When Time Stood Still

O.T. #1623 "When Time Stood Still"
Feb. 6, 2020
Isaiah 38
I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
(verse 5b)


LET IT GLOW

If time stood still for an hour, what we could accomplish! Well, it did stop for Hezekiah, just not an hour. What happened to him during that time? God changed the course of his life.

The events in chapters 38 and 39 occurred before chapters 36 and 37. It happened before Assyria came to surround Jerusalem and their king threatened God's city. What was the "it?" Read on to read about a miracle God did.

King Hezekiah of Judah was deathly ill from a boil (inflammation; an ulcer). (I wonder if it was infected and spread into his blood. Just a thought.) It is interesting to note that this same Hebrew word for boil is the same word for the boils which came as a plague upon the Egyptians. We know they died from their boils.
Well, Hezekiah's sickness was very serious. Isaiah went to visit the king and spoke some startling news from God, "Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness."
Now this may have been a test of Hezekiah's faith. "Prepare to die" can be some shocking words to hear.
Perhaps you heard the doctor say the word cancer is in your body or an incurable disease. It can be eye opening news. What do we do? Where do we turn when our life is spinning around?

2 Chronicles 32 tells us that Hezekiah had become a prideful man, for he was very wealthy and highly honored. He showed all the treasures in Judah to ambassadors from Babylon. This angered the Lord against the king, Judah, and Jerusalem. god withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart. Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jerusalem. So the Lord's anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah's lifetime.

How did Hezekiah react to the terminal news? (Being a man, he may have waited until he was alone.) He turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD.
What did Hezekiah pray?

• Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to you.
• I have served You single-mindedly.
• I always do what pleases You.

Then Hezekiah broke down and wept bitterly. (Doesn't your heart go out to the guy?) Commentators say that Hezekiah didn't have an heir to leave his throne nor all his goods to as an inheritance. God knew ahead of time that He was going to heal Hezekiah and give him a miraculous sign to boot.


LET IT GROW

God sent Isaiah back to Hezekiah with an encouraging message: God heard his prayers and saw his tears; He would add 15 years to Hezekiah's life; He would rescue him and Jerusalem from the king of Assyria.

As proof that God would do as He promised, (healing and he would go to the Temple in 3 days), God offered Hezekiah a choice of either moving the shadow on the steps as a sundial 10 degrees forward or backward.
Which did he choose? Hezekiah chose for the sun to be moved backwards, for the shadow on the steps to go backwards. He knew soon the sun would go down with nighttime coming. So God moved the sun for a miraculous sign to the king. It was the day time stopped, which was about 20 minutes (add 20 more minutes to catch up with time). God supernaturally did it.  So the 20 minutes back and 20 minutes up to the original time, equals 40 minutes.

Did you know that NASA's computer discovered time elapsed a whole day previously. A man who learned this in Sunday School shared that in Joshua's day for 23 hours and 20 minutes, the sun stopped moving so Israel could defeat their enemy in the light. Then if you add the 40 minutes in Hezekiah's day, that explains the day the sun stood still, or time stood still. It calculated. Imagine that!

God can do whatever He wants. He can prove that His promises are true and He is faithful to keep them. But do we trust Him to keep His Word?

LET IT GO

God, You can change the course of my life.
Lead me to Your path for me.
Help me to be a good follower.