprosy appeared on his forehead. They dragged him out of the temple, and he would never be allowed to go to the temple again because he was a leper until the day of his death. He didn't finish well.

If you go down the list, there are so many in the Scriptures who didn't finish well. Paul tells us of a man by the name of Demas. We are introduced to him in three different letters that Paul wrote. In Colossians, we have our first introduction, and in Philemon, he is spoken of as a fellow laborer with Paul.

We see that he is a brother with Paul, and then later in Paul's last letter, 2 Timothy, he says, "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world." He loved the world, started well, but didn't finish well. Sadly, there are many within the body of Christ who have started well, and tonight they are somewhere as a casualty of war. When I say that, a name may even pop into your head.

In Ezekiel chapter 3, we are told that if you see a righteous individual fall, then you are to go to them and turn them back to the way, like a watchman on the wall. If a person has come to mind tonight, someone you know who has fallen by the wayside, the Lord has brought that person to your mind so that you might go and call them back again.

Now, Galatians chapter 6 tells us that when you go to someone who has been overtaken in a trespass, as you are walking in the Spirit, do so in an attitude of gentleness and meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. I guarantee you, if you go to someone who has fallen into sin, you will very likely be tempted within just a few days with the same sort of temptation or sin. The enemy will look for an opportunity to take you out too.

What ought we to do? Well, Hebrews chapter 12 gives us a great exhortation: "Wherefore, seeing we are also surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily ensnare us, and let us run with patience or endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus." We look unto the finish line, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. He went through the hardest race that anyone could go through. He endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider Him who endured such hostility or contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds. Paul said to the church at Philippi in Philippians chapter 3, "Not as though I have attained or have been perfected, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me." I know beyond a shadow...

Without a doubt, every single one of you here tonight wants to finish well; otherwise, you wouldn't be here. So let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. The story of Hezekiah is given to us as an exhortation. The failures of Hezekiah are written down in God's eternal Word. How many of you would like to have your failures written down in God's eternal Word for everybody else to read? The failures of Hezekiah are recorded so that we might read, understand, and learn from the mistakes of another.

Paul the Apostle, in his letter to the Corinthians, in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, speaks of the Old Testament. He said, "All these things are written for our exhortation, for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the age have come." In the very next verse, he says, "So take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall." They are written down so that we might learn from them, not so that we might stand and say, "Oh gosh, that foolish Hezekiah." Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. And having done all to stand, therefore, amen.

Let's stand and pray. Father, we love Your Word. Lord, we thank You and we love You, the God of this Word. We pray that You would help us to stand against the wiles of the devil. Lord, help us to put on the whole armor that You've given to us: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, and to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel. Lord, help us to take up the shield of faith and to have the sword of the Spirit. Help us to endure to the end and to make a good showing. Lord, we want to cross that finish line, even if when we cross the finish line, we fall flat on our face into Your arms. We don't care. Lord, help us to run with endurance. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Thank you.