2 Kings 20:1-11

6. Hezekiah’s illness and recovery 20:1-11

"In those days" (2 Kings 20:1) refers to the year Sennacherib threatened Jerusalem (701 B.C.) since Hezekiah died 15 years later in 686 B.C. His response to his illness was proper. He sought help from Yahweh primarily (2 Kings 20:2). God had promised long life to the godly under the Mosaic Covenant, and that promise was the basis of Hezekiah’s appeal and God’s answer. Fig poultices were a common treatment in the ancient world as a remedy for boils. [Note: Cf. Keil, pp. 462-63; Wiseman, p. 287.] Hezekiah’s physicians apparently did not prescribe this treatment.

"Despite his recovery, Hezekiah asks for a sign that he will in fact go back to the temple in three days. Rather than an indication of unbelief, his request should be viewed against the background of Ahaz’s refusal of a sign in Isaiah 7:12. Isaiah gladly offers Hezekiah a choice of signs . . ." [Note: House, p. 373.]

God’s sign guaranteed what He had promised. This was evidently a local miracle as were some others involving sunlight (cf. Exodus 10:21-23; Joshua 10:12-13). [Note: See John Davis and John Whitcomb, A History of Israel, p. 464.]