Text:            Isaiah 37:1

By:               WHISKEY, JOSHUA

Download Lesson

There was a time King Hezekiah was faced with some difficulties. Before his sickness and the proclamation from God that he was going to die, Hezekiah had a threat from Sennacherib, king of Assyria.  It was in the fourteenth year of his reign.

Isaiah 36.1-8 has the following record:

Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 

2 Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 

3 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him4 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, ‘Say now to Hezekiah, thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this in which you trust? 

5 I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 

6 Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 

7 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, `You shall worship before this altar ? 

8 “Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses– if you are able on your part to put riders on them!

Sennacherib further sent the following message to Hezekiah,

10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, ‘Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 

11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 

12 `Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed?” (Isa. 36.10-12).

Sennacherib saw himself as a mighty king that every other king must bow to. His father was a great warrior and he took after him. He too has been doing well in defeating the other nations.

Now what is Judah that he cannot conquer?

Who is Hezekiah to stand in his way?

In the thinking of Sennacherib, neither Egypt nor any god will be able to keep Hezekiah safe. Sennacherib saw himself as a mighty king that every other king must bow to. His father was a great warrior and he took after him.  He too has been doing well in defeating the other nations.

Now what is Judah that he cannot conquer?

Who is Hezekiah to stand in his way?

In the thinking of Sennacherib, neither Egypt nor any god will be able to keep Hezekiah safe.

Sennacherib felt that there is no God to deliver from his hand.  For that reason, Hezekiah must submit himself to him. And he must do this quickly or have the wrath of Sennacherib poured on him. To make the situation worse, the Rabshakeh who brought the message to Hezekiah, was very pompous. If Hezekiah will not comply, the Rabshakeh will take the fight upon himself. He is ready to lead the Assyrian army against Judah. This was a difficult situation for Hezekiah.

Should he surrender and give himself to Sennacherib or resist?

What will he do?

The nobles who were hearing the threat were afraid. They said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall” (Isa. 36.11). But the Rabshakeh defied their request. In Isaiah 36.12-14 we have the following:

“But the Rabshakeh said, ‘has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you? 

13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, ‘Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!”’

When this was reported to Hezekiah, it is either he accept to submit himself to the king of Assyria or resist. Any of the options has a great consequence. Hezekiah’s response will determine whether he will soar or sink, whether he will win or lose.

What will he do?

In Isaiah 37.1 we are told of the option that Hezekiah decided to take. “And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.” In Isaiah 37.10-13, another threat was sent to Hezekiah. In verses 15-20, Hezekiah still went to the house of the LORD, spread the threating letter before the LORD and prayed to God for help. In Isaiah 37.1 we are told of the option that Hezekiah decided to take.

“And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.” In Isaiah 37.10-13, another threat was sent to Hezekiah. In verses 15-20, Hezekiah still went to the house of the LORD, spread the threating letter before the LORD and prayed to God for help. When there is a problem, the tendency is to submit to fear or to a loud voice. Hezekiah refused to submit to either of them. He also refused to submit to Sennacherib or resisting him. He decided to consult God first. And as he submitted himself to God, God saved him.

Sennacherib could not touch Hezekiah. In Isaiah 37.33-38 we have the following:

33 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor build a siege mound against it. 

34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,’ Says the LORD. 

35 `For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.'” 

36 Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses– all dead.

37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 

38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. . . .”

With difficult situation, Hezekiah went down to the LORD and he was delivered. The Assyrian army could not save Sennacherib. His fame could not save him. His might could not save him and his god could not save him because he was killed right in the front of his god. It is only the God of heaven that can save.

CONCLUSION

• Today, no matter the situation of life. No matter the problems one may be facing, all we need to do is to turn to the Lord. With God there is deliverance. The Lord God will save us. At the present, we are faced with Financial Crisis. The problem seems to have no solution. But let the children of God go to the Lord. Let them humble themselves and pray. The Lord will bring a solution. There may be other problems we may be facing individually. This period of time, there may be joblessness, there may be hardship of different sorts. But the Lord is able to handle all for us. He will bring deliverance. He will defeat the enemy we have to deal with. The Lord is almighty. He will surely save us. May God be with us in Jesus name. Amen.

Download Lesson