Isaiah: A Legacy that Echoes

Isaiah 38-39

As you leave the downtown square of my small hometown of Perry, Oklahoma, and head east on Cedar Street, you turn right onto the first street past Leo Park and meander up the winding road to reach Grace Hill Cemetery. When our kids were learning to drive, that’s where we practiced. Driving slowly along the narrow road around the gravesites, with our vanilla Dr. Pepper drinks from Sonic Drive-In and country music playing on the radio, I would see the headstones of so many who had impacted my life: coaches, teachers, individuals whose lawns I had mowed, people I had worked for, and friends’ family members. 

Today, my parents and Lori’s mom are also buried there. Many at Grace Hill, whose bodies are “asleep” until Jesus returns, have shaped my life, developed my character, and shown me what it means to follow hard after Jesus. Their legacy echoes in my life and in the lives of many others. 

We all want to leave a legacy that echoes.

Judah’s King Hezekiah is recognized among the faithful kings of God’s people. He ruled Judah for twenty-nine years and faced numerous national challenges when the Assyrians attempted to capture Jerusalem. As we will see today in Isaiah 38-39, he also faced personal challenges. 

At one point in his life, Hezekiah became deathly ill. Isaiah told him to put his house in order and prepare to die (Isa. 38:1-2). Hezekiah “wept bitterly” and, through his cries, prayed, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done good in your sight” (Isa. 38:3). We learn in 2 Chronicles that Hezekiah had become proud, but “he humbled himself for the pride of his heart” (2 Chron. 32:26).

God answered Hezekiah’s prayer and gave Isaiah this message to deliver to the king:

Isaiah 38:5-6
Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. ⁶ I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.

Many Bible scholars believe that Isaiah 38-39 took place before Sennacherib’s invasion. However, this narrative is included here to wrap up the first part of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa. 1-39), which centers on Hezekiah and Judah’s eventual fall to Babylon. Stay with me, as this will make more sense later.

In this healing, God used a medical procedure. Isaiah instructed that fig cakes be applied to the boil (Isa. 38:21). To confirm the healing, God performed another miracle by turning back the shadow on a sundial by ten steps (Isa. 38:7-8). News of this miracle spread throughout the land (See 2 Chron. 32:31).

In response to his recovery, Hezekiah composed a song (Isa. 38:9-20). He was around thirty-nine years old when the illness struck. He wrote about what he believed was his impending death. In the “middle of [his] days,” he would depart; “my dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent” (Isa. 38:10-13). He expressed how he cried out to the Lord “because of the bitterness of my soul” (Isa. 38:15). He pleaded, “Oh restore me to health and make me live!” (Isa. 38:16). God heard his plea for healing and confession of pride, forgave his sins, and restored his health.

Isaiah 38:17
Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.  

What a great picture of God’s forgiveness! God hides our sins; he removes them from his sight. Later, Isaiah tells us that God blots out our transgressions and erases our sins from his mind (Isa. 43:25).

The news of Hezekiah’s illness and subsequent healing spread throughout the country. The king of Babylon sent an envoy to celebrate Hezekiah’s recovery (Isa. 39:1). However, there was much more to the visit. The king of Babylon was trying to break free from Assyria and was looking to form alliances. This would likely have been discussed during the envoy’s stay. God used this time “in order to test [Hezekiah] and to know all that was in his heart” (2 Chron. 32:31).

The flattery of the Babylonians caused Hezekiah to lower his guard and let pride take over. Foolishly, he displayed all his treasures, wealth, and entire armory to the Babylonians. “There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them” (Isa. 39:2). I mentioned earlier that these chapters (Isa. 38-39) are likely not in chronological sequence. Bible scholar John Martin organizes the events of Isaiah 36-39 in this order: Hezekiah’s illness, the Babylonian visit, and Sennacherib’s attack, all occurring in 701 BC.^[1]

When Isaiah confronted Hezekiah, the king admitted that he had revealed everything to the Babylonians, including all his wealth and military power (Isa. 39:3-4). Isaiah’s words to Hezekiah were solemn.

Isaiah 39:5-7
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: ⁶ Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. ⁷ And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 

Hezekiah made a very foolish decision. In a moment of selfish pride, he put his people and his family members at risk by revealing the nation’s wealth and power to the enemy. What was he thinking? Well, pride clouds clear judgment. When he heard that there would come a day when Babylon would destroy Judah and take her people captive, notice how Hezekiah responded:

Isaiah 39:8
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.” 

Did you hear what he said?! It's too bad for those who follow me. But at least I’ll get to enjoy peace and security. Can you imagine a more selfish statement?

The question we all need to confront is this: What will our legacy be? How will we be remembered? What will we leave behind that holds eternal value?

Legacy doesn’t start when we die. The way we live today will shape what we leave behind tomorrow. That’s a solemn and convicting truth. We must get our act together—right now!

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Isaiah 38-39. Focus on our Anchor Point—Isaiah 38:17b. Thank God for his forgiveness.

Talking to God: Discuss with God how your life today affects what you will leave behind tomorrow. (I encourage you to check out our resource, Living Grounded: Embracing the Foundational Truths of the Christian Faith. Chapter 12, “Owning Your Influence,” is a study focused on leaving a godly legacy. The study guide is available on Amazon.) 

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Every day is a day of spiritual renewal as we follow hard after Jesus.