God and the Gentile
Nations
Isaiah 37
In our last lesson
we saw that King Hezekiah of Judah's greatest threat was the
destruction of Jerusalem.
We saw a general
over view of these things. In this lesson we will see the things that
happened to evil King Sennacherib were executed and planned buy the
Lord.
We may not always
understand God's plan but we can be sure it is only God's plan that
will win the most souls.
It should be clear
to us that God's hand has been in the history of this earth since
creation!
God's eyes are upon
all men, those that love Him and those that do not!
God's ears are open
to their counsel and anything they say!
God is well aware of
every thought that goes through the mind of every human being on this
earth!
At the proper time
and at the proper place, God will frustrate all the combinations of
evil and bring to pass His purpose in righteousness!
We must clearly
understand as Christians, we can never triumph over our spiritual
enemies or have victories, without the almighty arm of God.
We already know that
Jerusalem and King Hezekiah were under the threat of a ruthless king
of Assyria.
Hezekiah has tried
everything in his own power to buy peace, which never works!
Nothing can stop a
foolish man seeking world domination except the Lord!
All of us should
also understand that the children of God are never powerless to
resist the evil in this world, as long as they have "faith"
in the One True God, Jehovah!
And a special note:
Isaiah was God's scribe for the Book of Isaiah but he also was God's
scribe for he Books of 1st and 2nd Kings and some of the same
information appears in all these books.
When God says things
once that should be enough but when God repeats what He says then we
certainly need to pay attention!
Let's begin:
*****Isa 37:14
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and
read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread
it before the LORD.
Isa 37:15 And
Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying,
The truth is, God
knows our needs before we even ask but He will certainly delights
when we get specific an unfold them with the confidence that He can
solve any problem!
Nothing is to hard
for God!
Jer 32:17 Ah
Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy
great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for
thee:
If God can but just
speak things into existence, how can anything be to hard for Him to
accomplish.
BUT, Prayers require
our "Faith" to be answered!
We should understand
the thoughts of King Sennacherib. He was seeking to dominate Egypt
and the only obstacle left in his path was Jerusalem. If Jerusalem
withstood him it would show his weakness and it would also leave an
enemy to his rear as he attacked Egypt.
Military commanders
do not like such things as this.
It seems the world
we live in today still think that the way to control the Jews is to
deny them the city of Jerusalem. We still live in a foolish world that is
determined to go against the Word of God and will certainly fail!
Sennacherib's
ambition not only threatened the Jews but also threatened the whole
world.
We see this in Iran
who desire to dominate all Muslim countries and then the world.
We see this in North
Korea.
I believe this is
Russia's goal and also China's but I also believe they respect equal
or greater power, unlike Iran and certainly unlike North Korea, who
has lived in denial so long that he really has no knowledge of
this world because he rejects it.
We should clearly
understand as Christians, that if we have something that is bothering
us and constantly on our mind, then it is important enough to take to
the Lord!
We will see the
Hezekiah knew that God cared for him as an individual.
We will see that
Hezekiah knew that God was his only help.
We will see that if
we are identified with God then God will identify with us!
God's treatment of
His children will tell the world that the Lord is faithful, the Lord
is loving, and our Lord is very strong!
We should see how
one single prayer from one individual can affect the lives of so many
people!
Jas_5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye
may be healed. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much".
One man's prayer of
"faith" can set a lot of things in motion that are in the
will of God!
Of course that includes the faithful prayers of dear ladies also.
The keys being that prayer must be a prayer of "faith" and that prayer must be for the will of God!
Of course that includes the faithful prayers of dear ladies also.
The keys being that prayer must be a prayer of "faith" and that prayer must be for the will of God!
So Hezekiah prayed.
*****Isa 37:16
O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims,
thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth:
thou hast made heaven and earth.
**We first see that
Hezekiah declared God's greatness. Hezekiah prayed to Jehovah God,
the Holy God of Israel, the God who was enthroned between the
Cherubim on the Ark of the Testimony in His Shekinah Glory. He alone
is the Supreme Creator of this world!
Jesus Christ teaches
us all how to pray!
Mat 6:5 And
when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they
love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the
streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward.
Mat 6:6 But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast
shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:7 But
when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they
think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Mat 6:8 Be not
ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye
have need of, before ye ask him.
Mat 6:9 After
this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
**Hezekiah had also
gone to the house of the Lord to make this supplication to the Lord.
We can pray anywhere
and at any time when we know the Lord but there is simply something
special about praying in the house of God, the place where we also
worship Him and Him alone!
**Hezekiah also took
the confidence he had in the power of God with him.
If we do not believe
the Lord is the answer to our problems and that nothing is out of
reach of His right arm, then no prayer will be answered!
In most cases we
make our own plan and then ask God to approve our plan and it simply
does not work that way. We must pray for God's plan and then abide by
God's plan! God gives us the knowledge and the examples of what He
has already done in His Word and God does not ever change. We should
be able to plan our prayers around these things!
**We next see
Hezekiah explained in detail the problems he faced and his nation
faced.
God does not want
some wishy washy prayer at any time but when we have a sincere need,
we need to to do our best to explain that need. God already knows, so
He wants to see if we really understand what we are asking Him to do.
*****Isa 37:17
Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and
see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to
reproach the living God.
Isa 37:18 Of a
truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations,
and their countries,
Isa 37:19 And
have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the
work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed
them.
Notice Hezekiah
first praises Jehovah, the great "I Am" of the Scriptures,
the self-existing God!
Jesus teaches:
Mat 6:10 Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11 Give
us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12 And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13 And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Note: Hezekiah next
ask to Lord to take into consideration the insults of Sennacherib had
said against Him.
We are wrong when we
are in a group setting with saved and lost people and someone insults
our Lord and we do nothing!
Certainly we should
not attack them with our fists but we should inform them that we
serve a Holy God who will not stand for such things before we walk
away from such things. If we are Christian then we must not be
ashamed to be a Christian!
Rom_10:11 For
the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
I also know that
there are circumstances in some foreign lands where this could result
in death and the death of the family.
We must use all our
means to protect our family and if that means quietly walking away,
then God will understand if we are walking away tall and not hanging
our heads in submission!
**True prayer must
always make reference to the "Glory of our God" and
requires all our "Faith"!
It was certainly
true that the armies of Sennacherib had laid waste to many nations
and had cast their false gods into the fire.
Aren't you glad we
do not worship some idol that we can sit upon a shelf, that needs
dusting and someone can take away from you and destroy!
**Even Hezekiah had
realized that idols are only the work of men's own hands!
Psa 115:3 But
our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
Psa 115:4
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
Psa 115:5 They
have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
Psa 115:6 They
have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
Psa 115:7 They
have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not:
neither speak they through their throat.
Psa 115:8 They
that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in
them.
It was also true
that many of those nations were much stronger than Judah and they had
not been able to stand up to this ruthless king but they also did not
know Jehovah God.
We immediately see
that our "Faith" does not have to ignore our difficulties!
Our "Faith"
must include the fact that nothing is to hard for the Lord to
accomplish!
God is able to
overcome any and every obstacle in our path if He so chooses!
We must also realize
that when our prayer seems to go unanswered in such situations, it is
not a lack of God's power but that problem may fulfill some purpose
that the Lord has and we will still remain safe in the arms of God no
matter the situation!
1Pe 3:12 For
the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open
unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do
evil.
1Pe 3:13 And
who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is
good?
**Before Isaiah
closes his prayer he gets down to his greatest request.
*****Isa 37:20
Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou
only.
Hezekiah had already
admitted that his enemy was very powerful but then he adds that the
power Sennacherib had over other nations was great and their gods had
proved to be nothing but false gods. Sennacherib's power over their
gods proved nothing because they were not gods at all but only idols
made of wood and stone and metal.
Hezekiah was calling
on the Lord to make this truth apparent to these Assyrians, that they
also worshipped false gods and only Judah worshipped the only true
God.
**He then prayed
"save us from his hand".
Notice that King
Hezekiah did not dictate how and he did not dictate the nature of
this salvation!
We must never ask
God to submit to our plan!
**AND, What we see
is sometimes the most effective prayers are the shortest such as this
example of the sinners prayer:
Luk_18:13 And
the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his
eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, "God be
merciful to me a sinner".
It can be as simple
as "Lord save me"!
Mat_14:30 But
when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to
sink, he cried, saying, "Lord, save me".
**Hezekiah ends his
prayer glorifying God: he said "that all the kingdoms of the
earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only".
If we are Christians
as we say we are, then we must also long for all others to know our
God, even our enemies!
We need to long for
all this earth to come to know the saving knowledge of the truth!
Luk_11:2 And
he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in
heaven, so in earth.
So how did God
answer this prayer? And notice how quickly God answered.
*****Isa 37:21
Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith
the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against
Sennacherib king of Assyria:
As most all of Judah
had denied God's prophets, God again sent His answer by the Prophet
Isaiah.
Note: Isaiah could
not have known these things of Hezekiah's closet prayer if the Lord
had not told him!
**Hezekiah had woke
up to the fact that he could not save himself, nor could he save
Judah by his own strength, it would take the strength of God!
What did God say?
*****Isa 37:22
This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The
virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to
scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
Isa 37:23 Whom
hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou
exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the
Holy One of Israel.
Isa 37:24 By
thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the
multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains,
to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof,
and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of
his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
Jerusalem, the
daughter of Zion, like a virgin maiden, who herself was weak and
helpless would stand in defiance of these Assyrians.
Sennacherib would
not violate the city of Jerusalem in any way!
The people of
Jerusalem would laugh at the feeble attempt of this enemy as they
fled from the long arm of God!
It is a fact that no
enemy had defiled the city of Jerusalem from the time of King David
and God was not going to allow it at this time.
The the city of
Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, it would be rebuilt with
the money of King Cyrus and it would remain the capitol city of
Israel until the Messiah's First Coming and this could not be changed
by some arrogant ruler in a foreign land!
AND, King
Sennacherib would be severely punished for lifting up his voice
against the Holy One of Israel, Jehovah!
We should know that
the Lord will not tolerate insults and rejection for any length of
time.
Psa 74:18
Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the
foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
This should remind
us of that day during the Great Tribulation when the antichrist
claims that he is the Most High God.
2Th 2:3 Let no
man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the
son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who
opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that
is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
shewing himself that he is God.
We see that King
Sennacherib was in fact a "type" of the antichrist and will
also suffer the humiliation of defeat.
What had Sennacherib
desired in his heart?
1) That his
overwhelming forces would cause Jerusalem to just surrender.
2) He would show
that the land of Palestine, with it's mountainous terrain deserts,
was no great obstacle to overcome.
3) He had visioned
of stripping the land of Palestine of all it's resources.
4) He had envisioned
a complete domination of the land of Israel.
His desires were
that of a monarch but he would see a complete defeat of his mighty
army in a way that could only be understood as by the "hand of
God".
And the Lord
continues:
*****Isa 37:25
I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I
dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.
Isa 37:26 Hast
thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times,
that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou
shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.
Isa 37:27
Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed
and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green
herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be
grown up.
Sennacherib had
bragged about all the things that he had done and would do.
He said he could dig
wells and drink the water of Palestine because no one could stop him.
He had said he had
the power to dry up any river in any besieged place, (which means he
would destroy all their defenses).
He was saying, no
one and nothing on this earth and certainly not some invisible God,
had the power to stop him and his mighty army and his false gods.
And now the Lord
speaks of his demise.
God then said, you
Sennacherib are a fool!
The Lord says:
1) Have you not
looked back on history of the Jews from the ancient times and seen
what the Lord has already done?
In other words God
said do you not know the truth of recorded history, and the truth of
creation and the history of Israel?
The leaders of
today, refuse to look back on the history of our world, and the same
mistakes are made over and over again and it is the people who suffer
the most and not those leaders.
And today the world
refuses to look back on the history of the Jews and see the mistakes
that foreign powers have already made against these Jews.
The truth is:
Gen_12:3 And I
will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and
in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
This is the promise
that God made to Abraham and we know that this promise would continue
to through the family of Isaac and not through Ishmael.
Gen 17:19 And
God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt
call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an
everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
God says that there
is no excuse for anyone not to realize who is in control of our
world!
Rom_1:20 For
the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
**Sennacherib should
have realized that all conquerors are just instruments in God's
hands!
**All that
Sennacherib had done he had done as God's instrument and by God's
permission.
And God will one day
use these same Jews for such a purpose in this world:
Jer 51:20 Thou
art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in
pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
Jer 51:21 And
with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with
thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;
Jer 51:22 With
thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I
break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces
the young man and the maid;
Jer 51:23 I
will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and
with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen;
and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.
Jer 51:24 And
I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all
their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD.
We are just as
foolish as Sennacherib if we do not believe these things!
The world is much
more foolish because they missed the great light that shined when the
Messiah came the first time!
Joh 1:1 In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.
Joh 1:2 The
same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that
was made.
Joh 1:4 In him
was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And
the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Joh 1:6 There
was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Joh 1:7 The
same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men
through him might believe.
Joh 1:8 He was
not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
Joh 1:9 That
was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the
world.
Joh 1:10 He
was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew
him not.
God had given the
Assyrians power but only by making making the other nations weak,
they were as the grass of the field.
In this area of
Judah the delicate grass of the spring will whither within a few
weeks and becomes yellow and parched and this would be the same for
these Assyrians.
We should all
realize that there is nothing that the Lord does not know know about
us, the saved and the lost!
*****Isa 37:28
But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy
rage against me.
Isa 37:29
Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine
ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy
lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
God knows where we
all live and He placed us in that place for a purpose and in
actuality, we should stay there unless God calls us to do something
else.
God knows our coming
out and our going in, which means God knows what we are doing at all
times, the saved and the lost.
God knows those who
love Him and those who hate Him as Sennacherib did. Sennacherib had a
rage against God that he refused to quench.
These are things
brought his downfall!
The Assyrians were
in the habit of passing hooks or rings through the noses or even the
lips of certain prisoners to lead them into the presence of the
Assyrian king.
God promised
Sennacherib that He would use His own methods to turn him back to the
direction from which he had come, much like the bridle is used on a
horse.
And again Isaiah
turns to Hezekiah.
*****Isa 37:30
And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as
groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the
same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards,
and eat the fruit thereof.
Isa 37:31 And
the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take
root downward, and bear fruit upward:
Isa 37:32 For
out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out
of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.
Isa 37:33
Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He
shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come
before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.
Isa 37:34 By
the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come
into this city, saith the LORD.
Isa 37:35 For
I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my
servant David's sake.
This sign would be a
series of events that come together in a period of 2 years.
To me, the Lord has
given us a similar sign. The complete Word of God is a sign of a
series of events over 7000 years that will end with God's people in
the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem and everything will be new.
Rev_21:5 And
he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And
he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
We see that the
regular operations of agriculture would be suspended for this period
of 2 years, which means God would provide while the land of Israel
recovered from the destruction caused by the invasion of Assyria.
This would give the
people of Judah time to repair or rebuild their homes and repair
their wells!
The remnant of
Israel, which was those left of Judah would take root and blossom and
again there would be a growth in population.
Israel has always
grown in population through adversity!
Again Judah would be
given the opportunity to return to the Lord and they would for a
short period of time but they would rebel again as we all know.
But one day in the
future all these things would change at the return of the Messiah,
when again another remnant would return to the Lord and remain with
Him forever!
Isa 9:7 Of the
increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish
it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The
zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
As for the armies of
Assyria they would never enter the city of Jerusalem. In fact this
army would never get close enough to shoot an arrow into the city,
nor lay siege to Jerusalem.
Those that plan all
these things now should take note, by the way this army came they
would return to their homeland, at least those that remained because
this to would only be a small remnant, because God wanted these
people to explain what happened, which was the God of Israel is just
to strong to fight against! They could not explain the unexplainable!
What had the Lord
said: For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and
for my servant David's sake.
God will defend His
name when he desires but God will fulfill the promises He made to
David, at the proper time.
In most cases God
would use some human or a group of humans to do the task He has
assigned but this would not be the case on this day, God sent an
angel and He even had a purpose for sending this angel.
King Sennacherib
needed to know who he was dealing with and so must this world we live
in!
*****Isa 37:36
Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the
Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they
arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
In perfect silence
and at night time while this army slept and even with guards posted,
185,000 soldiers met their death at the hand of the Lord.
We see that the
"judgment of God" is harsh and without pity! This is an
example of Armageddon.
Those that remained
were in total shock as they awoke that next morning!
They then broke camp
and returned to Assyria and they did this in a hurry leaving behind
all the things they had stolen from the people of Judah.
Who is strong enough
to to fight against the Lord when one angel can do such a thing, the
Lord has an innumerable number of angels but also remember that when
the Lord speaks things just happen, without the need of angels.
*****Isa 37:37
So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and
dwelt at Nineveh.
Isa 37:38 And
it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his
god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword;
and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son
reigned in his stead.
This army remained
in Nineveh and they were never a threat to Judah again!
Even King
Sennacherib was later assassinated by two of his own sons and was
succeeded by a third son Esarhaddon.
The truth is
deliverance from sin is the greatest promise of God, if we just
acknowledge the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!
The deliverance from
the obstacles that we face on this earth can take place after a
fervent prayer of faith!
In fact without a
prayer of faith we can have no contact with God.
Heb_11:6 But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.
With faith, our
prayers are the most powerful tool we have in this world!
Jas_5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye
may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much.
When we call on the
Lord for deliverance, God will just deliver us in what may even seem
as a miracle or He will give us the power to overcome that obstacle!
King Hezekiah had
faith but not always. Like ourselves, his faith centered on if he
could see a way to over come obstacles himself.
True faith means
that when we can see no way out of our problems but God always knows
a way and we can depend on Him!
No matter what
confronts us, God promises to deliver those who love Him!
2Ti 4:18 And
the Lord "shall" deliver me from every evil work, and will
preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and
ever. Amen.
The Lord will never
forsake His people!
When the Apostle
Paul wrote this wonderful Scripture, he was looking at his death from
prison but he knew he could be delivered and he was. Because the Lord
will preserve all His children forever in His Heavenly Kingdom.
So give the glory to
God!
Psa 23:4 Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Questions?
Let's Pray!
