Grace for Life

2 Kings 20:1-11
    1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.'"
    2 Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 "Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
    4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 "Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. 6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David."'"
    7 Then Isaiah said, "Take a lump of figs." So they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.  8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "What is the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD the third day?"
    9 Then Isaiah said, "This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?"  10 And Hezekiah answered, "It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees."  11 So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.

Hezekiah was dying.  Isaiah the prophet confirmed this and told him to set his affairs in order for his death, making a will of sorts and determining what will be passed on to his posterity.  Yet because the king was devastated by this sudden news, he prayed bitterly with overflowing sadness and pleaded with the LORD.  Hezekiah reminded God how he had tried to live in a way which honored Him from his heart driving the direction of his life in actions.  The LORD heard this sincere prayer and stopped Isaiah as he was on his way out from the king that he would bring good news from the word of the LORD.  He had heard the prayer and felt the tears of a broken and contrite heart (Isaiah 57:15, 66:2).  God promised healing as a reprieve from death and added fifteen years to his life, giving him more time to deal with a gradual loss of mortality and serve his LORD further.  God also promised deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian attackers, making it clear that the victory was for His own glory and for the promise made to king David long before in His covenant which would bring the ultimate redeemer from his descendant, the Messiah.  Hezekiah was still hesitant to believe all this for healing and continued ability to worship and serve, and asked for a sign to confirm these promises; the LORD gave him the option of slowing down or speeding up time by moving the sun or earth to do accomplish this.  Hezekiah chose a longer day in reversing time by backing up the shadow cast by the sun.  This indicates that he longed for just a few additional minutes to live as well as proving the promise after narrow escaping an immediate demise.  We learn from this account that nothing is too difficult for God to work by His great hand (Jeremiah 32:17, 27, Matthew 19:26).  We can trust that He will answer sincere prayer and give grace for life in His way for His glory and honor by our worship from the heart.  This is the example set by king David as a reference point for our own hearts, and is reinforced by Hezekiah in this passage.  We can plan our way, but God guides our lives we walk out (Proverbs 16:9).  Let us then live wholeheartedly for our Lord Jesus Christ in that grace as we remember Hezekiah and the mercies of the LORD’s answer to him and His people because of a contrite and sincere heart beating for Him (2 Chronicles 16:9) in prayer and holy obedient living.