2Ki_20:1  In those days Hezekiah was sick to death. (He must have been around 39 years of age.) And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, So says Jehovah, Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.

2Ki_20:3  I pray, O Jehovah, remember now how I have walked before You in truth and with a sincere heart, and have done good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping.(Hezekiah’s crying:-A primitive root; to weep; generally to bemoan: – bewail, complain, make lamentation, mourn, with tears.)

2Ki_20:5  Return again and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, So says Jehovah, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of Jehovah.

Observations:

1.   God has a time line on everyone’s life.

2.   Living appears to be more important to Hezekiah than going to be with God

3.   We behave as per our beliefs…Hezekiah apparently did not believe that God had his best interest at heart.

4.   His bargaining chip with God was his record to date

5.   God can change His mind, plan, and schedule. This is called His permissive will.

God’s answer,

2Ki 20:6  And I will add fifteen years to your days. And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. And I will defend this city for My own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.

2Ki_20:8  And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What shall be the sign that Jehovah will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of Jehovah the third day?

2Ki_20:10  And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten steps. No, but let the shadow go backward ten steps.

Observations

6.   God promises to deliver Judah from Assyria. This is not mentioned in Hezekiah’s response of God’s promises.

7.   Hezekiah wants a sign of his healing

8.   He tested God’s promise asking for a difficult sign

From Kings and Chronicles, let me observe—Hezekiah’s last 15 years was a disaster.

1.   Gave birth to Manasseh. Worse King ever in Judah.

2.   Apparently let the High Places drift back. His son began to return to idol worship.

3.   Showed off the “treasures” of his heart to Babylon and it sealed the fate of Judah. He traded off the nation for “peace in his time”. 2 Kings 21:19

Why did Hezekiah’s decline to a bad finish after the

a.   good start,

b.   his healing and

c.   Saving from Assyria?

My thoughts: I think that Hezekiah lived beyond God’s plan and thus had no purpose for his life. He had no spiritual purpose for his last 15 years. Question:

Are you clear on your purpose?

Let me aim at the older generation who have a promise of their passing in the near future. At least six things tend to happen to a person in their post 65 years.

1.   They will lose their temporal hope, which was their primary motivator.

2.   They will lose their physical facility and become limited in what they can do.

3.   They will witness their generation continue to die off.

4.   They will become increasingly less teachable.

5.   They will become more self-absorbed.

6.   They become preoccupied with death and they start to live in the past instead of taking stock on who they are and their capabilities and serving the only purposes God has for them. That is to Glorify God in our environment and reproduce disciples.

Application on how to navigate through this, starting now:

1.   Make a clear commitment to God’s reason-purpose for your existence. Don’t conflate God’s purpose with the world’s purpose.

2.   Learn to listen and be accountable. Surround yourself with good men who will speak into your life.

3.   Be a man of the Word. Not a casual observer but a man, student, thinker of the Word.

4.   Share your thinking with your family