37:1 - Finally when faced with insurmountable odds and scared out of his mind, Hezekiah does not run to the Egyptians or try to muster his own forces...he does what he should have done from the very beginning - he throws himself and his people on the mercy of the Lord. Too often, our first instinct is to "fix" everything ourselves or find someone who will, but we need to create a pattern of faithful living where our first instinct is to go to God.
37:3 - Through all the turmoil and destruction that God has allowed to come to the Hebrew people - they have grown, developed and become more dependent on Him. God has used His judgment to get them to the place they need to be...kinda like the pain and pressure a baby feels when they have to go through the birth canal. The Jews in this passage are at the cusp...they are ready to be born again as God's faithful people, but they need His help - like a doctor reaching in to help the baby. Interesting picture of God's faithfulness...sometimes He allows us to go through pain to get us to the place we need to be to ask for His help, but He has been there all along.
37:7ff - The Assyrian general talks a good game, but God effortlessly turns him away...he returns to his king, Sennacherib, who has been fighting in northern Africa and they go back to Israel with the entire Assyrian army. At this point the Jewish people have got to be wondering what God is up to...talk about "out of the frying pan into the fire!" It is often pretty hard to see the big picture of what God is doing in the world around us, but we have got to trust that He knows what He is doing...what other hope is there?
37:20 - This verse tells us exactly what God is doing...He is going to use this situation as a way to make Himself known to the people of the world. This is why the nation of Israel exists...this is the mission of the people of God...to be a light and a beacon of truth tot he rest of the world. The Jews were not called to be separated so that they could be a closed community...they were called to be a holy priest nation so that they could lead the rest of the world by example. We as Christians are not called to sit around in "holy huddles" and only interact with people who believe the same things we believe...we are called to be God's holy people...we are called to lead in this world by example.
37:26 - God's will...Will. Be. Done. This verse confirms for us that God has been guiding the path of the Assyrians all along...He has been using them as a tool to bring about His will. We know that God is guiding the events of the world to bring about His greater plan.
37:29 - Just as God brought the Assryians to the doorstep of the Jews...He can also turn them right around. God used the Assyrians to bring the Hebrew people back to Him...and when that happens, when they choose to trust God once again, He offers them salvation - He drives the Assyrians away. This fits with the theme we have seen throughout Isaiah, that God will allow His people to go through pain to bring about joy and faithfulness in the end.
37:36 - Multiple historical accounts outside of the Bible verify that something described here happens to the Assyrians army. Some historians believe it was a plague...possibly cholera caused by unclean drinking water, because the Hebrews had the clean sources of water within the city. God has clearly chosen to work through natural disasters in other parts of the Bible, and the angel of the Lord here may have chosen to use and epidemic as his sword of justice. It just excites me to see another example of archeaological evidence backing up the biblical narrative. (Interestingly enough in the Assyrian account "The Sennacherib Prism" the whole event is painted in glowing terms for Sennacherib (naturally)...it says that the Assyrian army ravaged the Israeli countryside and surrounded Hezekiah trapping him like "a caged bird" in Jerusalem. Sennacherib never conquered Jerusalem, just as the Bible says...and his account happens to leave out the fact that his army was decimated by God. Political spin has existed as long as there has been politics.)
37:38 - Just as Isiaih prophecied earlier, Sennacherib died by the sword in his own lands. His sons butchered him in the temple of his false God. This is a picture of the way that the world operates...it is not about honor, but about power and decpetion and destruction and selfishness. The Israelites were called by God to show that there was a different way to live - the way of God, yet they often allowed themselves to follow in the path of the world. As Christians we must do everything we can to present ourselves as followers of Christ...showing that world that there is a way of hope and truth. We cannot allow ourselves to buy into the selfish, self-destructive nature of the way of man.
38:5 - Do you really need more proof that prayer is powerful and effective? Well, here it is. Though we know from other passages of Isaiah that God has an eternal plan that He is working out in the world, there are plenty of biblical texts - like this one - that show that He is willing to change events and tweak small aspects of His plan for the sake of His faithful. How cool is that? Our prayers make a difference! Our prayers matter! Never forget that.
38:19 - The living thank you. We should be thankful every day for the gift of life that we have been granted. Every day it is a new and special gift from God. My heart is still beating...my lungs are still breathing...my brain synapses are firing - all gifts! Do I approach each day with a spirit of thankfulness, offering myself as a willign servant of God ready to make His fathful goodness known to my kids...to the world? Do you?
39:2 - Similar to 2 Chronicles chapter 32 (Another telling of this time in Israelite history) - Hezekiah allows his pride to bring doom upon the people of God. Every time we allow our pride to make decisions and drive our actions, we invite desctruction and pain into our lives. Hezekiah proudly shows the Babylonians everything he has to impress them...and they are so impressed, they return in a few years to destroy the Kingdom and enslave God's people. Because the Jews once again place their trust in the wealth and strength of the world, they will once again be brought to their knees in judgment.
39:8 - His lack of care about future generations just breaks my heart. When told that the Babylonians will crush his kingdom, the king rejoices to know that at least it won't happen on his watch...that is just sick. What would have been different if the rulers of Israel had chosen to do everything int heir power to leave behind a legacy of faith generation after generation? Do you live to leave behind a legacy of faith for your children and for their children?
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