READING FOR MARCH 20, 2026: ISAIAH 38, ROMANS 7, PSALM 25:1-10 ISAIAH 38 We know from 2 Kings 18:5 that Hezekiah was an excellent king of Judah: “He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; and after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who came before him.” We also know that when Isaiah told him he was about to die, he was 39 years old. Most of us receiving the news that we or our children are going to die at 39 would be sad, and so was Hezekiah. We, unlike Hezekiah, have the enormous benefit of the New Testament and much greater knowledge of life after earthly death. Remember Paul’s words about his own death as a believer: “I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better” (Phil. 1:23). Despite what Paul says, rarely does a younger person express enthusiasm about dying at such an age. Thus, it is hard to fault the comparatively less informed Hezekiah for his grief upon receiving this word from Isaiah.
We do learn something about God starting in verse four. He heard the prayers of Hezekiah, and He saw His tears (vs.5). Our Lord hears our prayers and sees our tears! What more can we ask for in life during times of despair and loneliness? In this case, God chose to give Hezekiah 15 more years and to save Jerusalem from the Assyrians. As we know from Hebrews 11:35-38, God chooses a different ending for some of His saints: “And others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; others experienced mocking and flogging, and further, chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented (people of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, on mountains, and sheltering in caves and holes in the ground.”
Throughout the Bible, those to whom God has given a miraculous blessing often break out into a song of thanksgiving. Think of Moses after crossing the Red Sea or Mary upon learning about being Jesus’s mother. Remember, however, when only one leper returned to thank Jesus for healing: “But Jesus responded and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they?’” (Luke 17:17). In Hezekiah’s written response, he states that death cannot praise God (vs.18). This would be true if in fact Jesus had not come later to give those who believe in Him eternal life. John corrects this view with this look at heaven: “A great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”’ (Rev. 7:9-10).
Hezekiah’s final words in verse 20 were truer and more eternal than he could have known: “The Lord is certain to save me; so we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the Lord.” Of course, this will only be true for believers: They will bring the glory and the honor of the nations...but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:26-27).
READINGS FOR MARCH 20, 2026 CONTINUED: ROMANS 7, PSALM 22:12-21 ROMANS 7 The phrase “difficult to interpret” has been used before in these study guides, but nowhere in the Bible is such a phrase more applicable than for Romans 7. St. Augustine, possibly the greatest Christian thinker from the apostles to the sixteenth century, wrote retractions in which he altered his previous interpretation of this chapter. Here goes.
Verses 5 and 6 appear to serve as an overview for much of chapters 7 and 8. Verse 5 refers to life before the cross and verse 6 to life now possible after the work of Jesus. One could view verses 7:7-25 as describing this first state in greater detail while verses 8:1-17 more fully de- scribes the present Christian experience. One interpretive key is that in verses 7:7-25 the Holy Spirit is never mentioned but is mentioned 15 times in 8:1-17. Remember Jesus’s comments from John about the essential role the Spirit will play in the believers’ life post-Pentecost.
Paul’s use of the first-person singular starting with 7:7, might be a literary technique referring to all people or possibly all children of Abraham. This is because of the unfolding progression that begins with a time before his birth: pre-Mosaic law. He argues that the Mosaic Law was good and holy because it informed him (i.e., humanity) of sin, but at the same time sin used this greater clarity to increase sin, which as we know leads to death. From verses 14-24 we see the inner torment of assenting mentally to the truth of the Law but not being capable of obeying the Law. The struggle climaxes with a desperate plea in verse 24 for someone to deliver Paul (i.e., humanity). The answer in verse 25 seems to be Jesus. Chapter 8 then picks of the theme of what is now possible through Jesus’ resurrection and the indwelling of the Spirit.
PSALM 22:12-21 This chapter elaborates on David’s present anguish and moves in verses 19-21 towards pleas for God’s deliverance. The allusions to Jesus’s crucifixion are too detailed to miss. David stands in the tradition of Old Testament prophets whose pronouncements had dual meanings. The reference to a cleaving tongue in verse 15 points to Jesus’s comment while on the cross: “Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled, said, ‘I am thirsty’” (John 19: 28). In Verse 16 David says they pierced my hands and my feet. After the resurrection, Jesus shows these wounds to his disciples as evidence He is alive: “Why are you frightened, and why are doubts arising in your hearts? See My hands and My feet” (Luke 24:34-35). In verse 18, David complains they were staring at him and dividing his clothing by casting lots. And Jesus? “And they cast lots, dividing His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, watching” (Luke 23: 34-35). In verse 19-21, David pleads for deliverance, a wise action for all in danger. Of course, Jesus did not have this option: “Struck down by God, and humiliated. But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5). REFLECT ON THIS QUIETLY.
