The Bible In Paintings: KING HEZEKIAH'S ILLNESS AND FOLLY

[Hebrews 11:6]

The Bible In Paintings 2
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR APPRECIATING AND APPLYING GOD'S MESSAGE

KING HEZEKIAH'S
ILLNESS AND FOLLY

2^nd KINGS
CHAPTER 20

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’ ”

Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.

1
Source

2
DAVID MARTIN
"Isaiah Prophesies Hezekiah's Recovery"

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Source

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Source

5
"Hezekiah Visited by Isaiah"

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"King Hezekiah on His Sickbed"

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JACOB DE BACKER
"The Prophecy of the Recovery of Hezekiah"

8
"Isaiah and King Hezekiah"

Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?”

Isaiah answered, “This is the LORD’s sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”

“It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”

Then the prophet Isaiah called upon the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

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Source

10
RAPHAEL
"King Hezekiah Is Given a Sign by God
through Isaiah that He Will Live for Another 15 years"

11
"King Hezekiah, Isaiah, and the Sundial of Ahaz"

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Source

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14
JAN LUYKEN
"Shadow on Sundial Restored for Hezekiah"

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At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness. Hezekiah received the messengers and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came from Babylon.”

The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

“The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

16
VICENTE LÓPEZ PORTAÑA
"Hezekiah Showing Off His Wealth
to Envoys of the Babylonian King"

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WILLEM DE POORTER
"King Ezechias"

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→ a n d... f i n a l l y ←

As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? Hezekiah rested with his fathers.

New International Version ©1984, Abrdgd, EMPHASES Added
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[Hebrews 11:6]

R E S O U R C E S
Read 2nd KINGS 20 in full
Hear MAX McLEAN reading it
Hear a DRAMATIZATION of it
Read J-F-B's COMMENTARY
BIBLE TIMELINE

Click for 146 prior episodes in THIS series:
The Bible In Paintings 2
Click for 434 links in the FIRST series:
The Bible In Paintings 1


HOW GOD PROMPTED
THIS BIBLE-ART SERIES

"The Bible comes alive so much more with all the
illustrations, paintings, sculptures and stained glass windows.
Through them the stories are crystallized in our minds."


”Reading the Bible, we meditate, we think deeply about faith and beliefs, we gain insights and, thanks to all these great artists, these paintings become visual teachings and a powerful companion to the Bible.”

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[Hebrews 11:6]

GEOPOLITICAL
ISRAEL REJECTS GOD, GETS BANISHED
ISRAEL REJECTS ASSYRIANS vs KING HEZEKIAH
HEZEKIAH'S ILLNESS & FOLLY
KING JOSIAH FINDS GOD & HIS WORD BABYLON CONQUERS JUDAH

[left that other site]

Good Morning, Dan.

[fidelis]

Hezekiah was a good king in a lot of ways, but he sure could be a doofus sometimes. The episode where he shows the Babylonians around his treasure house always makes me SMH. You just know these guys were taking notes for later!

[Hebrews 11:6]

Mary-Lou! See you in a while over at your thread.

[InkStone]

Good Morning Dan, and good day to all those who trust in Jesus Yeshua.
Thank you for posting these pictures Dan, and for posting the Word. A great teaching lesson indeed.

[null and void]

I’ve worked with enough Ph.D.s to know that smart people sometimes do some of the dumbest things!

[Hebrews 11:6]

Another SMH moment for me was his anguish when told of his impending death. Tell me that and it’s, “OK, when’s the big day?”

[Hebrews 11:6]

Well, then, Leon, let’s be taking it to heart! LOL

[fidelis]

Right? I worked with actual rocket scientists and, outside their field of expertise, some of them can barely tie their own shoes.

[fidelis]

Yeah, that too. He was pretty clueless sometimes. Overall, I think, he was considered a good king and God was pleased with him because at least tried to reform the kingdom from idolatry.

[fidelis]

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

“The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

Seems like kind of a selfish attitude on his part. “Oh, well. As long as I don’t live to see this disaster, I’m good with this.”

[Hebrews 11:6]

Fascinating that the Spirit revealed to the human author the very thoughts of Hezekiah. God sees all, knows all, and sometimes tells all.

[etabeta]

His boastful hospitality to the Abyssinian emissaries shows Hezekiah’ spiritual decline, in my opinion. Instead of seeing the obvious threat made to national security, he showed them all the riches and where they could be found. Hezekiah’s folly indeed! And history repeats itself..

[Hebrews 11:6]

And history repeats itself

"There is nothing new under the sun."

[SouthernClaire]

Your “Bible in Paintings” is very much appreciated, Hebrews. I hope you know it brings a lot of beauty and joy to many.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Glad to hear it, Claire. Thanks for your encouragement. But I'm just following orders.

Yesterday, a friend sent me this:
"Online art viewing can improve well-being"

He waggishly called it "Art for heart's sake".

Dan

[SeekAndFind]

So, what’s your take? When the Lord told Hezekiah that his life is over the first time, the right thing for the king to do should just have been to say: “Lord, I’m ready to go home, take me.” ?

[Hebrews 11:6]

Fifteen centuries before, Job could say, "I know that my redeemer lives, and in my flesh I will see God...How my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:25-27

Six centuries later, Paul could write, "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far." Phil.1:23.

I'm with Job and Paul on this. I am perfectly happy to go this very minute.

Why didn't Hezekiah see it that way? Probably the most obvious answer is that he lacked saving faith. Perhaps during the ensuing fifteen years, he found that pearl of great price.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Expanding on my answer to your excellent question:

Hezekiah's clinging to this world reveals his unsaved condition, which God betrayed and highlighted by His unusual--indeed, nearly unprecedented--revelation that Hezekiah's death was imminent. What a gift! The adage is that there are no atheists in foxholes, and God told Hezekiah, "INCOMING!"

Then, He gave our boy fifteen years to find Him.