Bible ReadingIsaiah 38:1–221 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.”
[36:28]2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,
[38:40]3 and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah:
5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
[40:51]6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.
7 “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised:
8 Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.
[46:50]9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
10 I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.
11 I said, I shall not see the Lord, the Lord in the land of the living; I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end;
13 I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end.
14 Like a swallow or a crane I chirp; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!
15 What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live!
17 Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
[50:51]18 For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the Lord.
21 Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.”
22 Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”
Isaiah 39:1–81 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.
[01:00:37]2 And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.
[01:02:21]3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.”
4 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts:
6 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.
7 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”
[01:06:12]Luke 22:4242 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
[01:11:46]Observation questions- What words and actions show Hezekiah’s helplessness when Isaiah tells him that he will die?
- What does God say he has done in response to Hezekiah’s prayer, and what specific gifts does he promise him? [41:18]
- What pictures does Hezekiah use in Isaiah 38:12–14 to describe what facing death felt like for him?
- What did Hezekiah show Babylon’s envoys, and how does he respond when Isaiah tells him Babylon will eventually take it all? [01:04:55]
Interpretation questions- Hezekiah appeals to the God of David and to God’s covenant faithfulness in his prayer. How is this different from treating prayer as a way to make God give someone whatever they want? [40:01]
- God already holds the length of Hezekiah’s life in his hands, yet God hears his prayer and adds fifteen years. What does this passage show about why God’s sovereignty makes prayer meaningful rather than pointless? [41:53]
- Hezekiah says that his great bitterness was “for my welfare.” How can suffering expose false confidence and lead a person toward deeper dependence on God without making suffering itself good? [50:51]
- Hezekiah is relieved that judgment will not come during his own lifetime, while Jesus accepts the Father’s will and bears judgment himself. What does this contrast reveal about the kind of King Jesus is? [01:12:10]
Application questions- When life feels out of control—through sickness, uncertainty, loss, or fear—what is your usual first response? What would it look like this week to turn to God honestly, as Hezekiah did, rather than trying to carry it alone? [38:40]
- God hears the prayers and sees the tears of his people. Is there a burden you have been quietly carrying but have not really brought to God in prayer? What might honest prayer about that burden sound like?
- “It was for my welfare that I had great bitterness.” Looking back on a painful season, what illusion of control, security, or self-reliance did it expose? Where do you still need God to help you trust him in that area? [54:49]
- Hezekiah gladly welcomed Babylon and displayed his treasures, apparently wanting to impress people and find security in a human alliance. Where are you most tempted to seek approval, security, or significance from other people instead of from God? [01:00:37]
- Good gifts make terrible gods. Which good thing—family, money, comfort, health, success, control, or approval—is hardest for you to hold with open hands? What disappointment or fear might reveal that it has become too important? [01:07:43]
- Hezekiah’s failure affected people beyond his own lifetime, yet he was satisfied with peace in his own days. Are there choices, habits, or priorities in your life that could affect your family, church, or future generations? What would faithfulness look like now?
- Jesus is the faithful King who stepped in front of the judgment his people deserved. In a practical area of life where you have been placing too much hope in yourself or something created, how does trusting Jesus change the way you face that area this week? [01:12:17]
