Connect Isaiah 38:5 with other instances of divine healing in the Bible. Hezekiah’s Miraculous Extension of Life “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.”’” (Isaiah 38:5) What we notice right away • God hears. • God sees. • God acts—adding time to a king who was already on his sickbed (Isaiah 38:1). • The healing is immediate, specific, and measurable: fifteen more years. A Consistent Portrait of the Healer • Exodus 15:26 – “For I am the LORD who heals you.” • Psalm 103:2-3 – “Bless the LORD, O my soul… who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases.” • Malachi 3:6 – “For I, the LORD, do not change.” Taken together, Scripture presents a God whose nature includes both mercy and power to heal. Old-Testament Echoes of Divine Healing • Numbers 12:13-15 – Moses intercedes; the LORD heals Miriam’s leprosy after seven days outside the camp. • 2 Kings 5:14 – Naaman obeys the prophetic word, dips in the Jordan, and “his flesh was restored.” • 1 Kings 17:21-22 – Elijah prays over the widow’s son; “the life of the child returned to him.” • 2 Kings 20:5 – A parallel account of the same promise to Hezekiah, showing the event’s historical weight. Shared threads: heartfelt prayer, prophetic involvement, God’s direct response, and physical restoration. Jesus: The Embodiment of God’s Healing Heart • Matthew 8:2-3 – “Lord, if You are willing… ‘I am willing,’ He said. ‘Be cleansed.’” • Mark 5:34 – To the woman with chronic bleeding: “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” • Luke 18:42 – To the blind beggar: “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Key parallels with Isaiah 38: prayerful appeal, compassionate acknowledgement, instantaneous cure. Healing in the Early Church • Acts 3:6-8 – Peter: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” The lame man leaps up. • Acts 9:34 – Peter to Aeneas: “Jesus Christ heals you.” He rises immediately. • James 5:14-15 – Elders pray, anoint with oil, and “the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick.” Hezekiah’s experience becomes a pattern the Spirit continues through the body of Christ. Timeless Principles We Can Trace from Hezekiah to Today • God welcomes honest, tear-filled prayer. • He responds personally and specifically. • He alone is sovereign over life’s length (Psalm 139:16) yet delights to extend mercy. • His covenant love, seen in David’s line (Isaiah 38:5), finds ultimate fulfillment in Christ, “Yes and Amen” to every promise (2 Corinthians 1:20). • What He was in Isaiah’s day, He remains: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). |
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