Invasion
See
Isaiah 36-37
The
taunt of Sennacherib
It
is usually a good idea to talk your opponent into surrender. That way you get
all the plunder you came for, plus a larger number of slaves (no casualties).
In this particular instance, Sennacherib has successfully invaded most of
Judah, and has now gotten around to the mountain cities – starting with
Jerusalem. He correctly discerns that if Jerusalem falls, Judah is his. His
approach is much the same of the modern world to the church:
- He
proclaims his might and conquests. Does this sound familiar? We here that
evolution explains everything, that the old immorality is now the new
morality, and (most especially) there is nothing you can do about it.
- He
finds fault with the religion the Jews rely on. There’s always something
to criticize. In this instance it is the destruction of the “high
places,” spots where the people had constructed altars to God outside
Jerusalem. The Law commanded that the people only worship at the Temple,
but you can see that Sennacherib is using the world’s logic here. A
modern parallel is the argument that the Scripture says nothing about
abortion, therefore it must be OK.
- He
then makes his offer of easy surrender. For a while you can stay in
Jerusalem, but then I will take you off to somewhere else – it’s a great
place, really. There you will lose your identity as Jews, your religion –
but you’ll enjoy the vineyards.
The
method hasn’t really changed in three thousand years, has it?
Hezekiah’s
unusual reply
Sennacherib
expects Hezekiah to reply in kind; we might call it trash talking today.
Hezekiah’s response is rather a surprise:
- As
he has made all preparations for this, he goes to the man of God (Isaiah
the prophet) with clean hands. It is an acknowledgment that he is not
seeking God’s help – rather he is appealing to the one who rules
creation. He doesn’t want just help – he wants salvation.
- (See
Isaiah 37:4). He does not tell Isaiah what to do or say, but
phrases it tentatively, “It may be…”.
He then asks prayer for the remnant that survives in Jerusalem.
- Isaiah’s
answer is simply to point out who is the God of battles.
Isaiah’s
prophecy
See
Isaiah 37:5-8
Isaiah,
in short sentences, outlines God’s answer to Sennacherib:
- First,
do you know just who you are blaspheming? It is not Hezekiah, but the
living God. And just how does the living God see your power?
- Next,
he points out that all of Sennacherib’s success was planned by God long
ago. God has permitted his victories; why is the man bragging about them?
- In
answer to Hezekiah’s request to pray for the remnant, Isaiah assures him
the remnant will survive.
Deliverance
It
is perhaps the most direct intervention into military affairs God ever makes.
The angel of the Lord, identified by many commentators as the pre-incarnate
Christ, slaughters 185,000 Assyrians.
It is completely unexpected.
Things
not going according to plan, Sennacherib withdraws home to Nineveh. There he
is killed by his own sons; it does not do to taunt the living God.
A
map of the campaigns is shown below:
Hezekiah’s
Illness
Isaiah
38
Illness
and miracle
The
incident is a famous one in Scripture, and unfortunately has become embroiled
in one of the most famous “preacher stories” (read: pious fraud) of all time.
But we may obtain some use from the incident:
- If
nothing else, we see the example of Hezekiah in the contemplation of
death. “Teach us to number our days.” It is a lesson for all of us; one
of the great men of Israel shows that he too must die.
- Note
the humility with which Hezekiah responds. He turns his face to the wall
and with bitter tears begs the Lord to remember him. It is not with pride
of accomplishment; Hezekiah turns his face to the wall, a gesture of
speaking to God alone. His tears and his pleading are heard.
Which
brings us to the miracle of the steps. We should note that the shadow on each
step was a way of telling time. As the sun went down, more and more steps
would be in shadow. (The KJV has this as a sundial, but this is a
mistranslation. The translators were unfamiliar with a “step dial.”)
This
has given rise to a myth – that this incident, combined with the long day of
Joshua, are verified in modern astronomical calculations. Unfortunately, this
is one of those preacher stories that’s been around for a long time – and it’s
false. The entire method depends upon having a measurement of planetary
locations before the long day of Joshua. The story then goes that the
two incidents add up to exactly 24 hours (no way to determine this from
Scripture – but it’s one of those details added for verisimilitude.)
Supposedly, some scientist (e.g., Newton) or agency (e.g. NASA) discovers that
there is time missing in that the planets are not where they are supposed to
be, but off by 24 hours. This is usually connected with the author stating his
brother works for NASA.
The
problem is, quite simply, we have no such prior observation. You can’t tell if
a watch is losing time unless you have something to compare it to – and we
don’t. There are other difficulties as well (accuracy of observations in
ancient times, translation and incompleteness of records). Finally, even if
such observations did exist, this theory would only provide one possible
explanation – not proof.
Hezekiah’s
Psalm
Hezekiah
now provides us with a psalm which records his thoughts on his deliverance. We
may learn from these:
- (Isaiah
38:10). Hezekiah tells us that this happened to him “in the prime of my
life.” The lesson for us is that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow; with
James, we should begin our plans with, “If the Lord wills it…”
- (Isaiah
38:15). Even the king must humble himself before the Lord (“I will walk
humbly). Why? Because his soul has been through the anguish of being
near death. He knows that he is but dust.
- (Isaiah
38:17). Here we see the key: Hezekiah recognizes that his suffering and
near-to-death experience were for his own benefit. By his suffering he was
brought low; he humbled himself before God – who then forgave his sins.
In
our sufferings we often cry out for deliverance; do we remember afterwards to
praise God for what he did for us in and by our sufferings?
Envoys
from Babylon
Isaiah
39
God
tests Hezekiah
We
need to read a parallel account to see what God is doing here:
2 Chronicles 32:31 NIV
But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the
miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to
know everything that was in his heart.
Note
that God left him on his own to see what he would do. The Babylonians came
seeking the miracle they had heard of; they do not know to seek the God of
miracles. But it’s a start. They are inquiring because of what they heard –
or is it just possible that they saw the sun go backwards in the sky? Either
way, Hezekiah should be showing them the living God. He doesn’t. He shows
them his worldly treasures instead.
What
was the test
We
can see that God was testing him in three ways:
- He
was testing his pride. His treasures he may think are the result
of his own wisdom and work. It takes humility to say, “Not me, but Him.”
- He
was testing his worldly desire. Just what does Hezekiah think is
important here?
- He
was testing whether or not his desire for peace and safety was stronger
than his trust in God.
Ultimate
downfall
God
has, for many years, protected Judah even from the worst of her kings. He
tells us that he did this for David’s sake – David being a “man after God’s own
heart.” Because of this incident, Hezekiah is told of the doom of Jerusalem.
It is a fact that all empires and nations eventually fall; usually for the same
reason: sin. But there is some good news in this: there will be a remnant of
the faithful preserved.
One
wonders: is America heading for such a fall – and soon? And will God preserve
the remnant?