1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying,
3 I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now 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.
4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
8 And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?
9 And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?
10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.
11 And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.
12 At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.
14 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.
15 And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.
16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD.
17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.
18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?
20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
View All 2 Kings Chapter 20 Comments...
Richard H Priday's 2 Kings Chapter 20 comment on 4/01/2022, 5:33pm...
This section brings the power of life and death to prominence. After Isaiah's prophecy about King Hezekiah's imminent death; the Lord chose to heed to his prayers and add 15 years to his life. He was also going to give deliverance from Assyria for His own purposes as well as "David's sake" (v. 6). Verses 9-11 show the sign asked for to confirm his healing at the Temple. That was a REVERSAL of the sun's position back to where it was before it was in the incident of Ahaz. That was when the sun AND moon were stopped; i.e. indicating the earth's rotation or a more complex reaction of various orbits or perhaps time itself being held back. Of course; now that the sun is back to where it was previously it takes some diligence searching the historical record for this; I believe some have done this. It surely would be as significant worldwide as the darkness for a few hours when Christ was dying.
The rest of the passage refers to Babylon being shown all the treasure. After the Assyrians eventually turned from appeasement to military foe; one would think such actions would be; as the Prophet Isaiah stated-be an unwise action. Hezekiah's character flaw also would be in not seeking God to delay further His diaspora predicted; instead of just being content that it wouldn't happen in his time. (v. 19). This shows short sightedness in general; especially in light of clear evidence of answered prayer. This is why we should always persevere in prayer and not grow weary in doing good. (Galatians 6:9).
Tomas's 2 Kings Chapter 20 comment on 1/11/2021, 6:56am...
It's not over, last night I heard Trump signed the insurrection act. Don't look for confirmation from MSM -Fake news, but wait on the LORD, conditions will dramatically pick-up i.e. The military and special forces arresting Joe Biden and Hunter Biden and thousands of other high profilers.
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