Read Isaiah 36:1-10; Isaiah 37:1-7 and Isaiah 37:36-38.

Introduction⤒🔗

Consider this headline and lead story in “yesterday’s” Jerusalem Times:

ASSYRIAN ARMIES SURROUND CAPITAL, DEMAND UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER

Assyrian General Derides Jewish Religion, Cites Recent Triumphs

JERUSALEM—“Neither King Hezekiah nor the LORD will be able to save this city,” so said the commander of the Assyrian forces in an interview held this morning at his field headquarters located one-half mile east of Jerusalem.

This top-ranking officer over Sennacherib’s Assyrian army urged the people of Jerusalem to give up the struggle and make unconditional surrender to the vastly superior forces that presently occupy the whole of the Jordan valley. Reputable news sources estimate that the Assyrians have amassed an army of some 200,000 men against the Jewish capital.

The Assyrian commander was further quoted as saying, “It is foolish for the people of Jerusalem to listen to Hezekiah when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Look, have any of the gods of the nations been able to resist our armies? Not one! Now then, why does Hezekiah think that the LORD can successfully defend Jerusalem?”

The general went on to cite just some of the impressive victories the Assyrians have achieved in their remarkable march westward and southward, a march that originated in their homeland some twenty-seven months ago.

Seven times in chapter 37 the Assyrian commander’s speech is described as defying, blaspheming, or raging against the living God. Have you ever encountered men who have likewise defied the LORD and raged against Him? How are we to handle such a situation? What should we do if we should find our Lord and ourselves as Christians under such a barrage of abuse? What did Hezekiah do? As we consider his response, let us learn Three Things to Do When They Defy God.

Exercise a Godly Silence←⤒🔗

The superpower of Assyria had been aggressively expanding, advancing ever closer to the borders of Judah, posing a threat to the very existence of the little nation. Now we are told that in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib invaded Judah, destroying all of its fortifications (Isa. 36:1). It was at this point that Hezekiah had sued for peace, seeking to buy off the Assyrians by robbing the temple of the LORD and depleting the national treasury, as we learn from 2 Kgs. 18:13-16,

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. ¹⁴So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: “I have offended Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.” The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. ¹⁵So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace. ¹⁶At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Hezekiah succeeded in securing a peace that lasted for several months. But now the Assyrians once more stand at the very gates of Jerusalem; and, accompanied by a great army, they demand the unconditional surrender of the city (Isa. 36:2).

The leading statesmen of Judah, headed by Eliakim, the palace administrator, are sent out to meet with the Assyrian commander (vs. 3). The commander displays great rudeness and arrogance in addressing the Jewish delegation, not even referring to Hezekiah as king: “The field commander said to them, ‘Tell Hezekiah, This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says, In what do you place your confidence?’” (vs. 4) He then raises the question, “How dare you rebel against my master, the king of Assyria? What makes you confident of undertaking such a foolhardy venture?” (vs. 4b-5)

In verses 6-7 the commander seeks to answer his own question. Does Hezekiah and the nation of Judah trust in Egypt? Egypt is no reliable staff to lean your weigh upon, Egypt is nothing more than a splintered reed; far from supporting you, it will bring you down in pain and despair. This, indeed, was a true analysis of Egypt, and of what happens when you put your trust in men rather than in the LORD. Then the commander goes on to inquire, Does Judah trust in the LORD? In verses 18-20 he goes on to disparage the LORD by foolishly equating Him with the idols of the world who were not able to deliver their people from the advancing Assyrians (vs. 18-19), and by arrogantly exalting human might as though it were able to combat and defeat the LORD Himself (vs. 20).

Having addressed the Jewish leaders in the hearing of the common people, the commander now addresses the people themselves:

Then the commander stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of the Jews, Pay attention to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! ¹⁴This is what the king says, Do not let Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to deliver you. ¹⁵And do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD by telling you, The LORD will certainly deliver us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. ¹⁶Do not listen to Hezekiah; for this is what the king of Assyria says, Make peace with me and surrender to me. Isa. 36:13-16

The Assyrian commander’s words almost sound like the utterance of a prophet, as he blasphemously exalts the king of Assyria.

In the face of the Assyrian's defiance and blasphemy of the LORD, the Jews held their peace: “they said nothing in reply” (vs. 21a). Their response of silence was in keeping with Hezekiah’s instruction, who wisely commanded the people, “Do not answer him.” (vs. 21b). In the words of Ecclesiastes 3:7, “there is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.”

There is a time when it is appropriate to speak out for the truth of God:

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: 'Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³As I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. Acts 17:22-23

The Apostle Peter exhorts us,

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Pet. 3:15

There is also a time when it is appropriate to maintain a godly silence:

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. ⁶⁰But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally, two came forward ⁶¹and declared, 'This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’' ⁶²Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, 'Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?' ⁶³But Jesus remained silent.Matt. 26:59-63a

When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. ⁹He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. Lk. 23:8-9

When should we speak out, and when should we maintain our silence? What is the Scriptural guideline?

When men are seeking the truth, or when men need to be confronted with the truth, it is appropriate and necessary to speak the truth—and to always do so in love. When Nicodemus came to Jesus, seeking the truth, Jesus spoke to him about the kingdom of God:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²This man came to [Jesus] at night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you are doing, unless God is with him. ³Jesus replied to him by saying, I tell you the truth, Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Jn. 3:1-3

On another occasion, the Lord Jesus publicly and vocally confronted the Pharisees with regard to their hypocrisy: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to do so!” (Matt. 23:13)

But when men are railing against the truth, refusing to consider the truth and eager to blaspheme the truth, then it is appropriate to maintain a godly silence; as the Lord Jesus instructs us in Matthew 7:6, “Do not give to dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”

When men defy God—refusing to consider the truth, eager to blaspheme the truth—it is right to maintain a godly silence. Do not attempt to argue with mad dogs or fools.

Take the Matter to the LORD in Prayer←⤒🔗

When the Assyrian commander's blasphemy was reported to Hezekiah, he was grieved: “he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD” (Isa. 37:1).

Rather than confront the Assyrian, who at this point would not have considered the truth but would have taken the opportunity to further blaspheme the God of heaven, Hezekiah took the matter to the LORD in prayer. He calls upon the prophet Isaiah to pray (vs. 4), and he himself engages in prayer.

In verses 15-20 we have recorded the prayer that Hezekiah offered up to the LORD at this time. He begins his prayer by affirming the fact that the LORD, indeed, is God, and He alone is God:

O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the one who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, [are God] of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. vs. 16

Hezekiah has the right perspective: in the face of the mighty Assyrian empire with its “invincible” armies, Hezekiah lifts up his eyes to the God of heaven. He recognizes the One who is all-powerful, the Creator and Lord over all.

Hezekiah then proceeds to “inform” the LORD of the blasphemies that have been uttered against Him, by the representative of the Assyrian king:

Incline your eye, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; indeed, hear all the words of Sennacherib, who has sent to reproach the living God.vs. 17

He is referring to the words of blasphemy spoken by the Assyrian commander when he met with the contingent of leaders sent to him by King Hezekiah (Isa. 36:18-20):

Beware, lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? ²⁰Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?

Hezekiah now pleads with the LORD to save His people, doing so for the sake of His great name:

Now, therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are the LORD, you alone.vs. 20

Hezekiah recognizes the connection between the honor of God’s name and the redemption of God’s people. He brings before the LORD the arrogant boasting of the Assyrian king, who had inquired, “Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (vs. 20). Hezekiah’s argument in prayer is that the LORD’s honor is at stake, and it is only by coming to the rescue of His people that He will refute the Assyrian’s false claim that the LORD is no different from the false gods of the nations, gods and nations whom the Assyrian army had no problem in defeating.

With regard to the LORD manifesting His glory in the redemption of His people, and thereby demonstrating that the LORD, the God of Israel, is God indeed, consider Rahab's testimony when the people of Israel prepared to conquered the Promised Land of Canaan,

We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. ¹¹When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Josh. 2:10-11

Hezekiah pleads with the LORD to take knowledge of the blasphemies uttered against His Name and act in defense of His name. His prayer is similar to that of Moses: “Rise up, O LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you” (Num. 10:35)

When they defy God, take it to the LORD in prayer. Recognize that the LORD is the true and living God. Realize that He is our God and we are His people. Request Him to act for our sake, but above all for His Name’s sake.

Place Your Confidence in God’s Word←⤒🔗

The message the LORD communicates through Isaiah is as follows: “This is what the LORD says, ‘Do not be afraid of the words you have heard’” (Isa. 37:6). The description of the wicked is that “their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth” (Psl. 73:9). They speak great things, but they do not have the ability to fulfill them. Samuel’s mother, Hannah, proclaims to the proud and arrogant, “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed” (1 Sam. 2:3).

The LORD assures His people that He will turn the blaspheming enemy away and cause him to fall by the sword; the fulfillment of this vow is recorded in Isaiah 37:37-38. We may also take note of the Psalmist’s testimony,

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? ²The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One... ⁴The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. ⁵Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath. (Psl. 2:1-2,4-5)

The LORD goes on to promise that the day is coming when His people shall look upon the blasphemer with contempt and laugh him to scorn: “The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind your back!” (37:22) The act of shaking one’s head behind a person’s back was apparently a mocking gesture.

Once again, we may also take note of the words of the Psalmist,

Speaking of the wicked, the Psalmist testifies,

Surely, God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. ⁶The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at him, saying, ⁷Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold. Psl. 52:5-7

The LORD reminds His people that He is in complete control; He inquires of the Assyrian:

²⁶Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone. ²⁷Their people, drained of power, are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the housetops, scorched before it grows up. ²⁸But I know where you stay, and when you come and go, and how you rage against me. ²⁹Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.Isa. 37:26-29

It was the LORD Himself who ordained that the Assyrian armies should be a victorious, all-conquering power (vs. 26). The LORD is the One who made the Assyrian conquests possible (vs. 27). The LORD is fully aware of every move the Assyrians make—and of the attitude they express against the God of Israel (vs. 28). Now, because of his raging and his arrogance, the LORD shall turn the Assyrian around and send him back home in disgrace (vs. 29). The LORD will handle the mighty and haughty Assyrian like a man handles a domesticated animal, a horse or a mule.

The LORD assures His people that He will protect them and preserve them. Speaking to Hezekiah, He declares, “This will be the sign for you, [O Hezekiah]: This year you will eat that which grows by itself” (Isa. 37:30a). Here is the promise that the LORD will see to it that His people shall survive, and that the Assyrian’s dire threat shall not come to pass. The Assyrian commander, addressing the contingent of leaders sent to him by Hezekiah, had warned: “Did my master [only] send me to your master and to you with this message? Has he not also sent me to the men who are sitting on top of the wall, who, together with you, will be forced to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?” (Isa. 36:12) This was the threat that the people of Jerusalem would be reduced to starvation because of the siege by the Assyrian army. The LORD assures His people that the Assyrian’s threat shall not come to pass; the LORD will be faithful to deliver His people from the present peril that threatens to destroy them.

But the LORD also indicates that full deliverance and the return to normalcy would come gradually: it would not be until the third year that the people could once again plant and reap their own harvest: “in the second year [you shall eat] that which springs from the same, and in the third year you shall sow and reap, and plant vineyards and eat the fruit thereof” (Isa. 37:30b). The LORD delivered His people from the immediate peril of cruel conquest, and in time He would deliver them from the Assyrian threat altogether. Likewise, the redeemed must await the day of our Lord’s return before we experience the complete deliverance from all the forces of God-defying evil that rage against our Lord and His people:

...it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 'and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, ⁸in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.2 Thess. 1:6-8

But until that day when the Lord administers His victory over the devil and the world in full measure, we can be assured that, as was true with Old Testament Israel, God will prove Himself to be “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psl. 46:1). It is “the zeal of the LORD of hosts” that serves as the guarantee that the LORD will preserve and deliver His people (vs. 32).

When they defy God, let us put our confidence in His Word, knowing that the LORD is powerful to fulfill His Word and He shall in His time reduce the blasphemer to absolute and eternal silence.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

At the outset of this present Bible study, we considered the lead story in “yesterday’s” Jerusalem Times.

Now consider the headline and lead story in “today’s” newspaper:

ASSYRIANS TURNED BACK, JERUSALEM STILL STANDING!

Invader Sustains Devastating Losses, Assyrian Survivors Retreat in Disarray

JERUSALEM—Last night at approximately two a.m. local time, the Angel of the LORD dealt a devastating blow to the Assyrian armies assembled around this capital city. Reliable sources report the death toll to be 185,000.

The discovery of the bodies early this morning has left the remnants of this once great army panic-stricken and in disarray. The surviving officers have been forced to “reconsider” their present campaign against the Jewish capital.

Receiving reports of a further setback closer to home, King Sennacherib has departed this morning in order to return to Nineveh. He was not available for comment.

When we encounter those who would defy God and blaspheme His Name, let us remember and follow the godly example of King Hezekiah. Let us 1) Exercise a godly silence; 2) Take the matter to the LORD in prayer; and, 3) Place our confidence in God’s Word.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. How does the Assyrian field commander describe the king of Assyria? See Isa. 36:4; note, also, Isa. 10:13. What word best describes his attitude? As a Christian, have you ever encountered such men? What does the LORD say about all those who express such an attitude? See Isa. 2:11,

The field commander said to them, Tell Hezekiah, This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says, In what do you place your confidence? Isa. 36:4

...he has said, ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I have removed the boundaries of the nations and have plundered their treasures. With the strength of a bull I have brought down those who sit on thrones.’Isa. 10:13

The arrogant looks of man will be brought low, and the lofty pride of men will be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted on that day.Isa. 2:11

2. How does the Assyrian commander disparage the LORD? See Isa. 36:13, 18-20. While the commander reduces the LORD to the level of the gods of the nations, what does the LORD say about Himself in contrast to those so-called gods? See Isa. 45:21b-22,

¹³Then the commander stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of the Jews, Pay attention to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! ... ¹⁸Beware, lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? ²⁰Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand? Isa. 36:13, 18-20

There is no other God besides me. [I am] a just God and a Savior—there is none besides me. ²²Turn to me and be saved, [you people from] all the ends of the earth; because I am God, and there is none other.Isa. 45:21b-22

3. When confronted with the arrogance and blasphemies of the Assyrian field commander, how does Hezekiah instruct his representatives to respond? See Isa. 36:21. How did our Lord Jesus respond to men who resolutely set themselves against the truth? See Matt. 26:59-63a. What counsel does the Lord give us, should we be confronted by such men? See Matt. 6:7,

When confronted with the Assyrian commander’s arrogance and blasphemies, Hezekiah’s representatives

held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, 'Do not answer him.'Isa. 36:21

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. ⁶⁰But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally, two came forward ⁶¹and declared, This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ⁶²Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, 'Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?' ⁶³But Jesus remained silent. Matt. 26:59-63a

Do not give to dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. Matt. 6:7

We are not permitted to allow the sacred things of God, His name and His word, to be presented to men intent on blaspheming such sacred things.

4. When Hezekiah’s representatives present to him the message communicated by the Assyrian commander, what does Hezekiah do? See Isa. 37:14-15. In his prayer, what does Hezekiah affirm about the LORD? See Isa. 37:16. What does He ask the LORD to do, and for what reason? See Isa. 37:20. As a Christian, is your primary concern for the glory of the LORD, and that He would act in defense of the honor of His holy name?

Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. ¹⁵Then Hezekiah prayed to the LORD...Isa. 37:14-15

O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the one who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, [are God] of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.Isa. 37:16

Now, therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are the LORD, you alone.Isa. 37:20

5. How does the LORD respond to Hezekiah’s prayer, and how does He reply to the Assyrian king? See Isa. 37:21-24, 26, 28-29, 35. As a Christian, do you take confidence in the fact that the LORD our God, is God indeed, and that He will defend you, preserve your soul, and finally dispose of all His and our enemies?

²¹Then Isaiah...sent to Hezekiah, saying, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, ²²this is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him: ...²³Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, and lifted up your eyes on high? [You have done so] against the Holy One of Israel. ²⁴By your servants you have reproached the LORD, and said, By the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the limits of Lebanon... ²⁶Have you not heard how I have done it long ago? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be your [duty] to reduce fortified cities to heaps of rubble...²⁸...I know your dwelling place, your going out and your coming in, and your raging against me. ²⁹Because your rage against me and your tumult have come up to my ears, I will therefore put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way that you came...³⁵...I will defend this city, to save it for my own sake... Isa. 37:21-24, 26, 28-29, 35