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Listen "Isaiah 37"
Episode Synopsis
This is part two of a three-part story. Go back to Isaiah 36 to understand the context for this part of the story of King Hezekiah’s test.
Summary
King Hezekiah is not like his father. Isaiah approached Ahaz offering him support and was rejected. Now Hezekiah is seeking support from Isaiah. This is a David and Goliath moment. Goliath, Assyria, has defied God and waged war on Jerusalem. David’s son Hezekiah is concerned by this. They write letters to the king threatening him.
God
God’s response is the same response all along. It is a repetition of a message that has been given to humanity for a long time. He assures: “I myself will move against him.” (Vs 7) Hezekiah is threatened by a letter from King Sennacherib detailing how he will crush him. Hezekiah takes that letter and places it in the temple before God.
Hezekiah is the first reader of Isaiah. Everything we’ve been reading so far, Hezekiah read first and believed. You can see how he’s been changed by Isaiah’s message. He’s totally different to his father Ahaz. He sees the threat, but he knows how empty it is. Hezekiah’s God can’t be thrown into the fire and destroyed forever.
Gospel
It is good news that God fights instead of us. God promises he will defend them (vs 35). God’s response is that Hezekiah won’t have to draw a sword or shield. No seige will take place. God himself will send Sennacherib home. Like at the time of the exodus when the angel of the Lord fought for them, here 185,000 Assyrian soldiers are defeated sending Sennacherib home. In the end his own sons killed him. The evil path is always self-destructive. King Hezekiah succeeds here by doing different to anyone who sat on the same throne - he went to God, and let God fight his battles.
Conclusion
Hezekiah succeeded here but this is not the end of the story. Assyria is fading away, but now a bigger test of faith is coming. The great enemy we all face. Hezekiah is dying.
Summary
King Hezekiah is not like his father. Isaiah approached Ahaz offering him support and was rejected. Now Hezekiah is seeking support from Isaiah. This is a David and Goliath moment. Goliath, Assyria, has defied God and waged war on Jerusalem. David’s son Hezekiah is concerned by this. They write letters to the king threatening him.
God
God’s response is the same response all along. It is a repetition of a message that has been given to humanity for a long time. He assures: “I myself will move against him.” (Vs 7) Hezekiah is threatened by a letter from King Sennacherib detailing how he will crush him. Hezekiah takes that letter and places it in the temple before God.
Hezekiah is the first reader of Isaiah. Everything we’ve been reading so far, Hezekiah read first and believed. You can see how he’s been changed by Isaiah’s message. He’s totally different to his father Ahaz. He sees the threat, but he knows how empty it is. Hezekiah’s God can’t be thrown into the fire and destroyed forever.
Gospel
It is good news that God fights instead of us. God promises he will defend them (vs 35). God’s response is that Hezekiah won’t have to draw a sword or shield. No seige will take place. God himself will send Sennacherib home. Like at the time of the exodus when the angel of the Lord fought for them, here 185,000 Assyrian soldiers are defeated sending Sennacherib home. In the end his own sons killed him. The evil path is always self-destructive. King Hezekiah succeeds here by doing different to anyone who sat on the same throne - he went to God, and let God fight his battles.
Conclusion
Hezekiah succeeded here but this is not the end of the story. Assyria is fading away, but now a bigger test of faith is coming. The great enemy we all face. Hezekiah is dying.
In God we trust