Isaiah 38:1-3 – Our lives are under divine scrutiny

Collectively, Isaiah 36-39 is rightly termed the book of Hezekiah because they narrate the events that took place in his life. And the events recorded in these chapters were not put in chronological order. What we are about to explore in chapter 38 took place before the threat of Sennacherib and Assyria, recorded in chapters 36-37. How do we know? From Isaiah 38:6 we read “And I will save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city.” God’s deliverance had already been described in Isaiah 37 and this promise seems to be given after it had happened.

Isaiah 38 began by revealing that Hezekiah was inflicted with a serious and terminal illness and death was looming. The LORD sent the Prophet Isaiah with a message for him. In not so many words, Isaiah told him God wanted him to set his house in order, for he would be dying soon. In a sense, this is the mercy of God. Being sovereign, it was not necessary for Him to inform Hezekiah of his impending death, but He did. Why? It was probably that He was giving the king an opportunity to straighten his life and a chance to plead his case.

 

How Hezekiah responded and framed his prayer shows us that he was an unassuming man. He knew what God was saying. The message “to set his house in order” suggests that there could be some flaws, though hidden from the eyes of others, but not from the sight of God. Humbly, the king accepted the message, turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to God in deep contrition. We are told that he wept profusely.

 

His prayer captured in verse 3 said, “Please, Lord, just remember how I have walked before You wholeheartedly and in truth, and have done what is good in Your sight.”  What he said to God reveals that he acknowledged God’s sovereignty in his life and knew that he was under divine scrutiny. He knew God was aware of how he had conducted his life and work. Or else, he would not have dared to ask God to consider his righteous life and works, had he not truly lived that way. His intercession for his own life tells us that he knew nothing in his life was ever hidden from the sight of the all-knowing God.

 

These three verses also show us how we should conduct our lives. How we live and what we do are never hidden from God’s eye. They also tell us that God wants us to have an ordered life and that He does take notice of how we conduct our lives. He will give the opportunity to those who walk rightly before Him to set their lives in order. Nothing is better than to walk rightly and keep short accounts with God. We must, therefore, be circumspect and live a God-pleasing life. Remember what the last part of Hebrews 4:13 says, “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him (God) with whom we have to do.” So we must live and walk righteously.