# 2 Kings 20 š: Hezekiah's Illness and Pride
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Hezekiah is Healed
[[#Verse 01.]]Ā In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness.Ā The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, āThis is what theĀ LordĀ has said, āGive your household instructions, for you are about to die; you will not get well.āā
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā He turned his face to the wall and prayed to theĀ Lord,Ā
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā āPlease,Ā Lord. Remember how I have served youĀ faithfully and with wholehearted devotion,Ā and how I have carried out your will.āĀ Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā Isaiah had not yet left the middle courtyardĀ when theĀ Lordās message came to him,Ā
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā āGo back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: āThis is what theĀ LordĀ God of your ancestor David has said: āI have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. The day after tomorrowĀ you will go up to theĀ Lordās temple.Ā
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā I will add fifteen years to your life and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.āāāĀ
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā Isaiah ordered, āGet a fig cake.ā So they did as he orderedĀ and placed it on the ulcerated sore, and he recovered.
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, āWhat is the confirming sign that theĀ LordĀ will heal me and that I will go up to theĀ Lordās temple the day after tomorrow?āĀ
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā Isaiah replied, āThis is your sign from theĀ LordĀ confirming that theĀ LordĀ will do what he has said. Do you want the shadow to move ahead ten steps or to go back ten steps?āĀ
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā Hezekiah answered, āIt is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but not for itĀ to go back ten steps.āĀ
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā Isaiah the prophet called out to theĀ Lord, and theĀ LordĀ made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz.
### Messengers from Babylon Visit Hezekiah
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā At that time Merodach BaladanĀ son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent messengers with letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah was ill.Ā
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā Hezekiah welcomedĀ them and showed them his whole storehouse, with its silver, gold, spices, and high quality olive oil, as well as his armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom.Ā
[[#Verse 14.]]Ā Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, āWhat did these men say? Where do they come from?ā Hezekiah replied, āThey come from the distant land of Babylon.āĀ
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā IsaiahĀ asked, āWhat have they seen in your palace?ā Hezekiah replied, āThey have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everythingĀ in my treasuries.āĀ
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā Isaiah said to Hezekiah, āListen to theĀ Lordās message,Ā
[[#Verse 17.]]Ā āLook, a time isĀ coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,ā says theĀ Lord.Ā
[[#Verse 18.]]Ā āSome of your very own descendants whom you fatherĀ will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.āāĀ
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā Hezekiah said to Isaiah, āTheĀ Lordās message which you have announced is appropriate.āĀ Then he added,Ā āAt least there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.ā
[[#Verse 20.]]Ā The rest of the events of Hezekiahās reign and all his accomplishments, including how he built a pool and conduit to bringĀ water into the city, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.Ā
[[#Verse 21.]]Ā Hezekiah passed awayĀ and his son Manasseh replaced him as king.
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. God added fifteen years to Hezekiah's life (20:6).
2. Isaiah had a cake of figs placed on Hezekiah's boil (20:7). Figs were used as a remedy in the ancient world.
3. The shadow went back ten steps on the stairway of Ahaz (20:9-11), which may have been a staircase used to tell time like a sundial.
4. Hezekiah's prayer of thanks after his healing is recorded in Isaiah 38:9-20.
5. Merodach-Baladan (20:12) is known from Assyrian records as a Chaldean leader who repeatedly rebelled against Assyria.
6. The Babylonian envoys were likely seeking Hezekiah as an ally against Assyria.
7. Isaiah predicted the Babylonian exile more than a century before it happened (20:17), when Babylon was still under Assyria's shadow.
8. Isaiah said some of Hezekiah's descendants would serve in the palace of the king of Babylon (20:18). Daniel 1:3-6 describes young men of royal family taken to Babylon.
9. Hezekiah's tunnel (20:20) runs about 1,750 feet through solid rock from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam, and it can still be walked today.
10. The Siloam Inscription, found in the tunnel in 1880, describes the moment the two digging crews met.
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One who conquered death for good. Hezekiah received fifteen more years of life (20:6), but Jesus rose from the dead never to die again and now holds the keys of death (Revelation 1:18).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. Hezekiah prayed and wept, and God answered before Isaiah even left the palace courtyard (20:4-5). What does this show about how God hears our prayers?
2. Hezekiah showed off his treasures to the envoys from Babylon (20:13). How can pride creep in after God has blessed us?
3. Hezekiah seemed content that disaster would come after his lifetime (20:19). How should we think about the generation that comes after us?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 5: The Lord has heard Hezekiah's prayer and seen his tears.
- š verse 11: The Lord makes the shadow go back ten steps as a sign.
- š verses 17-18: Isaiah foretells that everything in the palace will be carried to Babylon.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[Revelation 01#Verse 18.|Revelation 1:18]] - Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades.
- š [[Isaiah 38#Verse 09.|Isaiah 38:9-20]] - Hezekiah's song of thanks after his healing.
- š [[2 Chronicles 32#Verse 31.|2 Chronicles 32:31]] - God left Hezekiah to test him with the Babylonian envoys.
- š [[John 09#Verse 07.|John 9:7]] - Jesus sends a blind man to wash in the Pool of Siloam.
- š [[Psalm 90#Verse 12.|Psalm 90:12]] - Teach us to number our days.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[2 Kings 20 - SOAP|Time Marches On]]
## š Internal Notes