Hezekiah's sickness, recovery, and thanksgiving. 1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, 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. 4 Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, 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. 6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city. 7 And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken; 8 Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 16 OLORD, 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. 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. 18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. 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. 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. 22 Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD? LECTURE 1144. How we must live if we would not lose by dying. In the historical books, these events in the life of Hezekiah are all related in harmony with this account. See 2 Kings. 20. 2 Chron. 32. 24. But it is only in Isaiah that we meet with this "writing of Hezekiah king of Judah," which describes in the most lively manner the feelings that distressed him during the time of his disease, as well as the grounds of his thankfulness on recovering. Some have wondered, that a servant of God, so faithful and devout as Hezekiah, should have mourned thus heavily at the prospect of death. But when we consider, that it is only in the Gospel that life and immortality are clearly brought to light, and when further we reflect how painful is the thought of early death even to many a devout believer in the Gospel, we should be apt rather to wonder if Hezekiah, in his circumstances, had done otherwise than weep sore, and pray earnestly for life. And what were the things which chiefly made him grieve so bitterly, when he thought that he should be deprived of the residue of his years? "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." Here were two important circumstances, in which Hezekiah had been used to find the utmost satisfaction. Having restored the worship of Jehovah in the temple, he had been privileged to see the glory of the Lord there manifested. And he had been made the blessed instrument of the greatest possible benefit to his people, by reestablishing true religion in the land. Then only are we qualified to judge how much Hezekiah felt that he should lose by dying, if like him we are accustomed to enjoy God's presence in his sanctuary, and to behold, in every fellow creature whom we meet, one whom we have loved, and to whom we have been made a blessing, though perhaps by no other services, yet at least by our comprehensive and fervent prayers. If these be the chief pleasures of our life, how happy is our case, to be assured, that they are such as we shall by no means lose, but rather much enlarge, by dying. For it is after this life ended that we shall see God face to face, and feel love for Him, and love towards each other, without alloy of imperfection, to all eternity. Praised be his name then for life eternal! Praised be his name in sickness and in death! Praised be his name for the grace whereby we walk before Him in sincerity of heart! Praised be his name for the mercy wherewith He has vouchsafed to cast all our sins behind his back! For pardon and peace, for light and knowledge, for strength and opportunity to do his will, for immortality to enjoy his glory, praised be his name to all eternity, through Jesus Christ our Lord! PART VII. 0. T. H The Babylonish embassy. Captivity in Babylon foretold. 1 At that time Merodach-baladan, 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. 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. 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. 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. 5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 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. 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. 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. LECTURE 1145. Of being humble minded in the midst of success. The ancient capital of the empire of Assyria was Nineveh. Babylon was a province of that empire. And the kings of Babylon were for a long time no more than tributary princes under the monarchs of Assyria. Bearing this in mind, we shall the more admire the marvels of prophetic foresight, in Isaiah's foretelling, first, that Jerusalem should set at defiance the great king of Assyria, foretelling this, when the armies of that king were close at hand, countless in multitude, and bent upon its destruction; and next, that hereafter all Hezekiah's treasures, and his royal offspring, should be spoiled and taken captive by a king of Babylon, a city which at the time of Isaiah's prophecy was tributary to Nineveh, and its king then engaged in friendly intercourse with the king of Judah and Jerusalem. Thus that which with man is most improbable is foreseen and brought to pass by God. Thus may we escape danger the most imminent, when it is God's pleasure to give safety; and may be overtaken by calamity the most unexpected, when it seems good to Him that we should suffer harm. There is something both awful and instructive in the occasion taken by the prophet, for communicating to Hezekiah the sad tidings of his country's impending ruin. The king on recovering from his deadly sickness, was congratulated by messengers from Babylon; and was so pleased with the congratulations he received, and with the inquiries made by the same messengers, concerning "the wonder that was done in the land," that "his heart was lifted up" 2 Chron. 32. 25, 31; and under the influence of vanity, he displayed before these Babylonish messengers all his stores of wealth and armoury. Considering how lately he had been reduced to "cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord," 2 Kings 18. 16, these stores must have consisted for the most part of the spoil of Sennacherib's fallen host. There was therefore probably a spirit of vain triumph, as well as of vain ostentation, in this displaying of his treasures before strangers. And when we read further in the Chronicles that on this occasion "God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart," 2 Chron. 32. 31, the result, in the case of such an one as Hezekiah, may well warn us, what frail creatures we are at the best, how sure to fall if God leaves us to ourselves, how likely, if He tries what is in our hearts, to be found vain of our own wealth or strength, instead of being strong only in the Lord. It was when St. Peter had been saying, "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended," that our Lord gave him this solemn warning, "Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice." Matth. 26. 33, 34. It is when we are elated by having triumphed in any measure over sin and Satan, that we are most in danger of a shameful fall. Let us study therefore to be humble in the midst of success. Not only when our worldly goods increase, but also when our souls prosper, let us watch that no vain spirit of ostentation supplants a sense of dependency on God, and interferes with our devout purpose of ascribing unto Him the praise and glory of all we have, and all we are. Nothing can more grievously mar the beauty of holiness, than a disposition to make a show of it, for our own credit, before our admiring fellow creatures. And therefore when our Lord enjoins us, to make our light shine before men, He is careful to add, that we must do so with a view to this sole object, that they may glorify our Father which is in heaven. See Matt. 5. 16. May God then, who makes us conquerors, ever keep us safe from vain glory! May He enable us, not only to acquiesce when He chastens us for sin, not only to give thanks when He spares us chastisement, but even also to continue sober in mind, and lowly in heart, when He has given us the crown of victory, through Christ our Lord! Consolation in Christ proclaimed to God's people. 1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spo ken it. 6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of 7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. 9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! 10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. LECTURE 1146. Divine power and divine love united in our Saviour. The prophet had lately been writing bitter things against Judah and Jerusalem. See Ch. 39. 6, 7. But now in the prophetic vision he hears the voice of God bidding him and his brother prophets comfort God's people, and speak "comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned." And the reason is added, that God is satisfied with the sufferings inflicted on her, and has vouchsafed in his gracious reckoning to account them an ample punishment for her sins. In conformity with this injunction, the remaining prophecies of Isaiah all partake of a consolatory character; and whilst they frequently refer to the return of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon, are chiefly occupied with setting forth the glories of the Messiah's kingdom, described in St. Luke's Gospel as "the consolation of Israel." Luke 2. 25. But by whose arm is the warfare of God's church to be accomplished? For whose sake is the iniquity of man pardoned? And |