God’s gracious extension of King Hezekiah’s life highlights how earnestly offered prayer can move the heart of God to show mercy.
Hezekiah, who reigned as King of Judah from 715 B.C. to 686 B.C., found himself gravely ill in Jerusalem, the central city of the southern kingdom of Judah. In this dire moment, God instructed the prophet Isaiah to convey His message: “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, ‘I have heard your prayer and have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.’” (v.5). Within this message, we see the tender compassion of the LORD, acknowledging Hezekiah’s sorrow and distress during a critical time. Hezekiah had turned in earnest prayer, and this verse emphasizes God’s openness to hear human pleas, even those laced with tears.
The words “I have heard your prayer” (v.5) display the relational aspect of faith in God. Rather than ignoring Hezekiah’s crisis, the LORD assured the king that his requests and tears had reached the divine ear. This is a powerful reminder that a personal relationship with God can involve deep emotion; Hezekiah’s tears were not wasted but became a call for God’s mercy. The divine response, “I will add fifteen years to your life,” (v.5) demonstrates that the God of the Bible is both willing and able to intervene and extend life according to His purpose. This foreshadows the gracious way in which the LORD responds to humble pleas throughout Scripture, pointing forward to Jesus’ teaching that God exalts the humble (Luke 18:14).
Moreover, Isaiah’s instruction to address Hezekiah as belonging to “the God of your father David” (v.5) underscores the historical and covenantal bond passed down from Israel’s revered king David—an ancestor in the lineage that would ultimately lead to Jesus (Matthew 1:9). This promise of extended years also reaffirmed God’s faithfulness to preserve a faithful ruler in the line of David. In this way, Hezekiah’s healing stands as both a personal miracle and a reassurance that God’s overarching redemptive plan would remain intact.
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Isaiah 38:5 meaning
Hezekiah, who reigned as King of Judah from 715 B.C. to 686 B.C., found himself gravely ill in Jerusalem, the central city of the southern kingdom of Judah. In this dire moment, God instructed the prophet Isaiah to convey His message: “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, ‘I have heard your prayer and have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.’” (v.5). Within this message, we see the tender compassion of the LORD, acknowledging Hezekiah’s sorrow and distress during a critical time. Hezekiah had turned in earnest prayer, and this verse emphasizes God’s openness to hear human pleas, even those laced with tears.
The words “I have heard your prayer” (v.5) display the relational aspect of faith in God. Rather than ignoring Hezekiah’s crisis, the LORD assured the king that his requests and tears had reached the divine ear. This is a powerful reminder that a personal relationship with God can involve deep emotion; Hezekiah’s tears were not wasted but became a call for God’s mercy. The divine response, “I will add fifteen years to your life,” (v.5) demonstrates that the God of the Bible is both willing and able to intervene and extend life according to His purpose. This foreshadows the gracious way in which the LORD responds to humble pleas throughout Scripture, pointing forward to Jesus’ teaching that God exalts the humble (Luke 18:14).
Moreover, Isaiah’s instruction to address Hezekiah as belonging to “the God of your father David” (v.5) underscores the historical and covenantal bond passed down from Israel’s revered king David—an ancestor in the lineage that would ultimately lead to Jesus (Matthew 1:9). This promise of extended years also reaffirmed God’s faithfulness to preserve a faithful ruler in the line of David. In this way, Hezekiah’s healing stands as both a personal miracle and a reassurance that God’s overarching redemptive plan would remain intact.