King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Sunday, July 26, 2026
Chapters: Isaiah 37-39, Psalm 76
Lesson: Isaiah: Hezekiah Becomes Ill
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today, thanks to the Holy Spirit, this passage came to mind, [Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.].
Yesterday we learned that when the Assyrians invaded Jerusalem with the intent of overtaking it and carrying them away captive, Hezekiah sent word to Isaiah that they needed God’s help. As we return to the reading of Isaiah, he also gives the account, which is almost identical. Isaiah, reveals that Hezekiah did not act alone.
[Isaiah 37:1-4 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. 4 It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.]
At this point, while Judah had been just as guilty as Samaria with their idol worship, Hezekiah went through a great deal to turn things around and were committed to God and trying to turn the nation back to Him. So, here comes this fool who worshiped his own false gods attempting to play mind games on the people to get them to doubt their faith. While one person can definitely make a difference, imagine what happens when two or more gather in the name of the LORD. Well, Isaiah sent word back to Hezekiah that God had heard their plea.
[Isaiah 37:6-10 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. 8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. 9 And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.]
God, made it clear that Rabshakeh would not escape the consequences of his blasphemy. His words were not merely insults hurled at Judah; they were direct insults against the LORD Himself. Yet even after the warning was given, Rabshakeh persisted. In his arrogance he dared to tell them not to trust the Almighty, the only living God, and even went so far as to declare that God was a liar. Truly, this man was a fool, blind to the holiness of the One he defied and ignorant of the power of the God. There are two things that get God’s blood boiling, if you know what I mean, the first one is not believing in Him, the second is calling Him a liar. Jesus, said it this way, Mark 3:28-29 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:]
The Assyrians were not seeking to conquer Judah because they possessed superior strength; their aim was far more strategic. They wanted Judah to join them in their campaign against Libnah, imagining that intimidation would bend the people of God into submission and secure their alliance. They believed fear would accomplish what force could not. When Hezekiah received their threatening letter, he did not panic, negotiate, or attempt to reason with them. He took the letter, carried it into the house of the LORD, laid it before the altar, and prayed.
[Isaiah 37:16-20 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. 17 Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. 18 Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, 19 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. 20 Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.]
In that moment, Judah’s king did what every faithful heart must do when confronted by the enemy’s lies: he placed the threat before the Saviour and sought the counsel of the Almighty. Do not be deceived, the world knows full well that the God of Israel is the God of every nation that calls Him LORD. What they truly desire is the power of God working for them, even though they want nothing to do with submitting to Him. The Assyrians were no different. Isaiah, sends word to Hezekiah once again that God has heard his prayers.
[Isaiah 37:21-23 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria: 22 This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. 23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.]
God speaks of Jerusalem as His virgin daughter, a title that carries both tenderness and majesty. Though He had sent judgment upon them for their sin, the city itself had never been taken by force, for the LORD had always been her Protector. Nations had risen yet none had prevailed against her because the Holy One of Israel had not given her into their hands. Could Sennacherib accomplish what countless others had attempted and failed? Only if God Himself had permitted it. The LORD makes clear that He had not.
[Isaiah 37:26-29 Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps. 27 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. 28 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. 29 Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.]
The Assyrian king imagined his strength sufficient, his gods reliable, his threats irresistible. But he did not understand that no power on earth can breach what God defends, and no king can advance one step beyond the boundary the Almighty has set. God, is comparing Sennacherib to a very large wild beast who by their strength and fierceness can be stopped by harnesses and restraints. Then He proceeds to say that He has a remnant of Judah who will escape all of the judgments that will come.
[Isaiah 37:31-35 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward: 32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. 33 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. 35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.]
The LORD delivered Judah from the hand of the Assyrians, proving once again that no enemy can stand when His people seek Him in truth. And as for Sennacherib, the king who exalted himself against the Almighty, his end was fitting: he died at the hands of his own sons while worshiping his false god. The one who mocked the living God fell before an idol that could not save him.
[Isaiah 37:36-38 Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 38 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.]
We truly have no grasp of how often our God intercepts danger, deception, and destruction on behalf of His people. And perhaps it is a mercy that we do not know, for the sheer weight of His unseen protection would overwhelm us. He shields us far more than we realize, and His providence is woven through our days in ways we will only understand in eternity. This Psalm was written right after this victory as a great reminder of why Israel and all of us should put our faith in God.
[Psalms 76:1-3,6-10 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song of Asaph. In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. 2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion. 3 There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah. 6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. 7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? 8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, 9 When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah. 10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.]
God may indeed be slow to anger, rich in mercy and patient toward His people; yet when His righteous anger is stirred, no one can stand before His judgment. No enemy, no king, no nation can survive His wrath unless they come in humble faith, trusting wholly in the LORD to save them. This is the essence of the fear of God, not terror, but a profound recognition of His holiness, His authority, and His absolute right to rule. No matter how powerful the enemy imagines himself to be, no one can carry out hostile demands against the people of God unless the Almighty permits it, [John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.]
We can never underestimate the power of our living God. He alone holds authority over life, death, and every moment that lies between the two. And it is in those years between our first breath and our last, that determines our end, and at times even the length of our days. We learn of this when Hezekiah became deathly ill right after Judah’s great victory, the king himself became deathly ill.
[Isaiah 38:1-3 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.]
I can relate to Hezekiah, there are times when the tears cannot be held back and the only way to hold your composure is to turn your back away and just talk to God. When severe sickness strikes, or something strange and unsettling happens, our hearts move almost reflexively toward self‑examination. We begin to wonder whether we have somehow angered God. Then, in desperation, we start rehearsing before Him all the ways we have been faithful, as though reminding the LORD of our devotion might steady our trembling souls. Well, God, knows exactly what we have done for Him and never forgets that, after his humble prayer, God agrees to give fifteen more years of life.
[Isaiah 38:5-8 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 gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.]
As Hezekiah recovered from his illness, he set himself to record the murmurings, fears, and complaints that had risen in his heart during his affliction. Yet woven through those reflections was a clear acknowledgment of the goodness of God, who had delivered him from the very brink of death. What began as a personal testimony meant to remind himself of God’s mercies and to instruct future generations became something far greater. Isaiah, discerning the spiritual weight and honesty of the king’s words, saw fit to include his writings in his own prophetic account.
[Isaiah 38:10-13 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.]
Thus the king’s private wrestling’s were preserved in Scripture, standing as a witness to the faithfulness of God and the humility of a man who knew his life rested entirely in the hands of the LORD. Hezekiah, may have thought his life on earth was over, but you can read between the lines to understand that he knows he will see the LORD on the other side. As much as we prepare for death no one wants to die being in pain, which is why he goes on to praise God for saving His soul.
[Isaiah 38:16-20 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. 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.]
There is only one passage that comes to mind right here, [John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.]
What Hezekiah is expressing is a vow of remembrance: for as many days as God grants him, he will never cease to recall where he once stood and how the Lord mercifully raised him up. His recovery became a continual reminder of God’s deliverance, not only of his own life, but of the entire nation. He would not allow himself to forget the pit from which he had been drawn, nor the mighty hand that saved Judah. And this is why the choices we make after we get saved do matter. The choices we make in between life and death always have an impact on our lives, but what we may not realize is that they impact others as well. Shortly after Hezekiah’s recovery we learn of his unwise decision to allow the son of the king of Babylon, into his home.
[Isaiah 39:1-3 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.]
If God directs the man or woman of God to speak to someone then it is best to pay attention to what is being said. This world talks so much about wanting transparency, but that can only go so far. We long to know how to defend ourselves, but we cannot reveal the defenses God has given us to those who oppose Him, for the enemy will always weaponize whatever knowledge he gains. Because of this unwise decision it would cause problems for Judah and the temple after he was gone. God, sent Isaiah with a severe warning.
[Isaiah 39:5-8 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.]
Hezekiah, did not respond with anger, nor did he rebel against the word of the Lord when he heard Isaiah’s warning. He simply bowed his head and said, “Thy will be done.” There are seasons in life when certain things must come to pass, and no amount of praying or fasting will alter God’s decree, those spiritual disciplines serve instead to strengthen us so that we may endure what He has appointed. Even our Saviour walked this path. When Jesus knew the hour had come for Him to fulfill His mission, He went before the Father in prayer. The weight of what lay ahead pressed upon Him so intensely that His sweat fell as great drops of blood. Yet in that moment of deepest agony, there was only one thing Jesus could say, [Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I know that you are the only living God and that because I put my faith and trust in Your Son, I know You are my God. You already produced one miracle by giving me eternal life, now, I am trusting in You to do more as you help me endure the afflictions in life until You bring me home. Lord, Lead me and guide in me in Your will and Your way, let me be a witness and a story for all to tell of my love for You. I love you and ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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