Grow Class 36-37

Chapter 36 ● While looking at the oracles from chapters 28-29, we noted that the message of Isaiah was about trusting in God. had made a covenant with , whom Isaiah compared to a covenant with death. In this story, Judah and her king are asked to place their trust in God in the face of overwhelming military might. ● It was the 14th year of Hezekiah’s reign as King in , the year being 701 BC. ● was the King of the Ayysrian Army, and sent a spokesperson from Lachish, an important Garrison city about 30 miles west from Jerusalem, to Jerusalem to partner with Sennacherib ● The spot in which the spokesperson made his heed to the people was the same spot in which Isaiah had confronted in the 7th chapter, which would remind us that the earlier Judean King was told not to trust the Assyrians, but Ahz did not listen to the given advice which is where they find themselves in this situation ● The claim was made that the Lord had told him to conquer this city ● The officials of Hezekiah came out to receive the spokesperson’s message, those officials were Eliakim who was in charge of the palace, the court secretary, and Joah the court historian, these were all very high ranking positions in the Royal court of sorts ● The goal of the given speech was to scare Hezekiah and the people, a form of persuasion for their surrender ● He would question why Hezekiah would resist in surrendering or joining the King of , basically the same thing. He would ask whether he was ready or prepared to face such military power, could they even stand up to resist them? ● He would talk about how Judah has Egypt as an ally but he called them the splintered reed of a staff, and we all know, reeds ain’t stiff. It wasn’t that wasn’t strong, they just couldn’t be trusted, a point that the Lord had already been making through Isaiah anyhow ● He then talked about how they really can’t stand up against Sennacherib, he says that “I would give y’all 2 thousand horses, if you can find riders for them”. This man is really milking his military might here ● His last appeal is that the Lord, would tell him to strike down this place and people, so just give up, your own God is sending me against you ● Now in the past this is something that the Lord has in fact done, but this is not one of those cases as we can see ● What do we see through all the appeals that he has been making? What is revealed about the heart of this official and Sennacherib? ● What has been doing throughout these 30 miles? We see he’s been thinking! He’s attacking their own military confidence, their alliances, and their spirituality, trying to bring them down in every way possible, total dissemination. ● The officials of Hezekiah did not want the Royal official from Assyria to speak in their tongue as to not scare the people, they did not honor that and spoke even louder, claiming that they should know what they are getting into ● The Assyrians spoke the dialect of Akkadian, while the Judeans spoke Hebrew, so the Official was probably speaking hebrew at this time as well ● But they requested that they speak Aramiac, which means maybe that they really did not want their people to hear what was being said ● Why do you suppose they wouldn’t want them to hear? Does it reveal anything about the heart of the leaders, the Kings? Does it reveal anything about the faith of the people? ● He continued to go on and make the threat that the people of Judea would drink their own urine, and eat their own excrement, that is what awaits them in their opposition, gross. ● Also makes the claim that neither their King nor their God can even save them, goes back on his spiritual appeal in that sense ● Waited for a response, but the people would remain silent, as King Hezekiah would have commanded them to Chapter 37 ● Hezekiah heard the report, was in great distress,he would tear his clothes and put on sackcloth, which was a posture of mourning and discomfort, as reflected in the clothes that were worn ● Hezekiah relayed his distress to Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, and sent them to the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah was not only recognized for his relationship and connection to God, but The King also desired Isaiah’s intercessory prayers also, to pray on behalf of another, in addition to his general connection with God to plead for their rescue ● This also reflects Hezekiah’s understanding or familiarity of who God was, as he would know who to go to for such prayers and requests ● Isaiah would send a message back to Hezekiah saying not to be because the Lord says that they have blasphemed his name, and he is going to return to his land, and will fall by the sword ● The Lord would send out a deceitful spirit to Sennacherib that would draw his attention to Jerusalem. This spirit of deception has been sent out before, if not this one then one like it. An evil spirit would be sent out to torment Saul in 1 Samuel 16:14 and a lying spirit sent to deceive King Ahab ● Immediately we see from the next message sent to Hezekiah that Sennacherib is already focused elsewhere rather than on the immediate siege and conquering of Jerusalem. ● Sennacherib would send a message saying not to believe The Lord their God, because they are aware of the damage he has caused and is capable of, then he lists the nations conquered, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, the Edenites in Telassar. The King of Hamath, the King of Arpad, the king of the city , Henna, and Ivvah ● Hezekiah would take the letter, and spread it before the Lord at the Lord’s temple ● He prays a prayer asking the Lord to open His eyes to see the ways in which Sennacherib is mocking the Lord, and that the Lord would save them so all can see His glory and power ● Hezekeiah addresses the Lord and His power by describing the beings in which the Lord is enthroned between, the Cherubim ● The Cherubim were/ are among the most powerful creations of God, and they are often seen in the most holy places. This specific instance refers to their wings and their covering of the ark of the covenant , with heads bowed low so as to not be overwhelmed by the glory and splendor of God ● Hezekiah, in his prayer would address how the name of the Lord was mocked, and desires retribution ● God’s message for Hezekiah is much briefer - he and a remnant of Judah will eat the produce of the land, not just this year but in proceeding years. ● Isaiah sent a message of the Lord saying, He knows, He knows everything, and that He will put a hook in his nose and bit in his mouth, and he will go back the way he came ● The hook in nose referenced a prisoners posture, as that was something often done for prisoners as they are taken into exile ● How does the descriptions of the Lord’s response to Hezekiah strike you? What is something you saw or were impacted by? ● Says there will be a sign, the sign will be that that year they will eat the food that grows on it’s own, the next year the food that grows from that. But in the final year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. The remnants of the house of Judah will take root downward and bear fruit upward. ● A remnant will go out from jerusalem and survivors from mount , the zeal of the Lord will accomplish this, the Lord will keep His word to ● The Lord says that the King of Assyria won’t touch the city. No arrow will be shot and no shield will come before crazy to think this is the power of the Lord. The God that we worship is insane ● What does this reveal about the God of Israel? What does this reveal about the state of man in comparison to who God is. ● The angel of the Lord went down and 180,000 in the camp of the Assyrians, peeps got up the next morning and there were dead bodies on the ground, no cause of death was pronounced, no real “battle” was had. Some scholars speculate disease, though this is not exactly alluded to in the text, this would again take place in 701 BC ● King Sennacherib survived, left camp, and returned home to . ● One day he was worshipping in the temple of his god . Two notes: 1. One day, leads us to believe that we don’t know how soon this would happen. Meaning that some time had passed since the slaying of his army at the Assyrian camp. Linking this next even to his death (which would take place in 683 BC), we believe that about 20 years have passed. 2. Nisroch was an unknown Assyrian god. It was more than likely a name the Hebrews gave to this specific god ● His son's Adramelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword (fulfilling the word the Lord had brought against him) and escaped to the land of Arat, a place located around the region of Lake Van North of Assyria. ● Sennacherib’s son Esar-haddon became king in this place. and Sharezer would flee