Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1905-07-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JULY 9.

Subject: Hezekiah's Prayer, lisa. xxxviii''
1-s-Golden Text, Pisa. xlvi" 1-Mem'
ory Verses, 4-8-Commentary on Inc
Days Lesson.
l. Isaiah warns Hezekiah of ap'
preaching death ". u. In those
days." This may only mean IN the
DAYS of Hezekiah. That this was III
the fourteenth year of his reign IS EVIL
dent when we consider that nrteen
wears were added to his life ". 81, and
vet he only reigned twenty-nine years
y Kings 18: q. 1t must have been be-
fore the invasion by Sennacherib from
the fact that God promised to deliver
them out of the hand Of the King OF
Assyria and to defend Jerusalem
"Sick unto DEATH" Sick of malady
which, in the natural course of things
would have proved fatal. From
Kings 20: Z we learn that the disease
was probably carbuncle. God sends
illness upon the good, not In. punish
ment for sins past, but as q trial OF
their faith and patience (Rom. 8: 81.
Isaiah" Isaiah's character stands
before us as one of almost superhuman
elevation. "Came unto him." There Is
no species of cruelty greater than to
suffer friend to lie on dying bed
under q delusiOn. And there Is evil
IDENTIFY no danger to be apprehended
from communicating to the sick theil
true condition. 1t should be done ten
DERBY and with affection, but 1t should
be done faithfully. "Set thine house In
order" Arrange your affairs so that
they will go on without you; referring
to his family, his plans, his successor
and his kingdom. Thou shalt Ole"
Death was the natural result OF his
sickness.
II. Hezekiah prays In great distress
Tvs. 2, -.
9. "Face toward the wall" He
turned away from those who were
present so that he might pray more
freely and collectedly. 3. Remember
now" The old covenant promised tenn
poral prosperity, including length OF
days, to the righteous. Walked"
Life is journey; Gods people walk
with Him (Gen. 5: "a 1 Kings 0: ~
"a perfect heart" Literally. with a
whole heart" one absolutely devoted
to Jehovah. The king pleads his up
rightness and holy conduct before God
He could not have done this, in the
face of death, had he not felt jn his
heart the truthfulness Of his state
ments. His influence had been wholly
OIL the side of true religion; he had not
forsaken the ways of the Lord. 'Wept
sore" Literally, with a great weep
ing" The great sorrow OF Hezeklah
at the approach of death was only nat
ural. The desire to live ones full term
of years is right. Hezekiah felt that
his work was unfinished.
III. Gods promises to Hezekiah Tvs
40. T. "Then came" etc. God spake
to Isaiah Immediately e Kings 20:D.
5. God of David thy father" God
remembers the covenant with the faith.
er to the children (Exod. 2O-5). Heard
thy prayer" God still hears prayer
1t is His will that we pray Matt. Z: Z
II; John 10: D. Why then are there SO
many unanswered petitions? Because
there is so much aimless praying
(James 4 b. "Seen thy tears" Aztec
tionate prayers are especially pleasing
to God. Cold, lifeless prayers are not
answered David refers to his tears
(Psa. Sc: 9 as though God bottled them
and kept an exact account Of them III
His "book." add unto thy days" In
Kings the promise is, II will heal thee;
on the third day thou shalt go up unto
the house of the Lord" The Lord still
heals people, sometimes by directing
the sufferer to the proper remedy and
sometimes without the use of REM
edy. In this case (see 2 Kings 20: q
the Lord told Hezekiah to make poul-
tice of figs and put it on the boil or
carbuncle. Fifteen years." Hezekiah
is the only man who was ever Informed
of the term of his life. God in mercy
has hidden the time of our death from
our eyes. We should be always ready
and should work as though each day
was our last. 6. "Will deliver" The
Assyrians were powerful enemy and
were constantly to be feared.
w. The sign given Hezekiah Tvs. 4,
y. Z. "a sign" Hezekiah asked for
a sign q Kings 20: 81. Asking for a
sign is a pious or wicked act accord
ing to the spirit in which 1t is done.
Hezekiah is given his choice of two
signs, and he chose what appeared to
him to be the more difficult.
8. Shadow of the degrees" "The
shadow on the steps," II. V. Many
opinions are held with regard to this
miracle. The older commentators be-
leved that the earth's motion was act
ually reversed around its axis. 1t has
been urged with a good deal Of force
that the true cause of the phenomenon
was a solar eclipse. in which the moon
obscured the upper limb Of the sun.
which would have the effect of length
ening all shadows and thus causing the
appearance of going backward on the
dial of the stairs. But the opinion gen.
orally held at present is that 1t was
miraculous use of the laws Of refrac.
ton. "Dlal of AhaZ." Steps of
Ahaz." r. ", margin. The dial which
Ahaz set up, and which he probably
obtained from Babylon, for he appears
to have been fond of foreign objects Of
art e Kings 16: 10Y. The Assyrians
were the first to divide the day into
twenty-fOur hours. HerodOtus states
that the Greeks obtained their knOwl-
edge of the dial and the division of the
day into twelve parts from the Baby
lonians, who were in constant inter
course with the Assyrians. Returned
ten steps" Or. W. We must suppose
that the steps" whatever they were,
could he seen from the sick chamber
of Hezekiah, to whose mind the sign
was significant. The retreating shadow
meant added years to his life. What
kind of apparatus is denoted by the
"steps of Ahaz" we have no means OF