In the midst of his prosperous reign King Hezekiah
was suddenly stricken with a fatal malady. "Sick unto
death," his case was beyond the power of man to help. And
the last vestige of hope seemed removed when the prophet
Isaiah appeared before him with the message, "Thus saith
the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and
not live." Isaiah 38:1.
The outlook seemed utterly dark; yet the king could still
pray to the One who had hitherto been his "refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1. And
so "he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the
Lord, saying, I beseech Thee, O Lord, remember now how
I have walked before Thee in truth and with a perfect
heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight. And
Hezekiah wept sore." 2 Kings 20:2, 3.
Since the days of David there had reigned no king who
had wrought so mightily for the upbuilding of the kingdom
of God in a time of apostasy and discouragement as had
Hezekiah. The dying ruler had served his God faithfully,
and had strengthened the confidence of the people in Jehovah
as their Supreme Ruler. And, like David, he could
now plead:
"Let my prayer come before Thee:
Incline Thine ear unto my cry;
For my soul is full of troubles:
And my life draweth nigh unto the grave."
Psalm 88:2, 3.
"Thou art my hope, O Lord God:
Thou art my trust from my youth.
By Thee have I been holden up."
"Forsake me not when my strength faileth."
"O God, be not far from me:
O my God, make haste for my help."
"O God, forsake me not;
Until I have showed Thy strength unto this
generation,
And Thy power to everyone that is to come."
Psalm 71:5, 6, 9, 12, 18.
He whose "compassions fail not," heard the prayer of
His servant. Lamentations 3:22. "It came to pass, afore
Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of
the Lord came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah
the captain of My people, Thus saith the Lord, the God
of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen
thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou
shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add
unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and
this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will
defend this city for Mine own sake, and for My servant
David's sake." 2 Kings 20:4-6.
Gladly the prophet returned with the words of assurance
and hope. Directing that a lump of figs be laid upon the
diseased part, Isaiah delivered to the king the message of
God's mercy and protecting care.
Like Moses in the land of Midian, like Gideon in the
presence of the heavenly messenger, like Elisha just before
the ascension of his master, Hezekiah pleaded for some
sign that the message was from heaven. "What shall be
the sign," he inquired of the prophet, "that the Lord will
heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord
the third day?"
"This sign shalt thou have of the Lord," the prophet
answered, "that the Lord will do the thing that He hath
spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go
back ten degrees?" "It is a light thing," Hezekiah replied,
"for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the
shadow return backward ten degrees."
Only by the direct interposition of God could the shadow
on the sundial be made to turn back ten degrees; and this
was to be the sign to Hezekiah that the Lord had heard his
prayer. Accordingly, "the prophet cried unto the Lord:
and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by
which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz." Verses 8-11.
Restored to his wonted strength, the king of Judah
acknowledged in words of song the mercies of Jehovah,
and vowed to spend his remaining days in willing service
to the King of kings. His grateful recognition of God's
compassionate dealing with him is an inspiration to all who
desire to spend their years to the glory of their Maker.
"I said
In the cutting off of my days,
I shall go to the gates of the grave:
I am deprived of the residue of my years.
"I said,
I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of
the living;
I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the
world.
"Mine age is departed,
And is removed from me as a shepherd's tent:
"I have cut off like a weaver my life:
He will cut me off with pining sickness:
"From day even to night wilt Thou make an end of me.
I reckoned till morning, that,
As a lion, so will He break all my bones:
"From day even to night wilt Thou make an end of me.
Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter:
I did mourn as a dove:
Mine eyes fail with looking upward:
O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.
"What shall I say?
He hath both spoken unto me,
And Himself hath done it:
I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my
soul.
"O Lord, by these things men live,
And in all these things is the life of my spirit:
So wilt Thou recover me, and make me to live.
"Behold, for peace I had great bitterness:
But Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the
pit of corruption:
For Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back.
"For the grave cannot praise Thee,
Death cannot celebrate Thee:
They that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth.
"The living, the living, he shall praise Thee,
As I do this day:
The father to the children shall make known Thy truth.
"The Lord was ready to save me:
Therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed
instruments
All the days of our life in the house of the Lord."
Isaiah 38:10-20.
In the fertile valleys of the Tigris and the Euphrates
there dwelt an ancient race which, though at that time
subject to Assyria, was destined to rule the world. Among
its people were wise men who gave much attention to the
study of astronomy; and when they noticed that the shadow
on the sundial had been turned back ten degrees, they
marveled greatly. Their king, Merodachbaladan, upon learning
that this miracle had been wrought as a sign to the
king of Judah that the God of heaven had granted him a
new lease of life, sent ambassadors to Hezekiah to congratulate
him on his recovery and to learn, if possible, more of
the God who was able to perform so great a wonder.
The visit of these messengers from the ruler of a
far-away land gave Hezekiah an opportunity to extol the living
God. How easy it would have been for him to tell them
of God, the upholder of all created things, through whose
favor his own life had been spared when all other hope had
fled! What momentous transformations might have taken
place had these seekers after truth from the plains of Chaldea
been led to acknowledge the supreme sovereignty of the
living God!
But pride and vanity took possession of Hezekiah's heart,
and in self-exaltation he laid open to covetous eyes the
treasures with which God had enriched His people. The
king "showed them the house of his precious things, the
silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious
ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found
in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all
his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not." Isaiah
39:2. Not to glorify God did he do this, but to exalt
himself in the eyes of the foreign princes. He did not stop to
consider that these men were representatives of a powerful
nation that had not the fear nor the love of God in their
hearts, and that it was imprudent to make them his
confidants concerning the temporal riches of the nation.
The visit of the ambassadors to Hezekiah was a test of
his gratitude and devotion. The record says, "Howbeit
in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon,
who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was
done in the land, God left him, to try him, that He might
know all that was in his heart." 2 Chronicles 32:31. Had
Hezekiah improved the opportunity given him to bear
witness to the power, the goodness, the compassion, of the
God of Israel, the report of the ambassadors would have been
as light piercing darkness. But he magnified himself above
the Lord of hosts. He "rendered not again according to the
benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up." Verse 25.
How disastrous the results which were to follow! To
Isaiah it was revealed that the returning ambassadors were
carrying with them a report of the riches they had seen, and
that the king of Babylon and his counselors would plan
to enrich their own country with the treasures of Jerusalem.
Hezekiah had grievously sinned; "therefore there was wrath
upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem." Verse 25.
"Then came Isaiah the prophet unto King Hezekiah,
and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence
came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come
from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. Then said
he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah
answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there
is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them.
"Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the
Lord of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in
thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in
store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing
shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall
issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take
away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king
of Babylon.
"Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the
Lord which thou hast spoken." Isaiah 39:3-8.
Filled with remorse, "Hezekiah humbled himself for
the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them
in the days of Hezekiah." 2 Chronicles 32:26. But the evil
seed had been sown and in time was to spring up and
yield a harvest of desolation and woe. During his remaining
years the king of Judah was to have much prosperity
because of his steadfast purpose to redeem the past and to
bring honor to the name of the God whom he served; yet
his faith was to be severely tried, and he was to learn that
only by putting his trust fully in Jehovah could he hope
to triumph over the powers of darkness that were plotting
his ruin and the utter destruction of his people.
The story of Hezekiah's failure to prove true to his trust
at the time of the visit of the ambassadors is fraught with
an important lesson for all. Far more than we do, we need
to speak of the precious chapters in our experience, of the
mercy and loving-kindness of God, of the matchless depths
of the Saviour's love. When mind and heart are filled with
the love of God, it will not be difficult to impart that which
enters into the spiritual life. Great thoughts, noble aspirations,
clear perceptions of truth, unselfish purposes, yearnings
for piety and holiness, will find expression in words that
reveal the character of the heart treasure.
Those with whom we associate day by day need our
help, our guidance. They may be in such a condition of
mind that a word spoken in season will be as a nail in a
sure place. Tomorrow some of these souls may be where
we can never reach them again. What is our influence
over these fellow travelers?
Every day of life is freighted with responsibilities which
we must bear. Every day, our words and acts are making
impressions upon those with whom we associate. How
great the need that we set a watch upon our lips and guard
carefully our steps! One reckless movement, one imprudent
step, and the surging waves of some strong temptation may
sweep a soul into the downward path. We cannot gather
up the thoughts we have planted in human minds. If they
have been evil, we may have set in motion a train of
circumstances, a tide of evil, which we are powerless to stay.
On the other hand, if by our example we aid others in
the development of good principles, we give them power
to do good. In their turn they exert the same beneficial
influence over others. Thus hundreds and thousands are
helped by our unconscious influence. The true follower of
Christ strengthens the good purposes of all with whom
he comes in contact. Before an unbelieving, sin-loving
world he reveals the power of God's grace and the perfection
of His character.