July 25: Isaiah 37-29, Psalm 76

July 25, Isaiah 37-29, Psalm 76

Isaiah 37 We continue on with a high ranking military official mocking the living God. Hezekiah was devastated by the lack of respect for God and tore his clothes and mourned. He sent some of his servants to go seek Isaiah. Isaiah declared via God that the King of Assyria will be rebuked for this and God has heard Hezekiah’s prayers. God always has His way and sometimes He goes about things in a unique way… What is God going to do? “Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.” Does this actually happen? Of course, God said it would… The King of Assyria is not done mocking God yet and continues on mocking God. 

Hezekiah prays to the living God for deliverance, confessing the magnitude and majesty of God. God heard Hezekiah’s prayer and Isaiah reveals to them how Sovereign God really is. God had all of this planned out. God will protect His people because of the covenant with David. Not because any of them are so ‘amazing’ or anything of the sort, but because of His servant David. 

At night, an angel of the Lord was sent by God to the camp of the Assyrians and killed 185,000 soldiers. When Sennacherib, King of Assyria woke up, he left and went to go worship his false God in his homeland and was killed by the sword, just like God said would happen. Then the Kings son, Esarhaddon reigned in his place.

Isaiah 38 Hezekiah became sick to the point of death and Isaiah comes in. Isaiah tells him to get his house straightened up because he was going to die. Hezekiah pleased that God would spare him, and God decided to add 15 years to his life and confirmed this through a supernatural sign of turning back a sun dial (not much detail is given - except that this is obviously supernatural). Hezekiah wrote a prayer/psalm saying that God alone has all the power and our hope for deliverance should be in God alone. 

Isaiah 39 Word got out that Hezekiah was given another 15 years and and had peaked the interest of people, including the King of Babylon. So the King of Babylon sent his envoys with nice gifts to Hezekiah. Hezekiah brought them into his palace and gave them a tour of all of his nice things, money, and treasuries. He showed them everything (these were enemies…). Isaiah heard about it prophesied, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.” Strange isn't it? Hezekiah is going to lose everything and we see his selfishness - he thinks it is good because that will bring peace… Hmmm

Psalm 76 is a Psalm about God and His deliverance for His people. None can stand before the Lord, for He is God. God is to be feared because He controls everything. At God’s rebuke even a horse and a rider will lay stunned - meaning nothing is too great for God.

To sum it all up: 

• God has everything planned out. Trust in that in your current circumstance and trust that God has it all handled. Like Hezekiah, turn to God and trust in His ways and will. 
• Let’s not strive for selfishness but selflessness. Peace and security will be ours who trust in God, but that should not be what drives us. Loving and serving God is what should drive us.