Isaiah 36:1, 4, 6-7, 10, 18, 20

Isaiah 36:1, 4, 6-7, 10, 18, 20 NIV In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: “ ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”? Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’ ” “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaiah 36:1-37:38 and 2 Kings 18:13-19:37 are exactly the same, word for word. Whether the writers of 2nd Kings got this material from Isaiah, or the compilers of our scriptures inserted this material in Isaiah from writings in 2nd Kings, is not clear. What is clear is that the compilers of Isaiah want us to know the time at which Isaiah's prophecies took place. For nearly 40 chapters Isaiah has warned of the Assyrian threat. He has confronted the sin of Jerusalem, of Israel to the north, and of many others nations. He has predicted doom and salvation, suffering and redemption. Now his words are being fulfilled. Assyria has invaded Judah after conquering Israel's tribes in the north. Sennacherib sent his field commander to Jerusalem to urge the city's surrender while he attacked the fortress city of Lachish. The message from the king of Assyria to Jerusalem was belittling. His arrogance is evident. His basic appeal to Jerusalem was, "No god will stop me from taking this city, so why not surrender?" King Hezekiah of Jerusalem was in torment. He tore his robes in distress and prayed to the Lord. He urged the prophet Isaiah to pray to the Lord on their behalf. Isaiah 37:4 NIV "It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.” Isaiah reassured the king that Assyria would not take Jerusalem. God will defend the city. Suddenly Sennacherib withdrew his troops from Judah to face a new threat. Cush had come up from Africa to fight with him. Sennacherib sent word to Hezekiah a letter reiterating his words sent through his field commander. Hezekiah took the letter and laid it before the altar of the Lord and prayed. Isaiah 37:16-20 NIV “Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God.” God sent word through the prophet Isaiah in response to Hezekiah's prayer. God will save the city from Assyria. What truth will guide my life in this section of the book of Isaiah? Those that arrogantly believe their own power comes from themselves, and do not acknowledge the Lord, will eventually come to nothing. Sennacherib died by assassination at the hands of his own sons. His army suffered greatly by a plague that swept through their camp. His threats against Jerusalem was a threat to the reputation of Yahweh, the God of Israel. The Lord is about blessing the world with the knowledge of God. In some instances God's acts for the sake of His fame. Because God is bound to Israel and to the sons of David through covenant, God's reputation is on the line. So God acted in a way that spread the wonder of His glory. The sudden death of 185,000 Assyrians would certainly get The Lord headline news in the ancient world. The arrogance of Sennacherib is contrasted with the humility of Hezekiah. Those who humble themselves in dependency upon the Lord are the ones who benefit from the Lord's strength. So I am guided to be humble and to acknowledge the Lord in all things. When I get to thinking my victories and achievements are my own, when I start believing I'm all that, I'm due for a humbling. And when I am humbled, like Jerusalem was with Assyria knocking at their gates, I need to humble myself in prayer before God, exalting only Him. For truly God is the only one worthy of worship. Let Hezekiah's prayer remind us. Isaiah 37:16 NIV “Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth."