[:en]SCRIPTURE: ISAIAH 38
“Remember, O Lord, how i have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes” (Isaiah 38:3)
“Go and tell Hezekiah, “This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city” (Isaiah 38:5-6)
“Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kep0t me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back” (Isaiah 38:17)
“The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord” (Isaiah 38:20)
HEZEKIAH’S ILLNESS (vs. 1-22)
Hezekiah contacted a boil that infected his body (v. 21) Prophet Isaiah told him that he would die and would not recover (v. 1). Hezekiah prayed to the Lord for healing. God answered his prayer by adding 15 years to his life. He also promised to defend the city and deliver them from Assyria. God made a sign by making the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gun down on the stairway of Ahaz. (vs. 7-8)
HEZEKIAH DESCRIBED THE PICTURE OF DEATH:
- He cannot look on mankind (v. 11)
- His tent has been pulled down, taken and cut off (v. 13)
- His bones are being broken by a lion (v. 13)
- He moaned like a mourning dove (v. 14)
After being healed and restored to health, King Hezekiah made these statements:
- I will walk humbly all my years (v. 15)
- My spirit had found life (v. 16)
- Your love kept me from the pit of destruction and you have put all my sins behind your back (v. 17)
- I will praise you about your faithfulness (v. 19)
- I will sing with stringed instrument in the temple of the Lord (v. 20)
Let us overcome our difficult circumstance by trusting in God’s care. Let us appreciate our life with a desire to live for the Lord and serve Him faithfully.[:]