37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the LORD’s temple. 37:2 Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘This is a day of distress, insults, and humiliation, as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 37:4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. When the LORD your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. So pray for this remnant that remains.’ ”
Background: Hezekiah, under threat from Sannacherib of Assyria, seeks Isaiah’s help, vv1-7. There is a renewed threat from Sennacherib, vv9-13. Hezekiah turns to God in prayer, vv14-20. Isaiah predicts victory for Hezekiah, vv21-35. The angel of the Lord defeats the Assyrian army, which then withdraws. Some time later, Sennacherib is assassinated by his own sons, v36f.
This chapter replicates 2 Kings 19, to a considerable extent.
Kidner (NBC) calls this chapter, ‘a model response to intimidation.’
Instead of turning to Egypt (Isa 30:6), Hezekiah turns to the Lord. (Goldingay)
Webb suggests that this Hezekiah’s ‘finest hour’. Even though the mess he was in was largely of his own making, he put his trust in the sovereign Lord, and the situation was therefore not hopeless.
Hezekiah’s response is not complacent (v1), but it is resolute.
He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple – His predicament is largely of his own doing – his nation has put its trust in Egypt rather than in the Lord – but he will seek God in penitence. ‘There’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin’.
As Matthew Henry remarks, the wind may either force the travellor’s coat from him, or make him wrap is closer around him.
Hezekiah…went to the Lord’s temple – Cf. Psa 73:17.
Hezekiah has three great resources: the Lord himself, the prophet and prayer.
The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz – This is the first in the book that Isaiah has been called a ‘prophet’.
Part of Hezekiah’s new-found godly resolve is that he seems now to trust Isaiah, even though the prophet has been critical of the political decision-making up until now. How many Christian leaders today are willing to be unpopular for a while, waiting for those to whom they speak prophetically to come round and realise that God was indeed speaking through them? ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend!’ (Prov 27:6)
‘This is a day of distress, insults, and humiliation’ – Not only for the king, and for his people, but for the Lord himself (who, as v4 says, is being ‘taunted’).
‘This is a day of trouble, therefore let it be a day of prayer…When pains are most strong let prayers be most lively; and, when we meet with the greatest difficulties, then is a time to stir up not ourselves only, but others also, to take hold on God. Prayer is the midwife of mercy, that helps to bring it forth.’ (Matthew Henry)
“Perhaps…perhaps” – Not an expression of doubt, but of acknowledgement that he, having largely brought about his own predicament, must throw himself on the unmerited mercy of the Lord.
“…as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal…” – Hezekiah longs, not for the old order, but for the new (Kidner).
“…to taunt the living God” – lit. ‘a living God’; the emphasis falls on the adjective. All the other gods (and there were plenty, cf. Isa 36:18-20!) are lifeless and useless. This God sees, hears, knows, acts.
See also v6 – “these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me”. The issue is clear: the Lord’s reputation is at stake. But God is not mocked (Gal 6:7).
Goldingay comments:
‘The appropriate response is not argument (see Isa 36:21) but prayer. The Assyrians have crossed a line. The matter is out of the politicians’ hands and into the prophet’s.’
“Pray for this remnant that remains” – His resolve is not merely a case of gritting his teeth; still less of burying his head in the sand. He knows that his help will come from the Lord, via the medium of prayer.
Smith (NAC) comments on Hezekiah’s humbled attitude:
‘It is interesting that Hezekiah does not blame God for the mess he is in, nor does he mention his own piety, his past reforms, or anything in his own character that might motivate God to act. His silence on these matters could suggest that he knows that he has made some mistakes in not listening to Isaiah and that he realizes that he has failed. He does not claim that he deserves God’s help or that God owes his covenant people protection. He is at the end of his rope and as J. Oswalt suggests, “this kind of admission of helplessness is frequently a necessity before divine help can be received.”’
37:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 37:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the LORD says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard—these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. 37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land.” ’ ”
“This is what the Lord says” – this mirrors the words of Sennacherib’s envoy: “This is what the king says” (Isa 36:13).
The envoy has called Sennacherib ‘the great king’ (Isa 36:13). But now a greater King has spoken.
There is no new message from Isaiah. He has already communicated God’s will (Isa 14:24–27; 29:5–8; 30:27–33; 31:5–9).
On listening to God today, Derek Thomas writes:
‘J. I. Packer reminds us of the Methodist saint Billy Bray who often said, ‘I must talk to my Father about this.’ ‘It was of praying that he spoke,’ Packer says. He goes on to remind us of the two-way character of prayer. ‘Does God, then, really tell us things when we pray? Yes. We shall probably not hear voices, nor feel sudden strong impressions of a message coming through (and we shall be wise to suspect such experiences should they come our way); but as we analyse and verbalize our problems before God’s throne and tell him what we want and why we want it and think our way through passages and principles of God’s written word bearing on the matter in hand, we shall find many certainties crystallizing in our hearts as to God’s view of us and our prayers and his will for us and others. If you ask, “Why is this or that happening?” no light may come, for “the secret things belong to the Lord our God” (Deut. 29:29); but if you ask, “How am I to serve and glorify God here and now, where I am?” there will always be an answer.’’
“Do not be afraid” – ‘Those that have made God their enemy we have no reason to be afraid of, for they are marked for ruin; and, though they may hiss, they cannot hurt.’ (Matthew Henry)
“These insults” – Chief among the Assyrian crimes was this: they had blasphemed the name of the living God.
“I will take control of his mind” – ‘I will put a spirit in him’. Blenkinsopp likens this to the Lord ‘hardening’ Pharaoh’s heart.
“He will receive a report” – or ‘rumour’ (the nature of which is not spelled out).
“I will cut him down with a sword in his own land” – This would not take place for some time. But see Isa 37:37 for the fulfilment. So often, in the base of biblical promises, the question is not ‘If?’, but ‘When?’
37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 37:9 The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 37:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 37:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. Do you really think you will be rescued? 37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors destroyed—the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar—rescued by their gods? 37:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’ ”
We now hear three voices in succession: Sennacherib, Hezekiah, and Isaiah: the voice of threat, of supplication, and of reassurance respectively.
The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him – This may have given greater urgency to his desire to capture Jerusalem.
As Goldingay remarks, Sennacherib’s words ‘restate the contempt for Yahweh in Isa 36:18–20 and embody the self-confidence of Isa 10:8–15.’
He again sent messengers to Hezekiah – with a letter (v14) urging him to submit.
‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you’ – ‘A frightening blasphemy.’ (Goldingay)
Once again, the question is posed: In whom do we trust? Cf. Isa 36:4 – “What is your source of confidence?”.
“The kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands” – Note Sennacherib’s pride in belonging to an all-conquering dynasty.
“Were the nations whom my predecessors destroyed—the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar—rescued by their gods?” – Sennacherib boasts that he has history on his side. But his big mistake is in supposing that Israel’s God is just one of many. But he is the one true and living God; he is real, and they are not – and that makes all the difference.
The Assyrians were experts in war. Ortlund notes that
‘An Assyrian palace relief depicts their assault on an ancient city, possibly Gezer in Israel, with scenes of outrageous cruelty.’
37:14 Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the LORD’s temple and spread it out before the LORD. 37:15 Hezekiah prayed before the LORD: 37:16 “O LORD who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, LORD, and hear! Open your eyes, LORD, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 37:18 It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 37:20 Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.”
Hezekiah…spread it out before the Lord – This epitomises the attitude of prayer. Chester remarks that Hezekiah spreads the letter out, not to provide the Lord with information he might otherwise be ignorant of, but as a kind of enacted prayer. He did it (Chester remarks, Message) to ‘provoke’ God:
‘He says, in effect, “Look at this, Lord. You cannot ignore this. Your name is being dishonoured. Your power is being mocked. Your reputation is at stake.” Hezekiah’s audacity is a challenge to us. We are to pray boldly that God will honour his name.’
Can we learn from this? Might there be times when it would be helpful to ‘spread before the Lord’ some physical object, such as a document containing an alarming piece of news? It would be a tangible way of ‘casting our care on the Lord,’ trusting that ‘he cares for us’ (cf. 1 Pet 5:7).
Kidner points out that so often in the Psalm the situation is clarified as prayer is offered.
Hezekiah’s prayer is similar to that of the early church in Acts 4:24-31.
Wiersbe comments on the rich theology of Hezekiah’s prayer:
He affirmed his faith in the one true and living God, and he worshiped Him. Jehovah is “Lord of hosts,” that is, “Lord of the armies” (Ps. 46:7, 11). He is the Creator of all things (96:5) and knows what is going on in His creation. His eyes can see our plight, and His ears can hear our plea (see Ps. 115). King Hezekiah did not want deliverance merely for his people’s sake, but that God alone might be glorified (Isa. 37:20; Ps. 46:10).
Smith (NAC):
‘As J. A. Motyer observes, at this point “there is no rending of garments” (contrast Isa 37:1–2); instead, the text presents a man who is determined to let God fight this battle against the one who has attacked and mocked his divine power.’
Goldingay identifies five features of Hezekiah’s prayer:
- He acknowledges who God is, v16. He is the God who is known in Israel, sovereign over the nations, the Creator of all things.
- He seeks God’s attention, v17. He asks God to look and listen; to read the letter; to pay attention to the situation that concerns him.
- He faces the facts, vv18f. Of course, God knows the fact already. But it is in the nature of true prayer for both the one who offers it and the one who hears it to acknowledge the truth of the situation. This happens, time and again (and often very bluntly) in the psalms of lament.
- He makes his request, v20a. He knows what he wants God to do (‘rescue us’). But he does not presume to stipulate how God will do this.
- He re-iterates the principle reason why God should act, v20b – ‘…so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.’
“O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim!” – A reference to the Ark of the Covenant, which symbolised God’s presence among his people, Ex 37:6-9. God is not distant, but near. ‘He is with his people to rule and protect them’ (Chester).
How he taunts the living God! – ‘All the way through this story the key issue is God’s reputation. It’s a concern we meet again in the Lord’s Prayer: “hallowed be your name”. Jesus taught us to begin by asking God to honour his name. Is that the starting point for your prayers?’ (Chester)
“So that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth” – The Lord is not one God among many. And the key issue in this prayer is not that Jerusalem might be delivered (though that is implied), but rather that the Lord might be vindicated; that everyone – all the nations – may know this. His reputation is at stake.
As Ortlund remarks, Hezekiah has been released from the prison of self-centred prayer:
‘He is not treating God as a means to his own ends but as the worthy end of all things. He is not praying, “Lord, why are you allowing this to happen to me?” He is praying, “Lord, will you not glorify yourself in this?” His own personal fate is not his concern. He’s released from that prison. He has become a God-centered man, and he is courageously undaunted because of it.’
This is, then, a missionary prayer. Chester (Message) remarks:
‘Hezekiah’s logic is simple: God saves his people. The nations hear and God is glorified. The same logic applies today. God has saved his people through Jesus Christ. The nations hear and God is glorified. God is glorified when the nations hear the gospel and turn to him.
‘There is no better way to pray for the glory of God than to pray for mission. And conversely there is no greater argument when praying for mission than the glory of god. When we pray for mission we pray for god’s reputation. We pray that people will turn from neglecting and insulting God to worshipping and serving him. When we realise that the glory of God is central to prayer, then a concern for mission in our praying must follow. Hezekiah begins his prayer by affirming that “you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth”. This affirmation naturally translates into the request “that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God”. Our prayers should be God-centred and mission-centred.’
As Chester remarks, we should not think of this introductory address as a mere ‘filler’. As in other parts of Scripture, the confession of who God is becomes the basis for the appeal which follows. And think of the situation Hezekiah was facing:
‘Assyria was the great superpower of the day. A long list of kings had already fallen to her army (Isa 36:18-20). Judah’s own fortified cities had been destroyed (Isa 36:1). Imagine that a battalion of enemy army tanks is crowded outside your house, backed by air support, and all you have is a baseball bat! Faced with the Assyrian war machine, Judah was powerless.’
Chester (Message) points to a dilemma that many believers have faced down the ages:
‘Hezekiah faces a tough choice. He must choose between a king who is the greatest power in the world and whose army he can see surrounding his capital, and a God whom he cannot see.’
Sennacherib had history on his side. He had physical resources on his side. He thought he had God on his side; but in that, vital, point he was mistaken.
Hezekiah does not deny Assyria’s track record for overcoming nation after nation. But ‘man’s extremity is God’s opportunity’. He derives confidence from reflecting on the Lord’s surpassing greatness.
Chester (Isaiah For You) outlines who the Lord is, according to this prayer. He is:
- The almighty God. Jerusalem’s God is “the Lord Almighty” (37:16), and there are no limitations to his power. Sennacherib may have the numbers on his side—so much so that his commander can spare 2,000 horses and still be confident of victory (36:8). But, as Gideon discovered, when the Lord is on your side, numbers count for very little (Judges 6 – 7). Indeed, “the Lord Almighty” is literally “the Lord of hosts”, which reminds us that God has angelic armies at his disposal (2 Kings 6:15-17). In Isaiah 36:14 Sennacherib’s commander had said, “This is what the king say …” Isaiah responds, “This is what the Lord says…” (37:6). The commander had called Sennacherib “the great king” (36:13). Throughout the known world, what Sennacherib said was done. But now a greater King has spoken.
- The only God. Unlike other gods, the Lord is not some national deity. He is “God over all the kingdoms of the earth” (37:16). When Sennacherib comes against Judah, it is not Assyria’s gods versus another nation’s gods. That was what was going on with the other nations—or at least that’s how Sennacherib saw it. But when Sennacherib came against Judah, he was coming against the one true God—the God who is “alone” (37:16).
- The living God. The Lord is the one who “made heaven and earth” (37:16). By contrast, other gods are made. The Assyrians have defeated other gods, but “they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands” (37:19). Isaiah is anticipating here his mockery of idols in 44:9-20. The gods of the nations are “not gods” at all, but the God of Israel is “the living God” (37:4, 17).
- The merciful God. The Lord is “enthroned between the cherubim” (37:16). This is more than simply a claim that God in heaven is encircled by angels. This is a very specific location. The ark in the tabernacle and temple had two cherubim on top. The ark shared the same dimensions as the footstool of a royal throne. In other words, while God’s throne was in heaven, the ark was his footstool on earth (66:1). But “between the cherubim” was not only the place of divine rule; it was also the place of divine mercy. For between the cherubim was “the atonement cover” (Exodus 35:12)—the place where atonement was made by the high priest on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:15-16). Other gods make demands, but the Lord shows mercy.
Chester applies this to our own experiences:
‘Think of the forces that give you cause for concern. Think of the people whom you fear—those people whose acceptance you crave or whose rejection you fear. Think of the threats to the church in the West or the nations which persecute God’s people around the world. And now compare them to our God: the Lord Almighty, God over all, the Maker of heaven and earth, and the God of atoning mercy. This is the only true antidote to fear. It may not be a cure that works overnight; you may need to keep reminding yourself of who God is, and you may need to keep coming back to his word. But this is what will calm your heart in a crisis and correct your perspective over time.’
Webb notes the following characteristics of this magnificent prayer:
- It begins and ends with God. (For other prayers pre-occupied with God, see Neh. 9; Dan. 9; Acts 4:24–31).
- Hezekiah does not forget his predicament: rather, he spreads it out before the Lord.
- The Lord is no distant, unknown, God; but neither is he merely local and national.
- The overriding concern is that God might be glorified.
- The cry for deliverance becomes a cry that God’s kingdom may come, and his will be done, v20
Smith (NAC) comments that it is the kind of prayer that anyone who is in trouble could pray. If only our own praying was more like this!
Pay attention, LORD, and hear! Open your eyes, LORD, and observe! Listen… – In five different expressions, Hezekiah pleads with the Lord to attend to his case.
Ortlund asks:
‘Have you come to realize how the God-centeredness of God is good news for you? For one thing, it means that your unworthiness is irrelevant to God’s readiness to save you. He is not responding to what you deserve; he is proving what a good Savior he is. Don’t you see? This opens up a new definition of happiness. Happiness is God being God to you. Stop praying, “Lord, I want you to make my life better.” Stop praying, “Lord, I want you to make my husband or my wife better. I want my children to behave. I want an ideal job.” When you pray that way, you can only end up frustrated, because God will not subordinate himself to any human agenda. Start praying, “Lord, I just want you to be God to me. I want my life, with my problems, to show the world that you save sinners.” Learn what it means to say with Paul, “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20). That is Christianity. If you’ll trust God’s goodness enough to pray for his triumph, he’ll give you everything you long for in your own deepest intentions.’
Chester remarks that we tend to offer ‘checklist’ prayers. We simply list our concerns, and perhaps add that we would like God’s help, or blessing. But Hezekiah (like Abraham before him) offers a model for arguing with God.
Chester suggests that we might pray argumentatively from Isaiah about some evangelistic enterprise:
‘Father God, we pray for our guest service on Sunday. You have promised to gather your people from across the earth (Isa 11:12; 43:5; 56:8). You have promised that your word will not return to you empty (Isa 55:10-11). You have promised that you will justify many people through the work of Christ (Isa 53:11). Fulfil your promises among us, we pray. Glorify your name in the lives of people as they turn to you in faith. Today your name is so often simply used as a swear word. Through our guest service, may there be people who start to use your name in a new way: to praise you for your salvation (Isa 12:4). Deliver people from Satan’s power, so that everyone may know that you, Lord, are the only God (Isa 37:20).’
Another example of such praying, as we bring before God our concern about a sick friend:
‘Father God, we don’t know whether it’s your will to heal George or not, but we know Christ has promised to carry his people close to his heart (Isa 40:11). Comfort George with the comfort of your word and fill him with the hope of eternity (Isa 40:1-2). Glorify your name through George. We pray that people will see your hope within him and be drawn to find out more about your ways (Isa 2:2-5). We pray that his faith may shine brightly to the medical staff and to his family (Isa 60:1-3). Do this, Father, for the sake of your holy name (Isa 37:35).’
37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, 37:22 this is what the LORD says about him:
“Because you prayed…” – Divine purpose and human prayer are beautifully and inextricably entwined.
Hezekiah’s prayer does not go unheeded. There are three parts to the answer: (a) a judgement oracle against Sennacherib, vv22-29, (b) a sign for Hezekiah himself, vv30-32; (c) an assurance that Jerusalem will not fall, vv33-35.
“The virgin daughter Zion
despises you—she makes fun of you;
daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you.
37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?
At whom have you shouted
and looked so arrogantly?
At the Holy One of Israel!
These words are about Sennacherib. But they are addressed to Hezekiah.
Here, as Goldingay remarks, is ‘a scenario to encourage Hezekiah at a moment when the pride and scorn are on Sennacherib’s side.’
The image is of Jerusalem as a young girl rebuffing the advances of an unwelcome suitor. She is already betrothed to ‘the Holy One of Israel’.
‘All the way through the story the reputation of God and the validity of his reign have been the central issues. They remain so as the story is resolved.’ (Chester, Message).
37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master,
‘With my many chariots I climbed up
the high mountains,
the slopes of Lebanon.
I cut down its tall cedars
and its best evergreens.
I invaded its most remote regions,
its thickest woods.
37:25 I dug wells
and drank water.
With the soles of my feet I dried up
all the rivers of Egypt.’
Note the emphasis on pride. The annals of Sennacherib are full of the first person singular (EBC). Here, Isaiah represents him as boasting that he can overcome any obstacle that is placed before him:
Goldingay comments:
‘Sennacherib has forgotten who is God. His achievements have made him talk and think as if he is (vv. 23–25). He has behaved as if he could stand tall and look God in the eye. It is the standard temptation of national and international powers.’
‘The mountainous, tree-covered terrain of Lebanon could not hold him back, neither could the waterless lands of southern Palestine and Sinai. The streams of the Nile Delta were equally powerless to stop him, for he had but to tread on them.’ (EBC)
37:26 Certainly you must have heard!
Long ago I worked it out,
in ancient times I planned it,
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins.
37:27 Their residents are powerless;
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field
or green vegetation.
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops
when it is scorched by the east wind.
37:28 I know where you live
and everything you do
and how you rage against me.
37:29 Because you rage against me
and the uproar you create has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose,
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back
the way you came.”
This song answers Sennacharib’s challenge: “On whom are you depending?” (Isa 36:5).
“I know where you live and everything you do” – The Lord knows everything about the Assyrians, even though they do not acknowledge the Lord.
“I will put my hook in your nose…” – The Assyrians will be treated as they have treated others – like animals.
37:30 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: This year you will eat what grows wild, and next year what grows on its own. But the year after that you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit.
The devastation of the land by the Assyrians is described in Isa 1:7f. But, in time, the land would recover. So (moving from the literal to the figurative) would those who remain in Judah.
As Goldingay notes, God’s word will not be fulfilled immediately; nor will it be fulfilled miraculously. But, over time, events will take their course. It will take a year or two to return to normality, but it will happen. Until then, Hezekiah must live by faith. God will have the victory; but it will not be plain sailing for the people of God. But, in the end, the Lord will then be able to say, ‘I told you so’.
37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the LORD who commands armies will accomplish this.
“The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies will accomplish this” – cf. the similar affirmation at the end of ch. 9.
37:33 So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here.
He will not attack it with his shielded warriors,
nor will he build siege works against it.
37:34 He will go back the way he came—
he will not enter this city,’ says the LORD.
37:35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.” ’ ”
“He will not enter this city” – even though he had boasted (in the famous Sennacherib Cylinder) that he had shut up Hezekiah in Jerusalem ‘like a caged bird’.
“I will shield this city and rescue it” – This promise anticipates the hope expressed in chapters 40-66, that God will cause Jerusalem, devasted by the Babylonians, to be rebuilt.
“I will…rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant” – Goldingay remarks that we should pay attention to these final words. We should not leave before the closing credits. In fact, in this verse,
‘the essentials of Isaiah’s theology come together: the person of Yahweh, the city of Jerusalem, the promise to David, the theological necessity of deliverance.’
Here, two reasons are give why God will defend Jerusalem: his own reputation and his faithfulness to his promise that one of David’s sons would reign over God’s people (cf. 2 Sam 7).
Chester (Message) comments on the part the present historical narrative plays in what is, after all, a predominantly prophetic book. In chapters 6-12, Isaiah has declared that God will reign through the Davidic king. The Messianic reign will be over the entire world, not just Judah. But what are these promises in the face of the realities of history? Are they not empty words? Hezekiah had trouble controlling and protecting Judah, let alone the entire world. Moreover, things would get even worse: Jerusalem would fall to a foreign king. Note, then, the huge credibility gap between Isaiah’s worlds and the present reality. In this context the story of Hezekiah demonstrates that God can and will intervene and establish the reign of the Davidic king.
But, lest we are tempted to think of Hezekiah himself as the promised Messiah, chapters 38 and 39 will show his frailty and folly. He is, indeed, granted an extra 15 years of life, but this is well short of an everlasting reign! And he uses his extra time in some foolish ways: he shows off his riches to the Babylonian envoys (Isa 39:4), paving the way for the Babylonian exile, when everything would be carried off (Isa 39:6).
In these ways the scene is set for Isaiah to anounce the coming of the Servant of God who will end the exile and comfort God’s people, Isa 40:1-5. Isaiah’s words will be quoted by John the Baptist when he announces the coming of the Messiah, who will finally deliver God’s people from exile and deal with their underlying sin and disobedience (Mk 1:2-4).
All of this means that
‘In the midst of the turmoil of history we can pray confidently to the God who keeps his promises. Without this confidence, prayer is reduced to wishful thinking. This trust in the promises of God and the reign of his Messiah is the foundation of prayer.’
37:36 The LORD’s messenger went out and killed 185,000 troops in the Assyrian camp. When they got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! 37:37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 37:38 One day, as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
These verses record that God did what he said he would do. The might of Assyria is brought to nought. The life of Sennacherib, that mighty tyrant, is snuffed out at the hands of his own sons.
The Lord’s messenger – ‘the angel of the Lord’.
There were all the corpses! – Herodotus, the Greek historian, describes a plague of rats that destroyed the fighting equipment of the Assyrian army. The rats could also have brought disease which quickly wiped out a large portion of the army.
As Chester remarks, a striking aspect of this account of Jerusalem’s deliverance is how brief it is. Three extended accounts have been given of the Assyrian threat (Isa 36:1-10, 11-22; 37:9-13). But, as if to stress the Lord’s obsovute sovereignty in this matter, and Hezekiah’s faith in the Lord, the record is at this point sparse.
One day – This takes place 20 years later, but we given the impression that Sennacherib’s death was another instance of divine judgement.
His sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword – This is confirmed by Assyrian sources.
This assassination takes place in the temple of his God!
As Webb observes:
‘All Hezekiah had to do, like his fathers of old, was to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord”.’ (Ex 14:13).
Bibliographic note: The work by Tim Chester identified as ‘Message’ is ‘The Message of Prayer‘, The Bible Speaks Today Bible Themes. IVP, 2003).