Isaiah visited bedridden King Hezekiah and prophesied his death. "Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord" (Is 38:2). He "wept bitterly" (Is 38:3). In answer to Hezekiah's prayer, the Lord healed him and gave him fifteen more years to live (Is 38:5). The Lord even made the sun go backwards to confirm that He would heal Hezekiah (Is 38:8).

What did Hezekiah do with his extra fifteen years? We only know of one thing that he did. Foolishly and pridefully, he showed an ambassador from Babylon "his treasury, the silver and gold, the spices and fine oil, his whole armory, and everything that was in his storerooms" (Is 39:2). This began what eventually resulted in the Babylonian exile and the destruction of Jerusalem. If Hezekiah had died at the original time, it may have been much better for everybody. We should pray that we die neither before our time nor after it.

Rescript:  †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 29, 2009

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