DEVOTIONAL 12/27/2023
2 Kings 20
1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying,
3 I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
King Hezekiah faced a deadly disease. God warned him to prepare for the departure from this life. When receiving such unexpected news, most of us often first react in disbelief. We may fight back the idea. We may go and seek advice from many physicians. If there is no cure, we then have to accept the prognosis because no one can go against God’s will. Physicians may be proud of their abilities to heal many diseases, but they cannot reverse God’s order.
Would this be the fate of Hezekiah? Should Hezekiah accept the reality of his coming death?
Hezekiah decided to turn to the most effective means for all human beings when facing danger, prayer. “Then he turned his face to the wall” (2 Kings 20: 2). The imagery shows the desperation factor of his prayer. He was at his lowest. He had no solution. It was hopeless. He committed to the Lord in isolation. “Hezekiah wept sore” (2 Kings 20: 3). According to the reading, we do not know how long he spent on that time of prayer, but we know he must have poured his heart out.
And it worked. The prayers worked.
2 Kings 20
5 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.
6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
The Lord not only saved the life of Hezekiah, but also added to his day 15 years. Fifteen years is a substantial amount considering someone must soon die. Moreover, God even decided to deliver him and his city from king Assyria. Heartfelt prayers extended their effects from the life of Hezekiah to the safety of the city around him.
Notice something in the passages we read. Hezekiah mentioned in his prayers “how I have walked before thee in truth and with perfect heart” (2 Kings 20: 3). God also approved of Hezekiah’s life by saying “the captain of my people” (2 Kings 20: 5). God is the Owner of all blessings and He is merciful so He can easily save even a wayward heart if He wants to. Nonetheless, Hezekiah received such tremendous blessings partly by maintaining his integrity and living according to God’s ruling despite corrupt influences surrounding him. If he had lived a rebellious life and only applied last minute repentance, God might not have listened to his prayers at all.
What is amazing about the story is that Hezekiah was in disbelief of his death reversal, and he asked what should be the sign that God will recover him. God even answered him by allowing “the shadow ten degrees backward” (2 King 20: 11).
2 Kings 20
8 And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?
9 And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?
10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.
11 And Isaiah 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.
Hezekiah’s prayers show that prayers are powerful weapons in times of troubles. Believers must actively engage in prayers and incorporate prayers into their lifestyles. A prayerless Christian is weak and easily influenced by evil schemes of the enemies. Spiritual warfare is constant even if we cannot see it. In the case of Hezekiah, prayer is life-saving and impactful to protect his people. Also, we must equip prayerful life with complete obedience to the LORD, and He shall not turn away from our petitions.
Photo by Pixabay, https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-hands-on-holy-bible-267559/
Sam Christian
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Acknowledgements
Vocabulary and grammar checks were done with the help of Collinsdictionary.com, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and the writing “Incorrect punctuation of two independent clauses” by Hamilton.edu.
The Bible used is the King James Version by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA (King James Version Bible Large Print Thinline Edition, 2016). Some texts were inspired by boldfaced words from this Bible book. Some parts of this work may be inspired during attendance at Deeper Life Bible Church, Bronx, New York.
Style of quotation followed partly the APA style-7th edition.
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