Today's Reading:

2 Kings 20
2 Chronicles 32:24-33
Isaiah 38
Isaiah 39

There were 2 profound sentences that made an impact on the Israelites' lives:

• 2 Chronicles 32:30- Describes what Hezekiah did (redirected the water).
• 2 Kings 20:20- Records that he built the tunnel and pool as one of his major achievements.

These two verses are the only biblical record of one of the greatest engineering feats in that time, “Hezekiah’s Tunnel.” He carved a tunnel through solid rock about 1,750 feet long, going from the Gihon Spring outside of the city walls directly to the Pool of Siloam inside of Jerusalem. This protected the city’s water supply during the Assyrian siege led by King Sennacherib. The tunnel was dug by two teams of workers that started at opposite ends, and they miraculously met in the middle.

By blocking the water from the outside source, the Assyrian army had no access to water for themselves, and they could also not contaminate Judah’s water source. This massive undertaking and human ingenuity were done by faith and wisdom working together. There is a plaque today that shows where the two teams of workers met. Hezekiah’s Tunnel was rediscovered in 1838, and the Siloam Inscription (plaque in the tunnel) was discovered in 1880. The tunnel can still be explored today by walking through the channel beneath the City of David in Jerusalem. This is a picture of grace: the Lord gives people the knowledge, wisdom, and skills to be prepared, to sustain, and to save His people.

When the Assyrian army was closing in, Hezekiah did not just pray; he acted. God wants our faith and trust in Him, but we are not to just sit idly by either; He expects us to act with wisdom and obedience. Hezekiah quietly ordered workers to dig a tunnel from opposite ends through solid rock so the life-giving water from the Gihon Spring could flow into the city walls. Why do you think God chose to record this hidden, underground act of preparation and engineering alongside Hezekiah’s public prayers?

Hezekiah, the king of Judah, was ill and dying. Isaiah went to him and said to put his affairs in order that death was imminent. Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, and before Isaiah had a chance to leave the palace, the Lord gave him a second message for Hezekiah. God said that in three days, he should go to the Temple, and he would be given an additional 15 years of life due to his obedience. God did not change His mind, but He allowed His will to be delayed by responding to Hezekiah’s prayer. Not only did He extend Hezekiah’s life, but He also said that He would deliver Judah from Assyria.

Hezekiah received divine healing through medicine for his boils. Something that we today take for granted is that God provides wisdom for the creation of medicine. Hezekiah asked for a sign to know that it was time to go to the Temple. Isaiah asked if Hezekiah wanted the shadow (time) to move forward or backward 10 steps (approximately 40 minutes). Hezekiah chose the harder option, for the shadow to move backward, which gave a clearer miracle. This was a visible miracle proving that God would extend Hezekiah’s life for 15 years. It shows that God has complete power over time. Just like God reversed Hezekiah’s death sentence and gave more time, He reversed the sundial and gave the day more time.

God has not only power over the nations and the leaders, but He also has complete control over our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves. He has power over history, life, and the sun.

Notice the phrase in Isaiah 38:4 said, “God of your father David.” All other times in Scripture, it was denoted Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, the patriarchs, as the father. God had put His response, which promised an eternal line to the throne through David, in the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17). Not only was Hezekiah’s prayer heard as an individual but as part of the royal line. Hezekiah’s tears were heard, the city was defended, and time was bent.

Hezekiah gave praise to the Lord, similar to a psalm. After his recovery, the son of the King of Babylon came to visit. Hezekiah pridefully showed off his wealth, ALL of his wealth, the gold, silver, spices, and the whole armory! Every last inch of the palace treasury. Isaiah heard the men from Babylon were there and wanted to know why they were there and what they said. When Hezekiah proudly showed the men from Babylon all of his treasures, Isaiah prophesied the coming Babylonian exile, revealing that Hezekiah had placed his trust in riches rather than in God. Hezekiah took it well; he was complacent because he knew he would not be around to see it anyway.

Hezekiah trusted and went to God during the Assyrian threats of invasion. Now, Babylon came, and Hezekiah showed off his resources and had confidence in his wealth and diplomacy rather than in God. This showed a shift in his heart and how easy it can be to move from dependence on God to confidence in yourself and your resources. God’s past faithfulness does not make us unaccountable in the future for our choices made. This was not going to be immediate destruction, but it was also not going to be the end of Judah.

Today's Discussion question:

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