The document discusses King Hezekiah's reign, his illness, and subsequent recovery as recorded in the biblical narrative, highlighting key events such as the Babylonian embassy and the Assyrian invasion. Hezekiah's prayer is emphasized, showing his faith and the divine response that extended his life by fifteen years. It also reflects on the broader implications of God's power, including miraculous occurrences tied to Hezekiah's life, and the importance of praising God for His goodness.

1. Hezekiah’s Glowing Report You will remember the glowing report we read about Hezekiah last week. 2 Kings 18:5 NET He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after.

2. Dr R. C. Wetzel’s Chronology Dr R. C. Wetzel gives the date of 727 BC when Hezekiah became co-regent with his father Ahaz, in the 3rd year of Hoshea’s reign. He gives the date of 712 BC when fifteen years were added to king Hezekiah‘s life. Let’s do the math. 727-712=15 years.

3. Dr R. C. Wetzel’s Chronology 2 Kings 18:2 NET He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah. 25+15=40 years old.

4. Undesigned Coincidences in the Bible Undesigned Coincidences in the Bible, Blunt, Cambridge, 1847 Now the first thing I would observe is this: that the embassy from the King of Babylon to Hezekiah was to congratulate him on his recovery from his sickness;

5. Undesigned Coincidences in the Bible which sickness must have befallen him in the year of Sennacherib’s invasion, and immediately previous to it—in that year , because he is said to have reigned twenty and nine years; and the invasion of Judah is said to have occurred in the fourteenth year of his reign;

6. Undesigned Coincidences in the Bible 2 Kings 18:13 NET In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. leaving him still fifteen years to reign, which was precisely the period by which his life was prolonged beyond his sickness;

7. Undesigned Coincidences in the Bible immediately previous to that invasion , because the prophet, in the same breath that he assured him from God of his recovery, assured him also that God would deliver the city out of the hand of the king of Assyria , and would defend the city, as though the danger was imminent.

8. Undesigned Coincidences in the Bible The recovery, therefore, of Hezekiah, and the destruction of the Assyrians, were events close upon one another in point of time. And after a short interval, allowing for the news of Hezekiah’s recovery to reach Babylon,

9. Undesigned Coincidences in the Bible and an embassy to be prepared, that embassy of congratulation was dispatched; or, in other words, the embassy from Babylon must have been close upon the destruction of the Assyrian army.

10. Do Dates Really Matter? So we have two different people dating these events giving opposing dates. Or are they? It is possible King Hezekiah had not had his birthday yet when The Lord granted him 15 more years. So both dates are probably correct.

11. Do Dates Really Matter? He could have been 39 going on 40, or just turned 40 when he was given a longer life. At any rate, does is really matter? We have faith in God’s Word that he had reigned 14 years. No matter his age at the time.

12. Hezekiah’s Death Bed Isaiah 38:1 NET In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and atold him, "This is what the Lord says, 'Give instructions to your household, for you are about to die; you will not get well.' "

13. Hezekiah’s Death Bed We may hence observe, among others, these good lessons: - 1. That neither men's greatness nor their goodness will exempt them from the arrests of sickness and death.

14. Hezekiah’s Death Bed Hezekiah, a mighty potentate on earth and a mighty favourite of Heaven, is struck with a disease, which, without a miracle, will certainly be mortal; and this in the midst of his days, his comforts, and usefulness.

15. Hezekiah’s Death Bed It should seem, this sickness seized him when he was in the midst of his triumphs over the ruined army of the Assyrians, to teach us always to rejoice with trembling. (Matthew Henry)

16. Hezekiah’s Death Bed 2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 "Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, and how I have carried out your will." Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.

17. Hezekiah’s Death Bed When we pray in our sickness, though God send not to us such an answer as he here sent to Hezekiah, yet, if by his Spirit he bids us be of good cheer, assures us that our sins are forgiven, and that, whether we live or die, we shall be his, we do not pray in vain. (Matthew Henry Concise Commentary)

18. Hezekiah’s Prayer Answered 4 The Lord told Isaiah, 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah: 'This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: "I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life,

19. Hezekiah’s Prayer Answered 6 and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city." ' " 7 (38:21) Isaiah ordered, "Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the skin blister and he will get well."

20. Hezekiah’s Prayer Answered 8 (38:22) Hezekiah said, "What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the Lord's temple?" 9 (38:7) Isaiah replied, "This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said:

21. Hezekiah’s Prayer Answered 10 (38:8) Look, I will make the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz." And then the shadow went back ten steps.

22. Ussher Annals of the World As concerning the retrograde motion of the Sun as mentioned in, Isaiah 38:8 it is when the sun stood still at the prayer of Joshua the moon also stood still at the time. ( Joshua 10:12,13 )

23. Ussher Annals of the World It is apparent that with the sun the moon also, and all the frame of heaven went backward and that there was as much subtracted from the night, as there was added to the day.

24. Ussher Annals of the World There was a miraculous alteration in the parts of the normal day. By divine providence things were so ordered that no harm or hindrance did happen to the constant and ever self-like motion and harmony of the heavenly bodies.

25. Ussher Annals of the World This is evident by those three solar eclipses, of which I spoke earlier, from Ptolemy. The account of these if calculated from our times backward yields the same result of the times as was formerly observed by the Chaldeans (Babylonians)

26. Ussher Annals of the World and in the same manner as if no such retrogradation or going back of the sun had ever happened. (Ussher Annals of the World) (The important thing to note is that the earlier eclipse data was not disturbed by the events in Hezekiah’s day.

27. Ussher Annals of the World Whatever happened, effected at the very least the sun, earth and moon system. God made time go backward not just have the earth rotate backward.

28. Ussher Annals of the World Otherwise the eclipse data would be thrown off for eclipses that occurred before Hezekiah’s event happened. An undesigned coincidence in the scriptures verifies their authority.

29. Ussher Annals of the World Of all the people in the world, it is only recorded that the Chaldeans, (Babylonians) visited Hezekiah. They were very careful in noting astronomical events and had noticed something strange as far away as Babylon.

30. Ussher Annals of the World They no doubt heard that Hezekiah had something to do with it and hence they went to him to learn more of this event. In 331 BC they turned over 1903 years of astronomical observations to Callisthenes when Alexander the Great was in Babylon. Editor)

31. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise In response to this gracious provision of extended life, Hezekiah recorded his song of thanksgiving for that answer to prayer .

32. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise The last two verses record what Hezekiah had done for the healing, and what he had asked as a sign . ( 21,22 ) Any exposition of the song will have to provide the historic background for the situation.

33. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise To capture the tone of the song and get the proper interpretation of the lines, the literary genre must be established.

34. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise This is a classic declarative praise song, a todah song that would be offered in the Sanctuary, accompanied by the giving of the peace offering. (Allen Ross , Th.D., Ph.D.)

35. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise 13 (38:11) "I thought, 'I will no longer see the Lord in the land of the living, I will no longer look on mankind with the inhabitants of the world.

36. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise 14 (38:12) My dwelling place is removed and taken away from me like a shepherd's tent. I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; from the loom he cuts me off. You turn day into night and end my life.

37. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise 11 (38:9) This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his illness: 12 (38:10) "I thought, 'In the middle of my life I must walk through the gates of Sheol, I am deprived of the rest of my years.'

38. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise 15 (38:13) I cry out until morning; like a lion he shatters all my bones; you turn day into night and end my life. 16 (38:14) Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp, I coo like a dove; my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky.

39. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise O sovereign master, I am oppressed; help me! 17 (38:15) What can I say? He has decreed and acted. I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. 18 (38:16) O sovereign master, your decrees can give men life; may years of life be restored to me.

40. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise Restore my health and preserve my life.' 19 (38:17) "Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit. You delivered me from the pit of oblivion. For you removed all my sins from your sight.

41. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise 20 (38:18) Indeed Sheol does not give you thanks; death does not praise you. Those who descend into the pit do not anticipate your faithfulness. 21 (38:19) The living one, the living one, he gives you thanks, as I do today.

42. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise A father tells his sons about your faithfulness. 22 (38:20) The Lord is about to deliver me, and we will celebrate with music for the rest of our lives in the Lord's temple."

43. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise We have here Hezekiah's thanksgiving. It is well for us to remember the mercies we receive in sickness. Hezekiah records the condition he was in.

44. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise He dwells upon this; I shall no more see the Lord. A good man wishes not to live for any other end than that he may serve God, and have communion with him.

45. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise Our present residence is like that of a shepherd in his hut, a poor, mean, and cold lodging, and with a trust committed to our charge, as the shepherd has.

46. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise Our days are compared to the weaver's shuttle, passing and repassing very swiftly, every throw leaving a thread behind it; and when finished, the piece is cut off, taken out of the loom, and showed to our Master to be judged of.

47. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise A good man, when his life is cut off, his cares and fatigues are cut off with it, and he rests from his labours. But our times are in God's hand; he has appointed what shall be the length of the piece.

48. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise When sick, we are very apt to calculate our time, but are still at uncertainty. It should be more our care how we shall get safe to another world.

49. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise And the more we taste of the loving-kindness of God, the more will our hearts love him, and live to him. It was in love to our poor perishing souls that Christ delivered them.

50. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise The pardon does not make the sin not to have been sin, but not to be punished as it deserves. It is pleasant to think of our recoveries from sickness, when we see them flowing from the pardon of sin.

51. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise Hezekiah's opportunity to glorify God in this world, he made the business, and pleasure, and end of life. Being recovered, he resolves to abound in praising and serving God.

52. Hezekiah’s Song Of Praise God's promises are not to do away, but to quicken and encourage the use of means. Life and health are given that we may glorify God and do good. (Matthew Henry Concise Commentary)

53. What Have We Learned What have we learned from Hezekiah by reading Isaiah 38 ? The Lord, with all His power to create or destroy loves humans that are faithful to Him.

54. What Have We Learned His power not only prolonged Hezekiah’s life, but also, on a great, vast, immense, and enormous scale made time go backwards. And he did it all without throwing our universe out of sync.

55. What Have We Learned We learned to praise The Lord by repeating back to Him the goodness He’s done for us. Things we think insignificant are wonderful miracles.

56. What Have We Learned The fact that we aren’t thrown off this spinning globe is outstanding. Even food, water, & sleep, keep these earthly bodies functioning. Marvelous!

57. What Have We Learned Such wisdom and power displayed in our daily lives. But the greatest of all, God The Son left paradise to became a human, died, and rose from the dead so our sins may be forgiven and we be drawn to The Father.