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In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.

2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,

3 I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.

6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

8 And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lordwill heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?

9 And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lordwill do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.

11 And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.

12 At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

14 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.

15 And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord.

17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.

18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?

20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 20 KJV

Surely death is upon you. Most assuredly it is upon all of us, as much as it is that we can read this, we know this and are full of uncertainty of how we shall approach it. Some practice long at the stoic tradition, others grimace at pain, cannot believe that there is a God like this since there is this death and suffering. Set thine house in order, Isaiah says, and if it were someone else you may want a second opinion, but to Isaiah it may be credited that his opinion does not matter. "Remember how I have walked before thee in truth." He had truly set out to walk before the Lord, had gone to Him as deliverer, had torn down the high places to show the place of his heart. I know that if I should ever have any hope to a prayer about my own integrity before God, it would have to be in gratitude for that which He has called me from and to by his own will and good pleasure. He weeps and God hears him, Isaiah is sent back, while you were yet dead, sick and not so far off from your grave, that which was holding you as to so fatally embrace, will not yet finish you. You will recover to serve, and this shall be your sign since you asked and think not so little of it as your father. Shall the sun move forward in it's normal progression of degrees but faster? Shall the shadow bring the future to the present, or shall we ask the more difficult thing in our minds, to move the shadow back, start afresh? What are you saying, to return to your mother's womb? To count it all joy, everything, even suffering? He does not asked to be healed, but God knows our hearts and it must also be in his heart to continue with these reforms, to do good to his people, bring justice and keep the Assyrian's at bay. God hears him and grants him these things, more years, victory, a different diagnosis. He does not tap the ground lightly, scratch tentatively with arrows, but rather ask for the thing that he thinks the most difficult, in the substance of faith that says nothing is too difficult for God. 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.


6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.


7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 4-7

Now after this is a curious matter for kings and rulers, but also for those who are pastors and parents. We must take care who we bring into confidence, who we hold hands with, and when we think we show our greatest treasure, but neither God's word, who Isaiah represents, nor such institutes as we have come to understand, that God does not make the list, who do we fear? Surely, if it were God, then that would be our boast, but if it becomes men, then it will be those things that God has created, or they will think that is the object or great testimony of our religion, that we have silver and gold. Silver and gold have I none, but such as I give unto thee, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. Were you saved from something worse than being poor, worse than death itself, far more lasting and darker than the grave? If you fear men and their feelings or your position in life, then you will never know what it is to love them. If you say kind things, treat them as close, but never explain to them that you were left for dead, diagnosed as gone, but then given life instead and that your God is the only true Sovereign, that your kingdom will end but His is eternal, tell me again how dear a friend they were to you. He tells him of the coming captivity in Babylon, that surely this thing that felt so warm to you now will find you burnt by morning. It will not be on his dial though, and he cannot help but be grateful for this nor answer against God, for if the word is from Him then surely it will come to be good in the end.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28