How does 2 Kings 20:9 demonstrate God's power over natural laws? “Then Isaiah answered, ‘This will be the sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or back ten steps?’ ” Setting the Scene • King Hezekiah is deathly ill (2 Kings 20:1). • God promises healing and fifteen more years of life (20:5-6). • Hezekiah asks for a confirming sign (Isaiah 38:22). • Isaiah offers a choice: the sun’s shadow on Ahaz’s stairway can move forward or backward ten steps—a visible, measurable change in time and light. Natural Law in View • Earth’s rotation causes the sun’s apparent, ever-forward movement across the sky. • Shadows lengthen or shorten in a fixed, predictable direction. • Human experience tells us shadows do not reverse their course; time does not run backward. What God Does Hezekiah chooses the harder sign—shadow reversed (2 Kings 20:10). Verse 11 records the miracle: “So Isaiah the prophet called out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow back the ten steps it had descended on the stairway of Ahaz.” • God overrides the created order—whether by halting Earth’s rotation, bending light, or any means He chooses. • The precision (“ten steps”) shows deliberate, controlled intervention, not random anomaly. • The event is public and verifiable; observers could count the steps on the stairway. How This Demonstrates God’s Power over Natural Laws • Sovereignty: He authored physical laws (Genesis 1:14-18; Colossians 1:16-17); therefore He may alter them at will. • Authority validated: The sign confirms His promise to heal Hezekiah—supernatural power undergirds every spoken word of God (Hebrews 6:17-18). • Time and Creation subject to Him: Reversing a shadow symbolically turns back time, foreshadowing that God can “redeem the years” (Joel 2:25). • Consistency with past acts: – Joshua 10:12-14—sun stands still. – Exodus 10:21-23—thick darkness over Egypt. – Matthew 14:25—Jesus walks on water, subduing natural forces. Supporting Scriptures • Isaiah 38:7-8—the parallel account cites the same miracle. • Psalm 74:16—“The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun.” • Jeremiah 32:17—“Nothing is too difficult for You!” • Romans 1:20—creation reveals His eternal power, yet miracles reveal it even more vividly. Practical Takeaways • God’s promises are as dependable as His power; He backs His word with cosmic authority. • Natural impossibilities do not limit divine faithfulness—He can reverse circumstances as easily as He reversed the shadow. • Trust grows when remembering past interventions; recording God’s works (like the stairway witness) strengthens faith for future trials. |
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