2 Kings 20:1, commentary and pictures

Hezekiah lay gravely ill and near death when the prophet Isaiah came to him with word from God to put his affairs in order because he would die and not recover. After he prayed earnestly God heard him and raised him up, adding fifteen years to his life and giving the turning back of the shadow on the sundial as a miraculous sign. Although God could have healed him with a word, He directed the use of a poultice of figs upon the sore, showing that earnest trust in prayer works together with humble use of the simple natural remedies He has provided. The command to put the house in order calls every person to prepare heart and life for death and judgment by making peace with God, repenting, and turning from the world while time remains. That preparation should not be neglected even while hoping for recovery in answer to prayer, but includes speaking counsel to family and friends, arranging property and family care faithfully, ordering the home in prayer and unity, and letting truth cleanse character, habits, and daily life.

Hezekiah's Sickness and Message

Hezekiah lay gravely ill, sick unto death. The prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him with the word of the Lord to set his house in order, for he would die and not live.

After this warning Hezekiah prayed and cried to the Lord, and God heard him and spared his life. God raised him up from his sickness and added fifteen years to his life. The backward movement of the sun and the turning back of the shadow on the sundial were given as a miraculous sign of that gift of renewed life.

This deliverance from sickness was followed afterward by his display of the riches entrusted to him to the ambassadors from Babylon. The Lord's hand was visible in Hezekiah's affliction, showing that God may permit suffering for purposes of His own.

Prayer and Natural Remedies

Hezekiah lay gravely ill unto death with the prophet's message that he would die and not live, and when he cried unto the Lord his prayer was heard and fifteen years were added to his life. One word from God could have healed him instantly, yet God gave special direction to take a lump or bunch of figs and lay it as a plaster or poultice upon the boil or sore. So treated, he recovered.

The means of healing was a simple remedy of nature, blessed by God to recovery. By it God showed that the elaborate treatments previously being given could hinder the body and prevent it from rallying and overcoming disease.

Trust in God in prayer and the use of practical means to aid healing work together and in harmony. The direction to apply the fig to the affected part gives sanction from the word of God for the use of remedial agencies with prayer for the sick. To use the simple, practical, remedial and hygienic measures within one's power that God has provided is not a denial of faith but cooperation with God and with natural laws.

Setting the House in Order

The command to put the house in order is a call to put the heart and life in order before God in preparation for death, judgment, and future immortal life. That preparation means making peace with Him, repenting and surrendering to Him, drawing near to Him instead of rejecting His yoke for a willful, independent course, and turning from the world while there is still time. Life is fragile and may end suddenly, leaving anyone unprepared to face death and judgment without shelter and to discover too late that a false sense of preparation and hope was not secure. Years of study that neglect the Bible and this preparation bring no comfort when death comes.

The sick are to set the house in order even while there is hope of being raised to health in answer to prayer. Fear that such preparation denies faith is mistaken, and so is the thought that using hygienic measures within their power denies faith. Buoyed by false hope and assurance of certain healing, many neglect this duty to their great misfortune, leaving necessary things unmentioned and bringing disaster upon family and friends.

Setting the house in order includes giving words of exhortation and counsel to children, parents, and friends. It means speaking plainly about how property should be disposed of, how the family is to be cared for, and other wishes that should be expressed by one who may be removed by death. Before life ends, a sensible and faithful disposition of entrusted property is to be made while life and reason remain, so it can serve God's work rather than be used against the truth.

Applied to the home, the work of putting the household in order is to be undertaken together, calmly, prayerfully, and in faith, with God blessing the effort. Families are to pray, remove disagreements between parents and children, and teach children that clean hands and pure hearts matter more than fine clothes, a preparation that invites the Lord's presence and makes spiritual renewal deeper and more lasting. Failures in raising a child are to be corrected, with prayer for another opportunity to put the house in order and for the child's life to be spared where needed. God must come before spouse or child, and children must receive the careful restraint and training He requires, for a mismanaged home can weaken faith, hinder service, and harm others through its example.

Applied to personal life, putting the house in order means letting truth sanctify the character and removing roughness so as to be fit for heaven. It is a call to reform personal habits, to cleanse body and spirit, and to cultivate neatness, cleanliness, and order in dress and home. The image of a man facing certain death and told to put his affairs in order is seen in Gustavus II, who arranged his affairs and bade farewell before departing for a struggle from which he did not expect to return.