Hezekiah Praises God after Bitter Sickness
Delivered life becomes devoted praise.
Isaiah 38:9-20 (BSB)
9 This is a writing by Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10 I said, “In the prime of my life I must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the remainder of my years.”
11 I 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.
12 My 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.
13 I composed myself until the morning. Like a lion He breaks all my bones; from day until night You make an end of me.
14 I 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.”
15 What 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.
16 O 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.
17 Surely 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.
18 For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
19 The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness.
20 The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD.
What is the big idea of Isaiah 38:9-20?
Delivered life becomes devoted praise.
How does Isaiah 38:9-20 point to Christ?
Isaiah 38:9-20 reveals that God not only preserves life but forgives sin and turns despair into praise. The gospel proclaims that through Christ our sins are cast away and we are raised to live in grateful worship.
Authorial Intent
To preserve Hezekiah’s reflective song of lament and thanksgiving, showing the theological interpretation of his illness and recovery.
Chapter: Isaiah 38
Hezekiah’s Sickness, Prayer, and the LORD’s Added Years
The LORD hears Hezekiah’s tearful prayer, adds years to his life, confirms His promise by a sign, and teaches that life rescued from death must become humble praise before the God who forgives sin and saves from the pit.