Daily Devotional For Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Good morning Southsiders! This is the day the Lord has made and we can rejoice in it. Our daily devotional for today comes from 2 Kings 20:1-11. Parallel passages can be read in Isaiah 38 and 2 Chronicles 32:24-31. As you read the 2 Kings 20:1-11 you learn that King Hezekiah has become sick and is close to dying. We are not told much but that Hezekiah had a boil. It is possible that it had become infected and that infection was spreading through his body. God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell Hezekiah to get his house in order because his death was soon. Isaiah was told to tell Hezekiah, “You will not recover from this illness” (vs. 1b, NLT).
The Bible says that Hezekiah poured out his heart to the Lord for mercy and compassion and before Isaiah could get far, the Lord told Isaiah to return and tell Hezekiah he would live another 15 years. If you have been in church for any length of time you know it is common for us to pray about member’s health and recovery as well as friends of ours. Every illness reminds us of sin and the consequences that came when Adam and Eve sinned. God told them the day they ate of the Tree of Knowledge Of Good and Evil they would die (Gen. 2:15-17).
In the church we pray for people’s chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer, their heart caths, to their common colds and bugs, and their disabilities. Many of us have seen God heal people who were dying or who were at death’s door. In our devotional for today, God sent Hezekiah’s friend, the prophet Isaiah, to be the Grim Reaper. Isaiah told Hezekiah to get his house in order. When we get bad news like this, there are several things we should consider doing to make that transition easier:
- We should pay off any outstanding debts.
- We could sell or give away our possessions in order to give that money to the Lord’s work and/or to family.
Sadly, Hezekiah initially responded wrongly to his diagnosis. The Scripture said that he turned and looked at the wall. This shows he began to isolate himself rather than seek help from others and the Lord. Second, the thing Hezekiah did wrong was not base his prayer solely on the mercy and grace of the Lord. He attempted to bargain with God about his righteousness and how he compared to previous kings since he had sought the Lord.
He had a pride issue and maybe that is why later he comes under the anger of the Lord (see 2 Chron. 32:25). Third, instead of putting his house in order as the prophet Isaiah had told him, he chose to have a pity party. If you want to read his state of mind, read Isaiah 38:10-15. His words drip with bitterness, pride and self-pity. According to Scripture, that for most of his life he actually did what was pleasing to the Lord (2 Kgs. 18:3, 6). What he ultimately did right was to pray to the Lord. Hezekiah’s prognosis was a spiritual test: what would he do when there was no else to turn to but the Lord?
God’s answer to Hezekiah was immediate and probably unexpectant. The prophet Isaiah can’t even get out of the palace when the Lord spoke to him, informing Isaiah that Hezekiah would have 15 more years to live and delivered him from the hand of the king of Assyria. This was in 702 BC and he died in 687 BC. The point of this story is that when bad news comes, and it will, go to the Lord first and pray. Throw yourself on the pity of the Lord first rather than on the pity of others. God does heal Hezekiah and give him the promise of healing in 2 Kings 20:5. The promise God made to Hezekiah is rooted in the promise God had made to David to give him an eternal promise that through the line of David a Messiah would come who would save the world. Notice the promise would be fulfilled on the 3rd day. Does this ring any bells for you? It is similar to Jesus’ promise that He would be resurrected on the 3rd day.
We need to remind ourselves that our God is not just the God of Hezekiah and Jesus Christ, but the God of us who is there for us. In this story we see that Hezekiah wanted more proof that the word of Isaiah the prophet. This seems strange to me because the best sign would be the healing itself; not some miracle with a sun dial. Making the shadow of the sun go backwards as the earth rotates forward is a huge miracle. We are not told how God did it; only that He did. Did God reverse the earth’s orbit temporarily for this to happen or did God use some other means to make this happen? We do not know only that it happened.
I close with this by Julie Borg:”A recent discovery may bear further witness to Hezekiah’s recovery. A team of archaeologists from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem unearthed a 2,700-year-old bulla, or clay document seal, from the site of Solomon’s temple. The bulla bears an inscription that reads, “Belonging to Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah. It also bears an unconventional image: a sun spreading downward wings, as if to provide protection. The researchers who discovered this ancient bulla believe that Hezekiah designed the seal after the sign of his sundial predicted his miracle healing” (Source: Julie Borg, “Sealed Evidence: Temple Mount Discovery Backs Up the Biblical Account,” WORLD, February 6, 2016, p. 56).
This, too, is an example for us to follow. In our words, through our witness, and even in our artwork, we should testify. Hezekiah is a mirror of us in terms of his faith, his fickleness and his open for signs from the Lord.
Reflection Assignment: Do you ever wish or ask God for signs or miracles to prove He is there to help you? When bad news comes, is your first response to go to the Lord or do you go to others or do you just worry? If you go to the Lord, do you attempt to bargain with the Lord as Hezekiah did or do you just leave it in the Lord’s hands and say like Jesus, “Not My will but Your will be done?”
Scripture To Meditate On: Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and the Word of God comes by us getting into it and listening to it” (PAR).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I want to be a person of faith so that when bad news comes, I do not crumble, but I go to You first and leave it with You. Please forgive me when I panic, or worry, rather than trust You and Your Word. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly