The Man Who Lived Too Long
There is no armor against fate,
Death lays his icy hand on kings.
—Mames Shirley
"In those days King became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, 'Thus says the LORD: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.' Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, and said, 'Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.' And Hezekiah wept bitterly" (Isaiah 38:1–3).
Though only 39 years old the jig was up; It was time for Hezekiah to shuffle off this mortal coil.
But Hezekiah, unwilling to accept God's will, spent his days grieving and "shuffling" (Hebrew: “slow-walking”) around the palace in a deep depression (38:10-20). Whereupon, Isaiah, having encouraged the court physicians to do their best (38:21), prayed for Hezekiah's healing. And, though the explanation for God's mercy eludes me, Hezekiah was given fifteen additional years which he spent in self-indulgence and personal aggrandizement, fathering Manasseh, Judah's most villainous king (2Kings 21:1-18), and bragging about his wealth to others, an irresponsible and prideful act that led to the Babylonian Captivity 120 years later (2 Kings 20:12-19; Isaiah 39).
It occurred to me this morning that I, like Hezekiah, have been given fifteen bonus years (my allotted threescore and ten plus fifteen). Perhaps you've been given additional years of life as well. They are a gift of love, through which we can serve God and others. Let’s not squander them on ourselves.
David Roper
