Day 194, Chronological Bible Study Timeline. Map. Go to today’s Bible reading (use your browser arrow to return): 2Chronicles 29:2; 2Kings 18:3-7a; 2Kings 20:1-19; Isaiah 38-39; 2Chronicles 32:24-31
Remembering Kindness
Almost everyone has forgotten kindnesses done for him or her. Children and teens are often quick to forget the many favors their parents grant them, and even adults have short memories. Have we ever
- forgotten to say thank you to a good waiter or waitress?
- missed sending a thank you card for a gift?
- thanked the person or persons who were the most influential in our life?
- said thank you to our minister or Sunday School teacher for prayerfully preparing their sermons or lessons, or thanked others whom God used to meet our spiritual needs?
- thanked a doctor, fireman, or soldier who served or saved our life?
- express deep appreciation for someone who forgave our debts?
God brings Healing
Sometimes, God shows people great kindness. Besides salvation (the kindest thing He could ever do for us), people receive other special blessings from Him. One of these is physical healing. Physical healing doesn’t always happen, and despite what some faith healers claim, it doesn’t always depend on a person’s faith but on God’s grace. Ask God and ask in confidence that he can heal you if he wishes (James 1:6-7). But if it is not God’s will, accept God’s grace to handle it. This is what the Apostle Paul did (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
In today’s Bible reading, King Hezekiah of Judah also experiences suffering. Hezekiah suffers from a boil, and yet the Bible says he was a righteous man. He led the people in a revival, and they made a covenant with God. They got rid of idol worship. The Levites opened up the temple doors (locked by his father) and cleared out all the idols and accumulated junk. Then they purified everything in the temple and put all the furniture and articles in their proper places. Afterward, the Levites dedicated themselves to service and worship. They celebrated the Day of Atonement in ways it had not been observed since the days of King Solomon. After all this, King Hezekiah is plagued by a boil that would have terminated his life.
Suffering can be a Kindness
What? Yes, it is hard to believe unless you have suffered. Many believers say that is when they had the most intimate relationship with the LORD. We do not know why God allows the righteous to suffer, but Hezekiah said he profited from the experience. The king said, “Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back” (Isaiah 38:17, NIV). How did Hezekiah benefit from suffering? Not all benefits are the same. Perhaps Hezekiah’s sickness was profitable because it made him realize he had sinned.
How did he sin? King Hezekiah failed in his faith after leading the nation in restoration and worshiping the one true God of the universe. He sent a delegation by boat to forge an alliance with Egypt to help him fight against Assyria, their common enemy, because he was afraid of an invasion. At first, he did not ask for help from God; he led the nation in unfaithfulness. While we cannot say that all illnesses result from our sins, perhaps God was punishing Hezekiah. He needed to get the king’s attention.
God is Gracious to Hezekiah
After Isaiah tells the king he will die, Hezekiah cries to the LORD for mercy and physical healing. In response, the LORD sends Isaiah back to give him another message: God will heal him. Then, as a bonus, God comforts Hezekiah by telling him that Sennacherib will not enter Jerusalem (Isaiah 38:6).A Miraculous Sign of God’s Kindness
The LORD then gives Hezekiah a miraculous sign to confirm that he will heal and extend the king’s life for fifteen years. The sign is a reversing of time—making a shadow on the palace stairs go backward. How does the LORD do this? We are not told from the Scriptures or given any clues. Some suggest that He reverses the rotation of the earth or that light is refracted, but we do not know, and it remains a mystery.
After King Hezekiah is healed, he remembers God’s kindness by composing a praise song. In it, he commits himself to walk humbly before the LORD the rest of his days.
Hezekiah Forgets God’s Grace
Oh, how quickly we forget like Hezekiah. The king’s humility is soon tested, for God’s miraculous healing brings Hezekiah fame. He becomes a wonder, a hero. He is also wealthy and successful, and this is noticed by the surrounding nations. Babylonian emissaries come to Hezekiah (possibly to forge an alliance with him and other countries against Assyria but maybe to spy out his riches). King Hezekiah is flattered by their attention and becomes proud. He foolishly shows them all the wealth in the kingdom. “… Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.” (2Chronicles 32:25, NIV)
Isaiah prophesies that Babylon will come back and conquer Jerusalem, eager to spoil Hezekiah of his riches. As God promised, however, He will still protect Jerusalem from an Assyrian invasion
Do not take God’s Grace for Granted
The greatest gift we have ever been offered is eternal life:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10, NIV)
If we have received His grace, how are we living? We could record a multitude of ways the LORD has blessed us. In gratitude, are we living for Him? Are we accomplishing the tasks He has given us to do?
Take Away Lessons:
How should we remember God’s kindness?
• Give sincere thanks to the LORD and His servants for whatever grace is shown to us.
• Healing does not always depend on our faith but on the grace of God. Thank Him for His healing or sustaining grace.
• Grace is undeserved favor. We should not become proud as if we can do anything to deserve it.
• We should depend on the LORD to help us.
• Be busy with the work God has called us to do, and do not get side-tracked by pride.
End note: The attack on Jerusalem was probably by Sennacherib in 701 B.C. according to The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the O.T., edited by Walvoord and Zuck, ©1985, p.1089).
Focus Verses
(Titus 2:11-13, NIV) For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men (more...). It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Looking Ahead: Trials and our proper response to them lead us to Maturity and Awareness. Find out more in our Next Lesson.
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