Isaiah 36:22-37:20.  Again behind.  Been sick.  But here we go.  God’s reputation is on the line.  The Assyrian ambassador, Rabshakeah, has challenged the people of Judah not to trust in Hezekiah or God, no other kings or their gods have been able to stop Assyria, he has told them.  Hezekiah now has to choose, do what God has said thorugh Isaiah or trust his own plans and instincts.

The first thing Hezekiah did was go to where he was used to meeting God, the temple.  He did this with torn clothes and wearing sackcloth, these were symbols to him of extreme sadness.  Then he sent his leaders to ask Isaiah to talk to God, he was particularly upset by the fact that Sennacherib (the Assyrian king) and his leaders had challenged God’s abilities.  Isaiah told them it would be all right, they did not have to worry, the king of Assyria would leave and be killed in his own country.

In the mean time Rabshakeah went back to find the Sennacherib, his king.  Sennacherib had finished his conquest of Lachish and had moved on to the town of Libnah.  Interestingly the conquest of Lachish is recorded not only in the Bible but in ancient records which the Assyrians kept and archaeologists have found.  The conquest was also found recorded in a carving on the wall of Sennacherib’s palace in Ninevah.  At that time the Assyrian’s heard a rumor that the Egyptians were coming.  From his own records we know that Sennacherib fought and beat the Egyptians around this same time at the city of Eltekeh.  In the mean time Rabshakeah sent a written message to Hezekiah basically telling him they would be back and not to trust in God.  This time Hezekiah took the letter to the temple and personally prayed to God asking him to deal with this challenge of his (God’s) power.  In his prayer he admitted that the god’s of the other nations had not saved them and that they had not been able to withstand the invasions.  He concluded his prayer by asking God to save them so that the whole earth would know who the real God was.

Remember that the point of Isaiah so far has been that God will deal with pride and that God should be honored.  In this section we see Hezekiah go from being religious to actually laying himself before God.  He has made many reforms in his day, getting rid of false idols and working hard to follow God’s rules.  It seems interesting to me that the first time God is challenged that he sent his leaders to have Isaiah pray to “your God” but the second time he actually went to the temple to pray.  He asked Isaiah to pray that God would protect those left in Jerusalem but in the answer to Isaiah all he got was that the Assyrian army would be distracted and that eventually Sennacherib would be killed.  In his prayer Hezekiah didn’t ask for Jerusalem or the people to be spared but for God to be honored in the world.  What we see here is a guy losing his pride.  We see a guy going from what he can do for God to a guy who wants God to be honored.  Tomorrow we will see what happens when we put God and his honor first.  For me it is important to learn that it’s not about what I can do for God or what I do do for God but about realizing who God is (look at all the titles or descriptions in v. 16) and making sure he gets all the credit.  Lord help me live for you not so I can get the credit but so you can.  Let any victory in my life lead back to you.  Help people see who you are through what happens in my life.  Thank you for being a caring God who is there when we call to you.  Let me have the right reasons when I pray to you, for your honor.

Isaiah 36:1-21.  This next section of Isaiah gives us the history that fulfilled some of the predictions that Isaiah had made.  It is important to remember though that Isaiah is not writing a book of predictions nor of history, he is writing a book to move people in their relationship with God.  If you have been reading along in Isaiah from the beginning you may remember the two main ideas or themes in Isaiah are that God will deal with the pride of men and that he alone deserves to be honored.  Depending on how you look at it, there have been two or three or four sections to the book so far.  These are not necessarily divisions that Isaiah made but ones different scholars use to help us understand the book.  We must remember that the book is made up of at least some older messages that Isaiah had given to the people that he collected and arranged to help them.  Some of the stuff in the book was probably new at the time of writing the book.

The first chapter is an introductory challenge to Judah. The second section then there was a third section that gave many used a reflective structure to focus on God’s purity or holiness (chapters 2-12).  That section used the situation in Judah during the reign of king Ahaz.  Assyria was rising inn power in the area and threatening man of the local kingdoms.  In response the northern kingdom of Israel had joined forces with the Arameans (Syria) and was trying to pressure Ahaz, king of the southern kingdom of Judah, to join them against Assyria.  In response Ahaz made an alliance with Assyria.  His pact with Assyria led to an invasion by Assyria in 722-21 BC and Israel (the northern kingdom) was dismantled.    The third section of the book included various messages, called burdens or oracles, about various nations in the area (Chapters 13-27 at least)).  These chapters deal with the major (and minor) players in the politics of the region including, Babylon, Ethiopia (Cush), Egypt, and Judah.  This third section seems to focus on the situation during the time of Hezekiah, Ahaz’ son.  Like his father Hezekiah was faced with invasion, this time by the Assyrians.  Hezekiah too, was tempted to make an alliance, this time with Egypt and some others against Assyria, which he did.  In both cases Isaiah had warned the kings not to trust in their armies nor the armies of others but to let God do the fighting for them.  In both cases the kings were told they would be successful if they left the battles up to God.  Ahaz rejected God’s offer and where as Hezekiah eventually accepted God’s offer (though he did trust in an alliance at first).  Chapters 28-35 are sometimes seen as a fourth section or as part of the third section since they also fit with the warnings in chapters 13-27.  All of these chapters (13-35) try to convince Hezekiah to trust God rather than Egypt.

Chapters 36-39 tell us what happened during the invasion by Assyria during the reign of Hezekiah.  This story is told by Isaiah in such a way to remind us of God’s purity, integrity, strength, faithfulness, and love and of our weakness (in contrast to our prideful attitude about our selves and our friends).  In chapter 36 we are told that Judah was invaded by Sennacherib, king of Assyria, during the fourteenth year of Hezekiah.  That invasion happened in 701 BC.  Hezekiah reigned as king in Judah starting in 724 BC but the first 10 years were shared with his father Ahaz.  His solitary reign started in 715 BC.  By dating the invasion from 715 BC Isaiah might just be making a point of completely separating Hezekiah from his father.  As we will see other contrasts or comparisons are made.  According to verse 1 Sennacherib attacked all of the “fortified” cities and took them over.  According to a monument stone in Assyria Sennacherib took over 46 fortified cities in Judah.  So much for human strength, planning, and pride.

While the king was attacking one fortified city, Lachish, he sent three of his leaders to Jerusalem to convince the people to surrender.  The main leader, Rabshakeh (An Asssyrian title meaning chief cupbearer, like Nehemiah.  This would have been a position of great importance and influence, not just a food taster.) stood by a water pipe leading into Jerusalem and spoke to Hezekiah’s leaders.  This is the same place in Isaiah 7:3-9 where Isaiah challenged Hezekiah’s father to trust in God to deal with the invasion by the northern alliance.  So there is a second comparison between Ahaz and Hezekiah.  Rabshakeah challenges the leaders, and all who are standing on the wall listening, to surrender.  He tells them not to trust in feeble Egypt.  He also tells them not to think God will help them, since Hezekiah had torn down all the places of worship in the land.  He also comments on how the God’s of the nations invaded and conquered so far have not stopped the Assyrian army.  What he misses though is that the shrines Hezekiah tore down were for false gods and that the gods of the nations so far conquered were also false gods.  He also mocks their army by sarcastically offering Hezekiah’s army 2000 horses if they come work for Sennacherib, that is if they have 2000 soldiers to put on them.  He also tells them that their God told him to come destroy the land.  Although some earlier predictions did indicate that Assyria would be used by God (Isaiah 10:5-6) but they also predicted the destruction of the destroyer (Isaiah 33:1) and Isaiah 10:7 says that they did not follow what God wanted them to do.

The real point of what Isaiah is writing inn this chapter comes out in Rabshakeah’s comments in verse 15, do not trust in Yahweh (LORD) to save you.  He encourages them to give up and his king will give them a good life in their land (v. 16) until he takes them to a new and better place (v. 17).  The people did not respond and the Hezekiah’s leaders tore their cloths (a sign of deep spiritual offence, they felt that the words dishonored God).

So the challenge was made.  To use the words of Joshua from several centuries before, “choose whom you will serve”, God and his way or man and his way.  The whole offer from the leader reminds me of another offer in Genesis 3, especially when you compare the lose paradise of Genesis 3 with the events surrounding the “Day of the LORD” (another common idea in Isaiah).  According to Revelation 20-22.  The paradise lost in Genesis 3 is going to be restored at the end.  First there will be 1000 years of wonderful life on the earth, all of the kingdom promises made by God to the Israelites will be fulfilled as well as all of his promises to believers in the church.  After that there will be a new heavens and a new earth, a new land in which to live.  Satan is such a rip off artist.  The offer made by Rabshakeah is just a copy of the true offer by the true God.  It would not surprise me if the Destroyer (Satan, Apollyon which means destroyer, see Revelation 9:11) was behind the destroyer (Isaiah 33:1, referring to Assyria).

The good choice will be more obvious as we see more of the story but there are some hints in this chapter.  Look at who Hezekiah’s leaders are; Elaikim the son of Hilkaih was the chief of the household (not a butler but a very important political position like Chief of Staff), Shebna the scribe (some sort of accountant), and Joah the historian and note taker.  Do you remember two of theses guys from Isaiah 22:15-25?  IN those verses Shebna was the chief of staff and Isaiah predicted that Eliakim would take over his job because Shebna was being an unwise leader.  So there is a little proof of God working in this situation.  Remember the question is to trust in God or in Sennacherib or Egypt or self or whatever.  The little acts of faithfulness that God does give us hope and proof that we can trust him for other things.  Ahaz did not trust and his kingdom was doomed, eventually.  Now Hezekiah has a choice.  Actually he has already made it and it has not been going well.  In the next couple of readings we will see what he coan and does do about his poor choice.  But in the mean time we need to see and remember God’s faithfulness and be encouraged to continue to follow him.  God give me more faith.  Help my doubt.  Help me trust.  I don’t think my problems are as bid as Sennacherib.  Part of the problem is I’m not always sure just what you want.  Help me see and hear and give me courage to act according to what you want.  Help me LORD, help me.