King Hezekiah’s Cure and Its Prophetic Significance
I. Something about Hezekiah~Who was he?
HEZEKIAH was the son and successor of Ahaz as king of Judah (716/15-687/86 B.C.) AS you know Ahaz was the evil King who married Jazzebel. Ahaz had brought spiritual disaster to the land. He had imported pagan religious practices, including the worship of heavenly bodies, child sacrifice, and the consultation of spirit mediums. When Ahaz succeeded Jotham as king of Judah, he began pro-Assyrian policies by making Judah a vassal to Assyria. Ahaz's political involvement with Assyria brought idolatry and paganism into the Temple (2 Kings 16:7-20). Hezekiah began his reign by bringing religous reform to Judah. Hezekiah like David before him reinstituted the tithe, organized the priests and Levites and returned to the observation of G-d’s ordained feasts and seasons described in the books of Moses. Hezekiah began his reign when he was twenty-five years old. At this time in history, the nation of Assyria had risen to power. Hezekiah's reign can best be understood against the background of Assyria's military activities during the years Hezekiah served as king of Judah.
Hezekiah was not willing to court the favor of the Assyrian kings. The Temple in Jerusalem was reopened. The idols were removed from the Temple. Temple vessels that had been desecrated during Ahaz's reign were sanctified for use in the Temple. The sacrifices were initiated with singing and the sounds of musical instruments. The tribes in the Northern Kingdom (Israel) had been subjected to Assyrian dominance. Hezekiah invited the Israelites to join in the celebration of the Passover in Jerusalem. Places of idol worship were destroyed. Hezekiah even destroyed the bronze serpent Moses had erected in the wilderness (Num. 21:4-9) so the people would not view the bronze serpent as an object of worship. Hezekiah organized the priests and Levites for the conducting of religious services.
In 711 BC, just a few years after Hezekiah had become king, Sargon II of Assyria captured Ashdod. Hezekiah anticipated the time when he would have to confront Assyrian armies. Hezekiah fortified the city of Jerusalem and organized an army. Knowing that a source of water was crucial, Hezekiah constructed a tunnel through solid rock from the spring of Gihon to the Siloam pool. The city wall was extended to enclose this important source of water.
Isaiah warned Hezekiah not to become involved with Assyria (Isa. 20:1-6). The critical time for Hezekiah came in 705 B.C. when Sennacherib became king of Assyria. From Hezekiah, Sennacherib obtained a heavy tribute of silver and gold.
In 701 B.C., Hezekiah became terminally ill (Isa. 38:1-21). As it is recorded in (II Kings 20:1) Isaiah warned the king to prepare for his approaching death, but Hezekiah prayed that G-d would intervene. We read in:
(II Kings 20:3) “I beeseech thee, O Lord, remember me now how I have walked before thee in truth that with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in they sight.
As the story continues, Isaiah had not even reached the middle court of the palace before the word of the Lord came to him again, this time with a message sure to gladden Hezekiah’s heart.
In II King 20: 5 (we read) Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the G-d of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
G-d answered by promising Hezekiah fifteen more years of life and deliverance of Jerusalem from Assyria (Isa. 38:4-6).
G-d answered Hezekiah’s prayer and doing so G-d provided another prophetic glimpse of Israel’s future destiny.
Hezekiah’s illness was probably a cancerous growth but in the translation of the Hebrew it is called a “boil.” The original Hebrew indicates a kind of inflamed skin ulceration. The same term is used elsewhere to describe leprosy. In its advanced stages it was fatal.
The cure was simple enough. Just mash a few figs together into a poultice apply it to the affected area, and in three days the healing would be accomplished. In this simple formula, we see a beautiful picture of G-d’s interaction with the House of David.
In Jeremiah chapter 24, we see that the fig is a type of Israel. The prophet gives a sermon concerning two baskets of figs. The baskets were set before his eyes in a vision from the Lord after Nebuchadnezzar’s army had taken captive the princes of Judah.
The figs in one basket were of very high quality. The other basket, however, contained rotten figs that could not be eaten. In verse 5-7 G-d explained it to Jeremiah.
Jer. 24:5-7 “ Thus saith the LORD, the G-d of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their G-d: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
Of the basket of bad figs, G-d said He would cast them away, scattering them over the face of the entire earth, never to return to their land.
The vision says one thing quiet clearly: that that the captives of Judah are symbolized as figs. More than that, the good ones are to be brought back to the land and planted. There they will grow with the Lord’s blessing. He says that He will no more pluck them up. The fig tree is the national symbol of Israel. Moreover, in turn that tree produces more figs, creating a picture of righteous Israel.
Hezekiah, king of Judah, was in the lineage of David and he carried the promise of the Davidic covenant. Nathan has prophesied in II Samuel 7:16
7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
Hezekiah represented the entire House of Israel, but the prophets foretold of dispersion and Israel would be scattered throughout the world. The world viewed this as Israel being crushed never to rise or be restored again. Truly they were like the crushed figs that were applied to Hezekiah’s boil.
When Isaiah told Hezekiah to apply the crushed figs, he also told him to enter the Temple after a certain time.
II Kings 20:5 we read but it’s worth repeating to illustrate my point about the prophetic message of Hezekiah’s cure.
“Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the G-d of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.”
The King is told to cleanse himself in the Temple after three days. Might he be a type of Israel, in that his life would reflect Israel’s fate over an extended period of time?
The book of Isaiah is like a blueprint of the Bible. The first 39 chapters correspond to the books of the Old Testament and the last 27 chapters (40-66) to the New Testament.
Isaiah’s account of Hezekiah’s sickness and extended reign occur in chapters 39-39 and In Isaiah there is no injunction to appear at the Temple for cleansing as in II Kings. And in chapter 39, it ends with Israel’s Babylonian captivity.
This suggests to me that Isaiah is telling us that the King’s and by extension Israel’s healing is to be deferred for an extended period of time for immediately right after this comes the refreshed or renewed covenant section in Chapter 40. Isaiah’s prophesies range forward into the Kingdom Age in this section. Three thousand years into the future.
Now in (II Peter 3:8) we read:
“ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
Scripture uses the recurrence of numbers to reveal hidden truths and we again see this pattern in Matthew 17:22,23, Yahshua told his followers:
22 And while they abode in Galilee, Yahshua said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:
23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
This also follows the biblical pattern of two days affliction followed by a day of healing and restoration. Yahshua was speaking as the ultimate representative of the Davidic Covenant. He gave us a picture of His own return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, His title in Rev. 19:16.
Furthermore, His Second Coming is pictured in the closing words of Malachi in the OT as an event that brings healing. In Malachi 4:2 we read:
But unto you that fear my name shall the Son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;
In Hosea 5:16 through 6:2 the Lord gives Hosea a graphic description of Israel’s affliction and restoration: We read:
15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
As I said earlier scholars agree that the days of theses prophecies may well be thousand year periods of time as stated in II Peter 3:8.
The context of this remarkable statement is the commencement of “day of the Lord,” otherwise known as the Great Tribulation. In 3:4, we read the rhetorical question expressed by doubters: “ Where is the promise of his coming.” The doubters of this world do not believe Yahshua is coming at all, and Peter is explaining that it will be after a certain time has passed. Adding to the picture already mentioned by the prophets of the OT, he then mentions twice the term “day.” And His language suggests two days of a thousand years each.
In this day and time, the expectancy of believers and of Jewish brothers is mounting. The Messiah is coming! There are signs all over Israel testifying to the soon coming of the Messiah and Christians to His soon coming again for His saints.
Think about this. It has now been almost two thousand year-days since the figs of Israel were pulverized into a healing poultice. As our calendar is in error, we cannot be certainof the exact year. In Romans 11:15, Paul says the following:
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
For almost two days now -two thousand years, the devastating downfall of Israel has brought the healing power of the Messiah reconciliation to the entire world...just like the crushed figs.
Clearly, Israel’s crushing defeat following the first coming of the Messiah is pictured in the healing poultice applied to King Hezekiah’s skin for two days - two thousand years. Now the third day is approaching for it has been two thousand years since the advent of the Messiah. Israel is in the land again and Jerusalem, throd down by the Gentiles as G-d predicted was liberated in 1967. The third day of healing and cleansing and incidentally the believers’ “rapture” is at the door. On that third day, the House of David will be healed and the kingdom will be established and last for 1000 years (a prophetical day) with Y’shua as the King of King’s (Meleck ha o’lam) and Lord of Lord’s ruling from Jerusalem over a reunited and restored Israel who like Hezekiah will enter into the Temple of the Lord.
In the meantime, Sennacherib had besieged Lachish. Aware that Hezekiah had trusted G-d for deliverance, Sennacherib sent messengers to the Jerusalem wall to urge the people to surrender. Sennacherib boasted of having conquered 46 walled cities and having taken 200,000 captives. Sennacherib's messengers taunted that G-d would not come to Judah's defense. Hezekiah, dressed in sackcloth and ashes, went to the Temple to pray. He also called for Isaiah, the prophet. Isaiah announced that Sennacherib would "hear a rumour" and return to his own land where he would die by the sword (2 Kings 19:7).
Hezekiah's faith and physical recovery brought him recognition from the surrounding nations (2 Chron. 32:33). The Babylonian leader, Merodachbaladan, even congratulated Hezekiah on his recovery. Hezekiah hosted this Babylonian leader at a reception, but Isaiah met this event with a warning that succeeding generations would be subjected to Babylonian captivity (Isa. 39:1-8).
Sennacherib destroyed the city of Babylon in 689 B.C. He then marched toward Egypt. Hoping to ward off any interference from Judah, Sennacherib sent letters to Hezekiah ordering him to surrender (Isa. 37:9-38). Hezekiah took the letters to the Temple and prayed for G-d's help. From Isaiah came the message that Sennacherib would not prevail. In fact, Sennacherib's army was destroyed in a miraculous way (2 Kings 19:35-37). In 681 B.C., Sennacherib was killed by two of his sons as had been predicted by Isaiah in 701 B.C. Hezekiah died in 687/86 B.C. Manasseh, his son, succeeded him, although Manasseh had become co-regent with Hezekiah about 696 B.C.
The Gospel of Matthew lists Hezekiah in the genealogy of Yahshua (Matt. 1:9-10).