💧 Isaiah 38

Isaiah 38 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “In those days was Hezekiah sick and near death. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Set your house in order, for you will die, and not live.’”” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.

Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “My dwelling is removed, and is carried away from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up, like a weaver, my life. He will cut me off from the loom. From day even to night you will make an end of me.” Isaiah 38 opens with these words: “In those days was Hezekiah sick and near death. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Set your…” The line to keep is Isaiah 38:17: “Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back.” Carry the word “behold” from that verse into the rest of the day.

The line worth learning out loud is Isaiah 38:17: “Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.

What happens first in Isaiah 38? Then try this: Read “Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.