Isaiah 38:18-20

The Voice

¹⁸    And so I join the living in giving thanks to You.
        After all, thankful voices never rise from the land of the dead.
    After all, the songs of praise never soar from death’s dark realm.
        Those who go down into the pit—that great black nothingness—

Hezekiah becomes confident that God will restore his health and bring him back from the edge of death. Ironically, many years earlier his father Ahaz refused to ask for a sign even though God insisted that he do so. The son, it seems, has learned a valuable lesson; so he asks for a sign because he wants to know when he will be well enough to return to God’s house and offer thanks to Him among the rest of his citizens. Unfortunately, with some people, it is only in the bitterness of disease and in death’s dark shadow that a person learns to embrace life and live it to the fullest. Hezekiah’s near-death experience embitters his soul, but it also moves him toward wholeness. What Hezekiah does not know is that the Babylonians have their eyes set on dominating the rest of the world. For years, the Assyrians and Babylonians have coexisted, but the Babylonians are not content to remain a regional power. As they build their empire—annexing lands, conquering peoples, gaining strength—they begin to take an interest in little Judah. Hezekiah doesn’t account for how his actions might affect his nation. He simply isn’t that shrewd.

    They can’t even begin to hope for Your faithfulness.
¹⁹    But ah, the living! And I am among them today,
        giving praise and thanks to You for life,
    The old telling the young about the loyalty of Your love.
²⁰    The Eternal will rescue me,
        and we will break out the stringed instruments.
    We will sing and make music for the rest of our lives,
        right here in the house of the Eternal.