Isaiah 38:9 Study Bible: The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and had recovered of his sickness.

◄ Isaiah 38:9 ►

This is a writing by Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

This is a writing by Hezekiah king of Judah
Hezekiah was the 13th king of Judah, known for his faithfulness to God and his efforts to restore proper worship in the temple. His reign is detailed in 2 Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 29-32. Hezekiah's leadership was marked by significant religious reforms, including the removal of high places and the destruction of idols. His trust in God was evident during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem, where he sought divine intervention and was delivered from the threat. The mention of "writing" indicates a personal reflection or testimony, which was a common practice for kings and leaders to document significant events or divine encounters.

after his illness and recovery:
Hezekiah's illness is described in Isaiah 38:1-8 and 2 Kings 20:1-11, where he was struck with a life-threatening condition. The prophet Isaiah informed him that he would not recover, but after Hezekiah's fervent prayer, God extended his life by 15 years. This miraculous recovery was confirmed by a sign from God, where the shadow on the sundial moved backward. The illness and subsequent healing highlight themes of divine mercy, the power of prayer, and God's sovereignty over life and death. This event also serves as a type of resurrection, prefiguring the ultimate healing and restoration found in Jesus Christ.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Hezekiah
Hezekiah was the king of Judah who reigned during a time of great political and spiritual turmoil. He is known for his faithfulness to God and his efforts to restore proper worship in the temple. In Isaiah 38, he faces a life-threatening illness and turns to God in prayer.

2. Jerusalem
The capital city of Judah, where Hezekiah reigned. It was a central place of worship and the political heart of the kingdom.

3. Isaiah the Prophet
A major prophet in the Old Testament who served as God's messenger to the people of Judah. He delivered God's messages to Hezekiah, including the prophecy of his recovery.

4. The Event of Hezekiah's Illness
Hezekiah's illness and subsequent recovery is a significant event that demonstrates God's power and mercy. It also serves as a testament to the efficacy of prayer and faith.

Teaching Points

The Power of Prayer
Hezekiah's earnest prayer in his time of need demonstrates the importance of turning to God in prayer, trusting in His power to heal and deliver.

God's Sovereignty and Mercy
Hezekiah's account highlights God's sovereignty over life and death and His willingness to extend mercy to those who seek Him with a sincere heart.

The Importance of Faithfulness
Hezekiah's life serves as a reminder of the blessings that come from living a life of faithfulness and obedience to God.

Gratitude and Testimony
Like Hezekiah, we should respond to God's deliverance with gratitude and a willingness to share our testimony of His goodness with others.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does Hezekiah's response to his illness challenge or inspire your own approach to difficult situations?

2. In what ways can Hezekiah's prayer life serve as a model for your personal prayer practices?

3. How does the account of Hezekiah's illness and recovery deepen your understanding of God's character, particularly His mercy and sovereignty?

4. What parallels can you draw between Hezekiah's experience and the teachings in James 5:15 about the power of prayer?

5. How can you incorporate gratitude and testimony into your daily life as a response to God's work in your life, similar to Hezekiah's response in Isaiah 38:9?

Connections to Other Scriptures

2 Kings 20
This chapter provides a parallel account of Hezekiah's illness and recovery, offering additional details about the events and God's intervention.

Psalm 30
This psalm is a song of thanksgiving for deliverance from death, similar to Hezekiah's experience and his response in Isaiah 38:9.

James 5:15
This New Testament verse speaks about the prayer of faith and its power to heal, echoing the theme of Hezekiah's prayer and recovery.

Sermons

Health and Sickness	W. Clarkson	Isaiah 38:9-15
Face to Face with Death	W. Wheeler.	Isaiah 38:9-20
Hezekiah's Experience	E. Payson, D. D.	Isaiah 38:9-20
Hezekiah's Poem	E. W. Shalders, B. A.	Isaiah 38:9-20
Hezekiah's Recovery	R. Harris, D. D.	Isaiah 38:9-20
Hezekiah's Return to Health	P. M. Muir.	Isaiah 38:9-20
Hezekiah's Sickness and Recovery	H. J. Gamble.	Isaiah 38:9-20
Hezekiah's Song	R. Harris, D. D.	Isaiah 38:9-20
Sickness and Recovery	J. Leifchild, D. D.	Isaiah 38:9-20
The Fear of Death	P. M. Muir.	Isaiah 38:9-20
The Prayer of Hezekiah	P. M. Muir.	Isaiah 38:9-20
The Wisdom of Keeping a Record of One's Life	J. Leifchild, D. D.	Isaiah 38:9-20
The Song of Hezekiah	E. Johnson	Isaiah 38:9-22

People

Ahaz, Amoz, David, Hezekiah, Isaiah

Places

Assyria

Topics

Better, Disease, Got, Hezekiah, Hezeki'ah, Ill, Illness, Judah, Recovered, Recovery, Reviveth, Sick, Sickness, Writing

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Isaiah 38:1-10

8610 prayer, asking God

Library

The Life of the Spirit
(First Sunday after Christmas.) Isaiah xxxviii. 16. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit. These words are the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah; and they are true words, words from God. But, if they are true words, they are true words for every one--for you and me, for every one here in this church this day: for they do not say, By these things certain men live, one man here and another man there; but all men. Whosoever is really alive, that is, has …
Charles Kingsley—Town and Country Sermons

No Man Cometh to the Father but by Me.
This being added for further confirmation of what was formerly said, will point out unto us several necessary truths, as, I. That it is most necessary to be sound and clear in this fundamental point of coming to God only in and through Christ. For, 1. It is the whole marrow of the gospel. 2. It is the hinge of our salvation, Christ is "the chief corner stone," Isa. xxxviii. 16. 1 Pet. i. 5, 6; and, 3. The only ground of all our solid and true peace and comfort. 4 An error or a mistake here, is most …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Epistle ii. To Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch.
To Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch. Gregory to Anastasius, Patriarch of Antioch. I have received the letters of your most sweet Blessedness, which flowed with tears for words. For I saw in them a cloud flying aloft as clouds do; but, though it carried with it a darkness of sorrow, I could not easily discover at its commencement whence it came or whither it was going, since by reason of the darkness I speak of I did not fully understand its origin. Yet it becomes you, most holy ones, ever to recall …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Letter Xliv Concerning the Maccabees but to whom Written is Unknown.
Concerning the Maccabees But to Whom Written is Unknown. [69] He relies to the question why the Church has decreed a festival to the Maccabees alone of all the righteous under the ancient law. 1. Fulk, Abbot of Epernay, had already written to ask me the same question as your charity has addressed to your humble servant by Brother Hescelin. I have put off replying to him, being desirous to find, if possible, some statement in the Fathers about this which was asked, which I might send to him, rather …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
A BRIEF AND FAITHFUL RELATION OF THE EXCEEDING MERCY OF GOD IN CHRIST TO HIS POOR SERVANT, JOHN BUNYAN; WHEREIN IS PARTICULARLY SHOWED THE MANNER OF HIS CONVERSION, HIS SIGHT AND TROUBLE FOR SIN, HIS DREADFUL TEMPTATIONS, ALSO HOW HE DESPAIRED OF GOD'S MERCY, AND HOW THE LORD AT LENGTH THROUGH CHRIST DID DELIVER HIM FROM ALL THE GUILT AND TERROR THAT LAY UPON HIM. Whereunto is added a brief relation of his call to the work of the ministry, of his temptations therein, as also what he hath met with …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Meditations for the Sick.
Whilst thy sickness remains, use often, for thy comfort, these few meditations, taken from the ends wherefore God sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are ten. 1. That by afflictions God may not only correct our sins past, but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruptions, and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit; like a good father, who suffers his tender babe to scorch his finger in a candle, that he may the rather learn to beware …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Assurance
Q-xxxvi: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM SANCTIFICATION? A: Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. The first benefit flowing from sanctification is assurance of God's love. 'Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.' 2 Pet 1:10. Sanctification is the seed, assurance is the flower which grows out of it: assurance is a consequent of sanctification. The saints of old had it. We know that we know …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Power of God
The next attribute is God's power. Job 9:19. If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong.' In this chapter is a magnificent description of God's power. Lo, he is strong.' The Hebrew word for strong signifies a conquering, prevailing strength. He is strong.' The superlative degree is intended here; viz., He is most strong. He is called El-shaddai, God almighty. Gen 17:7. His almightiness lies in this, that he can do whatever is feasible. Divines distinguish between authority and power. God has both. …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links

Isaiah 38:9 NIV
Isaiah 38:9 NLT
Isaiah 38:9 ESV
Isaiah 38:9 NASB
Isaiah 38:9 KJV

Isaiah 38:9 Commentaries

Bible Hub