The meaning of miracles( 2 Kings 20:1-11)

[Seth Doty]

For discussion, what do you think is the meaning/picture behind this OT miracle?

"2 Kings 20:1-11 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz."

For a parallel passage see Isaiah chapter 38.

I have some ideas but haven't decided completely on the meaning/picture of this one yet. Here is a little information and a couple of suggestions when considering this:

boils frequently are symbolic of divine judgement.
Good figs generally symbolize believers(possibly with a jewish aspect), bad figs symbolize religious hypocrites.
Note that Hezekiah did not just get to pick a sign, he was given a choice between two specific options.

Possibly of relevance:

In biblical numerology 3 is the number of divine perfection, 10 is the number of human government, and 15 while not as common is probably symbolic of divine grace(see Genesis 7:20 Hosea 3:2 etc)

Edited September 17, 2011 by Seth-Doty

[Wilchbla]

Hmmm....Another tough one. Your suggestions seem to help.

I would say that when believers repent, or perhaps when Israel repents, God's judgement can be thwarted and turned back. I know that God warns some of the churches that John the Apostle wrote to that he would come and remove their candlestick (i.e. church) if they didn't repent. This seems to suggest that repentance and remorse of believers will actually hold back the Lord's coming in judgement or even his literal coming. Though we desire the coming of the Lord at the same time it is a double edged sword or as John describe, a book sweet to the taste but bitter to the stomach, because we know that this is the end for many of our unsaved loved ones. The sun going back 10 degrees could be symbolic of restoration to former glory. Or perhaps the repentance of the believers could lead to righteousness within the government.

Summary:

1)Believers repent
2)Churches get spared
3)Government gets right

or

1) Israel repents
2) Nation gets restored
3) World gets right

Edited September 17, 2011 by Wilchbla