| The Ministry of Isaiah Study Scripture : Isaiah 6: 1-12 38:4-5 Lesson 1 September 06, 2025 |
Key Verse
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then I said, Here am I; Send me . Isaiah 6: 8.
INTRODUCTION
Is your tribe, your nation, and the world dying?
What kind of ministry or work should one be prepared to do? What should be your aim?
What are the risks you will face in this ministry? What frustrations and the stress brought about by the nature of incurable sin in people, that sin being incurable?
Are you willing to go to your bed often agonizing over the saints?
Do you believe it is true that the narrow gate is really narrow and the broad path to destruction is really broad?
What would do if you hear such a message from someone who you believe is speaking with divine authority, or at worst someone eminently capable and possessing superior knowledge and analytic skills with respect to history?
Would you engage in debate about that person’s motivation and message, and views that arise from the differences in the matter put forward which were affected by that person’s life?
Are you mentally prepared to accept that there is a Throne Room which is not the earth, a Council where all important decisions are made and which are guaranteed will come to pass?
The context of these issues addressed by the prophet Isaiah is most important for the prophet addresses his people after being allowed to see the Throne Room where all the important if not all the decisions which determine events on earth are made.
To understand what reality is and the necessity for the God of Host, the God of all power to call and appoint those who will minister in His field let us look first at Chapter 5.
In Chapter 5 we see the story of the people of God plainly stated in the Song of the Vineyard. This can be regarded as not only a definitive statement of the history of the nation of Israel but what will happen in the history of the nations of the world.
How does God regard the people He created?
When looking at the history of Israel and the comments in the Councils of heaven we can see how God regards the nations of the earth and the people in it.
First we note God is being revealed in a mysterious and awesome way where His holiness and glory are beyond human comprehension.
God is clearly revealed as the unquestioned King of the universe and the fact that He rules over all the angelic hosts of heaven as well as the people on earth.
He receives all honour and unquestioned loyalty and all in His presence are required to be holy.
We learn that all who reject the holy ways of God and refuse to serve the King of the Universe and are not prepared to confess their sins and repent will be hardened in their sin and any message to them will cause them to become more and more hardened. That path of increased hardening will inevitably end in disaster, hopelessness and destruction.
When Isaiah had the privilege to see the glory of the Lord of All, this hardening of the hearts which is repeated in Romans 1:18-22 and in Ezekiel 2:1-3:9 among other Scriptures must have great resonance and bring disturbance and fear to those who look on God only as a God of love and mercy and not of wrath no matter what the circumstances.
In the two Parables about the people of God who were named as Israel and Judah, God stated plainly that He expected them to produce sweet palatable grapes and not wild grapes for those would benefit no one.
Since His people instead of producing sweet grapes produced “wild grapes” He would tear down the vineyard, and allow it to be overgrown with thorns and briars and trampled underfoot.
God would command life-giving rain not to rain on them anymore. Those that were drunkards, loved materialism and speculation in houses, loved lovely music, regarded what was wrong as being right, or in popular parlance what was black as white and white was black right, took bribes to pervert justice, and mocked the Holy One of Israel would face enemies against which they could not stand.
So angry was God at His people rejecting Him that He would reach out His hand to smash them. He would bring their enemies to roar at them. Darkness and sorrow would come and yet God’s anger would not be turned away.
Note therefore the sins of the people of God.
There was the problem of lawlessness when wealth and the love of pleasure led to apostasy and carelessness among both men and women.
There was the rampant inequity in the possession of the land, the problem of alcoholism, injustice. The series of ‘woes’ in verses 8 through 23 declared by God were indeed frightening as the prophet examined the focus of their life and their presumption. We quote:
“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity,
and sin as if it were a cart rope;
That say “Let Him make speed and hasten His work,
That we may see it
And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come,
That we may know it”.
The people were caught in the tightrope of sin, and these sinners deserved the wrath of God which would lead to death for they had received the truths in the revelation of God and rejected all of them. But let us be warned. They were not alone in what they were doing. The nations of the earth also reject God. As a result the Apostle declared in Romans 1:18-32:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them……. Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four footed animals and creeping things………
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions………God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting”.
One writer puts this wrath of God into perspective and notes it shows that God is righteous as well as just:
“These sinners deserve death and will experience the wrath of God, with no hope of healing because they purposely reject what they know to be the will of God.
This hardening comes at the end of God’s dealing with rebellious sinners, and just before their judgment.
God starts out graciously revealing his will and offering repentance, but if people repeatedly reject God, eventually the day of hardening and judgment will come.
At times it may be hard for the believer to follow God, but life will be far harder for those who harden their hearts and refuse to listen to God’s voice”.
It is critical to note what the Book of Isaiah teaches the world of man.
The entire book of Isaiah is described as a “vision” that the prophet saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, as he had done through Micah the prophet, brings a Covenant lawsuit against Judah. He brings a legal indictment against Judah for continued and serious breaches of the Mosaic Covenant.
In Chapter 1, the prophet Isaiah, like Micah had done, stated that God had called on the Heavens and the Earth to hear the accusations. They were the jury and witnesses, and they would confirm that God was speaking the truth about His people’s treacherous behavior and flagrant disregard of their Covenant obligations.
The situation in Israel was grim and getting worse. God accused Judah of
- Forgetting their divinely given heritage.
- Gross ignorance of the nature of their relationship with God.
- Open rebellion and defiant disobedience. Judah, His children, was behaving as rebels. Even animals knew their master, and were submissive to their master, for they knew that their master was the one who protected them and gave them food and all good things. But Judah was less knowledgeable than those domestic animals. They were behaving foolishly, and did not understand God.
- They were guilty of sinful acts, they were evildoers, and corrupt. They were deliberately defiant, and had thus forsaken God, spurned Him, and had turned their backs on Him.
- They were in spiritual harlotry with the other nations.
From the first Chapter, Isaiah’s emphasis was on the absolute holiness of God.
The nation was guilty before God. Due to corruption, Jerusalem was likened to Sodom and Gomorrah, (verse 21) and to a harlot. The entire body had been full of open untreated sores.
Isaiah analyzed the nation from the perspective of God, and he therefore made a call for the nation to repent.
The multiple sacrifices, offerings, assemblies, Feast days, and Temple attendances had become meaningless to God, since they were carried out hypocritically by people with sinful hearts.
These observances could not compensate for iniquity and uncleanness, but instead were a burden to God. Their prayers, from hearts full of guilt and hands stained with blood, were totally ineffective. God could not listen to such prayers. (Verses 11-15) God therefore called on the people to repent. On their repenting, they would be complete forgiveness.
The nation had to be clean inwardly, and replace their evil deeds with righteous actions. The obedience would receive blessings. The unrepentant nation would however experience the wrath of God. Foreign nations would attack Judah, and strip her of her territory, burning, devastating, and making the country desolate. This was a certainty, for God had decided that judgments would come since sin and disobedience persisted. Jerusalem would be destroyed because of the disobedience to the Covenant.
In God’s lawsuit therefore, He would act to purge the nation, eliminating the dross, and leaving only the pure metal.
In the future, Israel would be restored. Good rulers and judges would be installed, and the city would once again be properly run. Jerusalem would be called the City of Righteousness, and the Faithful city. (Verse 26) The remnant would live in the new redeemed city of Zion. The rebellious would however perish.
THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
It is with this situation in Israel and Judah in our minds that we must view Isaiah and his writings. He was a contemporary of Amos, Hosea, and Micah.
His ministry ran through part of the reign of Uzziah, through the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and probably partly through the reign of the infamous and very evil Manasseh.
The Assyrian empire had been expanding during this period. Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and many of the other small nations had been forced to pay tribute to Assyria. (2 Kings 15)
Eventually, many of these nations rebelled. Israel and Syria rebelled and wanted Judah to join them, but Judah had refused. This coalition of Israel and Syria tried to overthrow the King of Judah and appoint a puppet King who would join the rebellion. (2 Kings 15: 37; 16: 5;
Isaiah 7: 1)
Isaiah had encouraged Ahaz to reject the Israel-Syria advance. Judah should not:
- Join the Syria-Israel coalition against Assyria.
- Turn to Assyria for military help in resisting the Syria-Israel coalition, and
- Turn to any other foreign power such as Egypt for help.
The prophet therefore exhorted the people to put their trust in God, and fully expect that He would deliver them by His arm alone.
The prophet declared that judgment would come on all those who failed to put their trust in Yahweh. Blessings would come on all those who put their trust in Yahweh.
The Lesson today looks at the call of Isaiah to ministry of presenting God’s lawsuit against the nation.
The Scriptures tell us that Isaiah was born in an upper class family, which was very influential. He was closely acquainted with the royal court, and thus freely advised on foreign policy. (2 Kings 18: 3-20:19).
He was married to a prophetess (8:1) and two of his children mentioned were, like the children of Hosea, given names designed to teach a lesson to the nation. One child was named Shear Jashub, which meant, “a remnant will return”.
Another child was named Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which meant, “hurry, spoil, hasten, booty”.
Traditions stated that Isaiah was a cousin of Uzziah, or a nephew of Amaziah. Traditions also stated that Isaiah was sawn in two inside of a hollow log. See Hebrews 11: 37 for a reference to this tradition.
Clearly, Isaiah had access to the powerful. He was extremely educated and articulate. He and his wife were clearly devout worshippers of Yahweh, with lives dedicated to the service of the true God.
God called Isaiah from his work, which is believed to have been a Scribe or Keeper of the official chronicle of Uzziah. (2 Chronicles 26: 22).
Note that this was a special call to a devout man, a call to a dedicated life of special service. This would be a long, arduous, painful, and unsuccessful work. God thus specially equipped him.
This kind of divine call, which comes to a believer, is not a common thing. Men like Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Paul or others were divinely appointed to their unique missions, and they displayed a level of commitment, dedication, sacrifice, and obedience that is startling.
Undoubtedly, there are people today that are called to special service. But also clearly, not everybody is similarly called.
All believers however are required to serve in their individual capacities; understanding that their work is also very valuable in the sight of God, even if they are not called to do something as difficult as the role that Isaiah was called to play.
Note that Isaiah records his call in chapter 6, a passage placed well after a discussion of his message. This is similar to other writings, such as that in Amos 7:14-15. This arrangement places emphasis on the message, and not on messenger.
The message in Isaiah dealt with sin and uncleanness in Judah, and the cynical rejection of the true and living God and his ways. It then presents its stark contrast with the purity and holiness of the Holy One. This gives maximum contrast between sinful men and a righteous God.
Some are surprised and question why the events of Chapter 6 should not have happened in Chapter 1 instead of Chapter 6. One scholar comments:
“It would seem appropriate for Isaiah’s call to be reported in chapter 1 instead of chapter 6.
Scholars are divided with regard to this issue. Are the events of chapter 6 Isaiah’s initial call, or are they a subsequent call that defines his call and gives it direction?
It could be that chapters 1-5 are intended to be introductory—to set the stage, so to speak,–and that chapter 6 is the beginning of the “action” portion of the book.
It could be a later redactor (editor) pierced the book together as we find it today.
A full discussion of the possibilities is beyond the scope of this exegesis, because there are so many scholarly opinions on this point (See Osvalt 171 ff. for an overview)
However it seems to me that Isaiah’s work in chapters 1-5, denouncing Judah’s sin and warning of judgment, was necessary to prepare Isaiah for the surprise that he experiences in chapter 6. For five chapters, he has pointed his judgmental finger at his fellow Judeans. In chapter 6, in the presence of Yahweh’s holiness, he suddenly recognizes his own unholiness. It finally occurs to him that he is not only dwelling among a people of unclean lips, but that he is one of them—that his lips are ubclean—thathe too, is subject to judgment.
It is that “Aha!” moment that humbles him and prepares him for a life of service beyond anything that he otherwise would have rendered”.
THE TEXT
Verse 1. Isaiah tells us how he was commissioned to bring a message of judgment to Judah.
Some feel that this was an inauguration to a higher degree of prophetic office, since he had already been witnessing to the people.
The Text tells us however that Isaiah saw a vision of a transcendent God. He was privileged, like Micaiah, to observe one of God’s heavenly councils.
He saw Adonai seated on His throne in all His greatness. This throne was placed in the Temple. The King sitting indicated that this was a solemn and majestic council of state. John 12: 41 indicated that Adonai was Jesus Christ.
Paul, in Acts 28: 25, 26 indicated that the Holy Spirit was also present, engaging in the conversation, being involved in the commissioning of Isaiah. Note therefore the passage implies the Trinity operating in unity.
Note also that Isaiah makes no attempt to describe the form of God. But clearly, this was different from the Shekinah glory that was on the Mercy Seat.
God had told Moses in Exodus 33:20 “man may not see my face and live’.
There is little in Scripture to suggest living human beings saw the Father. It suggests the angelic hosts see God in a form we do not know, though it is unlikely they see Him in anything close to His unlimited, mysterious Majesty and power.
This was God, on His throne, attended by the angels. God was high and exalted. His long robes indicated His royalty and majesty. His robes were so long that it filled the temple, spreading and overflowing with divine glory. No space was excluded.
What the Temple in heaven where angelic spirit beings worship God looks like is never explained.
We most probably would not be able to understand what heaven and its structure looks like.
But this was the Temple, arguably a most holy place, if any such comparison can be made. Christ was indeed the King, and He had the position of power and exaltation in the most holy of places. The emphasis clearly was on holiness and power. No other being could be compared to the Lord.
Verse 2. This is the only passage in the Bible that mentions the heavenly beings called “seraphs”. Obviously there are a great variety of beings in heaven, just as there are a great variety of beings on the earth. The word “seraphs” is from a word meaning, “to burn”, so they seem to have been angels flaming with fire. They were the bright or ‘burning ones’.
Some believe the word refers to beings that resemble serpents. Of course the most that can be said is quite speculative.
Most scholars believe the word seraphim means “fiery serpents”. Some however believe that the word means “burning ones” and that the idea of serpents is derived illogically from Numbers 21:6,9.
Beware of idle speculations on these matters. Speculations are rife among those who want to appear to have superior knowledge.
Yet, as they hovered about the throne with two expanded wings, these creatures of dazzling brightness covered their faces, either to hide their faces from the greater brightness or glory of the Lord, or to express their humility. They had six wings in all, unlike the four living creatures referred to in Ezekiel 1: 5, 11.
In the East, covering the feet showed a mark of great respect. Their behavior thus indicated their great respect for, and service to God.
They flew with two wings, indicating their constant, rapidly moving activity, proclaiming God’s holiness and glory.
Verse 3. We are not told how many seraphs there were. They constantly called to each other, repeating that God was absolutely holy.
The word Holy was repeated for emphasis. In addition, the seraphs stressed that the whole Earth was full of God’s glory, much as God’s train filled the Temple. The stress on holiness was so strong that Isaiah would never forget this awful, over powering holiness of God. This kind of purity was overwhelming.
One writer suggests that when “One called to another” it was a kind of antiphonal choir, where one choir sings a phrase from one part of the sanctuary and another choir sings a response from another part”.
Then the seraphim continued “and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”
“The Hebrew language depends on repetition for emphasis, and this threefold repetition depicts the epitome of holiness. The author of the book of Revelation uses this same image and thrice-holy formula (Revelation 4:8).
These are the words of the song sung by the seraphim choirs—a hymn of praise—a tribute to god’s holiness and glory.
God’s holiness is an inherent part of his being. God’s glory Is the visible manifestation of his magnificent presence. Holiness and glory are often linked in Old Testament descriptions of God’.
Note that the verses stressed that God was transcendent, sovereign, and otherworldly. But it also stressed that God was immanent, that is, His presence also existed in, and was known in, the created world.
Verse 4. At this exhibition of God and His glory, the Temple shook and was filled with smoke. This indicated the awesomeness found in the presence of God. It also indicated the sheer power of God.
One writer addresses the issue of this Council meeting over which God presided:
“The imagery explaining Isaiah’s commissioning sounds like other passages where the divine heavenly council of God meets together. Micaiah ben Imlah also “saw the LORD sitting on a throne with the hosts of heaven standing around him”. (1 Kings 22:19).
God asked who would go, and a spirit came forward and volunteered to deceive and harden Ahab’s heart (similar to Isaiah 6:8-10). Psalm 89:6-7; Job 1-2 Zechariah 1:8-17, and 3:1-10 provide other examples of God talking with angelic beings around his throne. At one point Eliphaz challenged Job by asking if he listened in when the divine council was meeting (Job 15:8).
The prophet Jeremiah contrasts himself with the false prophets by asking if any of them received their revelation by listening in on what was happenin at a divine councilmeeting (Jeremiah 28:18,22).
In God’s question, “Who will go for us” (6:8), the “us” may represent the members of the divine council, though some see “us” as similar to the royal “we” a plural of majesty, or a hint of the Trinity”.
Verse 5. The presence of God mightily affected Isaiah. Isaiah saw that compared to God and the beings in heaven, he was not so good after all. He was guilty, and his people were also guilty. Placed next to the purity and holiness of God, his uncleanness stood out markedly.
Human nature, even when in believers, shows up as being pretty bad. The constant, powerful, cleansing action of the Holy Spirit is always needed. Isaiah’s attitudes, thinking, and actions all needed cleansing. So does ours, despite what some might believe.
Note that those coming in the presence of God always felt the same effect experienced by Isaiah. See Judges 6: 22; 13: 22; Revelation 1: 17.
Note also that Isaiah did not trumpet his own superiority, but identified himself with his own people. He too was unworthy to see God, much less to join in singing praises to God. Isaiah thus became silent, apprehensive, and amazed. God’s glory, majesty, and holiness, brought home forcibly to Isaiah, that he was a sinner.
Verse 6. One of the seraphs touch Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal from the altar, a symbolic act that removed his guilt and sin. Note that the purification came with the touch of the burning coal from the altar, where burnt offerings for sins were made.
Verse 7. Isaiah’s mouth was touched and prepared for service. He was now ready to act as God’s messenger. His sins were literally “covered”, because they were met by the altar sacrifice, for only by sacrifice could his sins be pardoned.
Note that on this matter of “unclean lips” Jesus taught in Matthew 12:34 “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” and also,
“the things that proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart” Matthew 15:18.
The “unclean lips” are representative of the sin covering the entire body.
Note that the “burning ones” took a live or burning coal from a burning altar. The sinner needs to have the dross burnt out, leaving only the pure metal. Purification of course is never pleasant, and those subject to the purifying fire long for its work to be speedily completed. Isaiah had to be cleansed and purified to be able to do his work among his rebellious countrymen.
Verse 8. The cleansing and purification of Isaiah having taken place, the call to service was then discussed.
The Lord’s voice was heard asking a question which implied that few would be willing to bear the burdens that would accompany the carrying of such a harsh and unpopular message to Judah.
In carrying this message to Judah, there would be self-denial and repeated unpleasantness. The life would not be easy.
Of course, God knew who would respond, but He gave Isaiah this opportunity for service.
Filled with zeal, the prophet responded, since he felt he was now specially qualified. He was aware that his nation needed cleansing of sins, and knowledge of whom God really was. So he promptly asked to be given the opportunity to serve the Lord.
Verse 9. The message he was given to carry to the nation must have shook the prophet. The message was harsh.
The prophet probably thought that his carrying the message of God to his people would result in the cleansing of the nation. But the Lord told him the message would have the opposite effect.
The people would continue to ignore God, and close their ears. They would harden their heart even more against the Lord. They had a perverse will. They therefore would never hear or heed the warnings.
Note that the heart, the ears, and eyes were involved. The people could not believe, because they would not believe. The command therefore was to preach the message to dull the senses of the people. They would not be able, though they heard it, to change, and be healed and redeemed.
It is most important to note that the words of God to Isaiah were quoted in each and every Gospel. It is found in Matthew 13: 14-15; Mark 4: 10-12; Luke 8: 10; John 12: 39-41, and twice is quoted by Paul, in Acts 28: 26-27 and Roman 11: 8.
In the Gospels the words are referred to when the matter of the Parable of the Sower was discussed. This indicates the callousness of the human heart, and the serious calamity in unbelief. It is never safe to willfully close your ears to the plain teaching of the word of God. You cannot safely look at the teaching of Scripture, and make excuses not to obey it, or to reinterpret it to suit yourselves.
It is therefore painful to hear people make excuses that all commandments of God are for Israel only, or for a different time and place.
Every act of disobedience further hardens the heart. Those who claim to be led by the Spirit should therefore be obedient to the words of Christ. The Parable of the Sower is very instructive in this regard.
Note also that despite the fact that the rebellious would not hear, God still graciously offered repentance. The hardening of the heart came therefore when there was defective hearing of the Word. This defective hearing was linked to the state of the willful heart. The sovereign God therefore rightly acted when the cup was full.
Verse 11. Isaiah’s question to the Lord was now one of lament. How long would he have to deliver a message, which would make the people increasingly callous.
Isaiah was ready to speak, but in speaking there would be pain. It could not have been easy to proclaim God’s words to people who you know would not hear it or repent. The prophets must have wept often for the people.
Isaiah received no reassurance of immediate salvation for his people. The fate of Judah would be the same as the fate of Israel. There would be devastation and disaster. The dwelling places would be emptied and the fields left in a ruin. Only the remnant would be restored.
Isaiah would have to keep on preaching until judgment came. The exile would occur, leaving empty and ruined fields and cities.
God gave Isaiah grace to survive in this thankless job. Isaiah had not sought this task, and he did not even seek cleansing. But when he saw God he realized he needed cleansing, and he realized how desperately sinful his people were. He therefore took on a frustrating task.
You should understand the difficulties in ministering for God, but you should keep in mind the incredible rewards you will have for service.
So ask yourself if it is too painful for you to see those you care for going astray and know even if you put your hand in the fire to pull them out of that fire that may not work successfully?
What are you willing to do to save your family, children, friends?
The prophet Isaiah was not working to meet his own needs and purpose.
He loved his people.
He was working so that God’s will would be done. This required tremendous discipline and fortitude. He was not proud. Isaiah learned that he had to totally depend on God for strength to do this task.
It is clear that none of these prophets sought out God out of pride in what they were capable of, and so asked Him to give them these terrible jobs.
But when God called them, they obeyed.
These were heart breaking and frustrating ministries. God divinely commissioned the prophet, and sent him to tell the people of His intense displeasure.
ISAIAH 38:4-5
This Chapter recounts an interesting episode in the ministry of the prophet. This was likely the time of the Assyrian invasion of Judah recorded in 2 Kings 20:1-11 .The time was either 703 B.C or the more likely time of 712 B.C.
We are told simply that Hezekiah the king was sick and God graciously sent the prophet Isaiah to the king to tell him to get his affairs in order for he would soon die. Scholars compare 2 Kings 18:2 with 2 kings 20:6 and conclude the king Hezekiah was about 39 years old at the time of the prophet’s pronouncement.
Note the prophet was bold to tell the king he would certainly die. There is no evidence Hezekiah expected this to happen to him then. But this announcement of his coming death was unconditional. It could not be avoided.
In response Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and asked God to remember his life before God. One writer tells us this prayer sounded quite ungodly. “It is pretty much as if Hezekiah prayed, “Lord I’ve been such a good boy and You aren’t being fair to me. Remember what a good boy I’ve been and rescue me”
Hezekiah’s prayer in verses 2-3 was a strong pointed prayer and he wept bitterly. We can only speculate why he prayed that way. Maybe he though his death would make the Assyrian invasion lead to a worse disaster for the nation for the leadership without him could not cope with that. Or maybe he might have thought he had done something wrong and God was punishing him for mistakes he had made.
God was merciful to this king that had proved himself to be a good king ruling in the path David had walked. God in response to Hezekiah’s bitter prayer stopped Isaiah before he left the courtyard and sent Isaiah back to tell him He had heard his prayer and had agreed to extend his life for 15 years
God also then promised to save the nation from the Assyrian invaders and even promise a sign to confirm the promise. God said:
“And this is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing which He had spoken: Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward”. So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down”.
This was an incredible marvelous miracle. God shifted the earth on its axis for time to be reversed. The Pulpit Commentary has this view:
“We learn from 2 King that a choice was submitted to him—he was to determine whether time as measured by a certain timepiece or clock, which was known as ”the dial of Ahaz” should make a sudden leap forward—the shadow advancing ten degrees upon the dial (2 Kings 20:9) or whether it should retire backwards, the shadow upon the same dial receding ten degrees.
Hezekiah determined in favour of the latter sign, from its appearing to him the more difficult of accomplishment, and on his declaring his decision, the shadow receded to the prescribed distance.
Time was rolled backward, or at any rate appeared to be rolled backward, and the king seeing so great a miracle, accepted without hesitation the further prediction that had been made to him. The Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken. By the nexus of this verse with the preceding it would naturally be concluded that “the thing”to be done was the defence of Jerusalem….”
Note however that few subjects have produced controversy and perplexed students of Scripture more than this incident. There is no mention in the Bible before this of any instrument to measure time. It is not possible to determine the origin or character of this invention of the dial of Ahaz. The argument and writing on this continues.
CONCLUSION
We all know that cleansing is necessary for us to hear and obey.
But we tend to underestimate the strength of evil.
We shake when we realize that it is possible for a person to come to church regularly and be actively involved in ministry, listen to the word of God, brought close to faith and salvation and then hear from Jesus, I never knew you.
Remember the sad case recorded in the book of Matthew (13:10) when Jesus ministered to the nation and there was no response. So Jesus began to speak to them in Parables.
But our Study emphasizes we can have strength in the face of evil. Our LORD is high and lifted up. He wants us to approach Him. He cares and wants our involvement.
God cared for Hezekiah and showed him mercy. God particularly listens to prayers made in distress. He can do and has done miracles.
When we face a situation where a mostly godly king (he was good but he foolishly strayed and was punished) or a respected mentor creates political or spiritual uncertainty, remember the Lord God is there with us.
When we see God’s glory in this life, it might be a sign that we are called for a very frustrating ministry. Let us not deceive ourselves. The true work of God is very frustrating and difficult. It is not something for *children or for people who seek their own glory. Let us learn more about God and do his work wherever we are. If we are specially called, let us be obedient, knowing that God will give us the needed strength.