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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Isaiah Chapter 38

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Isaiah
Date Penned: (700-681 BC)
Overview: To Tell of God's Salvation through the Messiah (c 1-66)
Theme: Words of Judgment (c 1-39)
Message: Hezekiah Receives 15 Extra Years (v 1-22)

Isaiah 38 Commentary 

(38:1) Hezekiah - The events of Isaiah 38 and 39 happened before those of Isaiah 36 and 37. 38:1-6 According to 2 Chronicles 32:24-26, Hezekiah struggled with pride even after he had experienced this double miracle of healing and deliverance. Eventually he and his subjects humbled themselves, so God's judgment was put off for several more generations. 

(38:1-5) Hezekiah is Sick - When Isaiah went to Hezekiah, who was extremely ill, and told him of his impending death, Hezekiah immediately turned to God for healing. God responded to his prayer, allowing Hezekiah to live another 15 years. If you have a desperate need in your life, bring it to the Lord. In response to fervent prayer, God may change the course of your life too. Never hesitate to ask God for radical changes in your life if you will honor him in those changes. 

(38:16-18) Hezekiah's Prayer - Hezekiah realized that his prayer had brought deliverance and forgiveness. His words the grave cannot praise thee may reveal that he was unaware of the blessedness of the future life for those who trust in God (57:1-2), or he may have meant that dead bodies cannot praise God. In either case, Hezekiah acknowledged that God had spared his life, so in his poem he praised God. Hezekiah recognized the good that came from his bitter experience. The next time you face a difficult struggle, ask God to help you gain something beneficial from it and the insight to recognize how he is working. 

(38:19) Telling God's Message - Hezekiah spoke of the joy and significance of recounting the faithfulness of the Lord from generation to generation. The heritage of our faith has come to us because of faithful men and women who have carried God's message to us across the centuries. What can you do to share with your children or other young people the excitement of your relationship with God?


Dave Burnette's Life Application

Adding Years to Your Life

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue in the Book of Isaiah with Chapter 38. In our text today, we see that Hezekiah receives 15 extra years of life due to Isaiah's prayer. In applying, we see that the Lord answers prayer and is concerned with your life. Today, many false prophets stage healing services and preach to name it - claim it - and it is yours. Still, the truth is that the Lord answers prayers that are according to His Will, and the Lord hears and responds to prayer. How about you? Do you see that the Lord does answer prayer? Let us learn from our text today and the prayer of Isaiah to remember that the Lord answers prayer according to His Will and can even add years to your life.   

 

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Isaiah 38

Isaiah 38

 1In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.

 2Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,

 3And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

 4Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,

 5Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

 6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.

 7And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;

 8Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

 9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:

 10I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.

 11I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

 12Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

 13I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

 14Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

 15What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

 16O LORD, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.

 17Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

 18For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

 19The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

 20The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

 21For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.

 22Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?