This is a writing by Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery: A writing of HezekiahThis phrase introduces the personal account of King Hezekiah, a significant figure in the history of Judah. Hezekiah was a king known for his faithfulness to God, as recorded in 2 Kings 18:5, which states that he trusted in the LORD more than any of the kings of Judah before or after him. The Hebrew word for "writing" here is "מִכְתָּב" (mikhtav), indicating a written document or inscription. This suggests that what follows is a personal reflection or testimony, providing a rare glimpse into the heart and mind of a king who experienced God's deliverance firsthand. king of Judah
Hezekiah was the king of Judah, the southern kingdom of the divided Israelite monarchy. His reign is noted for religious reforms, including the removal of high places and the destruction of idols (2 Kings 18:4). The title "king of Judah" emphasizes his authority and responsibility over God's chosen people, highlighting the significance of his personal experiences and reflections as not just private musings but as insights from a leader of God's covenant community. after his illness and recovery
This phrase sets the context for Hezekiah's writing, referring to a specific period in his life when he was gravely ill. The Hebrew word for "illness" is "חֳלִי" (choli), which can denote a severe sickness. The miraculous recovery, as detailed in Isaiah 38:1-8, where God extends Hezekiah's life by fifteen years, underscores the theme of divine intervention and mercy. This experience of illness and subsequent healing serves as a powerful testimony to God's sovereignty and compassion, reminding believers of the hope and restoration available through faith in God. Persons / Places / Events 1. HezekiahHezekiah was the king of Judah who reigned during a time of great political and spiritual turmoil. He is known for his faithfulness to God and his efforts to restore proper worship in the temple. In Isaiah 38, he faces a life-threatening illness and turns to God in prayer. 2. JerusalemThe capital city of Judah, where Hezekiah reigned. It was a central place of worship and the political heart of the kingdom. 3. Isaiah the ProphetA major prophet in the Old Testament who served as God's messenger to the people of Judah. He delivered God's messages to Hezekiah, including the prophecy of his recovery. 4. The Event of Hezekiah's IllnessHezekiah's illness and subsequent recovery is a significant event that demonstrates God's power and mercy. It also serves as a testament to the efficacy of prayer and faith. Teaching Points The Power of PrayerHezekiah's earnest prayer in his time of need demonstrates the importance of turning to God in prayer, trusting in His power to heal and deliver. God's Sovereignty and MercyHezekiah's account highlights God's sovereignty over life and death and His willingness to extend mercy to those who seek Him with a sincere heart. The Importance of FaithfulnessHezekiah's life serves as a reminder of the blessings that come from living a life of faithfulness and obedience to God. Gratitude and TestimonyLike Hezekiah, we should respond to God's deliverance with gratitude and a willingness to share our testimony of His goodness with others. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Hezekiah's response to his illness challenge or inspire your own approach to difficult situations? 2. In what ways can Hezekiah's prayer life serve as a model for your personal prayer practices? 3. How does the account of Hezekiah's illness and recovery deepen your understanding of God's character, particularly His mercy and sovereignty? 4. What parallels can you draw between Hezekiah's experience and the teachings in James 5:15 about the power of prayer? 5. How can you incorporate gratitude and testimony into your daily life as a response to God's work in your life, similar to Hezekiah's response in Isaiah 38:9? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Kings 20This chapter provides a parallel account of Hezekiah's illness and recovery, offering additional details about the events and God's intervention. Psalm 30This psalm is a song of thanksgiving for deliverance from death, similar to Hezekiah's experience and his response in Isaiah 38:9. James 5:15This New Testament verse speaks about the prayer of faith and its power to heal, echoing the theme of Hezekiah's prayer and recovery. People Ahaz, Amoz, David, Hezekiah, IsaiahPlaces AssyriaTopics Better, Disease, Got, Hezekiah, Hezeki'ah, Ill, Illness, Judah, Recovered, Recovery, Reviveth, Sick, Sickness, WritingDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 38:1-10 8610 prayer, asking God Library The Life of the Spirit
(First Sunday after Christmas.) Isaiah xxxviii. 16. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit. These words are the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah; and they are true words, words from God. But, if they are true words, they are true words for every one--for you and me, for every one here in this church this day: for they do not say, By these things certain men live, one man here and another man there; but all men. Whosoever is really alive, that is, has …
Charles Kingsley—Town and Country SermonsNo Man Cometh to the Father but by Me.
This being added for further confirmation of what was formerly said, will point out unto us several necessary truths, as, I. That it is most necessary to be sound and clear in this fundamental point of coming to God only in and through Christ. For, 1. It is the whole marrow of the gospel. 2. It is the hinge of our salvation, Christ is "the chief corner stone," Isa. xxxviii. 16. 1 Pet. i. 5, 6; and, 3. The only ground of all our solid and true peace and comfort. 4 An error or a mistake here, is most …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life Epistle ii. To Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch.
To Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch. Gregory to Anastasius, Patriarch of Antioch. I have received the letters of your most sweet Blessedness, which flowed with tears for words. For I saw in them a cloud flying aloft as clouds do; but, though it carried with it a darkness of sorrow, I could not easily discover at its commencement whence it came or whither it was going, since by reason of the darkness I speak of I did not fully understand its origin. Yet it becomes you, most holy ones, ever to recall …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Letter Xliv Concerning the Maccabees but to whom Written is Unknown.
Concerning the Maccabees But to Whom Written is Unknown. [69] He relies to the question why the Church has decreed a festival to the Maccabees alone of all the righteous under the ancient law. 1. Fulk, Abbot of Epernay, had already written to ask me the same question as your charity has addressed to your humble servant by Brother Hescelin. I have put off replying to him, being desirous to find, if possible, some statement in the Fathers about this which was asked, which I might send to him, rather …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
A BRIEF AND FAITHFUL RELATION OF THE EXCEEDING MERCY OF GOD IN CHRIST TO HIS POOR SERVANT, JOHN BUNYAN; WHEREIN IS PARTICULARLY SHOWED THE MANNER OF HIS CONVERSION, HIS SIGHT AND TROUBLE FOR SIN, HIS DREADFUL TEMPTATIONS, ALSO HOW HE DESPAIRED OF GOD'S MERCY, AND HOW THE LORD AT LENGTH THROUGH CHRIST DID DELIVER HIM FROM ALL THE GUILT AND TERROR THAT LAY UPON HIM. Whereunto is added a brief relation of his call to the work of the ministry, of his temptations therein, as also what he hath met with …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Meditations for the Sick.
Whilst thy sickness remains, use often, for thy comfort, these few meditations, taken from the ends wherefore God sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are ten. 1. That by afflictions God may not only correct our sins past, but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruptions, and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit; like a good father, who suffers his tender babe to scorch his finger in a candle, that he may the rather learn to beware …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Assurance
Q-xxxvi: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM SANCTIFICATION? A: Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. The first benefit flowing from sanctification is assurance of God's love. 'Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.' 2 Pet 1:10. Sanctification is the seed, assurance is the flower which grows out of it: assurance is a consequent of sanctification. The saints of old had it. We know that we know …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity The Power of God
The next attribute is God's power. Job 9:19. If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong.' In this chapter is a magnificent description of God's power. Lo, he is strong.' The Hebrew word for strong signifies a conquering, prevailing strength. He is strong.' The superlative degree is intended here; viz., He is most strong. He is called El-shaddai, God almighty. Gen 17:7. His almightiness lies in this, that he can do whatever is feasible. Divines distinguish between authority and power. God has both. …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Isaiah 38:9 NIVIsaiah 38:9 NLTIsaiah 38:9 ESVIsaiah 38:9 NASBIsaiah 38:9 KJV
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