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| Series Theme: Isaiah Studies (Series 4 of 8 - chapters 36 to 43) | |
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Contents:
Chs. 36 to 39
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PRELIMINARY to reading Isaiah Please check the 1st set of this series to understand Isaiah more fully
INTRODUCTION
Continuation
If we see the book of Isaiah divided into two, as many suggest, then these studies take us on from further judgments and cover the ‘historical interlude', the four chapters of history, the only real history in Isaiah, that conclude the first half.
The Contents of these Studies
An Historical Interlude (the Assyrian Threat through to the Babylonian Exile prophesied) chs. 36-39
Comment:
It is likely that these incidents are not in correct chronological order. (see our comments at the beginning of the Isaiah series') According to historical records, it is probable that the Assyrian threat by Sennacherib came later that the other two incidents in this part.
However, the most important part of these studies is noting the interaction between the throne and the prophetic office (Hezekiah and Isaiah respectively) when pressure comes in the form of illness or invasion. Added to that, there is what is almost a test (which Hezekiah failed) when a letter from Babylon comes with envoys. Through these incidents, although generally in the historical record Hezekiah shows up well, under Isaiah's scrutiny, he does not do so well.
Approach
Although we have added this on the front Old Testament Contents page as part of the “God of History” set, we have treated it as a unique set of studies with it's own Introduction etc. because of it's historic nature.
Chapter: Isaiah 36
Passage: Isaiah 36:1-7
A. Find Out1. Who arrived when and did what? v.1 2. Who did he send to do what? v.2 3. Who met him? v.3 4. What challenge did the commander make? v.4,5 5. What poor example did he put forward? v.6 6. Who next does he seek to demean? v.7
B. Think:
1. How successful, initially, was the king of Assyria? 2. Why do you think he now adopts this current strategy? 3. What do you think he is trying to do? C. Comment:
We now step aside from prophecies and have an historical account, the only one in the book. Hezekiah is reigning in Jerusalem and has been for fourteen years (v.1a). Then at that time the king of Assyria, Sennacherib, comes and attacks the southern kingdom and takes the fortified cities in the land (v.1b). His army is obviously powerful in that he takes all the ‘fortified' cities he comes across, until he thinks about Jerusalem. He himself is camped at Lachish, which is some 25 to 30 miles south west of Jerusalem. He then sends his army commander with a large part of his army to take Jerusalem (v.2).
Arriving outside Jerusalem, the army commander stops outside the city and three of Hezekiah's officials go out to speak with him (v.3) and he presents them with a challenge.
Note how he refers to his own king as “the great king” (v.4a). Jerusalem is presumably shut up and defended and the three officials don't give any indication of capitulation. So, he challenges, (sounding like a modern crusading atheist) on what do you base this confidence of yours? (v.4b) So you have apparent military might, but what is it in reality; it relies on others? (v.5). Don't rely on Egypt, they have no strength. (v.6) Don't rely on your God because Hezekiah rejected him (v.7) – a misunderstanding for Hezekiah had cleared the high places but they were nothing to do with worshipping the Lord. Distortion!
D. Application:
1. Don't listen to the enemy; he seeks to demean God. 2. Don't listen to the enemy, he lies and distorts the truth.
Chapter: Isaiah 36 Passage: Isaiah 36:8-12
A. Find Out
1. What does the commander offer? v.8 2. What does he conclude? v.9 3. Of what does he boast? v.10 4. What did the three officials request? v.11 5. But what was the commander's reply? v.12
B. Think:
1. What is the commander seeking to do in what he says? 2. What, at this stage, do the three officials fear? 3. Yet what is the commander's bigger objective? C. Comment:We have seen previously that the Assyrian commander is unclear about the Lord and worship in Israel (v.7). He is going to come back and make a further claim about the Lord but first he continues to seek to make the three officials from Hezekiah feel weak and unable to withstand this great army. In modern parlance we would call this psychological warfare. Come on, he says, appearing reasonable, to balance things up perhaps, I'll offer you two thousand horses if you have the warriors to ride them (v.8). That will make the three feel even worse for it says the Assyrian army is so great that it has two thousand horses spare, and also that they are so small because they don't have that number of men to ride them.
They make no response to this offer and so the commander concludes they are absolute losers. You won't be able to repulse even one of my men, is what he says (v.9), and as for waiting around for Egypt 's help, don't bother!
Then he plays his master card of logic. Look, he says, you rely on the Lord (implied) but we don't and look what we've achieved without Him (v.10), and then he pulls a fast and nasty one: actually I'm here at God's bidding, He told us to come and do this.
The three ask the commander not to speak in common Hebrew for they fear the onlookers on the wall will hear and their hearts fail (v.11) but that's exactly what the commander wants (v.12)
D. Application:1. The enemy seeks to demoralise and make us feel inferior. Resist! 2. The enemy makes false claims. Resist.
Chapter: Isaiah 36 Passage: Isaiah 36:13-22
A. Find Out
1. To whom does the commander next speak? v.13 2. What does he call them to do and why? v.14,15 3. What alternative does he put before them? v.16 4. Yet what sting in the tail is there? v.17 5. How does he show the strength of his argument? v.18-20 6. How did the people respond, and why? v.21 7. What did the three officials do? v.22
B. Think:
1. What does the commander know about Hezekiah and God? 2. How does he seek to counter that? 3. Yet why is that a bad argument? C. Comment:The commander hasn't made the three officials capitulate and so he raises his voice as he continues so that he is effectively speaking to the people of Jerusalem on the walls (v.13).
His appeal to them is twofold. First he attacks Hezekiah's reliance upon the Lord and says this is deception (v.14,15). The reason this reliance on God is false, he says, is because what has already happened. Look at all the gods of the other nations, he says, they haven't been able to stop us (v.18-20) so, implied, why should your God be able to stop us?
The failure of this argument, of course, is that the gods of the other nations are mere figments of their imagination; they are not real, whereas the Lord is THE Lord of all – and very real!
His second argument is basically, surrender to us and make peace with us and all will go well with you (v.16). Initially this sounds a good argument but he goes on to reveal that they will, as happens to all captured peoples, be taken to another land to live (v.17). Captivity and exile is all he can offer. The people remain silent (v.21) and the three officials go in anguish to tell Hezekiah what has transpired.
Don't rely on Egypt, don't rely on Hezekiah's faith and don't rely on God; these are the arguments put forward.
D. Application:
1. Don't compare the Lord with other ‘gods'. He is the Lord! 2. Don't let others deceive you by their false thinking.
Chapter: Isaiah 37 Passage: Isaiah 37:1-7
A. Find Out
1. What did Hezekiah do and where did he go? v.1 2. Who did he send where? v.2 3. How did Hezekiah describe that day? v.3 4. What did he wonder and then ask? v.4 5. What did Isaiah say should be Hezekiah's response? v.6 6. Why? What would happen? v.7
B. Think:1. How was Hezekiah's response good? 2. How did it lack and needed help from Isaiah? 3. How did God say it would be resolved?
C. Comment:
The three officials have brought their report to Hezekiah who realises they are in serious trouble. He too demonstrates his anguish by tearing his clothes and pouring ashes over his head (v.1a), the traditional signs of mourning and grief. He next goes to the temple (v.1b), the place of meeting with God. This at least seems a good start.
Then he sends for the three officials and sends them to Isaiah (v.2) with a message that recognises that this day is one of rebuke and shame for Israel (v.3). He wonders if the Lord has heard what has happened and will rebuke the enemy (v.4) and he asks Isaiah to pray for them all. Hezekiah's words (that he repeats) “the Lord YOUR God” rather suggest that his own relationship with the Lord is somewhat shallow to say the least.
When the messengers come to Isaiah (v.5) and, presumably, convey the message, Isaiah has an answer from the Lord for them (v.6). It's all right, he says, you don't need to be afraid of what has been said because the king is going to hear a report from his home country and I will put it in his heart to return there speedily and when he gets there he will be assassinated (v.7)
In this the Lord is going to use sinful men to deal with this ungodly king and they will bring about his death. The Lord will simply nudge the king in his mind to go home.
D. Application:
1. In trouble? Seek the Lord. 2. In trouble? Ask the Lord what He wants to do in this situation.
Chapter: Isaiah 37 Passage: Isaiah 37:8-13
A. Find Out1. What happened next? v.8 2. What did the Assyrian king hear? v.9 3. What does he warn Hezekiah against? v.10 4. What does he ask him to think about? v.11 5. What did he conclude from that? v.12 6. What evidence does he have to back that? v.13
B. Think:
1. What has caused the temporary relief for Jerusalem? 2. What is the king of Assyria implying by sending the message? 3. What is the point, therefore, of the message?
C. Comment:
Isaiah has brought a word that the king of Assyria will be drawn back home and there he will be assassinated, but the events the immediately follow are not that – that WILL come later. This almost seems like a respite given by the Lord to let Hezekiah have time before Him, to more fully seek Him than he has done so far.
The first move in the relief is the commander hearing that his king has moved on and is engaged in battle again (v.8) and presumably goes to help. The next thing is that Sennacherib hears that Egypt is sending an army against him (v.9).
Realising that he is going to have to put off dealing with Hezekiah he sends a message that might be summarised in a twofold way: “I will be back!” and “Nothing has changed!” The first is implied and the second is spelled out.
He appeals to Hezekiah on the basis of his own godless mentality that puts all ‘gods' at the same level, including the God of Israel. Don't rely on your deceptive god (v.10), just look at all we've done to the countries we've invaded (v.11) and defeated. Do you think you'll be any different? All the gods of those nations didn't help them (v.12) so, implied, why will you be any different. None of those kings are around any more (v.13). In such a manner Sennacherib continues to try to put fear in Hezekiah for when he returns to Jerusalem eventually.
D. Application:
1. Prophetic fulfilment may not happen immediately. 2. Don't be put off by intervening events. God's word will be fulfilled.
Chapter: Isaiah 37 Passage: Isaiah 37:14-20
A. Find Out
1. What did Hezekiah receive and what did he do with it? v.14 2. How did he describe the Lord? v.15,16 3. What did he ask of the Lord? v.17 4. What does he acknowledge about the Assyrians? v.18,19 5. What does he then ask? v.20a 6. On what basis? v.20b
B. Think:
1. How does Hezekiah maintain a right perspective? 2. How is he realistic in prayer? 3. What is his desire for the outcome?
C. Comment:If Hezekiah had appeared half-hearted in his attitude towards God, this crisis appears to have sharpened him and focused him. The letter, brought by messengers from Sennacherib, is handed to him and his first response is to take it to God in the Temple (v.14) and then pray (v.15). Very often the recorded prayers in the Bible flow out of a crisis and this one is no different.
As he approaches the Lord in prayer he first acknowledges the Lord's greatness as the maker of heaven and earth (v.16). It is similar to the disciples' prayer in Acts 4:24 acknowledging the all-powerful God. That brings a right perspective.
He brings the letter from Sennacherib to the Lord's attention (v.17) and he acknowledges the power of the enemy who has overcome other nations and their gods (v.18,19).
Pulling the two first parts of the prayer together – the Lord's greatness and the enemy's apparent supremacy – he now asks the Lord to intervene and deliver them from the enemy and in such a way that the world will see and know that it is the Lord (v.20). This last part conforms to God's will which is revealed again and again in the Old Testament, that He will be able to be revealed through Israel to the rest of the world. The Lord wants the world to know Him and so eventually come into relationship with Him.
D. Application:1. As you pray, maintain a right perspective before you ask. 2. As you pray don't be afraid to be real about the situation.
Chapter: Isaiah 37
Passage: Isaiah 37:21-27
A. Find Out1. Who now brings what, and why? v.21,22a 2. How does Jerusalem react to Sennacherib? v.22b 3. What had the king of Assyria done? v.23,24a 4. What had he said he had done? v.24b,25 5. Yet why was he able to do that? v.26 6. With what result? v.27
B. Think:1. How had Sennacherib's attitude towards God been wrong? 2. How had his understanding about what he had achieved been wrong? 3. What is Hezekiah finding out through this word from Isaiah?
C. Comment:
Hezekiah has prayed and because he has turned to the Lord, the Lord now has a word for him through Isaiah (v.21). It is a word against Sennacherib (v.22a) which is interesting because there is no indication of it being sent to him; it is purely for Hezekiah's encouragement.
This word starts off declaring that Jerusalem is not afraid of Sennacherib, indeed she mocks him (v.22b). He has been foolish enough to insult the Lord in his pride (v.23, 24a). He thought he had achieved so much with his great army, sweeping through and devastating the land (v.24), and taking the resources of other lands (v.25).
He had thought he was so great in doing all this, but he had not realised that what he was doing had been ordained by the Lord long back (v.26). The joke of all this was that in fact he was the tool of the Lord to bring discipline and correction to those nations he had invaded (v.27).
Now within all this we should note various things. First, although we said that this would be a word of encouragement to Hezekiah, it also gives him the big picture and that means he should now see that even this invasion is from the hand of the Lord, bringing discipline to him as well as to the surrounding nations who have also been invaded. Second, we should note that God uses human sinfulness within His plans, even Sennacherib's wrong attitudes, even as He used men's wrong attitudes to crucify the Lamb of God (see Acts 2:23)
D. Application:
1. Ask the Lord to give you the ‘big picture' of what is happening today. 2. Realise that the Lord works in and through godless nations.
Chapter: Isaiah 37 Passage: Isaiah 37:28-35
A. Find Out1. What does the Lord say about Sennacherib? v.28 2. What will He do and why? v.29 3. What sign of this will Hezekiah have? v.30 4. And what will there be? v.31,32 5. What does He declare about the king of Assyria ? v.33,34 6. Why will that be? v.35
B. Think:
1. What will God do with Sennacherib? 2. Why? 3. What effect will that have on Jerusalem and surrounding area?
C. Comment:
This, remember, is a word about Sennacherib (see 37:21,22). The Lord has confronted him with his attitude (v.23-25) but declared that this was His preordained purpose (v.26,27). Now He says He will deal with that bad attitude (v.28,29a) and will lead him back the way he came (v.29b).
He then brings reassurance to Hezekiah and gives him a sign that this was His will (v.30a). It will be that crops will grow naturally for two years and then in the third year they will venture out and plant (v.30). In other words there will be peace in the next three years so the invader will not take them. Indeed the people of Jerusalem will be as a remnant of Israel who will grow (v.31,32). This will not be the end of Israel!
Then He reiterates what He has said about Sennacherib: he will not be allowed to enter Jerusalem or even fire an arrow at it or build a siege against it (v.33). This king is going to return home the same way he came (v.34) without ever entering Jerusalem and it will all be because the Lord will defend Jerusalem (v.35) to maintain His promise to David to prolong his name in this place.
This is a remarkably clear prophecy and there is no room to mistake the Lord's intent: He WILL protect Jerusalem from this enemy king and He WILL deal with this king.
D. Application:
1. You threaten what is precious to the Lord at your own risk! 2. The Lord will look after His children.
Chapter: Isaiah 37 Passage: Isaiah 37:36-38
A. Find Out
1. Who did what, where? v.36 2. So what did Sennacherib do? v.37 3. What was he doing back at home? v.38a 4. What happened to him? v.38b
B. Think:
1. Read again Isa 37:5-7 2. What was God's part in this fulfilment? 3. What part did sinful men play?
C. Comment:
When Hezekiah had first called on Isaiah for help, Isaiah had prophesied that Sennacherib would return to his own country and there he would be assassinated (Isa 37:7). It was a clear word. Subsequent to that, after Hezekiah had prayed, Isaiah further prophesied that the Lord would take Sennacherib back to his own country (37:29) and that Jerusalem would have peace (37:30) and Sennacherib would not be allowed to come back against Jerusalem (37:33,34).
Now we see the ‘simple' fulfilment of those words. The commander of Sennacherib's force against Jerusalem had heard his king was fighting again at Lachish (37:8). The king then heard that Egypt was coming against him (37:9) and (presumably) started to move south to counter that force. It was during that time that during an overnight camp we are told that the angel of the Lord killed a large number of his army (v.36). We aren't told how he did this but often he used practical means and an obvious guess would be to suggest that they all drank poisonous water and died. The outcome was that the king was so shattered that he turned around and returned to Nineveh (v.37). History seems to indicate that he remained there for another twenty years, engaging in other military exploits but never again against Israel. History further records that he was assassinated in 681BC. Thus it was responding to reports that first drew him away from attacking Jerusalem, and then in that process a large part of his army died, so that he returned home where eventually he was assassinated as Isaiah had prophesied.
D. Application:1. Fulfilment of prophecy often taken a long time to come. 2. Fulfilment is often a combination of what we expect and don't expect.
Chapter: Isaiah 38 Passage: Isaiah 38:1-8
A. Find Out
1. What provoked Isaiah to bring what message to Hezekiah? v.1 2. What did Hezekiah do in response? v.2,3 3. What did the Lord say in response? v.4,5 4. What further did He promise? v.6 5. What sign did He give to confirm this? v.7,8
B. Think:
1. Read 2 Kings 20:1-11 2. What additional information is given in that account? 3. Read Isa 38:21,22
C. Comment:
The basic account of just what happened is quite clear: Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death (v.1a). Isaiah goes to him with a word from the Lord that he will surely die (v.1b). In response, Hezekiah prays and basically pleads with the Lord on the basis of what he has done for relief (v.2,3). In response to this the Lord speaks to Isaiah (v.4) telling him to tell Hezekiah a) he will have a further fifteen years of life (v.5) and b) he will be defended by the lord from Assyria. Hezekiah obviously asked for a sign as proof of this (v.22) and the Lord promised that the shadow of the sun would go back ten steps (v.7,8). 2 Kings 20 adds to this information that the illness involved a poisonous boil which Isaiah dealt with (2 Kings 20:7) and also that Hezekiah had asked for a sign (v.8). Now various questions arise.
First, what was this all about? Why did this illness occur? No specific answer is given in the text so we are left to speculate. Normally such illness is seen as the Lord's discipline and we then ask, why? Although Hezekiah had been good at carrying out reforms (2 Kings 18) and had a great testimony, yet prior to Isa 36 Hezekiah had tried to buy off Sennacherib and after the illness he showed off his wealth (Isa 39) It appears clear, therefore, that there were yet aspects of Hezekiah that needed disciplining. As for the moving of the shadow, it is clear the earth was not moved in relation to the sun so it was either a perfect miracle or somehow cloud created the effect – the Lord's grace!
D. Application:
Don't let your good deeds deceive you into ignoring un-Christ like elements of your personality. The Lord disciplines those He loves.
Chapter: Isaiah 38 Passage: Isaiah 38:9-20
A. Find Out
1. When did Hezekiah write this? v.9 2. What was he expecting to happen? v.10-12 3. To what was he reduced? v.13-14 4. Yet what was the outcome? v.15,16 5. How does he view it now? v.17-19 6. So what will he now do? v.20
B. Think:
1. What had he felt about his future? 2. Yet what had happened? 3. What was the outcome of that?
C. Comment:We now find Hezekiah records this near-death experience (v.9). In his illness he came to a point where it seemed he was faced with death (v.10) where all of what he knew would be removed (v.11). He likened the removal of his life to that of a shepherd taking down his tent or a weaver rolling up his material having taken it off the loom (v.12). He waited expecting it to come to an end, but it didn't; it just got worse (v.13). In his anguish he cried out and moaned but just got weaker and weaker, yet he cried to God and pleaded for help (v.14).
But then comes the turning point where presumably he has been healed (v.15) and the Lord has spoken and he has been humbled. He realises than men are restored through humility (v.16) and he realises that this has ultimately been for his benefit (v.17). The Lord in His love had kept him and if sins had been the cause of this, the Lord has put them behind Him.
As the Lord has saved him, he realises that the dead cannot praise God and there is no hope in death (v.18), but he is now counted among the living and it is the living who can praise the Lord (v.19) and this is what he will do. Now he has confidence and within this confidence he knows that the Lord will save him in the coming years and so he can be part of the praising company of God's people who can enter the Temple and continue to praise the Lord. (v.20).
D. Application:1. Facing death helps us realise the preciousness of life. 2. Coming through such an experience puts everything in focus.
Chapter: Isaiah 39 Passage: Isaiah 39:1-8
A. Find Out
1. Who sent what because of what? v.1 2. How did Hezekiah respond? v.2 3. What interchange occurred between Isaiah & Hezekiah? v.3-4 4. What word did Isaiah bring about Hezekiah's possessions? v.5,6 5. And what would happen to some of his descendants? v.7 6. How did Hezekiah respond and why? v.8
B. Think:
1. What, in modern terms was Hezekiah doing in v.2? 2. What, do you think, might be the real reason for the visit? 3. What will be the long-term outcome.
C. Comment:
Bearing in mind that Hezekiah eventually died in 687BC and the fifteen years before would be 702, and Israel eventually went into exile in 587, this prophecy of Isaiah spoke about 115 years into the future.
It is occasioned by word reaching Babylon of Hezekiah's illness and recovery, and the Babylonian king sending envoys and a gift to Hezekiah (v.1). There is no indication of the reason for them coming but it may well be that they took this excuse to spy out the state of Judah, especially as Samaria had fallen 20 years beforehand, and the northern kingdom no longer existed. Judah was the only part left of God's people. Thus they come to check out Jerusalem.
Although Hezekiah has generally a good testimony and has recently been humbled by this illness, pride is still there and basically he shows off to the envoys, showing them all that he has (v.2).
Isaiah then questions him and gets him to acknowledge what he has done (v.3,4). A word of chastisement follows and Isaiah tells him that all his possessions will eventually be taken (v.6) and his descendants will be carried off to Babylon, the very Babylon to whom he has just shown off (v.7). Hezekiah just accepts the word for it seems a long time in the future (v.8), which again reflects a weakness in his heart. A right heart would grieve at the loss of Jerusalem and would seek to save it, by calling on the Lord.
D. Application:1. Pride comes before a fall, it is said. Beware pride in your life. 2. Feel for God's people as God feels, and anguish for their failure.
SUMMARY
& CONCLUSION
The Contents of these Studies
Here we have an Historical Interlude, four chapters of history, the only real historical narrative in Isaiah. These chapters conclude the first half of the book and lead on into the second half of the book and its major prophecies.
Chapters 36 & 37 : Jerusalem Preserved from the Assyrian Threat
Chapter 38: Hezekiah's illness and the Extension of his life Chapter 39: Hezekiah's pride and the Babylonian Exile Predicted.
Comment:
As we commented at the beginning, the most important part of these studies is noting the interaction between the throne and the prophetic office (Hezekiah and Isaiah respectively) when pressure comes in the form of illness or invasion. Added to that, there is what is almost a test (which Hezekiah failed) when a letter from Babylon comes with envoys.
Through these incidents, although generally in the historical record Hezekiah shows up well, under Isaiah's scrutiny, he does not do so well. His salvation (and that of Jerusalem) is mediated through Isaiah who acts as the Lord's mouthpiece throughout these incidents.
Lessons & Conclusion
The big lesson that comes through in these studies is that the Lord is sovereign. Yes, Sennacherib's commander can come and make blustering noises and Sennacherib himself can make threats but at the end of the day, it is the Lord's will which prevails and the commander leaves, then Sennacherib leaves and is eventually assassinated.
Prophetic fulfillment may take a time, but we need to learn a) to listen to the Lord and then b) to rest in God's declared will. The grace and mercy of the Lord is also revealed here in respect of Hezekiah himself as the Lord puts up with his half-heartedness and even grants him an extension to his life when he cries for help.
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