Day 213: Isaiah 37-39

(The previous post covered prophecies specific to the Tribulation and Millennium, as well as the beginning of the historical interlude.)

Isaiah 37

(The continuation of the historical interlude through chapter 39…)

¹ And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Jehovah.
² And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

(When Hezekiah heard the words of Rabshakeh he was angry so he sent men to Isaiah concerning the words of Rabshakeh. Isaiah entered the scene…)

³ And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
⁴ It may be Jehovah thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Jehovah thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.

(They asked Isaiah to pray for the remnant that was left in Judah.)

⁵ So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
⁶ And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith Jehovah, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.

(Isaiah told them that God said to not be afraid of the Assyrians' words.)

⁷ Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear tidings, and shall return unto his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

(God said that the king of Assyria would fall by the sword in his own land. When would this happen?)

⁸ So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
⁹ And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come out to fight against thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
¹⁰ Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

(Rabshakeh tried causing doubt in Hezekiah regarding the words Hezekiah received from God.)

¹¹ Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?
¹² Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar?
¹³ Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?

(More threats from Assyria by Rabshakeh. He was using the victories of Assyria against other nations to scare Hezekiah.)

¹⁴ And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah.
¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed unto Jehovah, saying,

(Hezekiah spread out the letter before God and prayed…)

¹⁶ O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest above the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
¹⁷ Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to defy the living God.
¹⁸ Of a truth, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries, and their land,
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.
²⁰ Now therefore, O Jehovah our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art Jehovah, even thou only.

(Hezekiah followed the four step prayer structure that was followed every time a prayer was answered in the Bible.
-Hezekiah's prayer:
1) He recognized God,
2) built his faith,
3) referenced Justice,
4) and made his request.

The request was that God would save them from the Assyrians so that all the kingdoms of the earth knew that Jehovah was God alone.)

²¹ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,
²² this is the word which Jehovah hath spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

(God responded to Hezekiah's prayer: the word of God concerning the king of Assyria, through verse 35…)

²³ Whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

(The words Rabshakeh spoke were not only against Israel but against God Himself.)

²⁴ By thy servants hast thou defied the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof; and I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field;
²⁵ I have digged and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet will I dry up all the rivers of Egypt.
²⁶ Hast thou not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? now have I brought it to pass, that it should be thine to lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps.

(God referred to the prediction that He would use Assyria to bring judgment on other nations.)

²⁷ Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as a field of grain before it is grown up.
²⁸ But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against me.

(God was completely aware of Assyria's actions and their causes.)

²⁹ Because of thy raging against me, and because thine arrogancy is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

(Prophecy specific to Sennacherib.)

³⁰ And this shall be the sign unto thee: ye shall eat this year that which groweth of itself, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.

(God began speaking toward Hezekiah…)

³¹ And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
³² For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.
³³ Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it.
³⁴ By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith Jehovah.
³⁵ For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

(God answered Hezekiah's prayer. God would save them from the Assyrians.)

³⁶ And the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

(The angel of Jehovah smote the Assyrians: 185,000 in one night.)

³⁷ So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
³⁸ And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.

(Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, was killed by his sons as prophesied in verse 7.)




Isaiah 38
¹ In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
² Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto Jehovah,
³ and said, Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
⁴ Then came the word of Jehovah to Isaiah, saying,
⁵ Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

(In those days Hezekiah was sick and God told him he would "die, and not live." Hezekiah prayed that God would remember how Hezekiah walked in truth. God added fifteen years to Hezekiah's life. Now we see this story from 2 Kings 20:1-6 occurred during the conflict with the Assyrians. We also got the story from Isaiah's point of view.)

(In response to Hezekiah's prayer, through Justice, God said He would heal Hezekiah and add fifteen years to his life...and Hezekiah lived fifteen more years. To say that God had always planned on healing Hezekiah and adding fifteen years to his life, is calling God a liar. God said "thou shalt die and not live." Then God said He would add fifteen years and Hezekiah lived fifteen more years. Either Hezekiah was going to die (because God had to add fifteen years for him to avoid dying) or God did not add fifteen years (meaning God lied) and Hezekiah was always going to live fifteen more years.

The only explanation that was non-contradictory with the rest of God's Word was: Hezekiah's prayer and Hezekiah's righteousness (Reward) caused God to move and heal Hezekiah, and God did not know everything that would happen ahead of time.)

⁶ And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.
⁷ And this shall be the sign unto thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do this thing that he hath spoken:
⁸ behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the dial whereon it was gone down.

(A sign that God would deliver Judah from the Assyrians was that God would bring the shadow of the sun ten degrees backward.)

⁹ The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.

(Hezekiah's writings of thanksgiving to God for his recovery from illness, through verse 20…)

¹⁰ I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the residue of my years.
¹¹ I said, I shall not see Jehovah, even Jehovah in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

(Hezekiah knew his days on earth would eventually end.)

¹² My dwelling is removed, and is carried away from me as a shepherd's tent: I have rolled up, like a weaver, my life; he will cut me off from the loom: From day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
¹³ I quieted myself until morning; as a lion, so he breaketh all my bones: From day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
¹⁴ Like a swallow or a crane, so did I chatter; I did moan as a dove; mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed, be thou my surety.
¹⁵ What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

(Hezekiah felt like he had no words to speak. God said He would heal Hezekiah and God did so.)

¹⁶ O Lord, by these things men live; And wholly therein is the life of my spirit: Wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live.
¹⁷ Behold, it was for my peace that I had great bitterness: But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
¹⁸ For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

(Those that went in the pit couldn't hope for God's truth. The ungodly had no faith in God.)

¹⁹ The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: The father to the children shall make known thy truth.

(Those who were alive (repairing through the Holy Spirit) would praise God (as Hezekiah did that day). Fathers ought to be teaching their children God's truth.)

²⁰ Jehovah is ready to save me: Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life in the house of Jehovah.
²¹ Now Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover.
²² Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah?

(This chapter ended with a question. The next chapter was a continuation, and conclusion, of the historical interlude in the Book of Isaiah.)




Isaiah 39
¹ At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.

(What was Merodach-baladan's reason for sending letters and a present to Hezekiah after he had heard of Hezekiah's recovery?)

² And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.

(Hezekiah was happy because of what Merodach-baladan gave him so Hezekiah showed Merodach-baladan's men everything in his house. Did Hezekiah know Merodach-baladan's reason?)

³ Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.

(Isaiah was wondering what the Babylonians were doing there. Did Isaiah perceive something that Hezekiah did not?)

⁴ Then said he, What have they seen in thy house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in my house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them.
⁵ Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of Jehovah of hosts:

(Isaiah received a word from God regarding Hezekiah allowing those men into his home...)

⁶ Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith Jehovah.

(The day would come that all that was in Hezekiah's house would be taken to Babylon. It did not seem that Hezekiah knew Merodach-baladan's real intentions. This would not have happened if Hezekiah was not healed.)

⁷ And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

(The sons of Judah would be taken to the palace of the King of Babylon and would be made eunuchs, like was mentioned in the Book of Daniel.)

⁸ Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of Jehovah which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

(Hezekiah's response was to recognize God’s Word as Good (Right and Just) but he also was not worried about the results of his actions. He was focused on his days being peaceful and not on the future generations. We have seen in 2 Kings 21 that Manasseh was able to be born because of Hezekiah's healing and God sent all of Israel into captivity because of Manasseh.)

(This post covered the final three chapters of the historical interlude in the Book of Isaiah. The majority of the historical interlude dealt with Hezekiah's miraculous healing.)

Day 214