Isaiah 37 – 39 and Psalm 78

Isaiah 37 – 39 and Psalm 78

Faced with an ultimatum to surrender Jerusalem, King Hezekiah (Judah) tears his clothes and puts on burlap and sends Eliakim to the prophet Isaiah requesting him to pray for “those of us who are left.” The Lord, through Isaiah, sends word to Hezekiah (Judah) not to be disturbed, that the King of Assyria will receive word he is needed at home. When he returns to Assyria the Lord will have him killed with a sword. Before he leaves Judah, King Sennacherib of Assyria sends a taunting message to Hezekiah (Judah) telling him not to trust the Lord. Hezekiah’s (Judah) response is to seek the Lord and request a rescue.

Isaiah delivers the Lord’s message, that King Sennacherib will never enter Jerusalem. That very night, the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Sennacherib goes back to Nineveh and stays there. Two of Sennacherib’s own sons kill him while he is worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch.

After this, Hezekiah (Judah) becomes “deathly ill” Isaiah, who came to visit him, tells him to set his affairs in order because he is going to die. In response to Hezekiah’s (Judah)prayer, the Lord adds 15 years to his life. A sign of this is the sun’s shadow will move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz. Isaiah has Hezekiah’s (Judah) servants prepare an ointment from figs and spread it over Hezekiah’s (Judah) boil.

Then, what was Hezekiah (Judah) thinking? Hezekiah (Judah) shows the Babylonian envoys “everything in his treasure-house.” On hearing this, Isaiah tells Hezekiah (Judah) that the Babylonians will be carrying away all of the treasures, that some of his own sons will be taken away into exile, will become eunuchs serving in the palace of the Babylonian king.

Hezekiah’s (Judah) response to this was a little bizarre – he thinks the message is good since there will be peace and security whil he is alive.

Do you remember what the Lord told Israel in Deuteronomy 6: - 9?

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all you soul. and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them wen you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Asaph in Psalm 78 shows what happens when the above words are disregarded. A he says: “He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children…and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.” How sad that they didn’t follow those simple instructions.

Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Isaiah 40 – 43.

Until next time…