Isaiah: King on His Knees

Isaiah 37

In May 1940, British and French soldiers found themselves in a desperate situation. Approximately 400,000 Allied troops were stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk, France with the sea at their backs and the well-armed German forces advancing toward them. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill cautioned the public to brace for some “hard and heavy” news. But then something unexpected happened. 

First, Hitler inexplicably ordered his generals to halt the advance. Second, inclement weather grounded the German Air Force, preventing it from attacking the beaches. Third, the English Channel, infamous for its rough waters, became unusually calm. Finally, hundreds of British citizens used their boats to cross the channel and rescue soldiers. Over eight hundred vessels, many of which were not military ships, participated in the evacuation. Military planners had hoped to save 30,000 soldiers. Instead, 338,000 soldiers were rescued in nine days (May 26-June 4, 1940). 

Churchill referred to the rescue as a “miracle of deliverance.” Churches throughout Britain held national days of prayer during and after the unexpected evacuation. 

Consider the events that unfolded to achieve this feat: Hitler halted his army’s advance, heavy clouds obscured the sky, and the waters remained calm. Was it an act of God? Does God intervene like that in real time? I believe today’s passage, Isaiah 37, will help us answer those questions. Let’s establish the context. 

In the first section of his prophecy (Isa. 1-39), Isaiah warned Judah that discipline was imminent due to their disobedience (Isa. 1-12). Judah foolishly relied on pagan nations for assistance instead of the Lord of hosts (Isa. 13-23). Isaiah reminds Judah that God would ultimately bring an end to all nations (Isa. 24-35). In Isaiah 36-39, the prophet returns us to the present with a historical interlude. 

If you view the miracle at Dunkirk as an astounding act of God, today’s passage describes another irrefutable act of God. 

After Hezekiah’s model prayer that we considered last time (Isa. 37:14-20), God responded through Isaiah. God said, “Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria” here is what I will do (Isa. 37:21).

First, God addresses Sennacherib, the king of the most powerful empire in the world at that time: "You are not mocking Judah; you are mocking me!"

Isaiah 37:22
“Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel!” 

God sets the record straight by telling Sennacherib who he is dealing with: “By your servants you have mocked the Lord” (Isa. 37:24).

Second, God calls out Sennacherib’s hubris by emphasizing his numerous chariots and military exploits (Isa. 37:24-25). God makes it clear that the Assyrians have been carrying out his plans all along. 

Here is our Anchor Point: 

Isaiah 37:26
“Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins…”.

How humiliating for Sennacherib! He thought he was conquering the world, but he was merely a bit player in God’s grand plan. Look around the world today. Name the powerful leaders who believe they are making things happen. They, too, are bit players in God’s grand plan!

Finally, God tells Sennacherib that his role in God’s plan is coming to an end. The Assyrians used hooks in the noses of their captives to assert their dominance. Now it was God’s turn to treat Sennacherib as he had treated the other nations. 

Isaiah 37:28-29
“I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came”.

God promises Hezekiah that he will replenish the land ravaged by the Assyrian invasion, stating that “Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward” (Isa. 37:31). They would be a “band of survivors” (Isa. 37:32). Their protection and restoration would be accomplished by the “zeal of the Lord of hosts” (Isa. 37:32).

On the other hand, the mighty Sennacherib would fall. God would not allow him to enter Jerusalem or even “shoot an arrow” against it. God said, “I will defend the city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” (Isa. 37:35). Isaiah records the devastating demise of the Assyrian army.

Isaiah 37:36
And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

This verse is stated, as one says, “brief and undramatic.”[1] However, pause and note what happened. In one night, the God of Heaven’s Armies sent an angel—One against 185,000!—to defeat the Assyrian army. God works in real time, in historical context, enacting his plans from eternity past (Isa. 37:26). God fights with us and for us. His plans for us will never be thwarted. Just think of that. His plans for you can never be thwarted, no matter what the human odds seem to be!

Isaiah also describes Sennacherib's demise. Earlier, God promised, “I will make [Sennacherib] fall by the sword in his own land” (Isa. 37:7). Here’s how that happened.

Isaiah 37:37-38
Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. 

The proud and pompous king of Assyria was killed by his sons while worshiping a pagan god. Notice the contrast between the two kings: Hezekiah went to the house of the living God and was saved, while Sennacherib went to the house of a non-existent god and was assassinated.

One more thing. Sennacherib’s murder took place about twenty years after the events in this chapter. God protected Judah from him for two decades, and what God said would happen, happened. I believe this is a compelling lesson about God’s sovereignty and timing. As he says in our Anchor Point passage (Isa. 37:26), his plans will come to pass, and they will always come to pass in his perfect timing.

So, returning to one of my earlier questions, “Does God work like that in real time?” Based on what you have read in today’s passage, considering the circumstances necessary for a successful rescue at Dunkirk, and what you have witnessed God do, I will let you answer that question yourself. 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Isaiah 37. Consider our Anchor Point—Isaiah 37:26. Do you believe that all of God’s plans will come to pass? Are you living with that confidence?  

Talking to God: Discuss with God the renewed confidence you gained from understanding what his sovereign work accomplished in today’s passage. 

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