Today let’s look at “what supports us in life and death” from the last half of Isaiah 38. At the time when Jerusalem was surrounded by Assyria and was being cornered into almost surrendering, the King of Judah, Hezekiah had one other serious anguish. That was he was ill at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah went to him and told him he was going to die saying, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” (1) Then Hezekiah put his face to the wall and while loudly weeping, prayed to the Lord. Then the Lord heard Hezekiah’s prayer and added 15 years to his life. In today’s passage is “a writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery.” (10) From this passage let’s think about what supports us in life and death.

I. Hezekiah’s lament (Vs. 10-16)
First let’s look at Hezekiah’s lament. Please pay attention to verses 10 to 16. First I will read verse 10.
Vs. 10
At this time Hezekiah was 39 years old. He said, “In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death?”(10) The word that is used here for “death” is “Sheol”. “Sheol” in Hebrew is “Hades” in Greek. This a place where the dead wait until the final judgment. The word “Gehenna” also appears a lot in the Bible. This is where sinners will be put and there will be everlasting torment. “Hades” is so to speak the place where people are kept until the decision of the judgment is made. At the final judgment a decision will be given to some people that they must go to “Gehenna”, something like a prison.
What happens when a person dies? In the age of the Old Testament they thought that when a person died, he went to “Sheol”. There they would wait until the judgment after death. However, if you look at the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke, in Hades there was a distinction between “Abraham’s side” (Luke 16:22) and a place of “torment”. (Luke 16:23) Lazarus died and went to “Abraham’s side.” (Luke 16:22) However, the rich man died and he went to a place “where he was in torment.” (Luke 16:23) In other words, when the people of the Old Testament died they all went to Hades, but those who believed in God, in other words, those whose who were called saints went to “Abraham’s side”, a place of blessedness where they receive God’s comfort.
Here Hezekiah says, “In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death?”(10) To lose the rest of his life in the prime of his life must have been very saddening. That sadness is expressed in verses 11 to 14 by four similes.
1. First it is “like a shepherd’s tent” (12) Please look at verse 12. Here it says, “Like a shepherd’s tent my house has been pulled down and taken from me.” (12) A person’s life is just like a tent that can be easily “pulled down and taken” (12) away. Even if it is a King’s or a rich man’s, life is brief. A life in a grand palace and a healthy body “like a shepherd’s tent” (12) are “pulled down and taken” (12) away.
2. It is “like a weaver”. (12) The second half of verse 12 says, ”Like a weaver I have rolled up my life, and he has cut me off from the loom.” Just like when the weaver is finished without hesitation cuts the string, God suddenly one day cuts the string of life. Man’s life is that brief.
3. It is “like a lion”. (13) “I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion he broke all my bones.” (13) A lion without mercy chews up everything. In the same way, the Lord with pain and illness without mercy comes upon man. All men are “like a lion” (13) chewed up. That is death.
4. It is “like a mourning dove”. (14) “I cried like a swift or thrush, I moaned like a mourning dove.” (14) Have you ever heard “a swift or thrush” (14) cry? It is really a sad cry. Also here it says, “like a mourning dove”. (14) Those who do not know God’s salvation, when they receive the sentence of death, they mourn “like a mourning dove”.
Why was Hezekiah so depressed? Let’s look at the famous words of Paul. Paul said the following words in Phil. 1:23 “I desire to depart and be with Christ.”
What a confession” Paul said that it was his “desire to depart” (Phil 1:23) from this world “and be with Christ.” (Phil 1:23) This is completely different from the lament of Hezekiah that we just saw. Hezekiah thought that if he died it was the end. He would go to “Sheol”. He wouldn’t see the Lord any more. He thought his life was just “like a shepherd’s tent”. (12) “Like a weaver” (12) who cuts him “off the loom”. (12) “Like a lion” (13) he will be chewed up into powder. He “cried like a swift or thrush”. (14) What caused the difference between Hezekiah and Paul?
That depends on whether you have the hope of resurrection after death or not. Hezekiah’s faith was weak about life after death, eternal life and the resurrection of the dead. Of course in the age of the Old Testament too there were references to the resurrection after death. (Psalms 49:15; Dan. 12:2, etc.) However, it wasn’t so clear. That was because Jesus Christ had not been born yet. That became clear when Jesus came and was put on the cross and died and then 3 days later rose again. Jesus died and rose again so we could clearly know that like the Bible promises we too will die and rise. We know clearly that even if the body that we live in on this earth “is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal home in heaven.” (II Cor. 5:1) “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savor from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 3:20) At that time we will be resurrected into an imperishable, glorious body.
However, Hezekiah didn’t know this. No, he knew, but he didn’t know clearly. Since Jesus Christ hadn’t come yet, he could only see it vaguely. Therefore, he didn’t have hope. He was lamenting that if he died he must “go through the gates of death”. (10)
However, if you look at the latter half of verse 14 you will see that there is a change occurring in Hezekiah’s heart.
Vs. 14 to 16
Hezekiah prayed, “O Lord, come to my aid!” (14) If God comes to his aid, there is nothing to fear and worry about. All he has to do is put everything in the hands of God. He said that if the Lord would lengthen the years of his life he would “walk humbly” (15) all the rest of his life. He was able to say that by faith “men live”. (16) That faith restores health.
The Lord who comes to his aid is the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose 3 days later. In the age of Hezekiah that was vague and he couldn’t see it clearly, but he was able to put all in the hands of God’s salvation.
In the end, what supports man’s life and death is faith. It is faith in the forgiveness of sin and in eternal life. It is the hope of the resurrection. Please open your Bibles to I Cor. 15:56 to 58.
I Cor. 15:56-58
When we have this faith even when we are facing death, we can be thankful to God. Even if our hearts are shaken up, we can stand firmly, not be moved by anything, and can always give ourselves “fully to the work of the Lord.” (I Cor. 15:38) What strength!
There was a man, Natsuki Iijima who was close to the age of Hezekiah when he too was told he was going to die. He represented Japan as a world wind surfer, but he died at the age of 38 from liver cancer. When he was told that that he had cancer, his life completely changed. At first he wasn’t pessimistic thinking that cancer wasn’t an incurable disease. However, in the midst of 2 huge surgeries, 130 scars from stitches and being hospitalized 17 times gradually he became depressed and had panic syndrome and gradually became reclusive and unsociable. He had a very difficult time. Then, the doctor gave what was thought to be the final stroke, the warning that he was dying. However, he who was a Christian was given advice to write a novel. He thought about how to express his love to his family and how to comfort them and wrote the novel, “If I meet you in heaven”, He wrote this novel because he was a Christian. In the novel he says that in the Bible it says that those who are saved will go to heaven so being separated from this world is only a short time of being separated. Everyone thinks that death is fearful, but we Christians have hope in heaven. He wrote about the hope of heaven and that there he will meet them again. That was the real comfort that he wanted to share. Then in joy and thankfulness he went to heaven.
How blessed are those who put their hope in God! Even if they get sick, even if they are told they have cancer, there is eternal life there. Death is swallowed by victory. The hope that they can go to heaven in a real meaning encourages people, stands people up, and gives life.
In our life we have various troubles. Like Hezekiah we may be told that we are dying. There are times that we run into situations that we have no control over. However, even in such troubles, those who believe in Jesus Christ are not despaired. That is because they are promised eternal life and have the hope of the resurrection. They can accept the reality and put that reality in the hand of God and “walk humbly”. (15)

II. Hezekiah’s praises (Vs. 17-20)
Next let’s look at Hezekiah’s life of praise. Please look at verses 17 to 20.
Vs. 17-20
Here Hezekiah says, “Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.” (17) In the midst of his prayer with God, he was able to have such hope. His anguish wasn’t just anguish, but instead he could accept it as being for his own benefit. Hezekiah could have faith that what has happened to him had happened within the Lord’s sovereignty and the Lord will lead things to be for his benefit. He was able to realize that he “suffered such anguish.” (17) for his benefit and it was a good plan of God. More than anything, Hezekiah did not brag that he was healed. As verse 20 says, The LORD will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the LORD.” Hezekiah was able to sing from his heart and be thankful for the one way mercy of God.
Genzo Mizuno who at the age of 9 came down with bacillary dysentery and as a result of high temperatures suffers from cerebral paralysis. Since then he became bed ridden and couldn’t speak. From his neck down he can’t move at all. The only way that he can communicate is by blinking his eyes. At the age of 12 he read the Bible and at 13 he was baptized. Genzo Mizuno who died at 47 by only blinking his eyes wrote poems. Therefore, he was called the “blinking poet”. Among the poems he wrote was the poem entitled “In order to know Christ”
In order to know Christ
When I got sick, tears flowed in agony, but when I realized that was in order that I might know Christ who cured my spiritual sickness then they changed into tears of joy and thankfulness.
When I was betrayed by my friend, bitterness kept me from sleeping at night in order that I might know Christ who is my eternal never changing friend and then the bitterness changed into joy and thankfulness.
When I made mistakes, my heart was confused and full of regret in order that I might know Christ who paid for everything I did, then my heart was changed into joy and thankfulness.
Everything was so that I might know Christ. My illness that made me bed ridden too was so that I might know Christ. Because I was sick I was able to know Christ. When I knew that, the agony of sickness was changed into joy and thankfulness.
How about you? When you get sick do you realize that is in order that you might know Christ who cures spiritual sickness and are you joyful and thankful? When you are betrayed by a friend, do you realize that the bitterness that keeps you from sleeping at night is so that you will know Jesus Christ who will eternally never change and are you giving thanks and praising Him? When you make mistakes do you realize that your confused heart and regret is so that you will know Jesus Christ who prays for all your sin and are you happy and thankful? The reason why we can have thankfulness towards God and praise God is because of the faith that God is working and he will lead us the best way. It is because we believe that the troubles and agonies are for our benefit and a part of God’s good plan. Such a person no matter what happens, does not fall. He always looks to God, looks at God’s wonderful plan, and with joy can give praise and thankfulness. The Lord will respond to such faith.

III. God heals (Vs. 21,22)
Lastly, let’s look at how the Lord answered Hezekiah. Please look at verses 21 and 22.
Vs. 21, 22
In answer to Hezekiah’s faith, the Lord healed him of his illness. The prophet Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.” (21) The Lord used a poultice of figs” to heal him. God used this method to heal Hezekiah. God can do anything. He doesn’t have to use this method. However, God used this method shows that he uses many methods to heal.
This is shown throughout the Bible. For example in Exodus 15 when the Israelites came to the Desert of Shur they finally found water, but “they could not drink its water because it was bitter.” (Exodus 15:23) The Lord made the water sweet by having Moses throw a piece of wood into the water.
Also if you look at John there is recorded the healing of the man who was born blind from birth. He was healed by Jesus spitting on the ground and making mud and spreading it on the man’s eyes. Then he told the man to go the pool of Siloam and wash. When he went to the Pool of Siloam and washed the blink man could see.
The Lord doesn’t have to do anything at all to heal, but he also uses methods like these. This is to show that the Lord can use any method to heal. God can heal without using any methods at all, but he also uses medical treatment.to heal. Therefore, going to the hospital is not being unfaithful. To say that to take medicine is a lack of faith is wrong. That is dangerous thing that lacks balance. That’s because God uses medicine to heal. At times God uses medicine to heal.
When Paul’s disciple, Timothy’s stomach was weak Paul said, “Use a little wine because of your stomach.” (I Tim. 5:23) This too was a method that God used to heal. Paul who was so filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul who was able to raise the dead, that Paul on the other hand said, “Use a little wine because of your stomach.” (I Tim. 5:23) That was also God’s method. God uses all things to heal. If it is the Lord’s will he heals instantly without a doctor. At the same time, if it is God’s will, he heals by various methods. Believe that the Lord heals through the method that the Lord prepares, and thankfully accept the method given to you. Anyway, the important thing is to believe that God is the healer, pray to him and depend on Him.
Exodus 15:26
According to this faith, God will work. May you depend on the Lord like Hezekiah, and pray and experience the healing of the Lord. Then the life of lamenting and sadness, complaining and the life of despair become a life overflowing with thankfulness and praises to the Lord. The hope of the resurrection, and eternal life is really what supports us in life and death.