The Strand Study Bible

ISAIAH ISAIAH which to live (vs 5). During those last fifteen years of Hezekiah’s life he became proud (II Ki 20:12-19), and eventually birthed a son (Manasseh – II Ki 20:21) who ended up ruining the nation (II Ki 21). NOTE - Doing something for God ( I have walked before thee in truth ) does not entitle us to some kind of reimbursement from God (Lk 17:6-10). Selfish giving always leads to selfish living ( I Ki 9:15 & 10:14-27 – 11:9), which is never a good thing ( Prov 16:8 and Mt 10:16 a ). 38:5 Be careful what you wish for–you might just get it ( behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years ). Hezekiah wanted HIS will for his life more than he wanted God’s will, so God gave him what he wanted. With selfishness, you’ll get what you want, but you won’t want what you get ( II Sam 13: 1- 15 ). Robert Farrar Capon in The Parables of Judgment notes: For how is it that we so frequently run afoul of the worst in our lives? Oh, admittedly some of it comes from the changes and chances of this mortal life, from the malice of the devil or of man–from the outside , in short: from things we never wanted and certainly never invited. But a great deal of it comes from the inside , from our actually getting a “yes” to a prayer for something we once wanted so badly we could taste it, but which, when we finally got it, turned out to be mostly a millstone around our necks. The friends we now hate, the husbands or wives we are now estranged from, the children who have put both themselves and us on the psychiatrist’s couch–all the dire burdens that now fall on us like judgments–all of them were once earnestly invited. 1 38:9 In response to his renewed hope for deliverance from his sickness, Hezekiah composes a poetic song of praise unto Jehovah. He begins his song by reflecting upon his “whiny” attitude during the early stages of his illness (vs 10-14). 38:14 The reason for Hezekiah’s “selfish whining” ( I am oppressed ) was twofold: 1. Hezekiah thought that the way he was dying was wrong The boil that was about to end his life (vs 21) was the same kind of boil that God used to plague the Egyptians (Exo 9:8-11). Like so many of God’s people, Hezekiah thought to himself, “But I’m a good man and all I’ve done throughout my life is serve the Lord. After all I’ve done for Him why would He allow me to die like some evil Egyptian?” *First of all , like so many of God’s people, Hezekiah had forgotten to consult the Scriptures when thinking. According to David’s Psalm (Psa 14:2-3), which Hezekiah would have had access to, “there are none good, no not one” (Rom 3:10-12,23). So why is it that we always want to brag on ourselves (Isa 38:2-3)? Why is it that we humans always want to brag on our own goodness instead of God’s? According to Isaiah 64:6, even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in the sight of God. Contrary to popular belief, bad things don’t happen to good people. Why? Because there are no good people (Job 5:7 & 14:1, Psa 51:5, Eccl 7:20 and Jere 17:9), not in God’s eyes. On the other hand, because of God’s “goodness” (Rom 2:4), good things happen to bad people (Rom 5:6-8). We need to stop thinking about how good we are and start thinking about how good God is. *Secondly , it is our duty to serve the One who first served us (I Jn 4:9-10 and Lk 17:6-10). So why is it that we always think God owes us something for serving Him? Did He not bankrupt Heaven for us already by giving us the Son (Jn 3:16 and Rom 8:35- 39), as well as the Spirit (Jn 14:16-17)? We need to stop thinking about what we have done for the Lord and start thinking about what the Lord has done for us. If in this lifetime all we get is salvation, shouldn’t that be enough? *Thirdly , because we are all born with a sin nature (Gen 2:17), we are all going to die from something. Does it really matter what it is we die from? We need to stop focusing on how we die and start focusing on how Christ died for us. If you think dying of cancer is rough, try dying from crucifixion. 2. Hezekiah thought that he deserved the right to have a successor As far as we know, Hezekiah was still childless at the time of his sickness. Having no son and successor to succeed him only added to his grief. Is it no wonder he pictured God as a lion (vs 13) waiting to devour him, while viewing himself as a helpless bird chattering about his own destruction? 38:15 As soon as Hezekiah realized that God had granted him his request, he stopped his whining and started to act all amazed at God’s goodness. In essence, he said, “I’m speechless ( What shall I say ) and humbled ( I shall go softly ) by what God has done in my life. 1094

1 Capon, Robert Farrar. The Parables of Judgment , Grand Rapids, MI, Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1989. Print.