Chapter 38

1 Hezekiah, having received a message of death, by prayer hath his life lengthened. 8 The sun goeth ten degrees backward, for a sign of that promise. 9 His song of thanksgiving.

1. In those days. For comment see on 2 Kings 20:1.

2. Prayed. See on 2 Kings 20:2.

3. With a perfect heart. See on 2 Kings 20:3. At this time of crisis Hezekiah may have felt that the nation needed his services and that it was entirely right for him to plead his honorable record as a reason why he should be allowed to live.

5. Thus saith the Lord. See on 2 Kings 20:4, 5. Hezekiah’s tears touched the heart of God, and God intervened.

6. I will deliver thee. Deliverance was to be twofold, from death and from the hands of Sennacherib. Satan was determined to bring about both the death of Hezekiah and the fall of Jerusalem, reasoning no doubt that if Hezekiah were out of the way, his efforts at reform would cease and the fall of Jerusalem could be the more readily accomplished. The Dead Sea scroll 1QIs adds to the verse, “for my sake and for the sake of my servant David” (see 2 Kings 20:6).

7. A sign. See on 2 Kings 20:8. Regardless of appearances, Hezekiah would be healed. The sign preceding the healing was given to strengthen his own faith and that of his people (see on ch. 37:30).

8. I will bring again. According to 2 Kings 20:9, 10, Hezekiah was given the choice of whether the shadow of the sundial should go backward or forward. He chose the more difficult alternative. Here the record is abbreviated (see on 2 Kings 20:10, 11).

9. The writing of Hezekiah. This psalm of Hezekiah (vs. 9–20) is not found in the parallel record of 2 Kings. Verses 21, 22 seem to have originally followed v. 8, but in drawing up the record in its present form Hezekiah’s poem was inserted within the narrative rather than added to it. This verse (v. 9) forms the superscription to the psalm, and is similar to a number of the headings found in the book of Psalms. Like many of the psalms, the poem is a record of an individual’s experience, yet written in a form suitable for use in the Temple worship. The theme of the poem is the experience of a man face to face with death praying earnestly for life, and having his prayer heard. Perhaps to make the poem suitable for liturgical use, items of a more personal nature are not mentioned.

10. In the cutting off. Literally, “in the midst.” At this time Hezekiah was probably about 40 years old (see on 2 Kings 18:2, 13).

11. Not see the Lord. Death would not bring him into the presence of God, but cut off communication with Him, as it would cut him off from contact with man (see Job 14:21; 17:13; Ps. 6:5; 115:17; 146:4; Eccl. 9:5, 6; Isa. 38:18).

12. Mine age. Perhaps, “my habitation,” or “my dwelling,” a nomad’s “tent,” which can readily be moved from place to place. According to the figure Hezekiah’s abode would be removed from the land of the living to that of the dead (see 2 Cor. 5:1–3; cf. Phil. 1:23).

Cut off. Literally, “rolled up.” Hezekiah has been weaving the web of life, but the pattern is now to be changed, and he must roll up the web before the pattern has been completed, and cut it from the loom. In this figure Hezekiah expresses his disappointment and frustration at the prospect of prematurely terminating what seems to him a half-completed task.

13. I reckoned. Literally, “I composed myself,” “I quieted myself.” Compare Ps. 131:2, where the same Hebrew expression is translated “I … quieted myself.” Finding himself within the relentless grasp of an enemy—disease—before which he is powerless, Hezekiah faces the prospect of reconciling himself to what appears to be the inevitable. The entire verse is missing in the Dead Sea scroll 1QIs, but is found in 1QIs.

14. Like a crane. Hezekiah compares his cries in suffering to the plaintive calls of the birds here mentioned. At times he would groan aloud; again, only inwardly and inaudibly. He scarcely has strength to lift up his eyes to God and cry for deliverance from the terror that stands over him like an executioner with his weapon raised.

Undertake for me. Literally, “go surety for me,” or “stand up for me.” The figure is that of a debtor who finds himself in the hands of an exacting creditor. Death presses Hezekiah for immediate payment, and he appeals to God to rescue him.

15. Himself hath done it. The meaning of v. 15 is not entirely clear. Some have suggested that it deals with the sick man’s surprise at his sudden recovery, that words fail him with which to express gratitude to God. Others think he finds himself speechless, in consternation at having been smitten, as it seems, by God. If the Lord, whom he considered his Friend, has permitted him to come to the gates of death—what can he say? There is nothing left for him to do but to grieve and bemoan his fate, to pass his days in bitterness of soul.

16. By these things men live. Man lives by the words of God (Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4), whether it be the life of the body or of the soul. When Hezekiah found physical life and healing, he also found spiritual restoration. In restoring the king’s body to health the Lord granted far more than he had asked (see Isa. 38:17; Matt. 9:2–7).

17. For peace. That is, “peace” in the broad meaning, “all that is good for me,” or “what is for my welfare.” The affliction that brought Hezekiah so much anguish was not for his hurt but for his benefit. God looked upon him in tender compassion and lifted him out of the pit of corruption. It was the power of divine love that saved him from the power of death.

All my sins. The healing of the body was tangible assurance of the healing of his soul. Divine forgiveness is not simply a legal transaction that releases a man from paying the penalty for past offenses; it is a transforming power that restores and strengthens the spiritual man’s nature and shapes him anew in the moral image of his Creator.

18. The grave. Death brings the complete cessation of all thought and activity (see on Ps. 115:17; 146:4; Eccl. 9:5). What particularly distressed Hezekiah was the thought that in death he could not give thanks or praise to God (Ps. 6:5; 30:9; 88:10, 11; 115:17).

19. Make known thy truth. Thankfulness inspired Hezekiah to tell others of the faithfulness and goodness of God.

20. Save me. The fact of God’s readiness to save Hezekiah bore him up in a transport of joy, expressed in this psalm (see on v. 9).

We will sing. The remainder of v. 20 is in the form of a postscript stating the king’s purpose in composing the psalm and his intention as to the use to be made of it.

21. A lump of figs. That is, a fig poultice (see on 2 Kings 20:7). The Lord might have healed Hezekiah without the use of this poultice, but where natural remedies exist God intends that they should be used in the healing of disease. To use them does not show a lack of faith; on the contrary, a refusal to do so is presumption and reveals a lack of sound judgment.

22. The sign. See on 2 Kings 20:8. Through Isaiah the Lord had already told Hezekiah that he would be healed and that on the third day he would be able to go to the house of the Lord (2 Kings 20:5). For comment concerning the nature of this sign see on Isa. 38:7, 8.

Ellen G. White comments

1    PK 340; 5T 336

10–20PK 343

18, 19  GC 546

21   MH 232