Isaiah 38:1-22
A Song after Healing
1In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”
2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
3saying, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,
5“Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
6And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
7This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised:
8I will make the sun’s shadow that falls on the stairway of Ahaz go back ten steps.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had descended.
9This is a writing by Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10I said, “In the prime of my life I must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the remainder of my years.”
11I said, “I will never again see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind with those who dwell in this world.
12My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom; from day until night You make an end of me.
13I composed myself until the morning. Like a lion He breaks all my bones; from day until night You make an end of me.
14I chirp like a swallow or crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak as I look upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.”
15What can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk slowly all my years because of the anguish of my soul.
16O Lord, by such things men live, and in all of them my spirit finds life. You have restored me to health and have let me live.
17Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
18For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
19The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness.
20The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD.
21Now Isaiah had said, “Prepare a lump of pressed figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
22And Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”
Berean Standard Bible
Hezekiah becomes mortally ill, and Isaiah tells him to set his house in order because he will die. Hezekiah turns his face to the wall and prays, reminding the LORD that he has walked before Him faithfully and wholeheartedly. He weeps bitterly.
The LORD hears and promises fifteen more years. He also promises to deliver Jerusalem from the king of Assyria. As a sign, the shadow on the stairway goes backward. The answer to prayer is personal, but it is also tied to the safety of the city.
Hezekiah's song describes death as going to the gates of Sheol, being deprived of the remainder of one's years, and having one's dwelling pulled up like a shepherd's tent. He has waited for peace, but bitterness has followed. The honest song does not rush past fear or loss.
Then praise rises because God has cast Hezekiah's sins behind His back. The living thank God, parents tell children about His faithfulness, and the LORD saves. The chapter ends with practical care: a lump of figs is applied, and Hezekiah asks for a sign of healing.
Questions
1 What did Hezekiah do after Isaiah's warning?
AnswerHe turned to the wall, prayed, and wept bitterly.
2 What answer did the LORD give?
AnswerHe promised to add fifteen years to Hezekiah's life and deliver Jerusalem.
3 How does Hezekiah describe his illness?
AnswerHe describes it as a threatened departure to Sheol and the loss of the rest of his years.
4 What does the living do?
AnswerThe living praise God and tell their children about His faithfulness.
What This Means for Us
Hezekiah's prayer gives permission for grief to be direct. Faith does not require a person to sound calm when death feels close.
Pray honestly in your home, while also receiving ordinary means of care. When healing comes, tell the next generation what God has done instead of keeping gratitude private.
Prayer
God of life, hear us when sickness and fear leave us without words. Give comfort, wise care, and mercy, and help us tell our children about your faithfulness. Amen.