LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
In the Middle of His Days
When King Hezekiah became deathly ill, a prophet from God came to him, who told him: "Order your house, for you will die and not live" (Is. 38:1). At such news, Hezekiah was greatly afflicted and said: "In the middle of my days I will go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the rest of my years" (Is. 38:10). Thereupon, he clung to the Lord and prayed that he would revoke his decision and lengthen his life. The Lord granted him fifteen more years of life.
Hezekiah is the only man, in the Scriptures, to whom God has granted such a thing. Undoubtedly, he was blessed for this. However, his figure and his granted request have a greater significance. They are placed there as antithetical to something that the Lord Jesus Christ was to live in the days of his flesh.
Jesus lived human life in all its perfection. As his days passed, the most wonderful expression of the incarnate Deity, living among men, unfolded in all his wonderful simplicity. The cycles of life followed one after the other in perfect harmony. The Son of God, even knowing that he had come to be sacrificed, came to love life, despite the limitations it placed on his expression of Deity.
Then he began to emerge from his lips this sentence: "Bloody and deceitful men will not reach the middle of their days; but I will trust in you" (Ps. 55:23). This sentence denotes the confidence of those who believe that what they ask for will be granted. He is neither bloodthirsty nor deceitful, so he confidently waits.
However, there is another sentence in Psalm 102:23-24 that shows a different certainty: “He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days. I said, My God, don't cut me in the middle of my days". Is there a mystery revealed here about the days of his greatest weakness? Is there a desire here, like that of all men, to continue living? Is there the same desire that grieved Hezekiah's heart? If so, even though the wish was there, it was not granted, just like others that were not granted.