2 Kings 20:1-11 Holman Christian Standard Bible
Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
20 In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Put your affairs in order,[a] for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Please Lord, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and wholeheartedly and have done what pleases You.”[b] And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Isaiah had not yet gone out of the inner courtyard when the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of My people, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the Lord’s temple. 6 I will add 15 years to your life. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”
7 Then Isaiah said, “Bring a lump of pressed figs.” So they brought it and applied it to his infected skin, and he recovered.
8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What is the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the Lord’s temple on the third day?”
9 Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the Lord that He will do what He has promised: Should the shadow go ahead 10 steps or go back 10 steps?”
10 Then Hezekiah answered, “It’s easy for the shadow to lengthen 10 steps. No, let the shadow go back 10 steps.” 11 So Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and He brought the shadow[c] back the 10 steps it had descended on Ahaz’s stairway.[d]
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
God answers Hezekiah; Faith That Turns Back Time
In 2 Kings 20:10, we encounter a truly remarkable moment in the life of King Hezekiah: “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.”
This verse reveals not just Hezekiah’s situation but also the depth of his faith and the power of God’s promises.
Psalm 56:8 Revised Standard Version
8 Thou hast kept count of my tossings;
put thou my tears in thy bottle!
Are they not in thy book?
Psalm 56:12-13Revised Standard Version
12 My vows to thee I must perform, O God;
I will render thank offerings to thee.
13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death,
yea, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
Hezekiah was facing a dire situation—he was terminally ill and on the brink of death. God sent the prophet Isaiah to deliver a message of impending death, but after Hezekiah’s earnest tearful prayer, God extended his life by fifteen years.
In this moment of divine grace, Hezekiah’s soul searching request to make time itself reverse its course is striking and profound.
To appreciate the enormity of Hezekiah’s request, we must understand the ancient context.
The movement of the sun was a critical measure of time; it dictated daily life and the agricultural calendar.
For Hezekiah to pray that the shadow could go backwards interfered with the natural order, showcasing a kind of faith that went beyond what was deemed possible.
In a time when people measured their lives against the certainty of the sun’s path in the sky, Hezekiah was challenging the very laws of nature, all in faith.
What impels a man to ask for such a thing?
A relationship with the Almighty.
**The Weight of Faith**
Hezekiah’s response, “It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees,” reflects a profound insight—a huge difference between what man perceives as substantial versus what “that’s impossible” God can accomplish.
Hezekiah recognizes while it is easy for God to allow the shadow to descend—an adjustment barely noticeable in the grand scheme of things—He knew that for God, reversing the sun’s position was no less feasible.
This moment reveals where faith meets possibility; that God can indeed do what seems impossible to humankind.
Hezekiah’s request for a backward shadow was about demonstrating that he truly believed wholeheartedly, in God’s sovereign power over the cosmos.
**God’s Response**
God’s response to Hezekiah’s bold request was deeply affirming.
According to Isaiah 38:8, God inclined His ear, and the shadow returned ten degrees backward.
Isaiah 38:1-8 The Message
Time Spent in Death’s Waiting Room
38 At that time, Hezekiah got sick. He was about to die. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and said, “God says, ‘Prepare your affairs and your family. This is it: You’re going to die. You’re not going to get well.’”
2-3 Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah and, facing the wall, prayed to God: “God, please, I beg you: Remember how I’ve lived my life. I’ve lived faithfully in your presence, lived out of a heart that was totally yours. You’ve seen how I’ve lived, the good that I have done.” And Hezekiah wept as he prayed—painful tears.
4-6 Then God told Isaiah, “Go and speak with Hezekiah. Give him this Message from me, God, the God of your ancestor David: ‘I’ve heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll add fifteen years to your life. And I’ll save both you and this city from the king of Assyria. I have my hand on this city.
7-8 “‘And this is your confirming sign, confirming that I, God, will do exactly what I have promised. Watch for this: As the sun goes down and the shadow lengthens on the sundial of Ahaz, I’m going to reverse the shadow ten notches on the dial.’” And that’s what happened: The declining sun’s shadow reversed ten notches on the dial.
This miracle of time being turned back was not only a testament to God’s power but also a profound expression affirming King Hezekiah’s deep genuine faith.
The request mirrored a desperate heart yearning for more time to serve the Lord and ensure the future of his people. It illustrates that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him, even making what is improbable a real possibility.
**An Invitation to Believe**
Reflecting on this extraordinary event, we are invited to examine our own faith.
What shadows in our lives feel insurmountable?
What situations appear fixed and immovable?
As we earnestly petition God, we sinfully hold back the enormity of our prayer request—limited by what we see as impossible but what God knows as possible.
Hezekiah teaches us to expand our expectations of God. When we approach Him in sincere faith, we should embrace the idea no situation is beyond God’s reach.
**Conclusion**
Through Hezekiah’s story, we learn that faith is not merely accepting what is but daring to believe in what could be united with God’s will.
It demands we approach Him with both a recognition of His power and an expectation of His miracles.
Just as God answered Hezekiah’s request, He invites us to bring our deepest needs before Him.
May we, like Hezekiah, dare to challenge the shadows in our lives, believing that through faith, God can turn them not only back but make all things new.
Let us go forth, holding fast to the idea that faith is not just for survival but for thriving against the odds, encouraging ourselves and all others that with God, even our shadows can accomplish the worlds fastest tap dance in God’s light.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
Psalm 30 The Message
30 I give you all the credit, God—
you got me out of that mess,
you didn’t let my foes gloat.
2-3 God, my God, I yelled for help
and you put me together.
God, you pulled me out of the grave,
gave me another chance at life
when I was down-and-out.
4-5 All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God!
Thank him to his face!
He gets angry once in a while, but across
a lifetime there is only love.
The nights of crying your eyes out
give way to days of laughter.
6-7 When things were going great
I crowed, “I’ve got it made.
I’m God’s favorite.
He made me king of the mountain.”
Then you looked the other way
and I fell to pieces.
8-10 I called out to you, God;
I laid my case before you:
“Can you sell me for a profit when I’m dead?
auction me off at a cemetery yard sale?
When I’m ‘dust to dust’ my songs
and stories of you won’t sell.
So listen! and be kind!
Help me out of this!”
11-12 You did it: you changed wild lament
into whirling dance;
You ripped off my black mourning band
and decked me with wildflowers.
I’m about to burst with song;
I can’t keep quiet about you.
God, my God,
I can’t thank you enough.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
