Is. 37:1 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 the LORD.
Is. 37:2 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.
Is. 37:3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
Is. 37:4 It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.
Is. 37:5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
After hearing the report from his representatives, Hezekiah humbled himself and acknowledged his helplessness by tearing his clothes and covering himself with sackcloth. He immediately went to the house of the Lord and sent his men to report to the prophet of God, Isaiah, regarding the words of the Assyrians. The other Jewish leaders also clothed themselves in sackcloth to present themselves to Isaiah. Hezekiah had begun to have doubts. He basically wanted affirmation from Isaiah that God would defend His honor and punish the Assyrians for their mockery of Him. He asked Isaiah to pray for the remnant of Judah in Jerusalem.
It seems to be important to note that although Hezekiah sought counsel from the man of God, he also presented himself before God in humility and faith. He did not just depend on the prayers of a man in righteous standing before God; he also humbled himself before God.
Is. 37:6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
Is. 37:7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
Isaiah doesn’t say much, but he does provide the answer from the LORD that Hezekiah is seeking. He even provides a prophecy about the death of Sennacherib. One of the purposes of prophecy is to affirm God’s position as one above all others. Every prophecy fulfilled is an affirmation of God as the great I AM.
Isaiah 42:8-9 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure….
John 14:29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
Is. 37:8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
Is. 37:9 And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
Is. 37:10 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.
Is. 37:11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?
Is. 37:12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar?
Is. 37:13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?
Rabshakeh and his forces were drawn away from Jerusalem when they got word that the king of Ethiopia was on the move against them. So he sends messengers with a letter to Hezekiah reiterating all that he had said before. God in whom you trust cannot deliver you from us. Just look at what we have done to the other nations. Their gods were useless to them and Israel’s “God” would fare no better.
Is. 37:14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
Is. 37:15 And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying,
Is. 37:16 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.
Is. 37:17 Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.
Is. 37:18 Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,
Is. 37:19 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.
Is. 37:20 Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.
This time Hezekiah goes directly to the Lord in prayer. He takes the letter and spreads it open before God in the temple. He opens his prayer acknowledging God as the “Lord of hosts,” God Almighty, and as the God of Israel. He acknowledges God as the one true God over the whole universe, as the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He approaches God on the basis of the honor of His name. He acknowledges the truth of Sennacherib’s conquests, but realizes that the “gods” of the other nations were just the “work of men’s hands”—powerless, impotent. Then Hezekiah asks for God’s deliverance in order to prove to the nations that He alone is the one and only true God.
I think it is important to note that we are to desire God’s glory and honor above our own desires and needs. I often ask God to protect His name in and through me, my loved ones who claim His name, my pastor and the ministry of my church.
Is. 37:21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:
It would seem that the Lord responded immediately with a message to Hezekiah through His prophet Isaiah. 2Kings 19:20 says plainly that God has heard Hezekiah’s prayer.
David Guzik made an important observation: “What if he would not have prayed?....How many blessings, how many victories, how many souls saved for Jesus’ glory, lie unclaimed in heaven until the Lord can say, because you have prayed to Me?”
Is. 37:22 This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
Is. 37:23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
Is. 37:24 By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
Is. 37:25 I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.
Now Isaiah expresses God’s thoughts concerning the king of Assyria.
“the virgin, the daughter of Zion” – Whose daughter? God’s; the people of Jerusalem are God’s people. To this point the city of Jerusalem was unmolested.
Jerusalem has nothing to fear from Assyria. The Assyrians may think they are just taunting another powerless god, but they have blasphemed God Almighty, “the Holy One of Israel.” Sennacherib sent his servants to boast with great pride of their victories to this point, victories which they claim were theirs because of the great numbers in their armies. He claims to have accomplished all his victories through his own strength and resources.
Is. 37:26 Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.
Is. 37:27 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 corn blasted before it be grown up.
Is. 37:28 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.
Is. 37:29 Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, 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.
God is declaring that the Assyrians have just been instruments of judgment in His hand as declared by Isaiah in previous oracles. God has decided it is now time to put an end to the Assyrian empire. Because his pride has so angered God, God is going to see that the king is caused to turn back to his own country (where he will meet his death as prophesied in verse 7 above).
Is. 37:30 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and 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.
Is. 37:31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:
Is. 37:32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.
Reminder--God is giving Hezekiah a message concerning Sennacherib and the Assyrians. The sign being spoken of is for Hezekiah. The Assyrians have prevented the people of Judah from being able to farm their land. According to Archbishop Ussher, the second year was a Jubilee year, which is why they couldn’t sow or reap that year. In the third year the people of Judah would be able to plant and experience a good harvest. Not only will the harvest be good, but the people of Judah will again begin to flourish and grow strong. God is going to deliver a remnant, including some who had sought safety behind the walls of Jerusalem. The important point being—God will be the deliverer.
Is. 37:33 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.
Is. 37:34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
Is. 37:35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
The Lord now tells Hezekiah through Isaiah that the king of Assyria will not step foot in the city of Jerusalem; he won’t even approach it with weapons of war or be able to establish a siege around it. Again he assures Hezekiah that Sennacherib will be caused to turn around and go home. God states that this will happen in defense of His holy name and in honor of His servant David. God had made a promise to David.
1Kings 2:1-4 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.
This section of scripture used to bother me, because obviously there were many years in which there was no nation of Israel, and obviously that precluded a king ruling on its throne. Somewhere along the way I learned that the throne of Israel was representative of a position authorized by God Almighty. The physical throne may have disappeared for a while, but the position of king of Israel is legitimate and the throne will again be physically occupied when Jesus, the Son of David, comes to reign on planet earth.
I ran across an interesting point made by Ernest L. Martin, PhD., at http://askelm.com/doctrine/d020802.htm. He pointed out that Jeremiah also noted God’s promise to David as not lacking a man/son to sit on his throne.
Jeremiah 33:20 Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne….
The promise from God was that David would never lack a direct descendant qualified for the throne of Israel. The promise didn’t establish the throne forever—just that David would have a qualified descendant ready to occupy that throne at any time. Jesus was the last man born in the direct line of David that can be identified that qualifies for this throne, and He will assume His position on the reestablished throne of David as King—not just of Israel, but of the whole earth--in the millennium.
Is. 37:36 Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
Is. 37:37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
Is. 37:38 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 Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
According to the account in 2Kings 19, that very night the angel of the Lord single-handedly killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian army. Sennacharib immediately turned tail to go back home to Nineveh.
Just as God had prophesied through Isaiah, Sennacherib was killed by the sword—by his own sons! Joe Focht notes that this murder occurred 20 years later.
Is. 38:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
Sometime before the Lord had delivered Jerusalem from the Assyrians (cf verse 6), Hezekiah became sick with a terminal illness. JFB indicates that verse 6 is just an affirmation that Jerusalem will never be threatened by the Assyrians again; this view actually makes more sense to me. God sends Isaiah to tell Hezekiah to make preparations for his succession because he is going to die. I guess this would be a little bit more complicated since Hezekiah had no heir.
We know from the information provided in the following two verses that Hezekiah was 39 at this time (25 + 29 – 15 = 39).
2 Kings 18:1–2 “Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem.”
2 Kings 20:6 “And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.”
Is. 38:2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
Is. 38:3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, 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.
When Hezekiah approaches God this time, he is making a personal plea for mercy. He bases that plea on the fact that he has always tried to make choices that brought honor to God. Note is then made that Hezekiah wept with many tears. One commentator suggested that his sorrow was increased because he had no heir to the throne. It would seem that this was a man under great stress—facing approaching death and the threat of enemy armies.
I liked this observation by Calvin: “…though he sees on every hand nothing but the tokens of God’s anger, yet he does not cease to fly to him, and to exercise faith, which all believers ought earnestly and diligently to do amidst the heaviest afflictions.”
Is. 38:4 Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,
Is. 38:5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, 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.
Is. 38:6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
Is. 38:7 And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;
Is. 38:8 Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.
God responds to Hezekiah through His prophet Isaiah. 2Kings adds a little more detail to this section. The Lord tells Hezekiah through Isaiah to present himself at the temple on the third day from His response. He affirms that He has heard Hezekiah’s prayer and is going to add 15 years to his life. He also affirms His promise to deliver Jerusalem from the king of Assyria. In the meantime, they are to apply a poultice of figs to the boil (inflammation, ulcer) that has caused Hezekiah’s illness.
The account in 2Kings tells us that Hezekiah asked for a sign from God to declare the truth of Isaiah’s message. God then gives him the choice of having the sun go either forward or backwards ten degrees. Hezekiah chose backwards, since his reasoning told him that would be the more miraculous. Only God the Creator could intervene in the laws of science that He established. Sure enough—the sun went backwards ten degrees.
It’s very interesting to me that God chose to answer this prayer. He knew that He would allow Hezekiah to produce an heir to the throne in light of His promise to David and that Hezekiah would fall to the temptation of pride. Hezekiah’s heir was the evil king Manasseh. His wickedness and pride would eventually contribute to Judah being conquered by Babylon. God didn’t let His foreknowledge impact His response to Hezekiah’s prayer.
Hezekiah had been a good king, one that “did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did” (2Kings 18:3). God even described him as one who “trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him” (2Kings 18:5). God accomplished His purposes while working through the desires of His child even though rewarding that child would result in bad things (from our perspective). I believe if Hezekiah could be given that choice again, knowing what he does now, he would have prayed differently. I believe he would have prayed “nevertheless, not my will but thine.” I believe God would have healed him and provided him heirs anyway since that was part of His plan in bringing forth the Messiah from the line of David. Who knows how the rest of history would have been impacted. The one thing of which I am certain is that God’s plan would stand and not be thwarted.
Is. 38:9 The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:
Is. 38:10 I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.
Is. 38:11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
Is. 38:12 Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd’s tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
When he had recovered from his illness, Hezekiah decided to make a record of his thoughts. His first thoughts were sadness that he was being deprived of a normal lifespan; he would not get to enjoy the later years of his life. It’s interesting that he was bemoaning the fact that he would no longer see the Lord in the land of the living. What did he mean by that? I believe he must have been speaking of seeing God’s hand at work on behalf of His people. He was also saddened at the thought of losing fellowship with his friends, “the inhabitants of the world.” Verse 12 indicates that Hezekiah’s illness (an inflammation or ulcer of some sort) was recognized as one that got progressively worse, resulting in death. It’s interesting that he compares his life to a tent, a temporary dwelling place. Is this a declaration of his belief in his life after death?
Is. 38:13 I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
Is. 38:14 Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.
Is. 38:15 What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.
Is. 38:16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.
Is. 38:17 Behold, for peace 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.
These verses seem to express the extremes of Hezekiah’s emotions. He was in great pain and suffering during the time of his illness when he expected to die. He knew that his only hope was in the Lord. Then he is overwhelmed at God’s goodness in answering his prayer. At this point Hezekiah is greatly humbled at God’s answer to his prayer. He expects to live these next 15 years in remembrance of his great sorrow that God turned to great joy. He recognizes in God’s answer to his prayer a declaration of His love for Hezekiah. He also recognizes that God’s answer to his prayer is an act of mercy—a choice to not consider Hezekiah’s sins in determining His response. This shows that Hezekiah knew he wasn’t “perfect” (cf verse 3) before the Lord, but that he was striving to choose the things that would honor God.
Is. 38:18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
Is. 38:19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.
Is. 38:20 The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.
These verses declare Hezekiah’s intent to continue to honor God with his next 15 years. He intends to praise God and celebrate in the knowledge of God’s love for him. It would seem that Hezekiah considered death as putting one in a position of being unable to praise God, so maybe he didn’t understand the concept of life after death. Or maybe he thought one was just in limbo until the time of resurrection expected by the Old Testament saints.
Job 19:25-27 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Whatever the case, Hezekiah was filled with songs of praise, which he intended to offer as his sacrifice of praise in the house of the Lord, the temple. Jeremiah is the prophet through whom God declared the praises of his people an acceptable sacrifice.
Jeremiah 33:10-11 Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast,The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD.
Is. 38:21 For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.
Is. 38:22 Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?
These verses seem to be out of sequence. They were referenced in sequence above using the account from 2Kings.