Isaiah 38:17

DISCOURSE: 917
FORGIVENESS KNOWN AND ENJOYED

Isaiah 38:17. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

IN all the Scriptures there is not any thing more tender and pathetic than this “writing of Hezekiah after he had recovered from his sickness.” In it he delineates all his feelings in the view of his expected dissolution. He could appeal to God that he had “walked before God with truth and with a perfect heart [Note: 2 Kings 20:2.];” and yet in the prospect of death was more alarmed and agitated than any other person of whom we read. To account for this, commentators have supposed that he had respect only to the welfare of his Church and people, who by his removal would lose the benefit of all his past exertions for their good, and of those which he yet contemplated. But whilst we agree in ascribing much of his grief to this, we yet think that it by no means sufficiently accounts for many of his expressions, which evidently refer to his own personal concerns. In our text he complains that “for peace he had had great bitterness;” though from it he was now mercifully relieved. His “anguish being now changed [Note: So Bishop Lowth translates the first clause.],” he returned thanks to God, saying, “Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.”

These words of his I shall,

I. Explain—

They may not unfitly be considered as referring to,

1. The recovery of his body—

[Sickness and death were originally introduced by sin: and in many instances have they been inflicted in token of God’s displeasure on account of sin. The leprosy of Miriam was a visitation on account of sin, as was that also of Gehazi. And the worms which preyed on the vitals of King Herod received their commission from an offended God. Even the Christian Church is exposed to the same kind of correction from the hand of an angry Father: for, on account of the abuses which obtained among the Corinthians at the Lord’s supper, “many were weak and sickly among them, and many had fallen asleep [Note: 1 Corinthians 11:30.].” Not unfrequently were temporal judgments inflicted with an express view to prevent the necessity of inflicting far heavier judgments in the world to come [Note: 1 Corinthians 11:32. as also 1 Corinthians 5:4.].

Now it seems evident that Hezekiah viewed his sickness in this light, namely, as a judgment sent from God on account of some iniquity which he had committed. As the enemies of David said in his sickness, “An evil disease, that is, a disease judicially inflicted, cleaveth fast unto him [Note: Psalms 41:8.];” and as the enemies of the Lord Jesus accounted him to be judicially “stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted [Note: Isaiah 53:4.];” so did Hezekiah judge respecting himself at that time: he thought that God was now “calling his sins to remembrance [Note: 1 Kings 17:18.],” and punishing him on account of them.

With such views as these, we cannot wonder that during the continuance of the affliction he should “have great bitterness;” and that in the removal of it he should find such an occasion of joy and gratitude. And it is worthy of observation, that the Psalmist speaks of the removal of temporal judgments from the people of Israel in terms exactly similar to those which Hezekiah uses in reference to his recovery from sickness: “Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob: thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people; thou hast covered all their sin: thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger [Note: Psalms 85:1.].”

This then shews us why the pious Hezekiah so grievously complained of his sickness, and so earnestly implored a restoration to health. This explains those words of his, “Like a crane or a swallow, so did I twitter; I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail for looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.”]

The state of his soul—

[When he complains of God having, “like a lion, broken all his bones,” it seems evident, that God had withdrawn from him for a season his wonted consolations, and that he was much in the state of David, who, under the pressure of a dangerous illness, cried, “Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps: thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves [Note: Psalms 88:3.].” Whether there was any particular occasion for this dispensation, we are not informed, We know that Job, who was esteemed by God himself “a perfect man,” was subjected to a similar trial for his good. And, if this dispensation had no other end than to counteract that propensity to pride which afterwards broke forth, and brought down upon Hezekiah the severest displeasure of the Almighty, it was justly and graciously ordained.

For deliverance from a state like this, we wonder not that Hezekiah should bless and magnify the Lord. Who can think of being delivered from the pit of corruption, and not rejoice? Who can contemplate God as having “cast all his sins behind his back,” and not bless him from his inmost soul [Note: Psalms 103:1.]? Consider what is implied in this expression: it imports that “God will remember our sins no more.” Once “he set our iniquities before him, and our secret sins in the light of his countenance [Note: Psalms 90:8.];” but now he hides his face from them [Note: Psalms 51:9.],” “blots them out [Note: Isaiah 43:25.]” from the book of his remembrance, and “casts them into the very depths of the sea [Note: Micah 7:18.],” from whence they shall never rise to appear against us in judgment. Verily, if on the receipt of such a mercy as this “he had held his peace, the very stones would have cried out against him.”

We must not omit to notice the source to which Hezekiah traces this great deliverance: it is to God’s sovereign love and mercy. He does not say, “From a respect to my deserts thou hast done thus;” but, “in love to my soul” thou hast done it. And to this must all spiritual blessings be traced. Whatever mercy God has vouchsafed to us, it is the fruit of “his great love wherewith he has loved us [Note: Ephesians 2:4.],” even of that love which knows neither beginning nor end [Note: Jeremiah 31:3.]

The words thus explained, I shall now proceed to,

II.

Improve—

There are two remarks which I will make upon them. They shew us, in a very forcible way,

1. What should be our chief desire under any afflictive dispensation—

[Our great concern usually is to get the affliction itself removed. But judgments may be removed in anger, as well as sent in anger [Note: Hosea 13:11.]: and God may cease to smite us, only because he is determined not to strive with us any longer, but to give us over to final impenitence [Note: Genesis 6:3.Isaiah 1:5.]. Our first object should be, to inquire of God “Wherefore he contendeth with us [Note: Job 10:2.]?” and then to seek the removal of that sin which God has visited with his displeasure. If we can fix on no particular sin, which has provoked God to anger, yet we know that there is an immense load of guilt upon our souls: and therefore we should pray as David did, “The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses! look upon mine affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins [Note: Psalms 25:17. Here a variety of sins may be pointed out, as subjects of self-examination.]!” — — — Sin, even one single sin, being retained before God’s face, will be the heaviest curse that can befall us: but, if our sins be “cast behind his back,” the most accumulated trials shall only “augment our eternal weight of glory [Note: 2 Corinthians 4:17.]” — — —]

2. What exalted happiness we are privileged to enjoy—

[Hezekiah spoke of the forgiveness of his sins as already granted, yea, and manifested also with full assurance to his soul. And this is the common privilege of all believers. As Isaiah had a live coal from off the altar applied to his lips, with this assurance, “Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged;” so have we the promises applied to our souls at this day, “the Holy Spirit of promise sealing them upon our hearts [Note: Ephesians 1:13.],” and thereby becoming to us “a Spirit of adoption, and a witness of our being the children of God [Note: Romans 8:15.].” Doubtless there are marks by which these manifestations must be determined [Note: 1 John 5:13; 1 John 3:14.] — — — but it is not by the marks alone that we can attain the consolations here spoken of: these can be imparted only by Him who is emphatically called the comforter: but the assurance itself is, if not the attainment of all, yet certainly the privilege of all, who truly believe [Note: 1 John 5:20.].

Live not then below your privileges. And, as God generally makes use of afflictions to prepare us for the enjoyment of them, learn to welcome any trials which it may please God to send [Note: Romans 5:3.] — — —

Only, if God cast your sins behind his back, be the more concerned to set them ever before your own face [Note: Psalms 51:3.]; that your own souls may be the more deeply humbled [Note: Ezekiel 16:63.], and that the grace of God may be the more abundantly exalted [Note: 1 Timothy 1:12.] — — —]