Isa 38:18-19 | KingComments | STEP | The historical part of Isaiah 36-39 can also be found, as already mentioned, in 2 Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 32. An exception is the above section. This makes immediately clear that the first meaning of this part is not practical, but prophetic. It is written as a psalm of thanksgiving, but with the structure of a lamentation. It is a funeral song which suddenly has become a birth and life song. It also consists of two parts: 1. A supplication because of the illness and suffering of Hezekiah ( ). 2. A song of thanks for the healing and new life of Hezekiah ( ). Hezekiah undergoes his illness and healing as if from the hand of the LORD. It has brought him into deep exercises. He feels the need to write down these exercises ( ). In it we recognize much of what we read in the book of Psalms about the feelings of the remnant that is in great need. It is the spirit of Christ, Who connects Himself with the remnant and Who also works in Hezekiah. The suffering of Hezekiah is also the suffering of the remnant in the great tribulation, of which they acknowledge it comes over them because of their sins. As a son of David, Hezekiah is also a picture of the Lord Jesus. What he experiences here is also a picture of what the Lord Jesus has undergone. He tasted the suffering of death ( ), not for His own sins, but for those of His people. He offered up supplications to be saved from death, and He was heard ( ). He was given an extension of life, not just fifteen years, but for eternity ( ). In death is presented as if it had gates through which a person enters (cf. ; ). In his illness Hezekiah sees himself confronted with death in the middle of his life, through which he cannot fulfill his years. This connects with the feelings prophesied by the Lord Jesus ( ; cf. ). “In the middle of my life” is literally “on the balance of my days”. Balance means halfway. This is true for Hezekiah, for the Lord Jesus, but also for the people of Israel. In his illness he thinks with anguish that this means the end of his fellowship with the LORD and with people ( ). He will no longer be able to ascend to the temple ( ). He feels how because of his illness his body, “tent”, is pulled up and removed ( ; cf. ; ). He compares the LORD with a weaver. Just as a weaver rolls up the fabric (cf. ) because the weaving is finished, so Hezekiah sees his life as ended. He reinforces that thought by talking about being ‘cut off from the loom’. He feels he has been given up by the LORD to the sorrows of death without being able to get rest ( ). He also feels it as something that suddenly comes over him. At the end of both and he says: “From day until night You make an end of me.” With this he seems to indicate a sudden, dramatic change in his circumstances: in the morning he is still perfectly healthy, in the evening he is dead. In yet another picture he sees the LORD as a lion that breaks all his bones. He experiences this action of the LORD so severe, that he says again that he feels the pain of it day and night. He is not free of it for a second. He no longer has the strength to shout. His voice is weakened to the twitter of a swallow and the moaning of a dove ( ). Hezekiah does not compare with these birds for nothing. They are birds which symbolize in a peculiar way the connection with the presence of the LORD ( ; ). He longs for the nearness of the LORD, but he experiences distance and rejection. His longing eyes turn upward, while he expresses his fear to the LORD and asks Him to stand surety for him ( ) that he will not be given up to the realm of the dead. Now that he has expressed in this way the feelings he had during his illness, has experienced them again as it were and that he is now healed, he does not know what else to say ( ). After all, the LORD has spoken that he would die and also that he would heal. He has recovered and after the bitter suffering of soul he will be allowed to live for years. He lives by this act of the LORD with him ( ). What he has received from the LORD has given him back his spirit power. This is not only because of the fact and the moment of the healing, but also at the moment that the LORD has given him the promise. The saying ‘hope springs eternal’ is true for all who continue to trust that God will fulfill all His promises. A profound change has taken place. The bitter trial has turned into salvation ( ). This salvation is so great because the trial has been so great and bitter. Hezekiah knows that he was close to the pit of nothingness, to the moment his life would come into it. This has nothing to do with completely ceasing to exist. It is about the disappearance from the world stage. He would disappear into the grave and no longer be seen. It would seem as if he no longer existed, but the LORD saved him from that fate. He sees in it the proof that the LORD has cast all his sins behind His back (cf. ). If Hezekiah had died, he would no longer be able to praise the LORD on earth ( ). He does not yet know that the deceased believers live in the presence of the Lord Jesus ( ). And Paul even longs to depart to enjoy complete fellowship with Him ( ). The expectation of the Old Testament believers was that one day they would rise and enjoy the blessing of fellowship with the LORD ( ; ). For Hezekiah, the praise of the LORD is connected to life on earth ( ). He also wants to pass this on to his sons, to the next generation ( ). A father is someone who tells his children about the faithfulness of the Lord. Although we, as New Testament believers, as members of the church, are connected not with the earth but with heaven, our life on earth must also have this great characteristic: that it is an ongoing song of praise to the glory of the Lord Jesus ( ; ). We may begin on earth with something that we will continue for all eternity and that is: to worship the Father in spirit and truth ( ). Let us pass this on to the next generations, until the Lord comes to take us to Himself. In Hezekiah moves back to the moment when Isaiah tells him on behalf of the LORD that he will be healed. Hezekiah is so pleased about this, that he involves his whole people – as is shown by the word “we” – in the joy of this. The place where that joy is expressed is at the house of the LORD. It is also not a short-lived expression, but an expression that will be there “all [the] days of our life”.

‏ Isaiah 38:18-19

Thanksgiving Song of Hezekiah

The historical part of Isaiah 36-39 can also be found, as already mentioned, in 2 Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 32. An exception is the above section. This makes immediately clear that the first meaning of this part is not practical, but prophetic. It is written as a psalm of thanksgiving, but with the structure of a lamentation. It is a funeral song which suddenly has become a birth and life song. It also consists of two parts:

1. A supplication because of the illness and suffering of Hezekiah (Isa 38:10-14).

2. A song of thanks for the healing and new life of Hezekiah (Isa 38:15-20).

Hezekiah undergoes his illness and healing as if from the hand of the LORD. It has brought him into deep exercises. He feels the need to write down these exercises (Isa 38:9). In it we recognize much of what we read in the book of Psalms about the feelings of the remnant that is in great need. It is the spirit of Christ, Who connects Himself with the remnant and Who also works in Hezekiah. The suffering of Hezekiah is also the suffering of the remnant in the great tribulation, of which they acknowledge it comes over them because of their sins.

As a son of David, Hezekiah is also a picture of the Lord Jesus. What he experiences here is also a picture of what the Lord Jesus has undergone. He tasted the suffering of death (Heb 2:9), not for His own sins, but for those of His people. He offered up supplications to be saved from death, and He was heard (Heb 5:7). He was given an extension of life, not just fifteen years, but for eternity (Heb 7:17).

In Isa 38:10 death is presented as if it had gates through which a person enters (cf. Job 38:17; Psa 9:13). In his illness Hezekiah sees himself confronted with death in the middle of his life, through which he cannot fulfill his years. This connects with the feelings prophesied by the Lord Jesus (Psa 102:23-24; cf. Lk 23:31). “In the middle of my life” is literally “on the balance of my days”. Balance means halfway. This is true for Hezekiah, for the Lord Jesus, but also for the people of Israel.

In his illness he thinks with anguish that this means the end of his fellowship with the LORD and with people (Isa 38:11). He will no longer be able to ascend to the temple (Psa 27:4). He feels how because of his illness his body, “tent”, is pulled up and removed (Isa 38:12; cf. 2Cor 5:1; 2Pet 1:13-14). He compares the LORD with a weaver. Just as a weaver rolls up the fabric (cf. Isa 22:17-18) because the weaving is finished, so Hezekiah sees his life as ended. He reinforces that thought by talking about being ‘cut off from the loom’.

He feels he has been given up by the LORD to the sorrows of death without being able to get rest (Isa 38:13). He also feels it as something that suddenly comes over him. At the end of both Isa 38:12 and Isa 38:13 he says: “From day until night You make an end of me.” With this he seems to indicate a sudden, dramatic change in his circumstances: in the morning he is still perfectly healthy, in the evening he is dead.

In yet another picture he sees the LORD as a lion that breaks all his bones. He experiences this action of the LORD so severe, that he says again that he feels the pain of it day and night. He is not free of it for a second. He no longer has the strength to shout. His voice is weakened to the twitter of a swallow and the moaning of a dove (Isa 38:14).

Hezekiah does not compare with these birds for nothing. They are birds which symbolize in a peculiar way the connection with the presence of the LORD (Psa 84:3; Mk 1:10). He longs for the nearness of the LORD, but he experiences distance and rejection. His longing eyes turn upward, while he expresses his fear to the LORD and asks Him to stand surety for him (Job 17:3a) that he will not be given up to the realm of the dead.

Now that he has expressed in this way the feelings he had during his illness, has experienced them again as it were and that he is now healed, he does not know what else to say (Isa 38:15). After all, the LORD has spoken that he would die and also that he would heal. He has recovered and after the bitter suffering of soul he will be allowed to live for years.

He lives by this act of the LORD with him (Isa 38:16). What he has received from the LORD has given him back his spirit power. This is not only because of the fact and the moment of the healing, but also at the moment that the LORD has given him the promise. The saying ‘hope springs eternal’ is true for all who continue to trust that God will fulfill all His promises.

A profound change has taken place. The bitter trial has turned into salvation (Isa 38:17). This salvation is so great because the trial has been so great and bitter. Hezekiah knows that he was close to the pit of nothingness, to the moment his life would come into it. This has nothing to do with completely ceasing to exist. It is about the disappearance from the world stage. He would disappear into the grave and no longer be seen. It would seem as if he no longer existed, but the LORD saved him from that fate.

He sees in it the proof that the LORD has cast all his sins behind His back (cf. Mic 7:19). If Hezekiah had died, he would no longer be able to praise the LORD on earth (Isa 38:18). He does not yet know that the deceased believers live in the presence of the Lord Jesus (Lk 23:43). And Paul even longs to depart to enjoy complete fellowship with Him (Phil 1:23).

The expectation of the Old Testament believers was that one day they would rise and enjoy the blessing of fellowship with the LORD (Job 19:25-27; Psa 17:15). For Hezekiah, the praise of the LORD is connected to life on earth (Isa 38:19). He also wants to pass this on to his sons, to the next generation (Psa 22:30-31 ; Psa 71:18). A father is someone who tells his children about the faithfulness of the Lord.

Although we, as New Testament believers, as members of the church, are connected not with the earth but with heaven, our life on earth must also have this great characteristic: that it is an ongoing song of praise to the glory of the Lord Jesus (Heb 13:15; 1Pet 2:5). We may begin on earth with something that we will continue for all eternity and that is: to worship the Father in spirit and truth (Jn 4:23). Let us pass this on to the next generations, until the Lord comes to take us to Himself.

In Isa 38:20 Hezekiah moves back to the moment when Isaiah tells him on behalf of the LORD that he will be healed. Hezekiah is so pleased about this, that he involves his whole people – as is shown by the word “we” – in the joy of this. The place where that joy is expressed is at the house of the LORD. It is also not a short-lived expression, but an expression that will be there “all [the] days of our life”.