When God Turns Back Time: Lessons from Hezekiah’s Healing
Scriptures: 2 Kings 20:1-11 | Isaiah 38:9-20 | 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 | Philippians 4:6-7
“1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and dying. Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Set your house in order; for you will die, and not live.’”
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Yahweh, saying, 3 “Remember now, Yahweh, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had gone out into the middle part of the city, Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, 5 “Turn back, and tell Hezekiah the prince of my people, ‘Yahweh, the God of David your father, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day, you will go up to Yahweh’s house. 6 I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.”’”
7 Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.”
They took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that Yahweh will heal me, and that I will go up to Yahweh’s house the third day?”
9 Isaiah said, “This will be the sign to you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that he has spoken: should the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?”
10 Hezekiah answered, “It is a light thing for the shadow to go forward ten steps. No, but let the shadow return backward ten steps.”
11 Isaiah the prophet cried to Yahweh; and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.
The story of King Hezekiah’s sickness and healing is more than a historical account—it is a living testimony of prayer, repentance, and God’s mercy.
When Isaiah first told Hezekiah, “Set your house in order, for you shall die,” it was both a practical and spiritual call. Practically, it meant to arrange succession, settle debts, and reconcile relationships. Spiritually, it was a reminder to be ready to meet God at any moment.
But Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed. He poured out his heart: “Remember how I have walked before you faithfully.” With tears streaming down his face, he prayed an honest, raw, tearful prayer. And God listened. Psalm 34:7 assures us: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears.”
God’s answer was immediate: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you.” On the third day, Hezekiah would rise and return to the temple. The “third day” points us to decisive restoration, echoing Hosea 6:2 and anticipating the resurrection hope in Christ.
God added fifteen years to Hezekiah’s life—not only for him but for the sake of Jerusalem, giving time for repentance and fulfilling His covenant promise to David. This reminds us that one person’s prayer, one person’s repentance, can shape the destiny of a whole community.
The healing came through both divine word and practical means: Isaiah instructed the use of a cake of figs on the infection. God often works through both supernatural power and ordinary remedies.
When Hezekiah asked for a confirming sign, God gave him something astounding: the sundial’s shadow moved backward ten steps. Time itself seemed to reverse, a supernatural sign of God’s mercy. The death sentence was lifted; life was restored.
In Isaiah 38, Hezekiah’s song reflects his inner journey:
“9 The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and had recovered of his sickness:
10 I said, “In the middle of my life I go into the gates of Sheol.[a]
I am deprived of the residue of my years.”
11 I said, “I won’t see Yah,
Yah in the land of the living.
I will see man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling is removed,
and is carried away from me like a shepherd’s tent.
I have rolled up my life like a weaver.
He will cut me off from the loom.
From day even to night you will make an end of me.
13 I waited patiently until morning.
He breaks all my bones like a lion.
From day even to night you will make an end of me.
14 I chattered like a swallow or a crane.
I moaned like a dove.
My eyes weaken looking upward.
Lord, I am oppressed.
Be my security.”
15 What will I say?
He has both spoken to me, and himself has done it.
I will walk carefully all my years because of the anguish of my soul.
16 Lord, men live by these things;
and my spirit finds life in all of them.
You restore me, and cause me to live.
17 Behold, for peace I had great anguish,
but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption;
for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
18 For Sheol[b] can’t praise you.
Death can’t celebrate you.
Those who go down into the pit can’t hope for your truth.
19 The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do today.
The father shall make known your truth to the children.
20 Yahweh will save me.
Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in Yahweh’s house.”
- Despair: “My dwelling is pulled up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent.”
- Reflection: “Surely it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness.” Through suffering, he was humbled, drawn closer to God, and granted deeper wisdom.
- Renewal: “We will sing to the Lord all the days of our lives.” His healing led to a vow of lifelong worship and communal celebration.
This story invites us to connect with our own journeys. Just as Hezekiah turned his face to the wall in prayer, we are called to turn to God with honesty and tears. Just as God restored Hezekiah, He can bring renewal to our lives and our communities.
The New Testament shines light on this story:
- 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 reminds us that though our bodies may waste away, God is renewing us inwardly, preparing eternal glory.
“Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward person is decaying, yet our inward person is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory, while we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
- Philippians 4:6–7 echoes Hezekiah’s desperate prayer: in every situation, by prayer and thanksgiving, we find peace that guards our hearts in Christ Jesus.
“In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.”
The God who heard Hezekiah’s prayer and turned back time is the same God who hears us today. He is the God of second chances, the God who heals, the God who restores.
Summary: Lessons from Hezekiah’s Healing
- Set your house in order – Practical & Spiritual readiness (2 Kings 20:1)
- Turn to the wall – Honest, tearful prayer moves God’s heart (vv. 2-3)
- God hears & heals – ‘I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears’ (vv. 4-5)
- Third day restoration – Echo of resurrection hope (Hosea 6:2)
- Fifteen more years – God ties personal healing to national rescue (v. 6)
- Healing through both divine word & practical means (V. 7)
- A sign from God – Sundial shadow reversed, time turned back (vv. 8-11)
- Hezekiah’s song – From despair to thanksgiving (Isaiah 38:9-20)
- NT light – Renewed inwardly (2 Cor. 4:16-18), peace in prayer (Phil. 4:6-7)
Key Truth: The God who heard Hezekiah’s tears is the same God who hears us today.
