He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.

Transcription

1 Chapters are about King Hezekiah Except for David and Solomon, no king of Judah is given more attention or commendation than Hezekiah 11 chapters are devoted to him in 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles and Isaiah It is said of Hezekiah 2 Kings 18:5 (NKJV) 5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. He began his reign around 715 BC He restored the temple and the services of worship. He destroyed the idols and the high places He sought to bring the people back to a vibrant faith in the Lord He led the people in a nationwide 2 week celebration of Passover and invited the Jews from the Northern Kingdom to participate And we are told of Hezekiah 2 Chronicles 31:21 (NKJV) 21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered. After the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C., Judah had constant problems with Assyria Hezekiah finally rebelled against Assyria and when Sennacherib threatened to attack, Hezekiah tried to bribe him with a tribute It was a lapse of faith that God could not bless Sennacherib accepted the tribute, but broke the treaty Chapters tell of the miraculous deliverance of God s people and thus the first part of Isaiah ends with it s emphasis on Assyria Chapters turn our attention to Babylon Chapter 38 we read of Hezekiah s sickness and 39 speaks of Hezekiah s foolishness in receiving the envoy from Babylon This portion of scripture speaks of the danger of spiritual pride What happens when you start to believe your own press and trust in your own success

2 Isaiah 36:1 10 (NKJV) 36 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 2 Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller s Field. 3 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him. 4 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, Say now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this in which you trust? 5 I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 6 Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7 But if you say to me, We trust in the LORD our God, is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar? 8 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 9 How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 10 Have I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. In 701 B.C. Sennacherib conquered many of the cities of Judah and is now threatening Jerusalem Hezekiah sought to avoid a hostile take over by promising to submit to the Assyrians and pay them tribute Sennacherib received the tribute and promised he would not come against Jerusalem, but he quickly broke his promise and sent Rabshakeh with an army to demand the surrender of Jerusalem Rabshakeh uses 4 arguments to persuade Hezekiah 1. The King of Egypt cannot save you 2. The Lord will not help you because Hezekiah tore down His altars (Sennacherib did not know these altars were idolatrous) 3. You re not strong enough

3 4. The Lord is with us, not you (Apparently the Assyrians heard Isaiah s predictions that the Lord would use the Assyrians to punish Judah) 5. Even the enemy reads the Word of God (Vs ) Then Rabshakeh turned to the Jewish people and said 1. Hezekiah is deceiving you because he can t deliver you 2. The Lord can t deliver you because the gods of the other countries could not stop me from conquering them 3. If you surrender, I will treat you leniently Now, we already learned the Assyrians were considered the most brutal of all warring nations they were known for deception So Hezekiah responds like the man of God that he is he freaks out Isaiah 37:1 4 (NKJV) 37 And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left. Hezekiah responds in 3 ways 1. He humbles Himself he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth 2. He went to the house of God to pray 3. He sent word to the prophet of God, asking him to pray in the event God would not hear Hezekiah s prayer When the King s messengers came to Isaiah, Isaiah sent them back with a message from God Isaiah 37:6 7 (NKJV) 6 And Isaiah said to them, Thus you shall say to your master, Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which

4 the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. 1. I will cause him to turn away from Jerusalem because of a rumor that the Egyptians are coming against him 2. I will cause him to return to his own land 3. I will destroy him in his own land What a great word from the Lord This brings up the subject of personal prophecy words from the Lord I know many who are constantly looking for a word from God I m going through a hard time, I need a word from God What happens is those who are looking for a word from God often become open to magical or wishful thinking If I just cling to the word God has given me, I ll get my miracle So they seek out men who claim to get words from God They go to conferences, they go to the church of what s happening now Seeking a word from God to direct their lives They elevate these men to a position of being god in their lives But that s not how it s supposed to work in the New Testament Church Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 14:3 4 (NKJV) 3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. God operates in the realm of complete and total knowledge What is a mystery to us is a known quantity to Him So the nature of prophecy is not to predict the future or tell us what to do it s to reveal what God already knows for the purpose of bringing edification, exhortation and comfort o Edification the word used speaks of the builder of a house. God knows what He is building and He has placed you in the right place at the right time for such a time as this. Be faithful and finish o Exhortation the word used speaks of coming alongside to help. God already knows this is what s going to happen, so do this. Don t do that.

5 o Comfort the word used speaks of reassurance, consolation and refreshment. God already knows what the outcome is, so be at peace, stay calm, be joyful and know that God will make up for whatever you lack. Personal prophecy never contradicts or violates God s Word, because God doesn t contradict Himself Rather personal prophecy confirms what God is already revealing to us through His Word and helps bring clarity and application in our life When someone gives me a word from God, I write it down and if it is a true word from God, then it will happen regardless of what I do But it does help me pray and become more aware of God s activity in my life so base your life on God s Written Word, everything else is second How does Hezekiah respond, after hearing this word from God? Sennacherib sends a letter to Hezekiah saying I m going to destroy you Hezekiah reads the letter and goes straight to the Lord Listen to his prayer Isaiah 37:16 20 (NKJV) 16 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men s hands wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone. God only you can save, so do it save us so the whole earth will know that You alone are the Lord. What a change from Hezekiah freaking out, tearing His clothes to You alone will save That s the edification, exhortation and comfort prophecy can bring Isaiah responds to the King s prayer Isaiah 37:21 22 (NKJV)

6 21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says the LORD God of Israel, Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him: Because you prayed this is what I m going to do Can we learn that lesson? Because we pray, God responds? (Vs ) God reveals to Isaiah that Sennacherib is God s problem (Vs ) He reveals that the military campaigns of Sennacherib were successful because they were ordained and empowered by God (Vs ) He reveals that He can turn kings and great armies around and make them go home (Vs ) He reveals that God delivers His people in the midst of suffering by giving them the strength to get through it, not around it (vs ) He reveals the God is the defender of Jerusalem Then we see this fulfilled in vs Isaiah 37:36 38 (NKJV) 36 Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses all dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. In Chapter 38, Hezekiah is sick and near death and he asks the Lord to extend his life Isaiah 38:4 8 (NKJV) 4 And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, 5 Go and tell Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. 6 I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city. 7 And this is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing which He has spoken: 8 Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.

7 The Lord announces to Hezekiah that He is going to die This announcement was made to Hezekiah from God through Isaiah in the 14 th year of Hezekiah s reign as King of Judah It began the same time that the Assyrian s came against Him But Hezekiah cries out to the Lord and the Lord extends his life 15 years It s no doubt that his recovery strengthened his faith and trust in God to deliver them from the Assyrians However, in the 15 years that followed Hezekiah made 2 major mistakes In Chapter 39, Hezekiah gives the Babylonians reason to attack Judah He also fathers Manasseh, who was the worst king in Judah s history It brings up a discussion about God s perfect will and His permissive will The theologians make a distinction between God s perfect will and His permissive will God s perfect will was for Hezekiah to die when He first made the announcement then Manasseh would never have been born and Babylon would have no reason to attack Judah God s permissive will is the answer to Hezekiah s request for a longer life because Hezekiah wept bitterly before the Lord I personally don t believe in God s perfect or permissive will It s a theological concept that seems to create more problems than solutions it s man trying to understand why God does what He does I m smart enough to admit that I m not bright enough to understand why God does the things He does EX: I have a friend who pastors a church and his worship leader began having an affair with one of the singers in the band. When he met with the singer and her husband. The singer said to him it was God s permissive will that I marry my husband, but it s God s perfect will for me to be with this worship leader. So she divorced her husband and married the worship leader. The Bible simply speaks about God s will We are to pray Your kingdom come, Your will be done We are not to pray Your perfect will be done simply Your will be done so I simply focus on God s will in my life

8 It does me no good to look back over my life and think If only I would have taken that job if only I would have married that person if only I would have made this decision then I would be in God s perfect will God causes all things to work together for good even when I make a decision that isn t God s perfect will for my life At the end of the day, God is going to ask us were you faithful with what I entrusted to you not, were you in my perfect will for your life God has made His will clear in His Word and it s perfect Chapter 39 the Babylonians send an envoy to Judah Isaiah 39:1 8 (NKJV) 39 At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, What did these men say, and from where did they come to you? So Hezekiah said, They came to me from a far country, from Babylon. 4 And he said, What have they seen in your house? So Hezekiah answered, They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them. 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the LORD. 7 And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good! For he said, At least there will be peace and truth in my days. Why did Hezekiah show them everything? Pride Hey guys look how much money we have pride Look at how strong we are pride Look at how smart we are pride

9 Isaiah tells him, because you revealed everything to the enemy it will all be carried away to Babylon but not in your day Listen to Hezekiah s response which is a proud response at least it won t happen in my days His sons would be carried into captivity and all Hezekiah says is sucks to be you, but at least I m going to be okay Be careful that you don t rejoice because someone else has to bear the consequence for your foolish actions... and not you Now we come to Chapter 40 In Chapters 1-39 we ve seen the Lord, seated on His throne, the train of His robe filling the temple In Chapters we see the Savior, hanging on the cross. In Chapters 1-39 we ve seen the law of God powerfully proclaimed In Chapters we see the love of God powerfully portrayed The first section deals with God s judgment, but the second section deals with God s joy. The writer of Hebrews says... for the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2) Thus Isaiah begins this section with the promise of comfort Isaiah 40:1 2 (NKJV) 40 Comfort, yes, comfort My people! Says your God. 2 Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD s hand Double for all her sins. In the future, the Lord will comfort the people of Jerusalem 1. In 3 areas Their Lo-Ammi period is over they will no longer be Lo- Ammi (not my people), but Ammi (my people) 2. Their warfare will be ended 3. Their iniquity is pardoned This day came when Jesus entered Jerusalem, but they did not receive His comfort and he wept over them saying would that you even you had known on this day the things that make for peace! (Luke 19:41-44) But this day will come in the future when Jesus returns and sets up His millennial kingdom on earth Then Isaiah prophesies concerning John The Baptist

10 Isaiah 40:3 8 (NKJV) 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. 6 The voice said, Cry out! And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. And then the coming of Jesus is announced Isaiah 40:10 14 (NKJV) 10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has taught Him? 14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding? I think of Jesus in the Temple having discussions with the Rabbi s at his bar mitzvah and all who heard Jesus was amazed at his understanding and answers (Luke 2: 47) Isaiah 40:28 31 (NKJV) 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.