The word of the LORD came to [Isaiah]: “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah… I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you.” – 2 Kings 20:4-5
Here in 2 Kings, we get a fuller picture of what happened. Hezekiah is at the point of death, and Isaiah says, “Set your house in order, for you shall die.” Hezekiah turns to the wall and prays (20:1-2).
Isaiah leaves, but God says, “Turn back, and say… I will heal you” (20:5). Isaiah hadn’t even left the palace, so this was an immediate answer to prayer!
Isaiah says to the king, “God will heal you, and on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord” (20:5). When Hezekiah asks for a sign, Isaiah says that God will do something only He can do. He will turn back the sun’s shadow (20:9).
So, what we have here is the story of a godly king at the point of death. God heard his prayer and raised him up on the third day.
The whole Bible points to Jesus Christ, the great king. He wasn’t just at the point of death. He died! Raising the dead is something that only God can do, and on the third day, God raised Him up!
Friend, a day will come when life is slipping away from you. Only one question will matter: “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?” (Isa. 38:22).
Jesus said, “This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn. 6:40).
That is the hope of the gospel. And it can be your hope if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you have this hope and assurance that when your days are done, you will go up to the house of the Lord?
