ISAIAH 38:15 – 21

King Hezekiah undoubtedly had his heart set on long life but then had to face the terrifying prospect of being cut off in his prime. It is reasoned that he received this dreadful prophecy of his imminent death when he was just about 39 years old. Really, which one of us wants to die in our thirties or forties or fifties for that matter?

It’s hard to receive such a warning with resigned calmness. Regardless of what aches or pains we are experiencing, the life principle in all of us refuses to readily surrender to the thought of death and dying. The natural, realistic instinct, I presume, would be to do like Hezekiah. He earnestly prayed and wept before God that the dreadful death warrant may be cancelled. The fear of death is indeed common to most of us, even the most sanctified of believers.

In a very sobering way, this passage found in Isaiah 38 reminds us that our health is not in our own hands entirely. It speaks of our mortality and our fragility. In the midst of life there is death. Sickness can strike at anytime – the kind of sickness that is most serious, the sickness that is unto death. As believers, we often like to speak about the length of days and claiming the promise of longevity. We certainly want to prepare for long life, but may we also be realistic, understanding that sudden sickness and death can also come in the prime of our lives. May the Almighty help us always to be wise, taking nothing for granted.

As soon as Hezekiah heard the message that he did not want to hear from the prophet’s mouth, the reader observes the overwhelming sense of disappointment that enveloped his soul. The King had for certain set his heart on a long life and was more than hurt and troubled to hear that his life was severely going to be cut off and cut short. He later lamented about this in verses 9-14. He declared, “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 . . . Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd’s tent . . . He will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me” (Isaiah 38:10, 12). We can hear the pathos and anguish in his voice and in his soul. Many times life does not go as we plan. Our lives and those we love can come to an abrupt and seemingly unnatural termination any time.

I trust that many of us shall come to the unmistakable realization that God is the length of our days and that it is up to Him to say when our strength shall decline and when our spirit shall return (Deut. 30:20). We surely want to live long, but we must also be prepared that this may not be the case for all of us. Hezekiah was granted fifteen more years but notice how he does not take them for granted. He is mindful to become more intentionally devotional (v.19). He becomes a more intense and devout worshipper. He takes nothing for granted (38:15-21). He makes up his mind to sing his songs to the accompaniment of stringed instruments all the days of his life in the house of the Lord (v.20). He wants to be even more in the house of the lord. He wants to sing. Life is so short. We treasure every blessing of now. We take nothing for granted!