#2 Looking For Restoration In Your Life? Try Repentance (2 King’s 20:1-11)

In a time of fear and near death, King Hezekiah from the line of David and one being advised by Isaiah the prophet, called out to the Lord with heartfelt travailing for a longer life. This moved the heart of the Lord with compassion and He gave the promise to Hezekiah, through Isaiah, that his life would be extended another 15 years.

Hezekiah the king clung to life as a gift, and knew he needed more time to accomplish the tasks weighing on his heart. Many today look forward to death as a way of escape from their overwhelmed and disappointed lives. They may be stagnant and unproductive, or cling to various addictions to help get through the day-to-day stresses of life. They have believed themselves to be of no productive use for our modern-world, and rather die than live.

Do you see life as precious or as a meaningless, futile curse to be endured? Repent and ask the Lord to give you clarity for today and to understand the goal He has in mind for you. This will give you a renewed sense of purpose which can fuel you to press through the temptations and disappointments of life, receiving a fruitful and meaningful existence that has eternity as a foundation. This will help you to live the best life you can live this side of heaven.

Hezekiah was known as one of the most notable kings to ever sit on David’s throne in Jerusalem and according to second Kings 18:5 he is set apart as one of the greatest kings and all of the history of Judah. There is no question that he had his issues of character and was not a perfect man, but he earned his reputation as a sincere and devout follower of God. He was born the son of a wicked king and if he was like most new kings, would have lived his life making the same poor decisions as his father. Because he was exposed to his father’s poor decisions and the consequences of those decisions on the family and the nation as a whole, Hezekiah longed to return to the God of his forefather David, and the teachings of Moses.

He was a man of prayer and always sought the face of the Lord whenever there was a major difficulty. It was both Hezekiah and Isaiah that stood against the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians had already conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and had their eyes set on taking over Hezekiah’s rule and his kingdom of Judah. His faith would not allow that event to happen, although the odds were stacked against him and his nation.

When we do a closer analysis of the life of King Hezekiah we are able to see he held the act of prayer, as a remedy for personal and military matters to the highest level of importance. It is his simple faith in his God that gave him the strength to endure all trials and tribulations. His faith was able to stop a powerful empire from taking his kingdom by force, as well as extend his life a full 15 years when illness was ready to take him. It is without question as to why Hezekiah, descendent of King David, has been immortalized as one of the greatest kings recorded in the Scriptures.

When we look at the account in first Kings we must also look at Isaiah chapter 38 as well. It is here that we have Isaiah’s account of the exact same events. In Isaiah chapter 38 verses 1-2, Hezekiah receives deliverance from his serious illness. This all began by Isaiah being prompted of the Lord, and he went to Hezekiah to let him know that his sickness would take his life. From there Hezekiah was humbled by the word of the Lord, and inspired to begin his prayer of repentance in verses 2 and 3. It was from there, God provided a miracle and added another 15 years of life to Hezekiah. When asked for a sign from the prophet Isaiah to confirm this miracle, Hezekiah said that he wanted the sundial of to move backwards 10°. This was a miracle of similar proportions to that of Joshua stopping the sun in the Valley of the Aijalon in the book of Joshua chapter 10:12-13.

Over the years some have argued that these two miraculous events balance each other out scientifically. Unfortunately, we have yet to find the evidence to support that theory. Nonetheless, both events are authentic miracles that were accomplished by the hand of God through his prophets.