Isaiah 37:6-7a - “This is what the Lord says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers. Listen! I myself will move against him … .”
Back Story: The Assyrian Empire existed for quite some time with various kings thru the years. The King at this time is Sennacherib (pronounced sen-knack’-a-rib). He was an evil king who sought to plunder surrounding nations.
King Hezekiah, son of the evil king Ahaz, was king of Judah for 29 years (715 to 686 BC). This is what scripture says about Hezekiah the man: “King Hezekiah … (did) … what was pleasing & good in the sight of the Lord his God. He sought his God wholeheartedly in all he did in the service of the Temple of God & in his efforts to follow God’s laws & commands. As a result, he was very successful.” (2 Chronicles 31:20-21)
Commentary: King Sennacherib was in the business of plundering the nations that were around him as a means of controlling them. He sent messengers to Judah’s King Hezekiah with a message to demoralize the King & his people. Hezekiah tore his robes*, which was a demonstrative way of expressing grief. He then had his court secretary & the leading priests go see the Prophet Isaiah. It’s interesting that while his grief & perhaps even fear of King Sennacherib were very real, the second thing he did after he tore his clothes was to seek out Isaiah. The Lord spoke thru the prophet these words: “This is what the Lord says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers. Listen! I myself will move against him & the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword.” This is a very real way of validating Romans 12:19, which says: “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the LORD.” When the Creator of all things tells you to relax, that he has things all under control, it then becomes a mental game of ‘what do I believe?’ Do I believe God only when things are going well or do I believe in God for all things at all times, regardless of the circumstances.
King Hezekiah trusted God & wished to give him glory by his actions. In return for the King’s actions, Isaiah predicted Judah’s deliverance from the hands of the Assyrians. As for King Sennacherib, God’s word is yea and amen. We find out Sennacherib’s fate in vv. 36-38. An angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp on a certain night and killed 185,000 soldiers. When the King and his soldiers woke up the next morning and saw all the corpses lying about they packed up and went back to Assyria. One day while Sennacherib was worshiping in the temple of his god, Nisroch, his own sons came and killed him with their swords. These were the consequences of standing up against one who cannot be defeated. Next we will look at Isaiah 40, which speaks prophetically about the coming of John the Baptist. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible; https://www.practicaprophetica.com/isaiah-important-chapters-to-study/#Isaiah_37.
* A traditional Jewish way of expressing extreme grief.
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