Real People Real Savior: Hezekiah: Part 5
Hezekiah
Matthew chapter 1 lists the ancestors of Jesus. You will learn more about your Savior as we trace through segments of his family tree.
Though the terminal illness of sin affects us all, God uses daily events to draw us closer to him until we see him in heaven.
Thomas D. Kock
All I want for Christmas is . . . a terminal illness.
Wait. He wants what?!?
Yeah, Iām guessing that a terminal illness isnāt likely to hit the wish list for any of us this Christmas season. But thatās the situation in which Hezekiah found himself.
HEZEKIAH’S TERMINAL ILLNESS
Hezekiah was a young man, probably 39 years old (compare 2 Kings 18:2 and 2 Kings 20:6). He became ill, and it was clear that his life was in danger. Isaiah was sent to him with the message, āThis is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recoverā (Isaiah 38:1). Weāre told that Hezekiah wept greatly. Weāre told that he prayed, reminding God that heād done his best to serve God faithfully.
Interestingly, weāre not told that Hezekiah asked for a longer life. Perhaps he desired that. Perhaps he even did ask for it, but weāre not told that he asked for it. Regardless, God chose to add 15 years to his life, and Isaiah was sent back to deliver the message.
After his recovery, Hezekiah wrote, āSurely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your backā (Isaiah 38:17; read all his thoughts in Isaiah 38:9-20). As Hezekiah looked at that illness, he could see Godās hand of grace. God intended the illness for Hezekiahās benefit. He doesnāt detail how the illness was for his benefit. We donāt know, but we do know that Hezekiahās focus became āyou have put all my sins behind your back.ā
OUR TERMINAL ILLNESS OF SIN
Isnāt that what Christmas is all about? Ultimately we need a God who is willing and able to put all our sins behind his back. To put it more bluntly, we need a God who is willing and able to forgive us. And as we gaze at the babe of Bethlehem, a descendant of Hezekiah, we see the God who was ableāand willingāto come to this earth to win forgiveness of sins for us. Thatās what we really need!
Because whether we want it or not, we all have a terminal illnessāthe terminal illness of sin. Death will happen.
Yes, itās true that Hezekiah was blessed with 15 more years of life on this earth, but that only delayed the inevitable. Fifteen years later, he died. But every indication we have is that Hezekiah was a believer and went to heaven. So, he didnāt really die! While his body ceased to live, his soul lived on as he entered the glories of heaven!
And someday so will you. You too will enter the glories of heaven because of the Babe of Bethlehem, who lived, died, and rose for you. And as God postponed Hezekiahās terminal illness to draw him closer, so God will use the events of everyday life to humble you and me, to refocus us, to focus us on the Word, and ultimately to draw us closer to him.
Even if it takes a terminal illness to draw me close to him forever, then Iāll add it to my Christmas wish list. Or a gracious God will add it for me.
Contributing editor Thomas Kock, a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wisconsin, is a member at Atonement, Milwaukee.
This is the fifth article in a nine-part series on people in Jesusā family tree.
SUBMIT YOUR STORY
Do you have a manuscript, idea, or story from your own life you’d like to share for use in Forward in Christ or on wels.net? Use our online form to share it to our editorial office for consideration.
SUBSCRIBE TO FORWARD IN CHRIST
Get inspirational stories, spiritual help, and synod news fromĀ Forward in Christ every month. Print and digital subscriptions are available from Northwestern Publishing House.
Author:Ā Thomas D. Kock
Volume 102, Number 12
Issue: December 2015
Copyrighted by WELS Forward in Christ Ā© 2021
Forward in Christ grants permission for any original article (not a reprint) to be printed for use in a WELS church, school, or organization, provided that it is distributed free and indicate Forward in Christ as the source. Images may not be reproduced except in the context of its article.Ā Contact us