Isaiah 38

“In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill.  The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Put your affairs in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.”’  Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord.  He said, ‘Please, Lord, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and wholeheartedly, and have done what pleases You.’  And Hezekiah wept bitterly.  Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: ‘Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears.  Look, I am going to add 15 years to your life.”  Isaiah 38:1-6 (HCSB)

I’ve known countless people who have clung to today’s passage as an anchor verse on the effectiveness of healing prayer.  From one angle, that is true, but in Hezekiah’s case, he really should have heeded the Word of the Lord, set his house in order, and passed away.  After all, the message of his impending death did not come from a secular doctor; it came from the Lord’s spokesman, the prophet Isaiah. Two major negative consequences occurred as a result of Hezekiah’s healing.  

1) Babylon

“At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah since he heard that he had been sick.  Hezekiah gave them a hearing and showed them his whole treasure house – the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil - and his armory, and everything that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his palace and in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked him, ‘Where did these men come from and what did they say to you?’ Hezekiah replied, ‘They came from a distant country, from Babylon.’ Isaiah asked, ‘What have they seen in your palace?’ Hezekiah answered, ‘They have seen everything in my palace. There isn’t anything in my treasuries that I didn’t show them.’” 2 Kings 20:12-15 (HCSB)

2) Manasseh

Born after Hezekiah’s healing, Manasseh was Israel’s most evil king, vigorously reinstating idolatry. Ironically, he defied Hezekiah’s own words about legacy: “…a father will make Your faithfulness known to children.” Isaiah 38:19

“Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good,’ for he thought:  Why not, if there will be peace and security during my lifetime?  The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign, along with all his might and how he made the pool and the tunnel and brought water into the city, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.  Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and his son Manasseh became king in his place.” 2 Kings 20:19-21 (HCSB)

“Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king and reigned 55 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.” 2 Kings 21:1-2 (HCSB)