Isaiah 37:1

Isaiah 37:1 says, 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.  As Matthew Henry points out, much of this is a repeat of what we were told about Sennacherib in the book of Kings.  First, we have his rise to power, and then we have his fall in answer to the prayers of the people of Judah who were still faithful to God.  When our life story is told, there may be times when it looked like the world was beating us, but if we remain faithful to God as followers of Christ, He will hear our prayers and bring us the ultimate victory. When Hezekiah heard what Rabshakeh had to say, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, a sign of humility, and went into the house of the Lord.  When life seems to be collapsing on us as Christians, we need to humble ourselves before God and look to Him for guidance. 

Verse two adds, 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.  Hezekiah then sent Eliakim and Shebna and the elders of the priests to Isaiah.  Even though they may have been the ones who were supposed to proclaim God’s word to the people, the elders of the priests were sent to Isaiah, a prophet who was known to be true to God.  We should never feel that we are too good to look to others for prayer and guidance when life is going badly for us, no matter what our position may be in the church. 

Verse three continues, 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.  These men brought a message from Hezekiah to Isaiah.  We need to bring our concerns to the Holy Spirit first, but we also may need to turn to other Christians for help.  They said Hezekiah said the situation was like a woman who was ready to give birth but didn’t have the strength to do so.  Jerusalem was ready to be delivered from the threats of Sennacherib, but the people didn’t have the strength to do so, so Hezekiah had sent his messengers to Isaiah to ask God for a way to defeat Sennacherib and his army. 

Verse four concludes, 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.  It is interesting to me that Hezekiah referee to God as Isaiah’s God and not their God.  Hezekiah was known as a good king who was trying to restore the worship of God to Judah, but he didn’t call God his God.  There didn’t seem to be an assurance that God would hear and answer the prayers of the people or even of Isaiah in the way that Hezekiah wanted, but there was a need to ask Him to.  If we are a born-again believer, God is going to hear our prayers, and then all we can do is accept that He will answer the in the best way possible and never lose faith in this fact. 

Verse five states, So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.  Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah in obedience to the command of Hezekiah.  We need to come to Jesus Christ in obedience to the command of God if we are going to be spiritually successful in life. 

Verse six adds, 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.  Isaiah gave them God’s answer.  Hezekiah was not to fear Sennacherib in spite of his words of blasphemy against God.   God’s message to Christians today is that we should never fear those who deny Him and blaspheme against Him. 

Verse seven continues, 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 said God was going to send a blast on Sennacherib and that he would hear a rumor and return to his own land where God would then cause him to fall.  God didn’t say that He needed an army from Judah to defeat Sennacherib but that he would do it with just words.  Though we are to be a part of the army of God, He will never be dependent on us to bring about victory.  Since God will always be the victor, there is no reason for us to fear any power in the world.