There are a number of passages in the Old Testament that could be called, for lack of a better term, showdown passages. What we see in these texts are the enemies of the Lord making their claims, the Lord making his claims through a prophet or man of God, and then the showdown to see who is really faithful in keeping their claims. For example, the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 could be one of these passages. Goliath and the Philistines are mocking the army of Israel. David, the man of God here, challenges Goliath for defying the armies of the living God and strikes Goliath with the stones and kills him. Another example would Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel in 1 Kings 18. Elijah calls for the prophets of Baal to entreat Baal to burn the sacrifice, which they do and fail. Elijah then calls on the Lord and the Lord answers by fire and consumes the sacrifice and even the water on the ground. I could go on and talk about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3, but I think you get the idea.

Our passage this morning could be included in these showdown passages. For the past few weeks, as we have been looking at chapters 13-35, Isaiah has been proclaiming God as the King and Ruler over all the nations. Specifically, Isaiah has talked about Egypt, Syria, and Assyria, along with Judah and Israel. The prophet reminds over and again of the Lord’s control over all these nations. Yet, is all this just talk? I mean anyone can claim to be in control of the nations, but what is the proof? That question is addressed in our text this morning. As we shall see, the showdown is set, the pieces are in place, the claims have been made, and as we have seen in the other texts mentioned above, we see clearly that the battle indeed belongs to the Lord.

What I want to do this morning is begin by simply running through the story and what takes place in chapter 36-37. After this I simply want to ask and answer the question, What can we learn about God from this text and how can we apply this to our own lives today. So then, let us begin by looking at the story itself.

The Story
In order to understand exactly what is going on in these two chapters, we need to identify the different characters that are involved. First there is Sennacherib. We read of him in verse 1 of chapter 36: In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. As we see, Sennacherib is the King of Assyria. It is probable to date the beginning of Sennacherib’s reign around 700 b.c. Now we should also note here that Israel, the Northern Kingdom, had fallen to Assyria only about 20 years earlier. Thus, there is no doubt that they are a serious threat to Judah. Sennacherib had already moved down the coast of modern Israel and taken many of the cities, as the text mentions. Now, Sennacherib had moved inland. He took the fortified city of Lachish, also mentioned in the text, which was about 30 miles from Jerusalem. From Lachish, he sent the Rabshakeh, our next notable character to speak to Hezekiah’s men. The Rabshakeh was simply a high ranking Assyrian military officer.

As the text notes, Hezekiah is the King of the Southern Kingdom of Judah at this point. Hezekiah is one of the few Kings that the books of 1 and 2 Kings speaks well of. He had fought for religious reform in Judah by seeking to end idol worship and calling for worship of Yahweh to be done in Jerusalem at the temple. As we shall see next week, Hezekiah is not perfect. Yet, we do see his faithfulness to the Lord in our chapters this morning.

Now the actual story picks up with the Rabshakeh coming to speak with Hezekiah’s men by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s field. An interesting aside about this location is that this is the place that Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father, refuses the word of Isaiah in chapters 7-8. It is seemingly ironic that Sennacherib’s men would challenge Judah at this spot. Nevertheless, chapter 36 contains the speech of the Rabshakeh. In the first part of his speech (v. 4-9), the Rabshakeh questions Judah’s trust in Egypt, something Isaiah had warned them of, questions their trust in the Lord, points out their lack of manpower, and claims they have divine authority to siege Judah. Look at verse 7 with me: But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar.” This verse reveals the Rabshakeh’s ignorance of true worship of Yahweh. He views Hezekiah’s reforms as detestable to any god, for Hezekiah is only allowing for worship in one place. This is a gross misunderstanding.

Yet, apparently Hezekiah’s men fear that some of the men sitting around might actually agree with the Rabshakeh. Thus they ask for him to speak only in Aramaic, which the people would not understand. Yet, as any good politician, the Rabshakeh wants to appeal to the people, for he hopes that they will put pressure on the King. Thus, he continues his speech in v. 13-20. Here he tries to demoralize the people and win them to his side. Yet, in v. 18-20 he makes a grave mistake. He compares the God of Judah to that of the gods of the other nations that Assyria has already conquered. Thus, we see the clear challenge to Yahweh.

In chapter 37 we see Hezekiah’s response, Isaiah’s response, and ultimately the Lord’s response. In v. 1-13 Hezekiah responds by calling on Isaiah to pray for Judah. Isaiah simply comforts Hezekiah and tells him that Sennacherib will be distracted. We see that this happens in v. 8-9. Yet, just when Hezekiah was tempted to relax, the King sends word to Hezekiah that it would be pointless for Hezekiah to resist, for he will fall just as all the other kings have fallen. Again, he challenges Hezekiah’s trust in the Lord.

Hezekiah responds to this threat with prayer. We read of this in v.14-20. Hezekiah calls on God to hear what Sennacherib has said and to deliver Judah for the sake of His own name. Hezekiah entreats God for the sake of His own glory to defeat Assyria.

Hezekiah’s prayer is followed by Isaiah’s prophecy. In v. 21-25, the Lord condemns through Isaiah the arrogance of Assyria. Then in v. 26-35, the Lord makes His purposes and His plan clear. He speaks of Judah prospering and of the judgment that He will bring on Sennacherib and Assyria. Then the Lord acts. In v. 36-38, we read of the angel of the Lord killing 185,000 Assyrians. The chapter then concludes with the death of Sennacherib at the hands of his own sons in the temple of his god. Thus, the Lord makes it clear again who is indeed in control of all the nations and all the kingdoms.

What can we learn about God from this text and how can we apply it this today?

First, we learn that the Lord hears the prayers of His people and delivers them. One of the interesting features of this text is that Hezekiah prays for exactly what the Lord had already purposed to do. Isaiah had already pointed out what the Lord was going to do to Assyria. Look at Isaiah 14:24-27 and 31:8. Thus, Hezekiah simply joins himself in praying for the purposes of the Lord to come to pass. Why? Because prayer is the means by which the Lord brings his purposes to come to pass.

Thus, may we not call to the Lord in our time of need in light of his eternal purposes. When we struggle with sin, may we not cry out, “Lord deliver me from this and conform me to the image of your Son as you have planned to do from before time.” When the gospel is not allowed in certain nations, such as we prayed for Syria, may we not say, “Father you have purposed to redeem men from every tongue, tribe, and nation for your glory, so we ask for Syria, for Indonesia, for even the Musi Banyuasin.” And when the battle over abortion, and homosexuality, and sin in the Church, and lost loved ones, and on and on, becomes too much, may we not cry out with Hezekiah, “O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, who is above the cheribum. You are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms and nations and peoples of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth. Incline your ear, hear the arrogance of sin and death, and come defend Your Holy Name. Call out the final enemy of death and swallow it up with the victory of Your Son.” O Church, may we not pray with such fervency and passion and purpose, trusting in the Holy One of Israel.

Second, we learn that the enemies of the Lord only have power for a time and they are always subject to the Lord’s control. The men of Assyria boasted in their victories. They bragged about their conquests. Yet, Isaiah points out in v. 26-29 of chapter 37 that they are simply carrying out the plans of the Lord. In verse 15 of chapter 10, the Lord speaks Assyria in this way: Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood. This reminds me of when Jesus says to Pilate, You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been give you from above (John 19:11). Christ knew that all authority comes from the Father and that His enemies would only triumph for a time.

Thus, may we trust in the Lord’s sovereign control over all His enemies. It is easy for us to fear, worry, and be crushed under the weight of our enemies. But like David, can we not say that the Battle belongs to the Lord. Like Elijah can we not proclaim that the God of Israel will answer by fire. And with Isaiah and Hezekiah, can we not say that all is under the control of the Sovereign Lord. As Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 15, sin and death will only reign for a time. For a time is coming when they shall be defeated by the victory of Christ. May we take hope and trust in the Lord’s control.

Third, we are reminded in this text, and all the showdown texts I believe, that the Lord fights for His glory and for the good of His people. Hezekiah simply concludes his prayer in verse 20 by saying: So now, O Lord, our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord. This I think is the clear point of all these different texts that we have alluded to this morning. The Lord conquers Goliath that the Philistines might know that He is God. The Lord rains down fire on Mt. Carmel that the prophets of Baal might know that there is no other god besides that of the God of Israel. And the angel of the Lord slays 185,000 men so that Assyria and Sennacherib will see that the Battle belongs to the Lord.

Thus, may we not join ourselves with His fight for His glory. You might say, ‘That sounds great, but what does it mean? How do we fight for the glory of the Lord?’ Turn with me to John 15. Here Jesus is talking about being the true vine, even as we looked at when considering Isaiah 5. Yet, look what he says in verse 8: By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. This is Christ explaining how he will be the fulfillment of God’s command to Adam to be fruitful and multiply. Where Adam and Israel have failed, Christ has succeeded. For the glory of the Father will be known in all the nations as those who are in Christ bear fruit and so prove to be His disciples. It is easy for us to get caught up in the language and the moment and claim that we want to be spent on the glory of God. Yet, the fact of the matter is this, if we truly long for God’s glory to be known in all the earth, if we agree with Hezekiah’s prayer, then we will commit ourselves to abiding in the true vine of Christ and bearing much fruit. In short, we will obey. As you fact temptation this week, remember the prayer of Hezekiah and the words of Jesus and choose to obey for the Father’s glory and for your good.

As we come to the table this morning, may we again be reminded of the ultimate battle of the Lord. All these victories in the Old Testament point us to the ultimate victory of the cross. For there, all of the enemies of the Lord were defeated. And as we look back to that victory, may we look forward to the realization and culmination of this victory, which will be known at His return!

THE PROTECTION AND PROVISION OF THE LORD