The Passage is relatively lengthy, but must be viewed as a whole. Take a minute and read it, carefully …
“9 The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: 10 I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. 11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. 12 Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd’s tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. 13 I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. 14 Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me. 15 What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. 16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. 17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. 18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. 20 The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.” Isaiah 38:9-20
In verses 10 and 11 (verse 9 is introductory) the King “laments” his condition. His mortality. “I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.”
Then, unexpectedly, in verses 12 and 13 he envisions God as “attacking” him! “He (God) will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt Thou make an end of me. I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.” There may even be a “tinge” of bitterness here! God, like a lion!
Old Testament Psalmists are brutally honest with God!
Then, in this Thanksgiving Hymn, Hezekiah re-lives his recent prayer and deliverance from that terminal “boil!” Verses 14-16 … “Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; UNDERTAKE FOR ME. What shall I say? HE HATH BOTH SPOKEN UNTO ME, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou RECOVE ME, and MAKE ME TO LIVE. The Poem has now become a testimony!
Verse 17 is critical … “Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but THOU HAST IN LOVE TO MY SOUL DELIVERED IT FROM THE PIT OF CURRUPTION: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.”Healing and forgiveness!
Wow!
More honoring the Lord! “For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall PRAISE THEE, AS I DO THIS DAY: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.” Verses 18 and 19 … joy indeed!
And the Psalm closes with a pledge to worship God, Psalm 23:6 like … “and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” But in Hezekiah’s words … “The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIFE in the HOUSE OF THE LORD.”
Amen!
Well written, by one of King David’s descendants!
How to close this Lesson?
Let’s all praise God today for some deliverance he has sent our way.
Psalm 34:19 … “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
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