WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:13.692 Okay, as you know, pastor Doug and pastor Micah are preaching through the book of Isaiah and church friends, we've come to chapter 36 today. 00:00:13.692 --> 00:00:19.288 So turn there with me Isaiah, chapter 36. 00:00:19.288 --> 00:00:26.073 Actually, our text for today is 36, verse 1, through 37, verse 7. 00:00:26.073 --> 00:00:33.453 Isaiah chapters 36 to 39 serve as a turning point in the prophecy of Isaiah. 00:00:33.453 --> 00:00:41.493 These chapters consist of narratives that are also contained in 2 Kings, chapters 18 to 20. 00:00:41.493 --> 00:00:43.345 They're nearly identical. 00:00:43.345 --> 00:00:55.381 There are some differences, but they're nearly identical and they function both as a conclusion to chapters 1 to 39 and serves as a transition to what follows. 00:00:55.381 --> 00:01:20.293 These chapters chapters 36, 37, 38, and 39, focus on three events involving Hezekiah and Isaiah First of all and we'll deal with that today and next week the Assyrian invasion of Jerusalem's miraculous deliverance. 00:01:20.293 --> 00:01:27.433 Second, we'll be looking at Hezekiah's fatal illness and his miraculous healing. 00:01:27.433 --> 00:01:34.033 And third, we'll look at a visit by a delegation from Babylon. 00:01:34.033 --> 00:01:57.608 These chapters bridge the present threat of Assyria and the future conquest by Babylon, and they set the stage for the themes of exile and the comfort and hope for restoration that dominate the latter part of the book, chapters 40 to 66. 00:01:57.608 --> 00:02:00.587 So let's go to God in prayer. 00:02:00.587 --> 00:02:07.061 Heavenly Father, I ask that you open our eyes so that we see wonderful things out of your word. 00:02:07.061 --> 00:02:12.493 Show us your ways, o Lord, and teach us your paths, amen. 00:02:15.401 --> 00:02:33.950 In ancient times, sailors would look to the stars in the heaven for navigation, but when clouds start to come in, in the cloudiness of storms, they relied on their knowledge, their expert knowledge. 00:02:33.950 --> 00:02:40.469 They called it dead reckoning, but that's a fancy term for best guessing. 00:02:40.469 --> 00:02:46.550 Who or what can you trust to guide you through situations like that? 00:02:46.550 --> 00:02:49.788 In the same way your own lives? 00:02:49.788 --> 00:02:52.287 Storms often cloud our vision. 00:02:52.287 --> 00:02:58.472 This is really tested when we face life's fiercest storms. 00:02:58.472 --> 00:03:04.051 Storms in your life have a way of producing anxiety and fear. 00:03:04.051 --> 00:03:10.665 Sometimes the stormy waves bury you under and you might doubt God. 00:03:10.665 --> 00:03:18.843 You might even forget God in your situation and end up making decisions in your life without God. 00:03:18.843 --> 00:03:21.807 This may prove to be disastrous. 00:03:23.591 --> 00:03:26.354 Today we'll take a look at the life of Hezekiah. 00:03:26.354 --> 00:03:32.127 The Bible tells us that he did what was right in the Lord's sight, just as his ancestor David did. 00:03:32.127 --> 00:03:35.527 That's 2 Chronicles 29, verse 2. 00:03:35.527 --> 00:03:49.864 But there was a season in his life when he faced one of his fiercest storms and was challenged by this question who can I really trust? 00:03:49.864 --> 00:03:59.245 Some of us may be going through our own storms right now or about to enter a storm that we don't even know about. 00:03:59.245 --> 00:04:10.407 So the practical question for you and me is how can fear, even the most intense form, turn into trusting God's promises? 00:04:10.407 --> 00:04:18.334 We'll tackle this question by examining three aspects of Hezekiah's life as he weathered through this storm. 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:21.709 The first identify intimidation and fear. 00:04:21.709 --> 00:04:28.091 Second, ignore the insulting influences. 00:04:28.091 --> 00:04:32.930 And third, invoke God's intervention. 00:04:32.930 --> 00:04:40.333 So our first point identify the intimidation and fear. 00:04:40.333 --> 00:04:46.459 There are two sources of intimidation and fear that Hezekiah, king of Judah, identified. 00:04:46.459 --> 00:04:58.333 The first is the intimidating power of the massive Assyrian army and the second one is the intimidating power of the Assyrian royal spokesman. 00:04:58.333 --> 00:05:03.831 So let's look at intimidating power first of the Assyrian army. 00:05:03.831 --> 00:05:06.363 Let's look at intimidating power first of the Assyrian army. 00:05:06.384 --> 00:05:12.012 During the course of our studies in Isaiah, we've had various encounters with the Assyrian empire. 00:05:12.012 --> 00:05:30.927 In Isaiah's prophecies, assyria's rise as a consolidated, expanding empire was reaching its height during the reigns of King Ahaz and now here in King Hezekiah. 00:05:30.927 --> 00:05:33.413 Assyria built up its reputation as an intimidating force to be reckoned with. 00:05:33.413 --> 00:05:38.305 This was due to three success factors First, its military innovations. 00:05:38.305 --> 00:05:43.550 Second, they had an empire-wide communication system that was second to none. 00:05:43.550 --> 00:05:47.656 And third, there was a resettlement policy. 00:05:47.656 --> 00:05:50.045 First, the military innovations. 00:05:50.045 --> 00:05:58.541 They had the use of a cavalry that was a shock force, that was well-equipped, well-trained and they effectively neutralized enemy defenses. 00:05:58.541 --> 00:06:04.012 They were also effective in reconnaissance, effectively neutralized enemy defenses. 00:06:04.012 --> 00:06:11.716 They were also effective in reconnaissance. 00:06:11.716 --> 00:06:15.238 But one of the highlights of their military innovations was the development of siege warfare. 00:06:15.238 --> 00:06:18.990 They built battering rams, siege towers. 00:06:18.990 --> 00:06:25.149 They were incredibly effective and they had their mark now in military history. 00:06:25.149 --> 00:06:33.754 The empire's communication system allowed the Assyrian king and his officials to communicate empire-wide. 00:06:33.754 --> 00:06:43.153 This was through a relay system and this depended on well-constructed and well-maintained roads throughout the empire. 00:06:43.153 --> 00:06:47.689 And thirdly, assyria's resettlement policy. 00:06:47.689 --> 00:06:55.129 We see this in how they treated the conquered peoples. 00:06:55.129 --> 00:06:58.321 This resettlement policy had two purposes. 00:06:58.321 --> 00:07:14.312 The first one, a negative one, is to break their identity and their spirit so that they will no longer rebel against Assyria, and Assyria did this by relocating the populations into areas across the empire. 00:07:14.312 --> 00:07:17.704 The second one was a positive one for the empire. 00:07:17.704 --> 00:07:27.392 The second purpose was that they used these peoples and relocated them so they could bring new agricultural techniques to develop new lands for the empire. 00:07:27.392 --> 00:07:39.473 Well, using these advancements, assyria conquered Samaria in 720 BC, taking the northern tribes of Israel into exile and settling them across Mesopotamia. 00:07:40.920 --> 00:07:53.973 Almost 20 years later, the Assyrian king Sennacherib, in our text today, continued to expand the empire and launched a military campaign into Judah in 701 BC. 00:07:53.973 --> 00:07:58.571 These mighty Assyrians thought they were invincible. 00:07:58.571 --> 00:08:03.250 So this brings us to verse 1, chapter 36. 00:08:03.250 --> 00:08:06.584 Turn with me there. 00:08:06.584 --> 00:08:16.249 In the 14th year of King Hezekiah, king Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 00:08:16.249 --> 00:08:27.151 Then the king of Assyria sent his royal spokesman, along with a massive army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. 00:08:27.151 --> 00:08:33.931 The Assyrian stood near the conduit of the upper pool by the road to Launderer's Field. 00:08:33.931 --> 00:08:42.110 Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, shebna, the court secretary, and Joah, son of Asaph. 00:08:42.110 --> 00:08:45.154 The court historian came out to him. 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:51.732 Housed in the British Museum in London is Sennacherib's annals. 00:08:51.732 --> 00:08:57.773 This was a collection of his military campaigns written on a stone prism. 00:08:57.773 --> 00:09:02.169 These also include the account of his invasion of the kingdom of Judah. 00:09:02.169 --> 00:09:17.230 These annals state that Sennacherib laid siege to 46 of Hezekiah's fortified cities from north to south of Judah and conquered them using siege, siege rams and battering rams and his foot soldiers. 00:09:17.230 --> 00:09:23.291 And in the wake of this destruction, sennacherib destroyed Tyre and Philistia. 00:09:25.679 --> 00:09:32.990 Sennacherib also defeated Egypt, and you remember who Egypt was and how Egypt played into this whole story around here. 00:09:32.990 --> 00:09:40.625 But he defeated the Egyptian army which came up to help Hezekiah, but they were no help. 00:09:40.625 --> 00:09:46.014 Hezekiah's alliance in Egypt for assistance failed. 00:09:46.014 --> 00:09:54.941 Isaiah had previously warned Hezekiah multiple times against seeking alliances with Egypt, but Hezekiah took matters in his own hands. 00:09:54.941 --> 00:10:06.274 Judah's neighbors also, edom Moab, were just as weak as Judah and were preoccupied with their own survival. 00:10:06.274 --> 00:10:12.008 To help, to help offer any help, hezekiah was left alone. 00:10:12.008 --> 00:10:18.403 He was isolated, no longer with any nation to turn to for assistance. 00:10:18.403 --> 00:10:23.629 So why did Sennacherib seek to destroy Judah? 00:10:23.629 --> 00:10:27.113 Well, isaiah here does not tell us. 00:10:27.113 --> 00:10:34.996 But 2 Kings 18, verse 7, indicates that King Hezekiah rebelled against the king of Assyria. 00:10:34.996 --> 00:10:41.668 Remember, judah became a vassal state of Assyria under Hezekiah's father, king Ahaz. 00:10:41.668 --> 00:10:45.894 He made an alliance with Assyria in 2 Kings, chapter 16. 00:10:47.341 --> 00:11:02.009 When Sennacherib conducted his military campaign into Judah and conquered those 46 fortified cities and numerous villages along the way, he came to Lachish and sieged it. 00:11:02.009 --> 00:11:16.875 Lachish was one of the most important cities in Judah, it was second in importance to Jerusalem and Lachish was only 35 miles southwest of the capital city, jerusalem. 00:11:16.875 --> 00:11:36.594 Sennacherib had his crosshairs really targeting Jerusalem, though Hezekiah acknowledged the slaughter that had already occurred throughout the land. 00:11:36.594 --> 00:11:48.833 It was a result of his poor decisions and he left only a small portion of Judah's population living only in Jerusalem. 00:11:48.833 --> 00:11:57.793 The threat of the Assyrians so intimidated Hezekiah that he thought he could use gold to buy peace. 00:11:57.793 --> 00:12:01.006 And we see this in 2 Kings 18. 00:12:01.006 --> 00:12:02.230 You don't have to turn there. 00:12:02.230 --> 00:12:03.581 I'll read from verses 14 to 15. 00:12:03.581 --> 00:12:04.143 Kings 18. 00:12:04.143 --> 00:12:05.244 You don't have to turn there. 00:12:05.244 --> 00:12:06.365 I'll read from 14, verses 14 to 15. 00:12:06.385 --> 00:12:12.614 So Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish. 00:12:12.614 --> 00:12:20.211 I've done wrong. 00:12:20.211 --> 00:12:20.673 Withdraw from me. 00:12:20.673 --> 00:12:22.039 Whatever you demand from me, I will pay. 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:29.879 The king of Assyria demanded 11 tons of silver and one ton of gold from King Hezekiah of Judah. 00:12:29.879 --> 00:12:33.611 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the Lord's temple and in the treasuries of the king's palace. 00:12:33.611 --> 00:12:40.299 Sennacherib accepted this tribute, but he then abandoned his agreement. 00:12:40.299 --> 00:12:44.311 He proceeded to send a massive army from Lachish to Jerusalem. 00:12:44.311 --> 00:12:48.089 He demanded total submission from Hezekiah. 00:12:48.089 --> 00:12:54.932 Sennacherib planned to permanently eliminate any further trouble from Judah. 00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:03.634 Hezekiah's plan of self-reliance, his self-reliance to remove Assyrian domination, failed again. 00:13:03.634 --> 00:13:07.900 First time it was the failure of the Egyptian alliance. 00:13:07.900 --> 00:13:23.168 The second time now it's the failure of the tribute payment to bring peace, although Hezekiah genuinely trusted in God, and we see that in 2 Kings 18 and in 2 Chronicles 29. 00:13:23.168 --> 00:13:41.653 His desire to be entirely free from Assyrian domination led him, in his own thinking, to formulate his form and policy without regard for God and without considering the message from God that Isaiah presented. 00:13:41.653 --> 00:13:47.150 So the first source of intimidation was the mighty Assyrian army. 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:53.633 Let's take a look at now how the Assyrian royal spokesman created the intimidation. 00:13:53.633 --> 00:14:06.033 The Assyrian royal spokesman, also known as Rabshakeh in other Bible translations, was joined by two other leading Assyrian officials With the massive Assyrian army behind them. 00:14:06.033 --> 00:14:24.649 They stood at the wall of Jerusalem, a short distance from King Hezekiah's palace, and, as a representative of the Assyrian empire, that spokesman spoke on behalf of the king, king of Assyria, king Sennacherib, to Hezekiah's three officials, and this is recorded in verses 4 to 10. 00:14:24.649 --> 00:14:39.605 That spokesman used verbal bullying and he used persuasive logic to undermine Judah's confidence in Egypt, in King Hezekiah himself and God. 00:14:39.605 --> 00:14:54.591 If the Assyrian envoy was able to achieve success in causing Hezekiah's surrender, the Assyrians would have accomplished their goal without any losses, without military effort. 00:14:54.591 --> 00:15:00.052 So let's see how the Assyrian spokesman tried to achieve this. 00:15:00.779 --> 00:15:01.364 First is verbal bullying. 00:15:01.364 --> 00:15:02.288 Let's look at verses 4 and 5. 00:15:02.288 --> 00:15:02.730 We see this there. 00:15:02.730 --> 00:15:03.375 First is verbal bullying. 00:15:03.375 --> 00:15:04.099 Let's look at verses 4 and 5. 00:15:04.099 --> 00:15:10.275 We see this there. 00:15:10.275 --> 00:15:12.404 The royal spokesman said to them Tell Hezekiah the great king. 00:15:12.404 --> 00:15:17.625 The king of Assyria says this what are you relying on? 00:15:17.625 --> 00:15:21.730 You think mere words are strategy and strength for war. 00:15:21.730 --> 00:15:24.525 Who are you now relying on that? 00:15:24.525 --> 00:15:26.510 You have rebelled against me. 00:15:26.510 --> 00:15:33.849 Observe the tone of these words spoken by the Assyrian spokesman. 00:15:33.849 --> 00:15:53.539 In verse 4, he referred to the Assyrian king as the great king, the king of Assyria, but he called out Hezekiah by name only, without addressing him as king, disrespecting him as the king of Judah. 00:15:53.539 --> 00:16:00.884 He also dismissed King Hezekiah's confidence by saying that it was supported by mere words. 00:16:00.884 --> 00:16:05.352 That was not supported by a sound strategy nor by the force of arms. 00:16:05.352 --> 00:16:09.924 That was verse 5. 00:16:09.945 --> 00:16:17.875 The Assyrian king's spokesman mocked Hezekiah by challenging him on whom and on what he was trusting in. 00:16:17.875 --> 00:16:32.407 The word translated in the Christian Standard Bible text as rely on or relying on, is mentioned six times in seven verses. 00:16:32.407 --> 00:16:35.836 Here, for example, we read in verse five who are you now relying on that? 00:16:35.836 --> 00:16:37.220 You have rebelled against me. 00:16:37.220 --> 00:16:49.123 The Assyrian royal spokesman used also persuasive logic to further intimidate King Hezekiah, and he said this and made four points. 00:16:50.784 --> 00:16:54.030 First, sennacherib thought through. 00:16:54.030 --> 00:16:57.922 His spokesman mocked Judah's trust in Egypt. 00:16:57.922 --> 00:17:00.043 Look at verse 6 with me. 00:17:00.043 --> 00:17:10.476 Look, you are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who grabs it and lean on it. 00:17:10.476 --> 00:17:14.910 This is how the pharaoh, king of Egypt, is to all who rely on him. 00:17:14.910 --> 00:17:23.991 By the time that Sennacherib besieged Lachish, he had already defeated Egyptians' army. 00:17:23.991 --> 00:17:27.213 He had already defeated Egypt's army. 00:17:30.420 --> 00:17:32.342 Second, the royal spokesman questioned Hezekiah's religious reforms. 00:17:32.342 --> 00:17:33.884 We see this in verse 7. 00:17:33.884 --> 00:17:50.905 He mistakenly interpreted Hezekiah's earlier removal of the high places, the altars, as an insult to God, when in fact these actions were really aimed at eliminating idol worship for the Jews. 00:17:50.905 --> 00:18:02.963 Yet the Assyrian spokesman figured that Hezekiah alienated Judah's God by removing all the places of worship except for the altar in the Temple of Jerusalem. 00:18:02.963 --> 00:18:14.180 Third, we see in verses 8 and 9 that the Assyrian spokesman sarcastically challenged Judah's military strength. 00:18:14.180 --> 00:18:24.775 He offered to provide 2,000 horses if Hezekiah could find riders for them, and he knew that Hezekiah could not. 00:18:27.006 --> 00:18:33.888 Fourth, the Assyrian royal spokesman claimed that the Assyrian invasion was divinely sanctioned, and we see this in verse 10. 00:18:33.888 --> 00:18:35.775 Turn there, verse 10. 00:18:35.775 --> 00:18:39.476 Have I attacked this land to destroy it without the Lord's approval? 00:18:39.476 --> 00:18:43.654 The Lord said to me attack this land and destroy it. 00:18:43.654 --> 00:18:50.984 He asserted that the Lord had instructed him to attack and destroy the land. 00:18:50.984 --> 00:19:00.435 This rhetoric was delivered loudly in front of Jerusalem's walls, to all those who were sitting on it and could hear it. 00:19:00.435 --> 00:19:16.881 This intimidation by both the Assyrian royal spokesman and the Assyrian army show us how fear can easily overwhelm us when we focus only on the visible circumstances. 00:19:16.881 --> 00:19:30.911 The visible circumstances Losing 46 fortified cities, along with the many, many villages in Judah severely shook Hezekiah's composure. 00:19:30.911 --> 00:19:44.490 The Assyrians' message focused on the visible path of Sennacherib's destruction, and now the present siege of Jerusalem pointed to an unavoidable destruction of Jerusalem itself. 00:19:46.433 --> 00:19:54.045 Can you feel the weight on Hezekiah now self? 00:19:54.045 --> 00:19:54.866 Can you feel the weight on Hezekiah now? 00:19:54.866 --> 00:19:56.730 The Assyrian threats symbolize the external challenges that you and I face. 00:19:56.730 --> 00:19:57.833 Are you facing opposition? 00:19:57.833 --> 00:20:08.854 While you encounter opposition, the world can tempt you to compromise your values and can cause you to distance yourselves from your Christian convictions. 00:20:08.854 --> 00:20:24.564 The demands of the workplace, for example, can lead to increased responsibility and pressure, potentially putting a strain on your relationships at home and at church. 00:20:24.564 --> 00:20:35.700 For Christian parents, they are heavily challenged every day with the values promoted in public, schools, the media and society and how they affect our school-aged children. 00:20:38.105 --> 00:20:48.940 And if you find yourself facing constant criticism or even harsh behavior from family members about your faith in Jesus Christ. 00:20:48.940 --> 00:20:53.087 You might even find despair closing in on you. 00:20:53.087 --> 00:21:03.663 These barriers can seem insurmountable and we often ask does God really have this under control for me? 00:21:03.663 --> 00:21:14.410 But wait, identifying the source of your intimidation and fear is only the first step towards turning your fears into trusting God's promises. 00:21:14.410 --> 00:21:21.500 The second step is to ignore these insulting influences that usually cause you to feel the fear, and this is our second point. 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:24.673 Ignore the insulting influences. 00:21:24.673 --> 00:21:35.231 Influences, the ridicule that Hezekiah received and the futile negotiation attempts that went on put a damper on Hezekiah trusting God. 00:21:35.231 --> 00:21:42.615 Worldly voices often dismiss God's power and dissuade us from trusting in him. 00:21:42.615 --> 00:21:48.513 How were these worldly voices affecting Hezekiah? 00:21:48.513 --> 00:21:54.969 Well, let's look at verse 11. 00:21:54.988 --> 00:22:10.085 Then Eliakim Shebna and Joah said to the royal spokesman please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it, don't speak to us in Hebrew, with an earshot of the people who are on the wall. 00:22:10.085 --> 00:22:20.917 Hezekiah's royal officials were well aware of the psychological impact that the Assyrian spokesman's words were having on those gathered on the city walls while watching the events in front of them unfold. 00:22:20.917 --> 00:22:35.036 Hezekiah's three officials protested immediately that he was not following diplomatic protocol by delivering a message to the king in a way that others could understand. 00:22:35.036 --> 00:22:50.560 You see, aramaic was the common language of the Assyrian kings and was spoken for international diplomacy, but only later was it expanded to be used in trade and other communication. 00:22:50.560 --> 00:22:55.054 The ordinary people of Judah at that time didn't know how to speak Aramaic. 00:22:55.054 --> 00:22:56.017 They didn't understand it. 00:22:56.017 --> 00:23:10.338 It was not until their return from the Babylonian exile that Aramaic became commonly used in Judah, and that was 200 years or more after this incident with Hezekiah. 00:23:13.227 --> 00:23:18.498 So now let's look at the content of these worldly voices that Hezekiah heard. 00:23:18.498 --> 00:23:22.595 We see this in verses 12 to 16. 00:23:22.595 --> 00:23:25.666 Verse 12,. 00:23:25.666 --> 00:23:40.096 But the royal spokesman replied has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men who are sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine? 00:23:40.096 --> 00:23:48.515 Then the royal spokesman stood and called out loudly in Hebrew Listen to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 00:23:48.515 --> 00:23:55.292 This is what the king says Don't let Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot rescue you. 00:23:55.292 --> 00:24:01.569 Don't let Hezekiah persuade you to rely on the Lord, saying the Lord will certainly rescue us. 00:24:01.569 --> 00:24:09.480 This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. 00:24:09.480 --> 00:24:12.073 Don't listen to Hezekiah. 00:24:12.073 --> 00:24:13.965 You see. 00:24:13.986 --> 00:24:22.134 The Assyrian royal spokesman highlighted the dire consequences of a prolonged siege and mentioned the shortage of food and water. 00:24:22.134 --> 00:24:34.875 The Assyrian spokesman's words were meant to instill fear and panic and to undermine their trust in King Hezekiah as well as their trust in God. 00:24:34.875 --> 00:24:47.272 The Assyrian spokesman reminded the general people of the hard facts of siege warfare, calling out to the people in Hebrew. 00:24:47.272 --> 00:24:50.071 The Assyrian spokesman ridiculed Hezekiah. 00:24:50.071 --> 00:24:57.307 He urged the Jerusalem residents not to let Hezekiah deceive them into thinking that God, their God, will deliver them. 00:24:58.511 --> 00:25:04.528 The Assyrian spokesman tried to convince the people that Sennacherib promised them prosperity in another land. 00:25:04.528 --> 00:25:07.151 That's verses 16 and 17. 00:25:07.151 --> 00:25:12.798 He says make peace with me and surrender to me. 00:25:12.798 --> 00:25:27.598 Then every one of you may eat from his own vine and his own fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 00:25:27.598 --> 00:25:31.574 Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you. 00:25:34.405 --> 00:25:49.134 The spokesman from Assyria also exhorted the people not to be deceived by Hezekiah, saying that even the gods of the other nations who were conquered by Assyria were not able even to save them. 00:25:49.134 --> 00:25:53.075 And you see that in verses 18 to 20. 00:25:53.075 --> 00:26:01.750 Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you by saying the Lord will rescue us. 00:26:01.750 --> 00:26:06.852 Has anyone of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 00:26:06.852 --> 00:26:10.615 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? 00:26:10.615 --> 00:26:13.753 Where are the gods of Sepharim? 00:26:13.753 --> 00:26:16.854 Have they rescued Samaria from my power? 00:26:16.854 --> 00:26:22.054 Who, among all the gods of these lands, ever rescued his land from my power? 00:26:22.054 --> 00:26:27.244 So, will the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power? 00:26:27.244 --> 00:26:30.470 Will the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power? 00:26:30.470 --> 00:26:35.939 So why should we ignore such insulting influences? 00:26:35.939 --> 00:26:43.883 The Syrian spokesman's speech planted seeds of doubt. 00:26:43.883 --> 00:26:51.704 He set up Hezekiah to question God's capacity to save. 00:26:54.005 --> 00:26:55.388 Worldly voices can cause us to doubt God's power. 00:26:55.388 --> 00:27:05.404 They can be very persuasive and particularly effective, especially when we're already feeling dejected. 00:27:05.404 --> 00:27:24.590 This point should encourage us, as believers, to discern and silence these negative spiritual influences and to cling to the trustworthiness of God's word rather than the worldly voices that we hear when we're not firmly grounded in God's word. 00:27:24.590 --> 00:27:34.090 Those worldly voices sound like megaphones to our ears and can successfully persuade us to turn away from depending on God. 00:27:34.090 --> 00:27:37.038 Have you ever tried to shout over a megaphone? 00:27:37.038 --> 00:27:41.730 It's impossible to hear anything else In our lives. 00:27:41.730 --> 00:27:48.351 We often let the megaphones of social media, gossip and even busyness drown out God's whispers. 00:27:48.351 --> 00:27:56.856 It's like standing next to a loudspeaker at a concert, completely missing the beautiful melody God is trying to share with us. 00:27:56.856 --> 00:28:04.577 Let's turn down the volume of distractions and turn in to his voice instead. 00:28:04.577 --> 00:28:16.169 So, when facing the storms of life, identify what is causing fear and then ignore the insulting influences from the world. 00:28:16.169 --> 00:28:21.338 And lastly, we need to invoke God's intervention. 00:28:21.338 --> 00:28:25.391 This is our third point Invoke God's intervention. 00:28:27.073 --> 00:28:29.896 Hezekiah's response was to go to God in prayer. 00:28:29.896 --> 00:28:32.846 Hezekiah approached God with a penitent heart. 00:28:32.846 --> 00:28:37.291 How did Hezekiah demonstrate his penitence? 00:28:37.291 --> 00:28:42.759 First, hezekiah owned up to his sin. 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:49.361 Hezekiah accepted full responsibility as king for the disaster that the nation had come under. 00:28:49.361 --> 00:28:52.407 We see this in chapter 37, verse 1. 00:28:52.407 --> 00:29:05.853 It reads when Hezekiah heard their report, the report from the three officials, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and went to the Lord's temple. 00:29:05.853 --> 00:29:13.541 This act was more than just the formal expression of distress and penitence. 00:29:13.541 --> 00:29:22.195 Wearing sackcloth was a sign of mourning for the dead or of penitence, deep penitence for sin. 00:29:22.195 --> 00:29:34.969 In dressing this way, hezekiah publicly confessed that he had misdirected the people of Judah as he walked, dressing like that, to the temple. 00:29:36.951 --> 00:29:54.392 And in addition, probably running through Hezekiah's mind as he walked to the temple, he might have been ruminating over the promises that the Lord had already spoken to him through Isaiah, such as in chapter 31, verse 8,. 00:29:54.392 --> 00:29:57.878 Hezekiah said a message from the Lord. 00:29:57.878 --> 00:30:02.436 Then Assyria will fall, but not by human sword. 00:30:02.436 --> 00:30:13.686 A sword will devour him, but not one made by man will devour him, but not one made by man. 00:30:13.686 --> 00:30:18.359 He also may have been thinking about another promise that Isaiah brought to him from the Lord In chapter 38,. 00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:20.766 Chapter 38 is coming up and we'll be getting to that. 00:30:20.766 --> 00:30:31.097 But I'll mention, though, that chapters 38 and 39, the events there in chronological time sequence occurred before chapter 36 and 37. 00:30:31.097 --> 00:30:40.773 But in chapter 38, verses 4 to 6, isaiah writes Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah. 00:30:40.773 --> 00:30:54.252 Go and tell Hezekiah this is what the Lord, god of your ancestors, david, says I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears and I will rescue you in the city from the grasp of the king of Assyria. 00:30:54.252 --> 00:30:57.038 I will defend this city. 00:30:58.586 --> 00:31:15.030 We're not told what Hezekiah did in the temple in this text, but he undoubtedly would have offered sacrifice for his sins and brought the nation's situation before God in prayer, and he called upon God to intervene. 00:31:15.030 --> 00:31:31.501 Hezekiah also acknowledged God's displeasure in him In chapter 37, verse 3, 37, verse 3. 00:31:31.501 --> 00:31:33.007 This is what Hezekiah says. 00:31:33.007 --> 00:31:37.037 Today is a day of distress, rebuke and disgrace. 00:31:37.037 --> 00:31:48.527 No-transcript distress. 00:31:48.527 --> 00:31:55.741 Distress is a result of external pressures and constraints that produce internal anxiety. 00:31:55.741 --> 00:32:00.653 There is no doubt that judah was in extremely bad circumstances. 00:32:00.653 --> 00:32:11.315 Rebuke the word used here points to the lord not being pleased with the behavior of Judah and her king. 00:32:11.315 --> 00:32:23.122 Judah found herself on the verge of national collapse, so it was not a simple verbal reproof or condemnation. 00:32:23.122 --> 00:32:37.605 Judah received the just penalty for her sin, and the word disgrace Disgrace is the result of God rejecting those who rejected him. 00:32:37.625 --> 00:32:40.210 As Isaiah introduced his prophecies. 00:32:40.210 --> 00:32:52.008 He said in chapter 1, verse 4, o sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, brood of evildoers, depraved children. 00:32:52.008 --> 00:32:53.932 They have abandoned the Lord. 00:32:53.932 --> 00:32:56.612 They have despised the Holy One of Israel. 00:32:56.612 --> 00:32:59.343 They have turned their backs on him. 00:32:59.343 --> 00:33:10.574 Judah used to enjoy God's favor, but now, having forgotten God and failing to honor him, god left Judah to experience his rejection. 00:33:12.942 --> 00:33:26.229 The tension inside Hezekiah now caused him to realize that the predicament that he and Judah found themselves in was more than just a political and military crisis. 00:33:26.229 --> 00:33:30.756 At the very root of this situation was a crisis of faith. 00:33:30.756 --> 00:33:39.288 It's the result of the sin of not believing in God's promises, the sin of not believing in God's promises. 00:33:39.288 --> 00:33:51.011 So when Hezekiah's heart reached brokenness, when his pride was broken, he called on God, through Isaiah, to rebuke the king of Assyria. 00:33:51.011 --> 00:34:01.050 Let's look at verse 3, the second part of verse 3 and verse 4. 00:34:01.050 --> 00:34:11.768 It is as if children have come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 00:34:11.768 --> 00:34:25.771 Perhaps the Lord, your God, will hear all the words of the royal spokesman, whom his master, the king of Assyria, said to mock the living God, and will rebuke him for the words that the Lord, your God, has heard. 00:34:25.771 --> 00:34:29.385 Therefore, offer a prayer for the surviving remnants. 00:34:30.907 --> 00:34:40.010 Note that Hezekiah was conscious of the extent to which his own conduct had distorted his relationship with God. 00:34:40.010 --> 00:34:44.387 Hezekiah could only venture a perhaps. 00:34:44.387 --> 00:34:56.148 In making his request to Isaiah, he said perhaps the Lord, your God, will hear all the words, and then he also speaks of your God. 00:34:56.148 --> 00:35:04.568 He implies that Isaiah, by his obedience, had maintained a closer relationship with God in a way that Hezekiah and his officials did not. 00:35:04.568 --> 00:35:11.164 These are the words of Hezekiah. 00:35:11.164 --> 00:35:14.329 Hezekiah's pride had been broken. 00:35:15.932 --> 00:35:18.141 But let's look at Isaiah's message. 00:35:18.141 --> 00:35:20.643 Now Back to Hezekiah. 00:35:20.643 --> 00:35:23.865 In return, it affirms God's intervention. 00:35:23.865 --> 00:35:27.250 In contrast to Hezekiah's sense of despair. 00:35:27.250 --> 00:35:34.476 Isaiah spoke with calm deliberation and pointed the king to God's promises. 00:35:34.476 --> 00:35:44.313 Isaiah said to Hezekiah in verse 6, don't be afraid because of the words you have heard with which the king of Assyria's attendants have blasphemed me. 00:35:44.313 --> 00:35:53.193 What was called for was trust, complete trust on the part of Hezekiah, and the promises of God. 00:35:53.193 --> 00:35:57.487 These promises had already been revealed to him. 00:35:57.487 --> 00:36:14.119 Isaiah assured Hezekiah that God, the covenant-keeping God, the God who established David and the throne of his kingdom forever, david and the throne of his kingdom forever would remedy the threat that the Assyrian army presented. 00:36:14.119 --> 00:36:31.856 Back in chapter 9, isaiah said he will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. 00:36:31.856 --> 00:36:32.860 Now this sentence is so important. 00:36:32.860 --> 00:36:36.445 The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this. 00:36:36.505 --> 00:36:39.793 God responded to Hezekiah's call to intervene. 00:36:39.793 --> 00:36:51.413 God announced that he was going to do three things in verse 7. 00:36:51.413 --> 00:36:53.456 God will put a spirit in Sennacherib. 00:36:53.456 --> 00:37:01.639 This was a spirit of deception, such that the Assyrian king would be mentally predisposed to responding to events in the way God wanted. 00:37:01.639 --> 00:37:11.632 So, in addition to putting a spirit in Sennacherib, god will cause him to return home after hearing a rumor. 00:37:11.632 --> 00:37:27.416 It's not clear what this rumor was, but some have interpreted it to be a rumor that Sennacherib would hear after 185,000 of his troops were slaughtered by God's angel. 00:37:27.416 --> 00:37:30.222 We'll see that later on in this chapter next week. 00:37:32.244 --> 00:37:37.994 The third thing God said through Isaiah is that God will cause him to fall by the sword. 00:37:37.994 --> 00:37:40.286 He will not die from natural causes. 00:37:40.286 --> 00:37:48.487 He will not die while directing a military campaign in a foreign land, like Ahaz's his father did. 00:37:48.487 --> 00:37:58.461 But the Lord will sovereignly orchestrate the events such that Sennacherib will meet a violent death where he would least expect it. 00:37:58.461 --> 00:38:02.969 It would occur in the security of his own homeland. 00:38:02.969 --> 00:38:14.896 In fact, his death occurred 20 years after this announcement was made, and we'll talk about that next week. 00:38:14.896 --> 00:38:18.925 These three promises imply that Jerusalem will not be defeated, and it wasn't. 00:38:18.925 --> 00:38:32.394 But most importantly for Hezekiah is that Hezekiah learned from these words that Sennacherib's end would be dictated entirely on God's terms and by God himself. 00:38:32.394 --> 00:38:39.012 There is no room that he could change any of this. 00:38:39.012 --> 00:38:44.972 God determined all of this in his own design and plan. 00:38:46.201 --> 00:39:07.527 So, friends, in times of crisis, hezekiah's decision to turn to God rather than rely on human strength illustrates true faith, while trusting in his own schemes, whether they are alliances with Egypt or paying tribute to the king of Assyria to get him off his back, to the king of Assyria to get him off his back. 00:39:07.527 --> 00:39:09.367 His fears persisted. 00:39:09.367 --> 00:39:18.076 In fact, all these things he did didn't help King Hezekiah one bit, but in fact it made things worse for him. 00:39:18.076 --> 00:39:31.280 Knowing and fully trusting God's promises, as Hezekiah eventually did, is the basis of reassurance and deliverance for believers. 00:39:31.280 --> 00:39:42.170 While identifying his fears before the Lord and ignoring the insulting influences from his enemies, hezekiah turned to holding fast onto God's promises and then invoked God's intervention. 00:39:42.170 --> 00:39:50.931 The loud threats of the enemy were replaced with a gentle and quiet strength found in faith. 00:39:52.820 --> 00:40:07.614 The season of Hezekiah's life demonstrates how God hears and acts on behalf of his people, and emphasizes that faith in God's promises will lead us away from fear to trusting in God's steadfast promises. 00:40:07.614 --> 00:40:40.052 It may require that your pride be broken, though this passage ultimately foreshadows Jesus' victory over our greatest fears, sin and the wages of sin death, reminding us that, just as Hezekiah found deliverance, we too can find deliverance to an internal hope and reassurance through Jesus Christ alone, who is our fortress and refuge. 00:40:40.052 --> 00:40:51.056 If you haven't trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I ask you consider how you will face the death penalty for your sin? 00:40:51.056 --> 00:40:56.148 Will you be like Hezekiah as he faced the Assyrian army? 00:40:56.148 --> 00:41:03.385 Who can you trust to deliver you Yourself, your own good work? 00:41:03.385 --> 00:41:11.867 Is that your pride or the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who knew no sin but became sin? 00:41:11.867 --> 00:41:19.811 For us to become the righteousness of God and therefore we no longer fear death or sin. 00:41:21.840 --> 00:41:28.112 Romans 8 tells us for there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. 00:41:28.112 --> 00:41:31.626 For there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. 00:41:31.626 --> 00:41:54.311 By keeping our eyes on the Lord and holding fast to the promises found in his word, like the ancient sailors who looked into the stars for navigational guidance, we can trust that the light will return as life's storm clouds pass, and through faith, our fears will turn into trusting in what God has promised. 00:41:54.311 --> 00:41:58.262 Let's pray, heavenly Father. 00:41:58.262 --> 00:42:06.811 I pray that when we face life's fiercest storms, we can say Lord, I trust in you and you alone. 00:42:06.811 --> 00:42:09.347 Remove our fears and anxieties. 00:42:09.347 --> 00:42:12.608 Cause us to hold fast to your promises. 00:42:12.608 --> 00:42:15.534 I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.