Isaiah 38

In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, “The LORD says, ‘Set your house in order, for you will die, and not live.’”

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,

and said, “Remember now, LORD, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the LORD’s word came to Isaiah, saying,

“Go, and tell Hezekiah, ‘The LORD, the God of David your father, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.

I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.

This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has spoken.

Behold, I will cause the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down on the sundial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps.”’” So the sun returned ten steps on the sundial on which it had gone down.

The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and had recovered of his sickness:

I said, “In the middle of my life I go into the gates of Sheol. I am deprived of the residue of my years.”

I said, “I won’t see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living. I will see man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

My dwelling is removed, and is carried away from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver. He will cut me off from the loom. From day even to night you will make an end of me.

I waited patiently until morning. He breaks all my bones like a lion. From day even to night you will make an end of me.

I chattered like a swallow or a crane. I moaned like a dove. My eyes weaken looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed. Be my security.”

What will I say? He has both spoken to me, and himself has done it. I will walk carefully all my years because of the anguish of my soul.

Lord, men live by these things; and my spirit finds life in all of them. You restore me, and cause me to live.

Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

For Sheol can’t praise you. Death can’t celebrate you. Those who go down into the pit can’t hope for your truth.

The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do today. The father shall make known your truth to the children.

The LORD will save me. Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the LORD’s house.

Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.”

Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I will go up to the LORD’s house?”

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter recounts the personal crisis, prayer, and divine deliverance of King Hezekiah, who, facing imminent death, is granted fifteen additional years of life through a miraculous sign—the backward movement of the sun’s shadow. It combines historical narrative with Hezekiah’s poetic reflection on suffering, death, and restoration, highlighting God’s faithfulness to those who call on Him in faith.

Flow.

The chapter opens with Hezekiah’s life-threatening illness and Isaiah’s pronouncement of death, prompting the king to turn to God in prayer and bitter weeping.
In response, God sends Isaiah back with a promise of healing, deliverance from Assyria, and a sign—the sun’s shadow reversing on the sundial of Ahaz.
Hezekiah’s personal testimony follows, expressing his despair at the prospect of early death, his anguish under divine discipline, and his joyful acknowledgment of God’s saving hand.
The chapter closes with the practical means of healing (a fig poultice) and Hezekiah’s request for confirmation of the sign, underscoring the intertwining of human action and divine miracle.

Connections. Following chapter 37, which records God’s deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian threat through angelic intervention, chapter 38 turns inward to the king’s personal trial and restoration, showing that the same God who defends the city also attends to the individual cries of the godly. The intimate focus on prayer, suffering, and divine mercy prepares for chapter 39, where the consequences of Hezekiah’s pride—prompted by his recovery—lead to a prophetic announcement of future exile, thus bridging personal faith with national destiny.

What it teaches. This chapter demonstrates that God hears the prayers of the repentant and responds to sincere faith with mercy, even altering the course of nature as a sign of His authority over life and time (WCF 3.8, LC 135). Hezekiah’s lament and praise reflect the biblical understanding that affliction can serve as divine discipline leading to spiritual renewal (WCF 5.5), and his recognition that “the living shall praise you” affirms the covenantal link between life, worship, and the transmission of divine truth to future generations (HC LD 10). The restoration of life is grounded in God’s steadfast love and forgiveness, as seen in the declaration that God has cast sins behind His back (WCF 8.5, HC LD 12).

Apply. The restored life is lived in conscious dependence on God’s mercy, expressed in daily worship and the faithful witness of His works to the next generation.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.