August 18th, 2017 26th Av, 5777 In the second book of Kings chapter 20, we learn about the prophet Isaiahwho was sent to King Hezekiah. Hezekiah was ill, and Isaiahs initial message was that he would die from that illness. Hezekiah begged and pr
August 18th, 2017 26th Av, 5777 In the second book of Kings chapter 20, we learn about the prophet Isaiahwho was sent to King Hezekiah. Hezekiah was ill, and Isaiahs initial message was that he would die from that illness. Hezekiah begged and pr
August 18th, 2017 26th Av, 5777
In the second book of Kings (chapter 20), we learn about the prophet Isaiah who was sent to King Hezekiah. Hezekiah was ill, and Isaiah’s initial message was that he would die from that illness. Hezekiah begged and prayed for his life. Isaiah returns with a different message, hearing his prayers and relaying them to God: God would heal Hezekiah and give him 15 more years to live. But Hezekiah wants proof, and Isaiah tells him that he should pay close attention to a particular stairway, and watch the shadow from the sun to recede ten steps. Indeed, the shadow receded, and Hezekiah felt a sense of hope.
This is the story that we read from the Bible. Biblical archaeologists, along with NASA, add another layer. In the 16th year before Hezekiah’s death, 702 BCE, a solar eclipse appeared over the Middle East, and the sun over Israel was blocked more than 60 percent. Shadow waves, created by the covering of the sun during an eclipse, could have made the shadow on the stairway appear to recede.
The story about Hezekiah’s life being extended feels magical, and in many ways it puts forth a theology that I don’t believe in: if we pray hard enough, God will remove illness. I don’t think, sadly, that that’s the way the world works. Yet, this story uses natural phenomena to add elements of hope into our life. Hope can give us strength and drive, a belief that things don’t have to always be the way they currently are. It’s hope that often carries us through very dark times.
The eclipse this coming Monday won’t be a magical cure to all of the world’s problems, but I do believe, like King Hezekiah, that we can turn to the world around us to find symbols of hope and to remind us of God’s presence in the world. As we watch the eclipse (with your special glasses, please!), I hope we’re able to feel a sense of majesty in the universe, a feeling of hope, and commitment to be partners with God in creating our future.
