Sundials

“Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.”’ “And this is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: “Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.” Isaiah 38:4-8

This morning I want you to discover the multilayered testament to God’s faithfulness, covenantal power, and absolute authority over life, history, and creation. And how all these were given to a king in his moment of desperate need.

The story of Hezekiah is very popular. Prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah personally and told him, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover” Isaiah 38:1. Hezekiah then turned to the wall and prayed to the Lord, pleading for his life based on his faithfulness (Isaiah 38:2-3). The Lord’s response was directed to Hezekiah: “I have heard your prayer… I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city…” (Isaiah 38:5-6). Then a sign of the sun’s shadow moving backward ten steps was given specifically to confirm this promise to Hezekiah about his own life and recovery. In 2 Kings 20:8, it is noted that Hezekiah asked for the sign.

What is the significance of the sign given to Hezekiah?

Hezekiah had just received an astounding, life changing promise. Not only would he recover, but he would also receive fifteen additional years and see Jerusalem delivered from Assyria. The sign was a tangible, observable miracle meant to confirm this promise specifically to Hezekiah, strengthening his faith during a vulnerable moment of sickness and uncertainty.

The reversal of the sun’s shadow, which is often interpreted as a disturbance in the sun’s apparent motion, was a cosmic sign. It showed that the God of Israel was not a local deity but the Lord of creation who controls the heavens, time, and natural laws. This echoed other great cosmic signs in Israel’s history, remember Joshua’s long day in Joshua 10:12 to 14, reinforcing that Yahweh alone commands the universe.

In addition, God’s message begins, “Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father” in verse 5. The sign affirmed that God was honoring his covenant with David’s line in response to Hezekiah’s faithfulness. Hezekiah’s healing and the city’s deliverance were not just acts of mercy but acts of covenant loyalty, demonstrating that God keeps his promises to David’s heirs who walk in obedience.

The shadow moving backward mirrored the reversal of Hezekiah’s fate, from death to life, from the end to a new beginning. This physical “turning back” symbolised God’s power to reverse irreversible situations, whether a terminal illness, an advancing enemy such as Assyria, or even the apparent flow of time under judgment.

The sign occurred on the “sundial of Ahaz,” a timepiece associated with Hezekiah’s father, King Ahaz. Ahaz had refused to ask for a sign when offered one by Isaiah (Isaiah 7:10 to 12) and had aligned with Assyria, leading Judah into idolatry and crisis. Hezekiah’s sign on the same instrument highlighted a reversal of his father’s faithlessness. Hezekiah sought God, and God responded with a miraculous sign.

Ahaz’s refusal to trust God, his rejection of a sign, and his idolatrous alliance with Assyria is a different story I will explore tomorrow.

Doesn’t this speak directly to moments when life feels like it’s running out, when the diagnosis comes, when the deadline looms, when the shadow lengthens and we feel time slipping through our fingers like sand.

The same device that marked the passing days under a king who turned his back on God now becomes the stage for a miracle that defies natural law.

How often do we carry “sundials of Ahaz” in our own lives? Places where past failures, inherited patterns, or family legacies seem to dictate our future? Yet God chose that exact spot to demonstrate his power. He doesn’t just work around our broken histories, he redeems them and transforms them into testimonies.

What moves me most is the space between Isaiah’s first word (“you will die”) and God’s response (“I will add fifteen years”). In that gap, Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept. He prayed. He reminded God of his faithfulness; not arrogantly, but desperately, like a child clinging to a parent’s character.

Kay Alli