HEZEKIAH'S ILLNESS

Passage: Isaiah 38:1~22  

Key verse: 5,6


1. Hezekiah prays and weeps (1-8)

Hezekiah was very sick (maybe he had a carbuncle--verse 21), but he could not accept the news of his impending death. He wept and asked the Lord to remember his faithful life. God heard his prayer and promised to protect Jerusalem and give him 15 more years of life. God gave him an amazing sign: The sun's shadow moved 10 steps backward on a stairway that functioned as a sundial. Only the Creator of life and Ruler of nature can do these things.

2. Hezekiah's recovery (9-22)

After he recovered, King Hezekiah wrote a hymn of praise. He wrote about his sorrow at dying in the prime of life, and how he had called on the Lord (9-14). He accepted his suffering as God's love, and he praised God for healing him and forgiving his sins (15-17). He concludes by resolving to teach his children God's faithfulness.


Prayer: Lord, you protect me and spare my life so that I may praise your name and tell of your faithfulness.

One Word: Call on the name of Almighty God