July 20-26 15 Years Added To Hezekiah's Life

Hezekiah’s Glowing ReportHezekiah’s Glowing Report

You will remember the glowing report we read about Hezekiah last week.

2 Kings 18:5 NET He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there

was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after.

Dr R. C. Wetzel’s ChronologyDr R. C. Wetzel’s Chronology

Dr R. C. Wetzel gives the date of 727BC when Hezekiah became co-regent

with his father Ahaz, in the 3rd year of Hoshea’s reign. He gives the date

of 712BC when fifteen years were added to king Hezekiah‘s life. Let’s

do the math. 727-712=15 years.

Dr R. C. Wetzel’s ChronologyDr R. C. Wetzel’s Chronology

2 Kings 18:2 NET He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abi,

the daughter of Zechariah. 25+15=40 years old.

Undesigned Coincidences in Undesigned Coincidences in the Biblethe Bible

Undesigned Coincidences in the Bible, Blunt, Cambridge, 1847

Now the first thing I would observe is this: that the embassy from the King of Babylon to Hezekiah was

to congratulate him on his recovery from his sickness;


which sickness must have befallen him in the year of Sennacherib’s invasion,

and immediately previous to it—in that year, because he is said to have reigned twenty and nine years; and

the invasion of Judah is said to have occurred in the fourteenth year of his

reign;


2 Kings 18:13 NET In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, King Sennacherib

of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured

them.leaving him still fifteen years to reign, which was precisely the period by which

his life was prolonged beyond his sickness;


immediately previous to that invasion, because the prophet, in the same

breath that he assured him from God of his recovery, assured him also that God would deliver the city out of the

hand of the king of Assyria, and would defend the city, as though the

danger was imminent.


The recovery, therefore, of Hezekiah, and the destruction of the Assyrians, were events close

upon one another in point of time. And after a short interval, allowing

for the news of Hezekiah’s recovery to reach Babylon,


and an embassy to be prepared, that embassy of congratulation was

dispatched; or, in other words, the embassy from Babylon must have been close upon the destruction of

the Assyrian army.

Do Dates Really Matter?Do Dates Really Matter?

So we have two different people dating these events giving

opposing dates. Or are they? It is possible King Hezekiah had not had his birthday yet when The

Lord granted him 15 more years. So both dates are probably correct.

Do Dates Really Matter?Do Dates Really Matter?

He could have been 39 going on 40, or just turned 40 when he was given a longer life. At any rate, does is really matter? We have faith in God’s Word that he had reigned 14 years. No matter his

age at the time.

Hezekiah’s Death BedHezekiah’s Death Bed

Isaiah 38:1 NET In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness.

The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and atold him, "This is

what the Lord says, 'Give instructions to your household, for you are about

to die; you will not get well.' "


We may hence observe, among others, these good lessons: - 1. That neither men's greatness

nor their goodness will exempt them from the arrests of

sickness and death.


Hezekiah, a mighty potentate on earth and a mighty favourite of

Heaven, is struck with a disease, which, without a miracle, will

certainly be mortal; and this in the midst of his days, his comforts,

and usefulness.


It should seem, this sickness seized him when he was in the midst of his triumphs over the ruined army of the Assyrians, to teach us always to rejoice with trembling. (Matthew Henry)


2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3

"Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, and how I have carried out your will." Then

Hezekiah wept bitterly.


When we pray in our sickness, though God send not to us such an answer as he here sent to Hezekiah, yet, if by his

Spirit he bids us be of good cheer, assures us that our sins are forgiven, and that, whether we live or die, we shall be his, we do not pray in vain.

(Matthew Henry Concise Commentary)

Hezekiah’s Prayer AnsweredHezekiah’s Prayer Answered

4 The Lord told Isaiah, 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah: 'This is what the

Lord God of your ancestor David says: "I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will

add fifteen years to your life,


6 and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield

this city." ' " 7 (38:21) Isaiah ordered, "Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the skin blister and

he will get well."


8 (38:22) Hezekiah said, "What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the Lord's temple?" 9 (38:7) Isaiah

replied, "This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will

do what he has said:


10 (38:8) Look, I will make the shadow go back ten steps

on the stairs of Ahaz." And then the shadow went back

ten steps.

Ussher Annals of the WorldUssher Annals of the World

As concerning the retrograde motion of the Sun as mentioned in,

Isaiah 38:8 it is when the sun stood still at the prayer of Joshua the

moon also stood still at the time. (Joshua 10:12,13)


It is apparent that with the sun the moon also, and all the frame of heaven went backward and that

there was as much subtracted from the night, as there was added to the

day.


There was a miraculous alteration in the parts of the normal day. By

divine providence things were so ordered that no harm or hindrance

did happen to the constant and ever self-like motion and harmony

of the heavenly bodies.


This is evident by those three solar eclipses, of which I spoke earlier,

from Ptolemy. The account of these if calculated from our times backward yields the same result of

the times as was formerly observed by the Chaldeans

(Babylonians)


and in the same manner as if no such retrogradation or going back of the sun had ever happened. (Ussher

Annals of the World)

(The important thing to note is that the earlier eclipse data was not

disturbed by the events in Hezekiah’s day.


Whatever happened, effected at the very least the sun, earth and moon system.

God made time go backward not just have the

earth rotate backward.


Otherwise the eclipse data would be thrown off for eclipses that

occurred before Hezekiah’s event happened. An undesigned

coincidence in the scriptures verifies their authority.


Of all the people in the world, it is only recorded that the Chaldeans, (Babylonians) visited Hezekiah. They were very careful in noting

astronomical events and had noticed something strange as far

away as Babylon.


They no doubt heard that Hezekiah had something to do with it and hence

they went to him to learn more of this event. In 331BC they turned over 1903 years of astronomical observations to

Callisthenes when Alexander the Great was in Babylon. Editor)

Hezekiah’s Song Of PraiseHezekiah’s Song Of Praise

In response to this gracious provision of extended life,

Hezekiah recorded his song of thanksgiving for that

answer to prayer.


The last two verses record what Hezekiah had done for the healing, and what he had asked as a sign. (21,22) Any exposition of the song will have to provide the historic

background for the situation.


To capture the tone of the song and get the proper

interpretation of the lines, the literary genre must be

established.


This is a classic declarative praise song, a todah song

that would be offered in the Sanctuary, accompanied by

the giving of the peace offering. (Allen Ross , Th.D., Ph.D.)


13 (38:11) "I thought, 'I will no longer see the Lord in the land of the living, I will no

longer look on mankind with the inhabitants of the

world.


14 (38:12) My dwelling place is removed and taken away from me like a shepherd's tent. I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; from the loom he cuts me off. You

turn day into night and end my life.


11 (38:9) This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his

illness: 12 (38:10) "I thought, 'In the middle of my life I must walk

through the gates of Sheol, I am deprived of the rest of my years.'


15 (38:13) I cry out until morning; like a lion he shatters all my

bones; you turn day into night and end my life. 16 (38:14) Like a

swallow or a thrush I chirp, I coo like a dove; my eyes grow tired

from looking up to the sky.


O sovereign master, I am oppressed; help me! 17 (38:15) What can I say? He

has decreed and acted. I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. 18 (38:16) O

sovereign master, your decrees can give men life; may years of life be

restored to me.


Restore my health and preserve my life.' 19 (38:17) "Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit. You delivered me from the pit of oblivion. For you removed all my

sins from your sight.


20 (38:18) Indeed Sheol does not give you thanks; death does not praise you. Those who descend into the

pit do not anticipate your faithfulness. 21 (38:19) The living one, the living one, he gives you

thanks, as I do today.


A father tells his sons about your faithfulness. 22 (38:20) The Lord is about to deliver me, and we will celebrate with

music for the rest of our lives in the Lord's temple."


We have here Hezekiah's thanksgiving. It is well for us to remember the mercies

we receive in sickness. Hezekiah records the condition he was in.


He dwells upon this; I shall no more see the Lord. A

good man wishes not to live for any other end than that

he may serve God, and have communion with him.


Our present residence is like that of a shepherd in his

hut, a poor, mean, and cold lodging, and with a trust

committed to our charge, as the shepherd has.


Our days are compared to the weaver's shuttle, passing and

repassing very swiftly, every throw leaving a thread behind it; and

when finished, the piece is cut off, taken out of the loom, and showed

to our Master to be judged of.


A good man, when his life is cut off, his cares and fatigues are

cut off with it, and he rests from his labours. But our times

are in God's hand; he has appointed what shall be the

length of the piece.


When sick, we are very apt to calculate our time, but are still at uncertainty. It should be more our care how we shall get safe to

another world.


And the more we taste of the loving-kindness of God, the

more will our hearts love him, and live to him. It was in love

to our poor perishing souls that Christ delivered them.


The pardon does not make the sin not to have been sin, but not to be

punished as it deserves. It is pleasant to think of our recoveries from sickness, when we see them flowing from the pardon of sin.


Hezekiah's opportunity to glorify God in this world, he made the

business, and pleasure, and end of life. Being recovered, he resolves to abound in praising and serving

God.


God's promises are not to do away, but to quicken and encourage the use of means. Life and health are

given that we may glorify God and do good. (Matthew Henry Concise Commentary)

What Have We LearnedWhat Have We Learned

What have we learned from Hezekiah by reading Isaiah

38? The Lord, with all His power to create or destroy

loves humans that are faithful to Him.


His power not only prolonged Hezekiah’s life, but also, on a

great, vast, immense, and enormous scale made time go backwards. And he did it all

without throwing our universe out of sync.


We learned to praise The Lord by repeating back to Him the goodness He’s done for us. Things we think insignificant are wonderful miracles.


The fact that we aren’t thrown off this spinning

globe is outstanding. Even food, water, & sleep, keep

these earthly bodies functioning. Marvelous!


Such wisdom and power displayed in our daily lives. But the greatest

of all, God The Son left paradise to became a human, died, and rose from the dead so our sins may be forgiven and we be drawn to The

Father.

July 20-26 15 Years Added To Hezekiah's Life

Spiritual

Transcript of July 20-26 15 Years Added To Hezekiah's Life