Isaiah 37:14-26
Isa 37:14
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the
messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and
spread it before the LORD.
This time Hezekiah took the letter he received from
Rabshakeh and spread it out before the LORD.
This time he did not tear his clothes as a sign of desperation because
now Rabshakeh has brought accusations against God and in a symbolic gesture,
Hezekiah is bringing the evidence of what Rabshakeh said before the LORD.
Isa 37:15
And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying,
Then once the letter was spread out before the LORD,
Hezekiah began his prayer and supplication unto the LORD.
Isa 37:16
O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between
the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the
kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.
Now Hezekiah comes before the LORD in the spirit of faith
recognizing that God is the God of Israel and also he is LORD of hosts, that is,
the angelic beings which could destroy Assyria in one swipe of their hand.
He speaks about God dwelling between the Cherubims which represents the
divine presence of God. Hezekiah
extols the LORD as the true ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth and
recognizes the fact that God is the creator of both Heaven and earth and has
full authority to fulfill his will as he pleases.
Isa 37:17
Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O
LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to
reproach the living God.
He then prays that the LORD would incline his ear and
hear the accusations of Rabshakeh and that the LORD would open his eyes and see
the threat that Assyria poses as they were outside the gates of Jerusalem.
These are symbolic statements because God hears and sees everything which
is going on and is fully aware of the accusations of Sennacherib against God.
The word “reproach” carries with it the meaning of “blaspheme or defame.”
Isa 37:18
Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste
all the nations, and their countries,
The Hezekiah does not stick his head in the sand
concerning the devastation Assyria has caused to other nations and realizes that
the same thing could happen to Judah.
He brings these facts up to the LORD in his petition.
Isa 37:19
And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were
no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have
destroyed them.
Then he brings up the fact that all the nations who had
false gods as their focus of worship were destroyed.
Hezekiah points out the fact that he is well aware of the fact that these
idols are nothing but figments of the imagination of man and that they were no
gods and they could not protect their countries.
This is the same principle which is applied to false teachings today. If
they are not truthful teachings from the Bible, then they are nothing more than
the figments of man’s theological imaginations.
Isa 37:20
Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand,
that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD,
even thou only.
Then Hezekiah petitions God to save them from the threats
which Assyria has been bragging that they will do.
He wants God to save them so the entire world knows that the LORD is the
true God of Israel and is nothing like the false gods which are really
non-existent. When God will save
Judah from Assyria, the whole world will eventually know.
Not only on the local level, but wherever the Bible is taught or read,
the destruction of Assyria by the hand of God will be made known.
Hezekiah then emphasizes that the LORD is the only true God in the entire
world and the world will know that when they see the mightiest nation on earth
brought to its knees.
Isa 37:21
Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying,
Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against
Sennacherib king of Assyria:
Then after Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, the LORD gave the
answer to Isaiah and he was to bring the answer to him.
He begins by recognizing the fact that Hezekiah had prayed to God about
the situation which was facing Judah and the fact that Sennacherib had
blasphemed the God of Israel.
Isa 37:22
This is the word which the LORD hath spoken
concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and
laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
Then Isaiah delivers the message to Hezekiah.
Jerusalem is called the virgin because she has not been raped by the
Assyrian army, that is, she was not conquered and pillaged as other nations were
by Assyria. God who was the father
of Zion and her husband will protect her.
Zion had despised Assyria because they represented the false gods which
were in opposition to the true God of Israel.
They laughed at Assyria to make them angry knowing that the true God
would protect them. They would hold
much contempt for Judah because of their resistance to their threats.
Jerusalem had shaken their head at Assyria which represents the contempt
that Judah had for them. The
prophecy of Isaiah was being spoken as if it had already come to pass.
Isa 37:23
Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against
whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high?
even against the Holy One of Israel.
Then as if Isaiah was addressing Assyria he asked them
who have they reproached and blasphemed?
Sennacherib had no idea who he was blaspheming.
Then Isaiah asks who Sennacherib thought he was exalting his voice
against and lifting up his eyes as someone who is proud and arrogant?
Then Isaiah answers that question that they were blaspheming the Holy One
of Israel who is the true God and is not a figment of imagination.
Isa 37:24
By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast
said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the
mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof,
and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his
border, and the forest of his Carmel.
Sennacherib sent his servants not only to intimidate
Hezekiah but he sent them to reproach the God of Israel which he thought was
equal to the false gods of the nations they already conquered.
He thought that by the many chariots he had in his army that he would be
able to conquer the mountains as Hannibal did.
The side of Lebanon may be the border with Israel which was famous for
its Cedars and Fir Trees which were used in the building of the temple.
Sennacherib thought that he was strong enough to cut down all the Cedars
and Fir trees and destroy those forests.
The height of his border is referring to Jerusalem which was the prize he
sought all along. The forest of his
Carmel was where Hezekiah had his fruitful field where his treasures were.
This is the essence of arrogance and
pride.
Isa 37:25
I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my
feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.
This verse may be speaking of Sennacherib’s Arabian
campaign as they would dig wells along the way and bring up water for the
troops. He thought that after he
conquered Judah, he would then move on to Egypt and conquer it.
He is speaking about the branches and tributaries of the Nile river.
He thought he was so powerful that he could dry up the rivers of Egypt or
it may be he was thinking that no river could be used as a boundary of defense.
Isa 37:26
Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it;
and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to
pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous
heaps.