The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.9

Now we are back to this point that shows us why Hezekiah is dealing with this situation. It is evident that this is a test. In other words, it’s like Sennacherib = "Sin multiplied brothers" came to "Jehovah is my strength" king of "praised" and said, I don’t believe you. I don’t believe Jehovah is your strength, or that you are the king of "praised."  Me and my “multiplied brothers of sin” have come to challenge you and your “strength.” Now I want to view that invasion from 2 Chronicles.

2Ch 32:1  After these things, and the establishment thereof, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself.

2Ch 32:2  And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,

Jerusalem = "teaching of peace"

2Ch 32:3  He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which [were] without the city: and they did help him.

Waters

1) water, waters

a) water

b) water of the feet, urine

c) of danger, violence, transitory things, refreshment (fig.)

When I looked up the word transition, I found: the passage from one place or state to another, change. Transitory means lasting only a short time.

Fountains

1) eye

a) eye

1) of physical eye

2) as showing mental qualities

3) of mental and spiritual faculties (fig.)

2) spring, fountain

City

1) excitement, anguish

a) of terror

2) city, town (a place of waking, guarded)

a) city, town

So what I see here is that Hezekiah stopped the waters of the fountains without the city in order to prevent the passage or change in the mindset of those outside of excitement, anguish or terror; in other words...this was an effort to proclaim: “Trouble don’t last always.”

2Ch 32:4  So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?

2Ch 32:5  Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised [it] up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo [in] the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance.

So Hezekiah stopped doubt and at the same time, strengthened himself, and built up broken areas, and invested in weapons in abundance. It sounds to me like he was getting filled with the word.

2Ch 32:6  And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying,

2Ch 32:7  Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that [is] with him: for [there be] more with us than with him:

2Ch 32:8  With him [is] an arm of flesh; but with us [is] the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

The Fifteen "Songs of Degrees":

Fifteen years were added to the life of Hezekiah. In the restoration of the second temple by Herod fifteen steps led from the Court of the Women to the Court of Israel, and on these steps the Levites during the Feast of Tabernacles were accustomed to stand in order to sing the fifteen "songs of degrees" (Pss 120-134). At the head of these same steps in the gateway, lepers who had been cleansed from their disease presented themselves to the priests. It has been suggested that Hezekiah himself was the compiler of these fifteen "songs of the steps," in thankfulness for his fifteen years of added life. Five of them are ascribed to David or as written for Solomon, but the remaining ten bear no author’s name. Their subjects are, however, most appropriate to the great crises and desires of Hezekiah’s life. His great Passover, to which all the tribes were invited, and so many Israelites came; the blasphemy of Rabshakeh and of Sennacherib’s threatening letter; the danger of the Assyrian invasion and the deliverance from it; Hezekiah’s sickness unto death and his miraculous restoration to health; and the fact that at that time he would seem to have had no son to follow him on the throne—all these subjects seem to find fitting expression in the fifteen Psalms of the Steps.

Last night I decided to put something in motion. I'd been thinking about it for several days, hemming and hawing about whether or not I could actually do it.  The doubt, for those who may be curious, was not in my ability to accomplish the thing, but in my ability to be consistent in accomplishing it.

I'm one of those people, who can get focused for a period of time, and then...life just interferes, and I completely get off track. I guess many people are like that. When there is too much to focus on, it can be that way.

I was reading this book last night, I think it's called, "I became a Christian and all I got was this lousy Tee-shirt." It's an amusing book, and this pastor has a sort of wacked sense of humor, but he does make his points.

As much as I can remember of the section I read, and considering I was pretty sleepy when I read this; he was talking about walking with speed, versus walking with love.

I guess it’s our goal-making mentality that causes us to place time restraints on everything. His example was when his sister’s baby had died, and he took the opportunity to minister to his mother and brother-in-law. He had an entire speech ready when he went into the hospital to be there for his sister, who had asked him to try to speak to them. None of it mattered. They were unmoved.

His wife went and was just there, and even after he left and flew back home, she stayed an additional week, just being there for them. His point was that his method was walking with speed, and hers was walking with love, because she demonstrated her faith by her actions, not by words. He figured that long term, she would have a greater effect than he did.

What was my point? I said this to point out the fact that those of us who aspire to the fantastic organizational skills we see in others, are, in our backwardness, seeking to become goal-setting, everything-in-its-proper-place people, when in reality, God calls us to live life moment by moment, and not to sweat the small stuff. He calls us to walk in love, not speed.

Yesterday, starringsarah posted a lot of nice pics showing a beautiful apartment in Chicago. I, in my muddle of misery at my lack of organization, was looking at these pics and thinking, “Why can’t I have a beautiful, spotless apartment like that?” Actually, that apartment is so spotless, it doesn’t look lived in. It looks like a model for showing apartments. Pretty though.

Now admittedly, part of the problem, aside from too many things on the platter, is laziness. See, this is why I actually need to be wealthy, because I have always known that there were so many more interesting things to be doing than to be bothered with something like housework. I’m not the queen of domesticity, but I do like things neat and organized.

So in the spirit of breaking free of at least a portion of my laziness, I determined to get more active and started taking my son out of the house a bit more frequently. That was stage one. I enacted stage two today.

Although the dreariness of the current rain wouldn’t tell you this, it was a gorgeous morning, and I woke up by alarm at 6am; got up at 6:25 and got dressed after retrieving my bottom half from the car. Yeah, I know that sounds funny. It’s the bottom half of my swimsuit.

I decided that I’m going to get up at 6am in the mornings, and hit the beach walking for some exercise. So today, not being really clear on how I would do the getting wet part of this exercise, I got to the pier and started walking.

I set my sights on a set of condos that were probably a mile from the pier, and headed towards them. Having arrived in dusters (those slip-on suede shoes people get for work that are really comfortable) I walked down by the water and pulled them off; sticking my keys plus cell into one shoe, and my fingers through the loops on the back to carry them.

I was wearing a stretchy sort of yoga pant and a sleeveless tee over my suit, and my pant legs were getting wet, but I didn’t care. It felt good, and it wasn’t hot yet.

The only difficulty I was having was in the fact that my left ankle felt a little uncomfortable due to the angle of the beach and sinking into the sand. For those who don’t know, my left leg was damaged in a biking/car accident, in which I was basically sideswiped on the bike by a car 8 years ago. I had a double fracture to the ankle and the knee, and the ankle still has a bit of swelling (edema) as well as stiffness and inflexibility. The knee sometimes feels weak like it will slip.

But nevertheless, I plodded on through the angled sand and water, determined to get to those condos. I did pretty well actually, coming within a few buildings of them; but by that time, I was pretty hot and wanted to take a dip, so I figured I’d dip and then maybe proceed on.

The dip was nice; water cool and clear, and a low tide. No big waves, just small to medium swells and minor irritants. I got in, got low into the water, and started back floating. I really didn’t have to go out far, but I could have because the tide was so low. But the fish were, I guess, trying to figure out what this big thing casting a shadow in the water was, and so, they kept nipping at me.

Outside of that, back floating allows me to relax my neck, back and shoulders, and I basically cross the arms behind my head, as well as my legs, and just chill. Its great alone time to talk to God, and also gives one an interesting view and perspective of the seagulls and pelicans as they fly directly over you.

I was on my way back to the pier about 45 minutes later, walking on the street near the beach, which by that time, was beginning to get hot. It was almost 8am, and aside from the new construction, the street still had shade, so it was easier. All in all, it was a great morning.

After that, I went home and got ready for my meeting with FAU’s small business dept., where I was referred to another counselor who happens to be Christian, and has also written a book. She will be able to give me a much better perspective on what I will need to do, and how to do it, so all in all, I had a great morning. Peace and blessings.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.8

Hezekiah’s Choice of the Sign:

We can therefore understand the nature of the choice of the sign that was offered by the prophet to the dying king. Would he choose that ten more steps should be straight- way engulfed in the shadow, or that ten steps already shadowed should be brought back into the light? Either might serve as a sign that he should arise on the third day and go up in renewed life to the house of the Lord; but the one sign would be in accordance with the natural progress of events, and the other would be directly opposed to it. It would be a light thing, as Hezekiah said, for the shadow to go forward ten steps; a bank of cloud rising behind the Temple would effect that change. But no disposition of cloud could bring the shadow back from that part of the staircase which had already passed into it, and restore it to the sunshine. The first change was, in human estimation, easily possible, "a light thing"; the second change seemed impossible. Hezekiah chose the seemingly impossible, and the Lord gave the sign and answered his prayer. We need not ask whether the king showed more or less faith in choosing the "impossible" rather than the "possible" sign. His father Ahaz had shown his want of faith by refusing to put the Lord to the test, by refusing to ask a sign, whether in the heaven above or in the earth beneath. The faith of Hezekiah was shown in asking a sign, which was at once in the heaven above and in the earth beneath, in accepting the choice offered to him, and so putting the Lord to the test. And the sign chosen was most fitting, Hezekiah lay dying, whether of plague or of cancer we do not know, but his disease was mortal and beyond cure; he was already entering into the shadow of death. The word of the Lord was sure to him; on "the third day" he would rise and go up in new life to the house of God.

It’s interesting that that this perspective is one of “putting the Lord to the test by asking for a sign.” From what we saw earlier of Ahaz, I don’t think he was in the position to “put God to the test.” He did not follow God, so I think that is the difference here. For him, Ahaz to ask for a sign would have been reminiscent of Mat 12:39-41 that I mentioned two posts ago. 

Isa 38:9  The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:

Isa 38:10  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.

Isa 38:11  I said, I shall not see the LORD, [even] the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

Isa 38:12  Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day [even] to night wilt thou make an end of me.

1) tent

a) nomad's tent, and thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience

b) dwelling, home, habitation

c) the sacred tent of Jehovah (the tabernacle)

Isa 38:13  I reckoned till morning, [that], as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day [even] to night wilt thou make an end of me.

Isa 38:14  Like a crane [or] a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail [with looking] upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

Here, he recognizes God’s purpose in the sickness.

Isa 38:15  What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done [it]: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

Isa 38:16  O Lord, by these [things men] live, and in all these [things is] the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.

Isa 38:17  Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul [delivered it] from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

This sickness’ purpose was to deliver his soul, so that God’s name would be praised and glorified.

Isa 38:18  For the grave cannot praise thee, death can [not] celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

Isa 38:19  The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I [do] this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

Isa 38:20  The LORD [was ready] to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

Isa 38:21  For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay [it] for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.

Isa 38:22  Hezekiah also had said, What [is] the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?

2Ch 32:27  And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels;

2Ch 32:28  Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks.

2Ch 32:29  Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance: for God had given him substance very much.

2Ch 32:30  This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

2Ch 32:31  Howbeit in [the business of] the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was [done] in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all [that was] in his heart.

 What would make a perfect day?

I think, but I'm not sure, that this is the first time I've interrupted my study to answer a featured question.

I was looking at heyyoulady's response and she had this statement in the mix:

"Many people (ok, ALL people) at one time or another ask the question, If God is so good, why does he allow suffering?"

I thought, 'Ok...this is a perspective issue,' but I wanted to actually address that question too. So in first answering the overall featured question...I'd have to say that every day is a perfect day, because every day, no matter what happens and no matter how I view it, I am in the will of God, and He is directing my path. Thus, with this knowledge, I have to accept whatever comes my way, because I relinquished any illusions I had of "control" over to Him, the rightful owner of that concept. Do I always like what happens? No, but ultimately, even if I can't see or understand it immediately, or ever, I know that God's got me, and that makes life and every day I have of it, perfect.

Now...to address that question in the quote above...I'll drop a little preview of my current book (in progress) because this subject matter came up in the book.

The first book, "Dear Child of God" is in the publication process, and soon to be released. The name of the new book I am working on is “In His Image.” This is an excerpt...

God created perfection then allowed it to be marred. Why?  It’s not as if God didn’t see Satan falling down into His perfect earth. It wasn’t a great cosmic accident.

Atheists often ask this question: “Why would God allow evil in the world? Are we some sort of cosmic experiment for the sake of His entertainment?”

The answer is found in Genesis, because the redemptive story is first illustrated there in the creation of the earth.

First of all, if not for the negatives, no positives would be visible to us. Both energies are necessary for the existence of the other. We can’t see light without the existence of darkness. How would we know the difference?

If there are all level plains, then there are no mountains to climb and no horizons to strive for because all exist on one plane and it’s too easy.

It’s like playing a video game at level one all the time. There’s no challenge, and this results in atrophy. There must be a struggle to overcome in order for God’s glory to be seen and fully recognized.

Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

If all things were created by Him that is in heaven and in earth then it stands to reason that God allows it to exist for a reason and a purpose. People don’t want to believe that God created evil. That disturbs their theology. But God is Lord of all, which means lord over it; ultimately in control. Now we know there is a god of evil, but even he is not lord over it.

Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, [and] hangeth the earth upon nothing.

Job 26:8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.

Job 26:9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, [and] spreadeth his cloud upon it.

Job 26:10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

Job 26:11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.

Job 26:12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.

Job 26:13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

Job 26:14 Lo, these [are] parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?  

Right there in verse 13 is the evidence. It was God who formed the crooked serpent, Satan. God is the only self contained, self-existing one. All the angels were his creations and Lucifer as well. Again, it’s all part of the plan.

People always talk about achieving a state of Nirvana, which is a place or state characterized by oblivion or freedom from pain, worry, and the external world. Its ideal condition is one of rest, harmony, stability or joy.

Everyone wants to be in this state of existence, and this is exactly the state of existence that was created in the beginning.

However, there’s a reason we could not stay in that state of existence. First, if there are no negatives, as stated earlier, there are no positives, because there is no consciousness of it.

Secondly, a tree does not grow upward without roots that grow downward. Without the downward growth and attachment of them, the tree would topple over and fall. It cannot be supported without it.

In other words, we all have to go through some negatives, just like the tree’s roots push downward through the dirt; in order to see evidence of the positives, the tree growing up into the light.

Likewise, we could not grow as people without obstacles. There must be something to overcome; to learn from. That’s why failure is one of the best teachers in life. Failure is a good thing as long as you don’t allow it to stop you.

Without the struggle of life, we would never recognize who we are and whose we are. We would know nothing, and would question nothing. We would have no goals or purpose, so there would be no reason for us to exist.

If sin did not exist, we would never know there is a right way or a wrong way. We could not escape danger because we would not know it exists. Therefore, the existence of evil is very necessary because without it, we could not find the good, nor could we find God.

In addition, evil has a two-fold purpose. It serves to teach us boundaries, and in so doing, mature us; as well as test our love and faith towards God.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.7

One of the most striking instances recorded in Holy Scripture of the interruption, or rather reversal, of the working of a natural law; is the going back of the shadow on the dial of Ahaz at the time of Hezekiah’s recovery from his illness. The record of the incident is as follows. Isaiah was sent to Hezekiah in his sickness, to say:

"Thus saith Yahweh, 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 Yahweh. .... And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that Yahweh will heal me, and that I shall go up unto the house of Yahweh the third day? And Isaiah said, This shall be the sign unto thee from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to decline ten steps: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten steps. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto Yahweh; and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz" (2Ki 20:5-11). And in Isa 38:8, it is said, "Behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the dial whereon it was gone down."

The Sign a Real Miracle:

The first and essential point to be noted is that this was no ordinary astronomical phenomenon, nor was it the result of ordinary astronomical laws then unknown. It was peculiar to that particular place, and to that particular time; otherwise we should not read of "the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent .... to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land" (2Ch 32:31). It is impossible, therefore, to accept the suggestion that the dial of Ahaz may have been improperly constructed, so as to produce a reversal of the motion of the shadow at certain times. For such a maladjustment would have occasioned the repetition of the phenomenon every time the sun returned to the same position with respect to the dial. The narrative, in fact, informs us that the occurrence was not due to any natural law, known or unknown, since Hezekiah was given the choice and exercised it of his own free will, as to whether a shadow should move in a particular direction or in the opposite. But there are no alternative results in the working of a natural law. "If a state of things is repeated in every detail, it must lead to exactly the same consequences." The same natural law cannot indifferently produce one result, or its opposite. The movement of the shadow on the dial of Ahaz was, therefore, a miracle in the strict sense of the term. It cannot be explained by the working of any astronomical law, known or unknown. We have no information as to the astronomical conditions at the time; we can only inquire into the setting of the miracle.

Time of Day of the Miracle:

At certain times of the day the shadow of some object fell upon this staircase, and we learn from both 2Ki and Isa that this shadow had already gone down ten steps, while from Isa we learn in addition that the sun also was going down. The miracle therefore took place in the afternoon, when the sun moves on its downward course, and when all shadows are thrown in an easterly direction. We are not told what was the object that cast the shadow, but it must have stood to the west of the staircase, and the top of the staircase must have passed into the shadow first, and the foot of the staircase have remained longest in the light. The royal palace is understood to have been placed southeast of the Temple, and it is therefore probable that it was some part of the Temple buildings that had cast its shadow down the stairway in full view of the dying king, as he lay in his chamber. If the afternoon were well advanced the sun would be moving rapidly in altitude, and but little in azimuth; or, in other words, the shadow would be advancing down the steps at its quickest rate, but be moving only slowly toward the left of those who were mounting them. It may well have been the case, therefore, that the time had come when the priests from Ophel, and the officials and courtiers from the palace, were going up the ascent into the house of the Lord to be present at the evening sacrifice; passing from the bright sunshine at the foot of the stairs into the shadow that had already fallen upon the upper steps. The sun would be going straight down behind the buildings and the steps already in shadow would sink into deeper shadow, not to emerge again into the light until a new day’s sun had arisen upon the earth.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.6

Isa 38:4  Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,

Isa 38:5  Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

The book of 2 Kings gives more of a description of this conversation.

2Ki 20:4  And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

2Ki 20:5  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.

There’s the first sign; the number 3.

2Ki 20:6  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.

2Ki 20:7  And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid [it] on the boil, and he recovered.

2Ki 20:8  And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What [shall be] the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?

What I question is why did Hezekiah ask what the sign of this healing would be? Was it that he was asking when it would take place? Because surely being healed would be evidence itself. And too, wasn’t he just healed of a boil? But he still wasn’t convinced? This reminds me of another scripture:

Mat 12:39  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Mat 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mat 12:41  The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here.

And here we see the number three again. It’s everywhere, but no one seems to realize it. And look who will arise in judgment. We will see this name mentioned again later.

2Ki 20:8  And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What [shall be] the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?

2Ki 20:9  And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

2Ki 20:10  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.

2Ki 20:11  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.

Dial: for the measurement of time, only once mentioned in the Bible, erected by Ahaz (2Ki 20:11; Isa 38:8). The Hebrew word (ma'aloth) is rendered "steps" in Exd 20:26, 1Ki 10:19, and "degrees" in 2Ki 20:9, 10, 11. The _ma'aloth_ was probably stairs on which the shadow of a column or obelisk placed on the top fell. The shadow would cover a greater or smaller number of steps, according as the sun was low or high.

Probably the sun-dial was a Babylonian invention. Daniel at Babylon (Dan 3:6) is the first to make mention of the "hour."

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.5

Now perhaps this attitude of nonchalance had to do with pride. I see evidence of this later, so this is what draws me to that conclusion. Hezekiah, it seems, did not want to admit that he had messed up by revealing the wealth of his kingdom to the foreigners from Babylon. There are three accounts of what happened next.

2Ch 32:24  In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the LORD: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign.

This verse is like an overview of the situation.

 2Ki 20:1  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.

Isa 38:2  Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,

Isa 38:3  And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, 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.

Perfect:

1) complete, safe, peaceful, perfect, whole, full, at peace

a) complete

1) full, perfect

2) finished

b) safe, unharmed

c) peace (of covenant of peace, mind)

1) perfect, complete (of keeping covenant relation)

This was the error of Hezekiah. He claimed this perfection, and it was not so.

Sore:

1) great

a) large (in magnitude and extent)

b) in number

c) in intensity

d) loud (in sound)

e) older (in age)

f) in importance

1) important things

2) great, distinguished (of men)

3) God Himself (of God)

g) great things

h) haughty things

i) greatness

In another translation, the NIV, the word sore is replaced with “bitterly.” So Hezekiah did have pride. He felt that he should not be cut down so soon, “after all he had done” for God. It was that same pride that caused him to open that door to the Babylonians and show off what he had accomplished.

2Ch 32:25  But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit [done] unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

Rendered:

1) to return, turn back

a) (Qal)

1) to turn back, return

a) to turn back

b) to return, come or go back

c) to return unto, go back, come back

d) of dying

e) of human relations (fig)

f) of spiritual relations (fig)

1) to turn back (from God), apostatise

2) to turn away (of God)

3) to turn back (to God), repent

4) turn back (from evil)

g) of inanimate things

h) in repetition

b) (Polel)

1) to bring back

2) to restore, refresh, repair (fig)

3) to lead away (enticingly)

4) to show turning, apostatise

c) (Pual) restored (participle)

d) (Hiphil) to cause to return, bring back

1) to bring back, allow to return, put back, draw back, give back, restore, relinquish, give in payment

2) to bring back, refresh, restore

3) to bring back, report to, answer

4) to bring back, make requital, pay (as recompense)

5) to turn back or backward, repel, defeat, repulse, hinder, reject, refuse

6) to turn away (face), turn toward

7) to turn against

8) to bring back to mind

9) to show a turning away

10) to reverse, revoke

e) (Hophal) to be returned, be restored, be brought back

f) (Pulal) brought back

Lifted up:

1) to be high, be exalted

a) (Qal)

1) to be high, lofty, tall

2) to be exalted

3) to be lofty

a) to be lofty (of Jehovah's ways - good sense)

b) to be haughty, be arrogant (bad sense)

b) (Hiphil) to make high, exalt

2Ch 32:26  Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, [both] he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

So it is evident that pride can make one sick, as well as incur wrath on their house/kingdom, and that this can not only affect them, but the next generation.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.4

In order to show you why this test came, I have to go forward in order to go back. I know this doesn’t make sense now, but hopefully it will. You see, the order of the events is not the order that we see it written in. Prior to this test, and prior to Hezekiah having to give this king the gold he had just overlaid the temple with, he did something foolish.

Isa 39:1  At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.

Isa 39:2  And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them 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.

Merodach-baladan = "Marduk has given a son"

1) king of Babylon in the days of king Hezekiah of Judah

Baladan = "Bel (is his) lord)"

Babel or Babylon = "confusion (by mixing)"

1) Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates

He showed the resources and blessings in his store house to the wrong people. This also speaks of mixing or yoking yourself with unsaved individuals. No matter how well-meaning they may seem, such a mixture will only bring confusion.

Isa 39:3  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 unto me, [even] from Babylon.

Isa 39:4  Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that [is] in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

Isa 39:5  Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts:

Isa 39:6  Behold, the days come, that all that [is] in thine house, and [that] which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.

Isa 39:7  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.

Isa 39:8  Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good [is] the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

Now, it bugs me that Hezekiah was ok with all of this. He didn’t seem bothered by the fact that this prophesy would affect his children. He was comfortable thinking that there would peace during his reign, and so he just accepted this prophesy without any sign of repentance. What he did here, was to open a door for an attack. By showing them the wealth of his kingdom, he incited the spirit of envy, jealousy and covetousness in the Babylonians.

He did continue to walk with the Lord. He did continue to be victorious, but he opened a door for devastation that would hit his children, and he never attempted, so it seems to close it. So he was somewhat negligent and self-centered in this regard.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.3

2Ki 18:13  Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.

Now, it took me a while to figure this one out. I couldn’t understand why God had allowed this attack. In the past, all attacks of this nature against the afore-mentioned kings were the result of sin in the camp. Some of them cleaned things up but left the idol worship intact. This was not the case with Hezekiah.

Hezekiah ordered major reforms. All of the information on his reforms is found in 2Chr 29-31. He even reinstituted Passover, and prayed for God’s forgiveness on the people that came from Israel and the surrounding areas to worship, who burnt offerings unto God, but were not clean, because they had set their hearts on seeking God.

After reading these chapters, I could only conclude that the fact that God had allowed the invading Assyrian army to not only carry off Israel for their unfaithfulness, but to invade Judah as well, was for a dual purpose.

The reason for this attack is found in verse 12.

2Ki 18:12  Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, [and] all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear [them], nor do [them].

Sennacherib = "Sin multiplied brothers" (Sin = the moon)

1) son of Sargon, father of Esarhaddon, and king of Assyria from 705- 681 BC; attacked Judah during the reign of king Hezekiah and Judah was delivered when in response to the prayer of Hezekiah an angel smote 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.

On the one hand, when Samaria was taken, opportunity presented itself for Judah to be taken as well because Samaria was the “watch tower.” When there is no one in the watch tower, the kingdom can be attacked. Secondly, note that they attacked fortified or fenced in cities and were able to capture them.

This brings to mind this:

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

The reason I’m reminded of this, is because it was fortified cities that he attacked and overcame in this first invasion. It reminds me of David, wherein Absalom was able to initiate a campaign to elect himself as ruler right outside the gates of the city because there was no one in the watch tower, and David was no longer sitting in his seat in the gates, but had withdrawn to an inner court. There was no guard on the kingdom; therefore, attack was imminent and inevitable.

Here, Hezekiah was clearly walking with the Lord, but due to the sins of the past, and the principle above in Galatians, this attack was allowed. The two-fold reason was the sins of the people had caught up with them. At the same time, it was a test of their renewed position of faith. Those cities were fortified, but they weren’t secure. In other words, they had not been tested and proven after they had been cleansed, and this invasion was that first run test.

Of all the kings of Judah, none is given higher praise than Hezekiah, which is evident in the fact that the narrative of his rule is the only one written three times in the Old Testament, (2 Ki. 18:13-20:21; 2 Chr. 32:1-33; Isa. 36:1-39:8) and points to the peculiar significance of God’s dealings with this king.

2Ki 18:14  And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

It could be looked at this way:

2Ki 18:14  And (Hezekiah) "Jehovah is my strength" king of (Judah) "praised" sent to the king of (Assyria) "a step" to (Lachish) "invincible", saying, I have offended (to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness); return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of "a step"  appointed unto "Jehovah is my strength"  king of "praised"  three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

2Ki 18:15  And Hezekiah gave [him] all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house.

2Ki 18:16  At that time did Hezekiah cut off [the gold from] the doors of the temple of the LORD, and [from] the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Now we can look at this one of two ways. Was the “step” to “invincible” the position of the king of Assyria, or was this really a spiritual thing about Hezekiah? What I see is the king of Assyria became, for a moment, the emissary of God. In this test, Hezekiah was actually a “step” to “invincible.” In other words, he was being proven. It is apparent to me in the fact that the tribute that was required had the number three in both amounts. And look at this:

2Ch 31:20  And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought [that which was] good and right and truth before the LORD his God.

2Ch 31:21  And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did [it] with all his heart, and prospered.

What I see here, is that we need to wake up. Not every attack is a bad one or a bad thing. Here, clearly, this guy was almost a perfected diamond, but purification requires fire. Every time we are in the “hot seat,” does not necessarily mean that we have done wrong, or are under attack. We need to keep our eyes open and on God, because just like in this circumstance, there were signs that the attack and what seemed like subjugation; was, for all intents and purposes, just a lesson in obedience.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.2

2Ki 18:9  And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which [was] the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, [that] Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

2Ki 18:10  And at the end of three years they took it: [even] in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that [is] the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

2Ki 18:11  And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:

2Ki 18:12  Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, [and] all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear [them], nor do [them].

I’m noting the numbers listed in this section. The fourth year of king Hezekiah. In biblical times the use of 4 was a symbol of completeness of range, of comprehensive extent. It is also used to represent the Spirit as it is a portion of the number 40 which, for those who read my study on the The Cycle of Forty, know that it is the number of the spirit. So what I see in that verse was that this event occurred in the year in which Hezekiah was walking in line with the Spirit, or the Spirit moved ahead of him, and he followed.

Then we have the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel. Seven was the expression of the highest power, the greatest conceivable fullness of force, and was regarded as the number of totality, of completeness. The Biblical use of 7 may be conveniently considered under 4 heads:

(1) ritual use;

(2) historical use;

(3) didactic or literary use;

(4) apocalyptic use.

In this case, I think the use was apocalyptic. First of all, if you read about Hoshea, you will know that he completely disobeyed God, and I really believe that this seven represented the completion of God putting up with his mess. In other words, God’s patience was done or complete, or Hoshea had reached full completion in his disobedience, and now...it is time to pay the piper.

Hosea or Hoshea or Oshea = "salvation"

1) family name of Joshua, the son of Nun

2) the 19th and last king of the northern kingdom of Israel

3) son of Beeri, and the first of the minor prophets; prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel in the reign of Jeroboam II

4) a son of Azaziah, a chief of Ephraim in the time of David

5) an Israelite chief who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah

It’s interesting how this man went so against the meaning of his name. He strayed so far from who he was. I think it can safely be said that this is an example of what happens when we try to escape our destiny, or shape one for ourselves outside of the will of God. We have to learn to recognize our limitations as well as our giftings, and flow in that, and not waste time in envying what others are gifted to do or be.  Note the connection to Joshua, who had total victory throughout his time of leadership.

Elah = "An oak"

Israel = "God prevails"

Shalmaneser = "fire-worshipper"

1) Assyrian king who probably reigned between Tiglath-pileser and Sargon; invaded the northern kingdom of Israel when the last king Hoshea was on the throne; forced Hoshea to pay tribute but had to reinvade when Hoshea reneged; it is uncertain whether Shalmaneser or Sargon concluded the siege which finally ended the northern kingdom

a) maybe a common name for Assyrian kings in the 8th century BC

Asshur or Assyria = "a step"

1) the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians

2) the people of Assyria

3) the nation, Assyria

4) the land, Assyria or Asshur

Samaria = "watch mountain"

2Ki 18:10  And at the end of three years they took it: [even] in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that [is] the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

Three is often found of persons and things sacred or secular. It is the number of Jesus, the trinity, of the death and resurrection and so on. It is also a number of completion. The sixth and ninth year are derivatives of three, and I see a solidifying of the number three in the fact that it was three times itself. So Hoshea was done. There was no salvation for him.

2Ki 18:11  And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:

Halah = "painful"

1) a city or district in Mesopotamia under Assyrian control where the Israelite captives were taken

Habor = "joining"

1) a tributary of the Euphrates River in Assyria

Gozan = "a cutting off"

1) the Mesopotamian city on or near the middle of the Euphrates where exiled Israelites were settled

Media or Medes or Madai = "middle land"

1) a people descended from the son of Japheth and who inhabited the territory of Media

2) land inhabited by the descendants of Japheth; located northwest of Persia proper, south and southwest of the Caspian Sea, east of Armenia and Assyria, and west and northwest of the great salt desert of Iram

2Ki 18:12  Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, [and] all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear [them], nor do [them].

So basically, they were put in a painful place joining a middle land that left them cut off from God.