Hope by David Jeremiah

Author:David Jeremiah [Jeremiah, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: RELIGION / Christian Living / Spiritual Growth, RELIGION / Christian Living / Personal Growth
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2021-02-09T00:00:00+00:00

The Promise

The word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.”’”

ISAIAH 38:4-5

Here Hezekiah received the joyful news he was longing to hear: God would heal him. Why did God do this? Why did he heal the king and give him fifteen more years of life? In part, it was because He saw Hezekiah’s tears and was moved by compassion.

Recall the basis of Hezekiah’s prayer for healing: “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight” (Isaiah 38:3). Hezekiah laid out his case before God: “I’ve been faithful to You. I’ve cleansed the land of idols and restored the Temple worship. So in return, please be gracious and heal me.”

We must remember, however, that no matter how great a king Hezekiah was, God had no obligation to heal him. We cannot earn His favor with our works. God’s healing is about His faithfulness, not ours. Healing comes the same way salvation does—by grace: “By [the Messiah’s] stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Healing is part of the very nature of God, and in His grace, He offers it to those who fear Him: “To you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2).

We find another reason for Hezekiah’s healing in Isaiah 38:5: God said to the king: “Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father.” God had made a covenant with David that the throne of Judah would always go to one of David’s descendants. The reference to David in this passage is God’s reminder that He is faithful to His promises. That faithfulness was demonstrated when, three years after Hezekiah’s healing, his son Manasseh, who would be the next king, was born (2 Chronicles 33:1).

After Hezekiah was healed, God reminded him again of His faithfulness to His promise to David. He said He would defend Jerusalem against the invading Assyrians “for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake” (2 Kings 19:34).

God’s dealings with Hezekiah and his nation were part of a much bigger story than Hezekiah could see. It was also about the glory of God—as it always is—and about a promise made long ago to David. God is always good, gracious, and compassionate, and therefore He is a worthy place to put our hope.

Why does God heal us? Essentially for the same reasons He healed Hezekiah: first, because of His grace and compassion, and second, for the sake of Jesus Christ—a son of David. Like Hezekiah’s story, ours also is part of a much greater one that we cannot yet see.

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