Isaiah 38:10-15

Hezekiah’s illness made him feel very depressed. (In other words, his inner feelings were deeply sad.) And this affected all of his life.

Verses 10 and 18

Like many people at that time, Hezekiah thought that *Sheol was some sort of miserable place. And he thought that all dead people went there. In *Sheol, they were without hope or communication with God (see Isaiah 14:9-11).

• *Sheol was called Hades by people who spoke the Greek language.

• However, the Bible teaches that these ideas are not correct. At the time of death, God separates the people who trust him from everyone else (Isaiah 26:14-19; Luke 16:19-31). God has prepared a wonderful home for his people in heaven (Isaiah 11:6-9; John 14:1-3). And in the end, God will even defeat death (Isaiah 25:7-8; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57).

What led to Hezekiah’s return to health

v21 Isaiah had told the king’s servants to squeeze *figs over Hezekiah’s boil (open sore place). Then the king would recover. v22 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah for a sign that the *Lord would cure him.