Isaiah 38:9-22
Alternative devotions for Thursday 14th January
Review
Yesterday, we discovered that Hezekiah’s illness had taken place years before the invasion of Judea by Assyria, but it seems that it was a significant event, from which king Hezekiah learned to trust the Lord, his God. This poem by Hezekiah describes his own spiritual and personal journey through the midst of illness, and it ends with a brief description of Isaiah’s role in ministering a cure.
Earlier in the book of Isaiah, when Isaiah had confronted King Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father, with God’s Word, Ahaz had dismissed Isaiah and his prophecy, making Isaiah furious (7:1-8). Here, in contrast, King Hezekiah asked for a sign from God (38:22), and Isaiah immediately responded as a prophet by administering God’s Word. In this case, it came in the form of a cure for Hezekiah’s illness, which was a ‘poultice’ applied to Hezekiah’s body. In those days, there was little difference in people’s minds between the preparation of a poultice and a miraculous healing, for the result of it all was a work of divine deliverance ascribed to the Lord. This much is clear from Hezekiah’s song, which is a classic Hebrew song of worship and praise to Almighty God (38:10-20) for His acts of healing and deliverance, using many words and phrases which appear in other famous songs of deliverance (e.g. Psalm 32, 1 Sam 2:1-10; Jonah 2:2-9).
The song itself is in two halves, and is centred on verse 15. This is a statement of humble submission to the Lord, and demonstrates a mature attitude from Hezekiah. The humility of Hezekiah enabled him to be strong and stand firm against Assyrian aggression, trusting in the Lord when all seemed lost (37:1-20). No wonder the apostle Paul wrote ‘for my power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Cor 12:9); this is a spiritual principle deeply embedded within scripture, and essential to this story.
The first half of Hezekiah’s song (38:10-14) describes his feelings before being healed; he was scared of death (38:10) and of abandonment by God (38:11), and he resented the shortening of his life. To represent this he used pictures of the dismantling of a shepherd’s tent and the removal of a cloth from the loom on which it had been weaved (38:12). Hezekiah called out to the Lord in anguish, feeling like prey being tossed around by a lion (38:13)! In comparison, his own call for help was like the twittering of birds (38:14); he called out, ‘O Lord, I am oppressed, come to my help’ (38:14)!
The poem may sound strange to us, but there is much wisdom in it. Hezekiah came before the Lord to give Him honour for his healing, and he confirmed his faith going beyond what was traditionally required. By saying; ‘Lord, by such things men live’ (38:16) Hezekiah acknowledged illness and trials as a part of life endured by all people. He accepted what so many of us find so hard, which is that all people suffer in one way or another; but by recognising this he was able to break out of the self-pity and gloom of oppression. Suffering would come before healing, and healing came from God’s love (38:17). Then, in a moment of inspiration, Hezekiah perceived the vital truth that illuminates the whole poem; the dead cannot praise the Lord, only ‘the living’ (38:19). Hezekiah did not know about resurrection and had no way of knowing that those who had died could yet live and praise God. However, his words are a significant step towards the New Testament idea of ‘resurrection’.
The testimony of those who have overcome illness and trials are always inspirational, and we tend to listen to those who can tell such stories with interest! Hezekiah’s poem of praise in the midst of suffering was used in Old Testament times, and the complexities of the Hebrew text indicate to scholars that the text was heavily used (along with other well loved passages such as Psalm 23, or Jonah (2:2-9). At its heart, this is a simple story of a miracle, but it was a crucial miracle for the future of Jerusalem.
9 This what Hezekiah King of Judah wrote after he had been sick and recovered from his illness:
10 I said, ‘In the middle of my life
must I go to the gates of Sheol
and lose the rest of my years?’
11 I said, ‘I will not see the Lord Himself
in the land of the living;
I will no longer look on other people
But be with the deceased.
12 My times will be taken away
and removed from me
like my shepherd's tent
I will roll up my life like a cloth
for You have cut me off from the loom;
You have finished with me by day and night.
13 I cry out until dawn,
and like a lion he has broken all my bones;
You have finished with me by day and night.
14 Like a swallow or thrush I chirp,
I “coo” like a mourning dove.
My eyes grow weary looking up to the heavens:
O Lord, I am oppressed, come to my help!’
15 But what can I say? He has spoken to me;
He Himself has done this,
and I will walk humbly all my years
because of this anguish of my soul.
16 Lord, by such things men live;
and through all of this my spirit has life.
You have restored my health and let me live.
17 Indeed it was for my healing
that I suffered such anguish.
In Your love you kept me from destruction’s pit;
You have thrown all my sins behind You.
18 For Sheol cannot praise you,
death cannot sing your praise;
those who go down to the pit
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living, they praise you,
as I do this day;
fathers will tell their children
about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord has saved me,
so we will sing with stringed instruments
all the days of our lives
in the house of the Lord!
21 Isaiah had said, ‘Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, so that he will recover.’ 22 For Hezekiah had said, ‘What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the Lord?’
© All text and pictures on this page copyright Paul H Ashby 2010 - all rights reserved
Dear Lord Jesus, Your love for me is never ending, infinitely expressive, forever undeserved, supremely generous, overwhelmingly joyful, powerfully caring, utterly unselfish, completely satisfying and awesomely true. You have died for me and risen again to give me both new life and the gift of Your Holy Spirit, so I ask that I may never forget what You have done for me, Lord Jesus: AMEN
How can anyone praise God in the midst of suffering?
Except by faith in Christ, who was slaughtered but not broken.
How can anyone have faith in God in a world of scepticism?
Except by allowing that human reasoning is never perfect.
How can anyone trust that the Bible reveals the truth?
Except by respecting the lives of those who have lived it.
How can anyone accept that God heals some but not others?
Except by agreeing that eternal life is worth more than health.
How can anyone believe that God is love when so many suffer?
Except by finding Him with us in the midst of our suffering.
Or to put it another way;
How can people ignore what Christians have been saying for years?
Except by putting their heads in the sands of a materialistic world.
Prayer ideas
Today, pray to bless. In the midst of all the situations in which you find yourself, offer prayers of blessing
On-going prayers
- Pray for Your home church Pray today about the mission of your church, and the way in which it is viewed by the local community.
- Pray for Haiti and all those affected by the earthquake there
- Pray for Nigeria and for the health of President Umaru Yar'Adua
