The Assyrian army is standing outside Jerusalem having overrun the regions around them. The Assyrian commander taunt King Hezekiah’s messengers in their own Judean language and publicly in Isaiah 36:11 “in the hearing of the people who are on the wall”. They know they cannot defeat, or even defend against this army yet the word of the Lord comes through Isaiah, “You must not be afraid because of the words that you have heard” but Isaiah also says pray. Hezekiah goes to the “God of Israel who is enthroned on the cherubim”, he goes to the mercy seat. And the Lord responds, in Isaiah 37:21 “Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria” and in Isaiah 37:33 “He shall not come to this city”. It wasn’t enough for Hezekiah to inquire of Isaiah, the Lord wants to hear from us directly.
They Shall Come to Zion With Rejoicing
Isaiah 35:1–10
Even though there had been judgement on the land, and they were occupied by foreign forces, the Lord offers them a future and hope in
Isaiah 35:4 Say to those who are hasty of heart, “Be strong; you must not fear! Look! your God will come with vengeance, with divine retribution. He is the one who will come and save you.”
What is This Confidence in Which You Trust?
Isaiah 36:1–10
Hezekiah is the King, the leader of the people and he sent messengers to the Assyrian army. The Assyrian commander Rabshakeh spoke in their Judean language so all of the people, the Judean defenders, could hear saying Hezekiah had not always followed after God in
Isaiah 36:7 And if you say to me, ‘We trust in Yahweh our God,’ was it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed? And he said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall bow down in the presence of this altar.’ ”
While it was true that Hezekiah had removed idols, “The Assyrian mistakes Hezekiah’s religious reforms whereby he took away the high places (2 Ki 18:4) as directed against Jehovah. Some of the high places may have been dedicated to Jehovah, but worshipped under the form of an image in violation of the second commandment”1
Whether Rabshakeh’s mistake was through ignorance or an intentional twisting of the facts, the tactics are common, yell loudly for all to hear your accusations, founded or not, and you cast doubt in peoples minds. We see this happen every day in the media.
Where Are The Gods … Have They Delivered
Isaiah 36:11–22
The Assyrian commander Rabshakeh continued to taunt openly before all of the Judean people even though Hezekiah’s representatives had asked him not to in Isaiah 36:11b “you must not speak to us in Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” but this was part of Rabshakeh’s intimidation tactic
You Must Not Be Afraid Because of the Words
Isaiah 37:1–13
Hezekiah sends his messengers to Isaiah who responds in Isaiah 37:4 “you must lift up a prayer for the benefit of the remnant that is found” and in Isaiah 37:6 “You must say this to your master: ‘Thus says Yahweh: “You must not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me” and in Isaiah 37:7 “he shall return to his land”.
Yahweh, Our God, Save Us
Isaiah 37:14–20
The Assyrian commander had challenged Hezekiah, he had challenged the Lord himself. But the Lord’s assessment of Hezekiah is different in
2 Kings 18:3–5 He did right in the eyes of Yahweh according to all that David his ancestor had done. 4 He removed the high places, and he smashed the stone pillars; he cut down the poles of Asherah worship and demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to those days the Israelites were offering incense to it and called it Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in Yahweh the God of Israel; there was no one like him, before or after, among all the kings of Judah.
So, in Isaiah 37:14 “Hezekiah took the letter … read it … went up to the temple of Yahweh, and Hezekiah spread it out before the presence of Yahweh”. Hezekiah did as Isaiah the prophet said, in Isaiah 37:4 “you must lift up a prayer for the benefit of the remnant that is found” and he took this to the Lord praying himself. And he did this in a very specific way by calling on God, but not just the God of “who made the heavens and the earth”, in Isaiah 37:16 Hezekiah calls on the “God of Israel who is enthroned on the cherubim”, Hezekiah called on God at the Mercy Seat (see Hebrews 9:1-5). Then he made his request known, saying in
Isaiah 37:17 Yahweh, extend your ear and hear! Yahweh, open your eyes and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib that he has sent to taunt the living God!
Certainly, the Lord has heard and now Hezekiah says in
Isaiah 37:20 So now, Yahweh, our God, save us from his hand so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are Yahweh, you alone!”
Because You Have Prayed To Me
Isaiah 37:21–27
The Lord does not always answer us directly. Here, the Lord speaks to Isaiah after King Hezekiah prays, saying in Isaiah 37:21 “Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria”. But before we go to the message, what might have happened if Hezekiah had not prayed? We often forget that there is authority that God has given to us and he will not overstep His boundaries and act against our will. But now, Hezekiah has asked, in Isaiah 37:20 “save us from his (the Assyrian King and his army) hand”. And now the Lord says in response in
Isaiah 37:23 Whom have you taunted and blasphemed, and against whom have you raised up your voice and lifted your eyes upward? To the holy one of Israel!
So the Lord says in
Isaiah 37:33 Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not come to this city, and he shall not shoot an arrow there, and he shall not meet it with a shield, and he shall not heap a siege ramp up against her.
I Will Defend This City
Isaiah 37:28–35
Study Verses
- Isaiah 36:1–10 What is This Confidence in Which You Trust?
- Isaiah 37:14–20 Yahweh, Our God, Save Us
- Isaiah 37:21–27 Because You Have Prayed To Me
Today’s Reading
- Isaiah 35:1-10
- Isaiah 36:1-22
- Isaiah 37:1-35
References
- 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 468). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
