Commentary on Isaiah, Commentary on Isaiah · Chapter 37 · Verse 7 – Verse 9
Verſ. 7. And this ſigne ſhalt thou hauehave of the Lord, that the Lord will doe this thing that he hath ſpoken:
8. Behold, I will bring againe the ſhadow of the degrees, (whereby it is gone downe in the diall of Ahaz by the Sunne) ten degrees backward: ſo the Sunne returned by ten degrees, by the which it was gone downe.
THe holy hiſt…rie orderly recites,2. Kin. 20.8. how Hezekias asked a ſigne of the Lord, which was granted vntounto him: our Prophet wil onelyonly touch it in the end of the Chapter: but it is no new thing with the Hebrewes thus to ſet thoſe things laſt, which ſhould be firſt, &c. Moreouer, the Lord offers ſome ſignes voluntarily vnasked. Againe, he grants them to others that require them. Now in regard that the generall vſe of ſignesThe generall vſe of ſignes. is to ſuſtaine our infirmitie, God for the moſt part ſtaies not till they bee asked, but from the beginning hath alwaies ordeined ſuch as himſelfe knew would be the moſt profitable to his Church. If the faithfull then at any time hauehave deſired that their faith might be confirmed by ſignes, Signes asked Gedeons fleece.we muſt not by and by follow them therein; becauſe it was a thing very rare: as to Gedeon, who being taken from the flaile to gouerne the people,Signes giuen vnasked. To Adam the tree of life. To Noah the rainbow. To the Iſraelites the cloud and pillar of fire. The braſen Serpent. The Paſſeouer, &c. he gaue two ſignes which he asked, to the end he might be the better confirmed in his calling: Iudg. 6.17, 36. As touthing other ſignes, hee was wont ordinarilie to giuegive them to helpe mans weakneſſe: as to Adam, the tree of life, Gen. 2.9. to Noah, the raine-bow in the cloudes: Gen. 9.13. afterwards, the cloud, the pillar of fire, and the braſen Serpent in the wilderneſſe: Exod. 13.21. Numb. 21.8. The like is to be ſaid of the Paſſeouer, Exod. 12.3. and of all other ſacraments which hauehave been ordeined both vnderunder the Law and vnderunder the Goſpell, without being asked of God at all.
Obiect. But it ſeemes Hezekias offers iniurie to God, in that he beleeues him not vponupon his bare word, when he asks a ſigne.
Anſ. I anſwere, he is not therefore to be condemned of infidelitie, becauſe his faith was weake: for where is the man to be found that euer had a faith ſo perfect that was not mingled with vnbeliefe, or which was not faultie? Whereas he ſeekes ſome ſtay to vphold his wauering, he is not to be blamed for it: for hauing imbraced the promiſe offred him by the Prophet, he ſhewes himſelfe to hauehave faith in God, in ſeeking remedie againſt his diſtruſt. Were there no infirmitie in men, what need ſhould we hauehave of ſignes? It is no wonder then if Hezekias asks one, ſeeing the Lord is pleaſed to offer the ſame voluntarilie vntounto others. Yet we are to note, that the faithfull hauehave not asked ſignes of their owne heads, but were led ſo to doe by the ſpeciall inſtinct of the holy Ghoſt,The faithfull hauehave not asked ſignes of God raſhly, but were moued to do it by the ſpeciall inſtinct of the holy Ghoſt. which may alſo be affirmed touching miracles: for if Helias asked raine and drought, it is not lawfull for others to do the like, 1. King. 17.1. Wee are therefore to conſider what the Lord permits vsus to do, leſt whileſt hauing neglected his word, we preſume to indent with him according to the vnbridled deſires of our owne fleſh.
The ſigne that is here giuen to Hezekias, is the bringing back of the ſhadow in the dyall with the Sunne tenne degrees, whereby it was aſcended, that is to ſay, gone forward vponupon the Horizon. This ſigne hath affinitie with the thing it ſelfe,The ſignes that God giues, hauehave affinitie with the things ſignified. as all other ſignes alſo hauehave: for it is as if he ſhould hauehave ſaid, Euen as it is in my power to alter the houres of the day, and to cauſe the Sunne to come back againe, ſo am I able to prolong thy life. In that the Sunne went not back ſo many degrees as there were yeeres added to his life, it could not well be done, becauſe there were but twelue degrees in the Quadrangle: for the dayes were diuided into twelue houres longer or ſhorter, according to the diuerſitie of the ſeaſons. Wee neede not buſie our heads much then as touching the number, it is enough that the proportion and ſimilitude of the ſigne and of the thing it ſelfe ſutes ſo well together.
The IewesFables of the Iewes. doe here inuent fables according to their vſuall maner, affirming, that the day in which Achaz died was ſhorter by ten houres, ſo as the chaſtiſement inflicted vponupon him for his iniquities, were turned to the good of Hezekias, in regard the ſhortnes of one day was the cauſe of the length of another. But what ground hauehave they for this here? Truly not ſo much as any ſhew at all: for here is nothing ſaid touching the death of Achaz, nor of any change which then hapned, but of the dyall only which he erected.
Verſ. 9. The writing of Hezekias king of Iudah when he had been ſick, and was recouered of his ſicknes.
ALthough the holy hiſtorie mentions not this writing, yet is it worthie our obſeruation, and to be kept in continuall memorie: for therein we ſee that Hezekiah would not by his ſilence either lightlie paſſe ouer, or by forgetfulnes blot out the remembrance of ſo excellent a benefit which he had receiued of God.What the faithfull ought to do when God works their deliuerance by vnwonted meanes. All the faithfull by his example are taught what to doe when God for their ſakes manifeſts his power miraculouſlie, or by extraordinarie meanes: it ought not to ſuffice them that thoſe of their owne times ſhould be made acquainted withall, but as much as in them is they are ſo to prouide that the poſterities to come may be informed of it, as we ſee Hezekias here doth by this his ſong. Dauid in like maner compoſed many ſongs to this purpoſe after he was deliuered out of great dangers; being carefull to hauehave that ſung to the worlds end, which was worthie of euerlaſting memorie: ſee Pſal. 18.2. & 27. But he eſpeciallie whom God hath aduanced to high degree either of honor, or power, euen as one being placed by God vponupon a ſcaffold: he, I ſay, ought well to know and vnderſtand that he is inioined to imitate this godly King in this behalfe: and yet both great and ſmall are diligentlie to beware of ambition, leſt whilſt they ſeeme to imitate Dauid and Hezekiah, they ſeeke to glorifie their owne names rather then the name of God.