Isaiah 37:21

 Isaiah 37:21 says, 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:  Hezekiah had prayed to God in faith even though everything looked terrible around him.  When things look the worst in our lives, we still need to pray to God in faith, and He will answer us in grace, as Matthew Henry points out.   I don’t believe that this means that everything will always immediately get better now, but by God’s grace we are already assured of the everlasting victory.  We just need to patiently remain faithful to God. 

Verse twenty-two adds, 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.  God had a message for Sennacherib, and that was that he was not as powerful as he thought.  God didn’t say that He had a great army that was going to defeat Sennacherib, but that the virgin, the daughter of Zion, was going to do so.  I believe this was a reference to the coming birth of Jesus, Who is the One Who defeats all evil, but it wasn’t the virgin Mary herself who would do this, but her son Jesus Christ Who would.  Of course, this didn’t happen in the time of Sennacherib, but I do believe it was a reference to the coming of Jesus Christ. 

Verse twenty-three continues, 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.  Isaiah said that God was going to defeat Sennacherib because he had exalted himself and lifted up his eyes in pride as he defied God and His people.  Those who lift themselves up today as being more powerful than God and defy His people and Him will one day realize how wrong they were to believe that they were more powerful than God. 

Verse twenty-four states, 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.  Isaiah said God was aware of the bragging of Sennacherib when he said by his great number of chariots that he was going to defeat anyone who stood against him, including God Himself.  There are still nations today who believe that their military strength makes them unbeatable, and some even deny the existence of God, much less His power.  Just as Sennacherib was wrong, so will all who stand against God be proven to be. 

Verse twenty-five adds, I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.  Isaiah said that God reminded Sennacherib that He could even control the supply of water.  We need to acknowledge that God simply by His word is more powerful than any person or nation will ever be.  Sennacherib was bragging about his powerful army, but God said He controlled even the water that Sennacherib’s army would need to survive.  No matter how powerful a person or nation may believe themselves to be today, God is still the One with all the real power. 

Verse twenty-six continues, 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.  God asked Sennacherib if he had not heard that God had long ago worked mighty works, including the forming of the universe.  If that were the case, then why did Sennacherib now think he could be victorious against the walled cities of God.  God said that for Sennacherib to think that he was able to do anything by his power being greater than God’s power was pure arrogance.  If we as Christians begin to believe that we are more powerful than anyone else because of our power and not by the power of God, then we are setting ourselves up for a fall. 

Verse twenty-seven says, 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.  Isaiah said that God had found those who opposed Him in the past to be of small power and that they ended up confounded and dismayed.  We can look to God’s victories over other nations in the past to give us hope, but the main victory that we need to look to is the victory of Jesus Christ when He lived, died, and wad resurrected to defeat all of God’s enemies forever. 

Verse twenty-eight adds, But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. Isaiah said God stated the He knew of all the actions of those who defied and raged against Him.  Just because people deny God and look to defeat those who serve Him doesn’t mean that God isn’t aware of their actions, even if He doesn’t immediately take action against them.  No person or nation who works to destroy God and His people will ever stand when God’s judgment comes, no matter how powerful they may see themselves as being today. 

Verse twenty-nine continues, 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 said that even though Sennacherib thought he could come in and defeat God’s people that He was going to put a hook in Sennacherib’s nose and a bridle in his lips and turn him back the way he had come.  Those who defy God and refuse to accept His gift of salvation will one day be turned away from heaven and sent to everlasting punishment. 

Verse thirty states, 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.  This sign was to the people of Judah and Jerusalem.  That year, they were to eat the crops that had come up on their own, and the same would be true the next year, but the third year they were to sow and plant vineyards and reap the fruit of them.  God didn’t say that their enemies would immediately be done away with, but they just had to continue to live faithfully to Him.  Our enemies will not always be done away with immediately, but as Christians, we simply need to continue to rely on God to meet our spiritual needs. 

Verse thirty-one adds, And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:  Isaiah said that God had made a promise that the remnant of the house of Judah, those who had remained faithful to Him, would take root downward and bear fruit upward.  As followers of Christ, we are already rooted in an everlasting relationship with God which He has sealed us to, but it is up to us then how much fruit we may bear. 

Verse thirty-two continues, 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.  Isaiah said that a remnant would go out of Jerusalem as well as those that had escaped out of mount Zion, because God’s zeal for them had assured this would happen.  We as Christians have this same assurance today.  God has already secured the everlasting victory over sin and death, and we just need to live in the knowledge that we are forever saved by His power if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. 

Isaiah 37:14

Isaiah 37:14 says, 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.  After Hezekiah received this letter from Rabshakeh, he read it and then went to the house of the Lord and spread it before Him.  If we have doubts and concerns today, we should first identify what the concern or threat is and then we need to lay it before the Lord.  We should never decide to just handle it by our own strength and wisdom. 

Verse fifteen adds, And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, After laying the letter before the Lord, Hezekiah then prayed to Him.  God was not physically present then, but He was no less there.  When we have trouble in life today, especially if we feel threatened because of our belief in God, we need to bring all our concerns to Him in prayer.  He will always be there to listen. 

Verse sixteen continues, 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.  Hezekiah began nis prayer by acknowledging Who God is.  He said that God alone was God.  It didn’t matter how many false gods the Assyrians had defeated, because Hezekiah served the only God that exists. Other gods will never be able to save anyone in this lifetime or the one to come, but as followers of Christ, our God has already won the everlasting victory. 

Verse seventeen states, 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.  Isaiah didn’t make demands on God but simply asked Him to hear and see what Sennacherib had said which was a reproach to God.  Although God already knew this, it was a sign of obedience to God’s will that Hezekiah came Him for guidance.  There is nothing going on in our lives that God doesn’t know about, but as Christians we still need to bring all our cares and concerns to Him in prayer, not making demands about how He should answer, but just leaving it all in His hands. 

Verse eighteen adds, Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,  Hezekiah then acknowledged that the Assyrians had defeated many nations already.  I believe that we as Christians need to acknowledge that there are real threats in the world today, but instead of being afraid and giving up on living by God’s commandments that we just need to continue to pray to Him for strength and guidance. 

Verse nineteen continues, 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.  Hezekiah then stated that the gods that the Assyrians had destroyed were not gods but just idols made from men’s hands.  No matter how many false gods may fail to save people from danger in the world, we don’t serve one of them as Christians. 

Verse twenty concludes, 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.  Hezekiah then asked that God, the only One Who was holy, to save the people of Judah from Sennacherib.  As followers of Christ, God has already saved us spiritually from all our enemies, and this is what really matters.

Isaiah 37:8

Isaiah 37:8 says, So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.  When Rabshakeh returned to Sennacherib, he was at war with Libnah.  There is no evidence that Hezekiah gave Rabshakeh any answer.  We may not always have to give an answer to the threats of the world, because God may often eliminate them before we are even aware of them.  What we need to do is always put our faith in God and pray for His guidance.

Verse nine adds, 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,  Even though Sennacherib heard that Ethiopia was going to make war against him, he was still unconcerned and had a message that he wanted Rabshakeh to take to Hezekiah. 

Verse ten continues, 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.  Sennacherib again told Hezekiah that his God could not deliver him.  So far, the god or gods of any other nation had not been able to stop Sennacherib, so he thought that the God of Hezekiah would be just as powerless.  There are countries today that are powerful and have no fear of God, but that does not mean that we are to live in fear of them.  As followers of Christ, our God has already brought about the everlasting victory over everything, even sin and death. 

Verse eleven states, Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?  Rabshakeh was still bragging on the power of Assyria stating that no nation had been able to win in a war with them.  He was still trying to dishearten the people of Judah.  People of the world still let material power and wealth lead them to believe that no one can stand against their power, and sometimes they especially feel this way about Christians.  As followers of Christ, we can never let this discourage us. 

Verse twelve adds, 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?  Rabshakeh then began to name nations whose gods had not saved them, believing that the God of Judah was no more powerful than any other god. Those who do not believe in the one true God often claim He is as powerless as any other false god and want to get those who believe in Him to question His power and ability to deliver them.  We can never allow this to happen if we are Christians. 

Verse thirteen continues, Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? Rabshakeh just continued to list kings of nations that had been defeated by the Assyrians.  He was still filled with self-pride, as the rulers of the world today who refuse to acknowledge God often are. As followers of Christ, we should never view any nation as more powerful than God.

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. 

Isaiah 36:11

Isaiah 36:11 says, Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.  Eliakim, Shebna and Joah told Rabshakeh to speak to them in the language of the Syrians so that the other Jews wouldn’t be able to understand what they were saying.  They wanted the discussion to remain between Rabshakeh and Hezakiah’s representatives without involving all the people around them.  When representatives of the government discuss matters that will affect the people of both countries, they usually do so in secret, so that they can discuss all aspects without constant cheering or protesting from people.  People just have to put their faith in their representatives doing what is best for them, though this often doesn’t happen.  We as followers of Christ also need to trust that our representatives are looking to God for guidance in their decisions, though this certainly does not always happen. 

Verse twelve adds, But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?  Rabshakeh denied their request, saying that his master had not sent him just to the leaders but to all the people who were affected by his actions.  He wanted to get popular opinion on his side, and this is still a tactic used by leaders today.  They appeal to what tickles the ears of their supporters without any concern for what God may want.  

Verse thirteen continues, Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.  Instead of following the suggestion of the leaders of Israel, Rabshakeh did just the opposite, speaking out loudly to the people of Judah in their own language.  He called on them to hear the words of the great king of Assyria.  We are often going to hear the people of the world calling out for us to do the opposite of what God’s word says, but we as Christians cannot listen to them. 

Verse fourteen states, Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.  Rabshakeh said that the king of Assyria said for them to not be deceived by Hezekiah, because he couldn’t deliver them.  In one respect, he was correct.  It wasn’t by the power of Hezekiah that the people of Judah would be delivered, but by the power of God.  We should never put our faith in a person, other than Jesus Christ, but should always put our faith in God alone.  God is the One Who will deliver us from sin and into everlasting life with Him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. 

Verse fifteen adds, Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.  Rabshakeh then told the people not to trust in God, because He couldn’t deliver them from the Assyrian army either.  It is one thing to tell people not to put their faith in earthly leaders, even Godly ones, but it something entirely different to tell them not to put their faith in God because He can’t deliver them.  This is the height of self-pride on the part of the individual or nation. 

Verse sixteen continues, Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;  The king of Assyria told them to come to him with a present and then he would feed them from their vines and they could drink the waters of their cisterns.  He really wasn’t offering them more than they already had, and no one today can offer us more than we already have spiritually.  We already have the promise of God that if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, that our needs will be met.  He is the Bread of Life and the Living Water.  We don’t have to go to anyone else and pay them anything in order to receive this gift of salvation.  As a matter of fact, if we try to do so, this can keep us from receiving God’s gift of salvation. 

Verse seventeen says, Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.  Rabshakeh told them that if they came to serve the king of Assyria that he would give them a land like their own where there would be plenty of corn and wine, or plenty to eat and drink in other words.  People of the world may try to convince us today that what they can offer is greater than what God has already given us as followers of Christ, but nothing will ever be equal to the things that He gives us.  The people of Judah had been given a land flowing with milk and honey, and if they were now suffering, it was because they had disobeyed God, and the only way to have that blessing restored was to return to Him.  If we are suffering spiritually in life, it will likely be because we have stopped obeying God, and until we repent and turn to Him again, no one will be able to make us spiritually blessed again. 

Verse eighteen adds, Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, the Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?  Rabshakeh told them to not believe that God could deliver them if Hezekiah told them this because no god had been able to deliver anyone from the power of Assyria.  He was making the mistake of comparing the only true God to all the false gods of the world.  Those who deny God or profess other gods may believe that God is unable to deliver His people from their power, but we as Christians should never listen to them or doubt the power of God to deliver us.

Verse nineteen continues, Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?  Rabshakeh then mentioned several false gods of other people and asked if they had been able to deliver any of these people from Assyria.  Once more, we don’t need to be concerned with false gods that have failed others, but only need to put our faith in the one true God, Who will never fail to deliver His people from the power of sin and death. 

Verse twenty states, Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?  Rabshakeh asked who these gods were that could not deliver the people who served them out of his hand and then said that the God of Jerusalem was no better.  He really did believe that Assyria was unbeatable and that the God of Jerusalem was no better than any other god.  There are still many people in power in the world today who believe the same thing.  They think that even if God exists, that He has no more power than any false god people believe in, but they are just as wrong as Rabshakeh was then. 

Verse twenty-one continues, But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.  The people of Jerusalem kept quiet, because Hezakiah had told them not to answer.  We are to share the gospel with the world, but sometimes we might as well just remain quiet if someone is so full of self-pride that they refuse to believe in God and His power.  I am not saying that we should, but we might be just as effective by not sharing the gospel, but we should always let the Holy Spirit guide us in when we do or don’t share the gospel. 

Verse twenty-two concludes, Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.  Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes in a sign of humility to God and then told Hezekiah what Rabshakeh had said.  I don’t believe that we need to share the threats or promise of people to us if we will simply turn away from God and put our faith in them, but at times we may need to understand the threats that have been made against us.  Still, when we do, we don’t need to listen to anyone who declares God to be powerless and themselves to be the only way to find peace.

Isaiah 36:1

 Isaiah 36:1 says, Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.  Matthew Henry says that in this chapter and the next three that Isaiah is more of a historian than a prophet, but that scripture history as well as biblical prophecy were given by divine inspiration.  He also says that the reminder of this time in their history and the fulfillment of God’s prophesy then might serve to inspire them to believe in His prophesy now.  I do know the fact that we can look back to the faithfulness of God in the past should inspire us to put our faith in His promises today.  Isaiah starts with the time when Sennacherib came to fight against Judah.

Verse two adds, And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.  Hezekiah was reforming Judah, but Sennacherib still came to try and defeat them, and he was successful to a degree.  Even if we are working to reform our relationship with God, we are not immune to attacks from the enemy, Satan, and those who follow him.  We might even be more susceptible to his attacks, but he will never defeat us completely if we are a born-again child of God, even if we have strayed away from God’s will. 

Verse three continues, Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.  Isaiah said that God’s priests and scribe came to speak with Rabshakeh, Sennacherib’s spokesman, who had a great army with him.  We may find ourselves confronted with powerful enemies as Christians, and we should never be afraid to meet with them to discuss our faith in God. 

Verse four states, And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?  Rabshakeh was sent to Hezekiah with a message or a question more precisely.  He was to ask Hezekiah on behalf of the great king of Assyria how much confidence he had in the One that he trusted.  Rabshakeh was boasting about the power of Assyria which had already taken several cities of Judah and was trying to plant doubt in the mind of Hezekiah.  It is not unusual for people today to question Christians about Who they are putting their faith in when things are going badly, but we can never lose faith in Him. 

Verse five adds, I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?  Rabshakeh said that when Hezekiah said that he had faith in God that he was speaking vain words, because God could not defeat Assyria.  He implied that Hezakiah was foolish to rely on God.  More and more in the world today, there are powerful countries who think that God, if He exists at all, is powerless against them.  Some even deny people the right to proclaim that God exists, but as followers of Christ, we can never allow fear to keep us from putting our faith in Him. 

Verse six continues, Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.  Rabshakeh said Hezekiah was putting his faith in Egypt, which was like a broken reed and would be of no help to him, but Hezekiah was really putting his faith in God.  The enemies of God may try to get us to believe that everyone we depend on for protection is powerless against them, but as Christians, our faith must always be in God and not other people, and God will never be defeated.  Even if we were to be imprisoned, like Paul often was, or killed for our faith like many of the early disciples were, God is still forever the victor and so are we spiritually if we remain faithful to Him. 

Verse seven states, But if thou say to me, We trust in the Lord our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?  Rabshakeh then said if they said they trusted in the Lord, had not Hezekiah taken away their high places and altars. These were false places of worship and altars that were not dedicated to God, so they needed to be removed so the people could return to worshipping God sincerely.  There may be things in the lives of Christians today that we need to remove because they have become more important to us than God is, but as long as our faith is in God, no matter how badly life may be going, God will never fail us. Nothing or no one should ever cause us to question God’s power to save us. 

Verse eight adds, Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.  Rabshakeh then asked Hezekiah to put his faith in his master and if he did, he would give him two thousand horses, if Hezekiah could supply riders for them.  We can never be tempted by promises of material wealth and power if we are going to live successful Christian lives.  The people of the world will do their best to get us to doubt God and put our faith in some other source of strength, but we never can if we are going to live successful lives in God’s sight. 

Verse nine continues. How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?  Rabshakeh then asked how Hezekiah could put his faith in Egypt and come up against his master.  He was continuing to brag about Assyria and to put down the power of God.  Some countries today love to brag about their power even as they deny the power of God, but we as followers of Christ should not be afraid of them.  God is still the One with all the power. 

Verse ten concludes, And am I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? the Lord said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.  Rabshakeh then said he was coming in the name of the Lord to destroy Judah.  Matthew Henry says it is easy for those who oppose God to claim to come in His name as they work to defeat Christians.  We just need to make sure that we are not in that group, claiming to serve God while all the time opposing what His word teaches.  

Isaiah 35:1

Isaiah 35:1 says, The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.  After the dark period foretold in the last chapter, in this chapter we begin to see a promise of hope.  Matthew Henry says this referred to the latter part of Hezekiah’s reign, but also to much more.  It also refers to the coming kingdom of Christ.  No matter how dark or bright our world may be, if we are a Christian our true hope is always in the coming kingdom of Christ.  

Verse two adds, It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.  Isaiah said that the wilderness and solitary places would blossom abundantly and there would be rejoicing on the part of the people for this.  Matthew Henry points out this is also a reference to the Gentiles becoming a part of God’s kingdom when they put their faith in God.  Of course, I don’t believe that anyone has ever been excluded from being a part of God’s people because of who they were born.  The Jewish people were simply the people God chose to use to bring all people to Him, but they often thought of themselves as being better than any other nation because of their own merit.  We cannot begin to believe that as followers of Christ if we are to be effective in spreading the gospel.

Verse three adds, Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.  God’s people were called on to help the weak and feeble, and I don’t believe this has changed.  As Christians, I don’t believe that we are ever to look down on those in need without compassion for them and should certainly never treat them as a burden to be gotten rid of. 

Verse four concludes, Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.  Isaiah also said that the people of Israel were to encourage people to be strong and not live in fear because God was going to repay those who opposed Him with His vengeance.  God will always punish sin, and that means unrepentant sinners will one day face God’s judgment, no matter how powerful they may think they are.  As Christians we should believe this enough to never allow things that may happen to us because of our faith to ever cause us to be afraid of anyone who tries to make life difficult for us, even if they are in a position of power.  God will always be the ultimate victor.   

Verse five states, Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.  Though these are things that did happen physically during Jesus’s ministry and even afterwards, I personally believe this refers more to spiritual sight and hearing.  It is wonderful if a blind man becomes able to see physically, but this does not save his soul.  The really good news of this prophesy is that those who were spiritually blind and deaf will be able to see and hear the truth of God, and that is that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die to redeem everyone.  Of course, each individual must be able to see and hear this for themselves and put their faith in Him in order for it to do them any good. 

Verse six adds, Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.  Again, though this refers to physical healing, I believe the greater implication is spiritual healing.  Through the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit living in us, we can do great things for God that we had been unable to do before. 

Verse seven continues, And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.  Isaiah now speaks about the coming prosperity of the land itself.  One day, we are going home to heaven as believers in Jesus Christ, and when we do, everything will be as God intended it to be when He created the earth and before people corrupted it.

Verse eight declares, And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.  There is but one way to heaven, and that is by accepting Jesus Christ as one's personal Savior and Lord.  This is the only way to holiness, and the unclean, those who refuse to accept salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, will never be on this highway.   

Verse nine adds, No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:  There will be no dangerous animals to fear on this road of salvation, and only the redeemed will ever walk there.  This is not because the redeemed are better because of who they are in the world, but because of who they are because they have put their faith in Jesus Christ. 

Verse ten adds, And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.  We as Christians are the ransomed of the Lord.  Jesus Christ paid the penalty of sin for us, and because of that we should be rejoicing.  When we do get to our heavenly home, all sorrow and sighing will be gone.