Isaiah 38
If you had been granted a reprieve from imminent death and assured that you would have another 15 years to live, what would you do? Hezekiah prayed (v 9-20). What can we learn from his prayer?
- many (most?) will say that death comes too quickly, that they are being deprived of their lives (v 10)
- sudden death might be preferred over lingering illness (v 12)
- few die willingly, but rather we fight for our lives (v 13-14)
- who among us will submit to the will of God at any time, not to mention in death? (v 15)
- life has its up’s and down’s (v 17).
- if my sins are behind God’s back, then He doesn’t notice them (v 17)
- dead men tell no tales, nor do they praise God (v 18)
- as the living praise God, so I will praise Him, too (v 19)
- The Lord is always ready to save us (v 20)
2 Chronicles 32
- Even though Hezekiah’s prayer was answered and he was allowed to live for another 15 years, yet in those years his heart was not always faithful to God. (v 25)
- But God was merciful to Hezekiah and to his people (v 26)
- That Hezekiah’s wealth is mentioned leads some to believe that it was it attitude toward riches that got him into trouble with God (v 27-30).
- It does seem that his boasting to the Babylonian ambassador was the final act that brought God’s anger upon the king (v 31)
- Yet, he is remembered for his goodness (v 32); and he received a state burial (v 33) befitting the king of Judah. Don’t let the last sinful act of a person cause you to forget what good was done during his lifetime.
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