We walked through the near death of Hezekiah. It is a really serious illness and he is really incapacitated by it. Isaiah comes to him and tells him to prepare to die. Hezekiah believes him and it grieves him because he is very sick. Hezekiah cries out to God from his deathbed asking for healing and restoration. Isaiah soon returns with the message Hezekiah will recover and will go up to the temple in 3 days. Because he is so sick Hezekiah finds this declaration unbelievable and he asks Isaiah for a sign. The sign he is given is the shadow moves back 10 steps on a time keeping device Ahaz had built. Hezekiah recovers and worships at the temple in 3 days just like Isaiah had prophesied. His sickness and recovery were talked about even in the halls of Babylon which was over 670 miles away. The king of Babylon sent an envoy with gifts to congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery. There may have been alliances made at this time. But Hezekiah is clearly caught up in the celebrity of the moment and proceeds to show the envoy all the wealth and splendor of his kingdom and the temple. Isaiah shortly comes to Him and declares how this indiscreet display of wealth will lead to the conquest of Judah by Babylon. Isaiah prophesies the captivity and service of Hezekiah’s sons to the kings of Babylon. At this revelation Hezekiah is relieved this will not happen in his lifetime. We see in Hezekiah a king who is a good king but even a good king can be seduced by pride. And yet even in this we see God foreshadowing the better king the promised Son of David who will reign forever. Hezekiah was sick unto death and in 3 days he recovered and went to worship at the temple. Jesus the greater and better king entered into death and in 3 days he rose again in the new and better temple of His body. If even a prideful king can be used by God to point us to Jesus, then there is hope that God can use me to point people to Jesus.