So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. So Hezekiah received the letterThe act of receiving the letter signifies a moment of confrontation with a dire threat. Hezekiah, the king of Judah, is faced with a message from the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, which is filled with intimidation and blasphemy against God. The Hebrew root for "received" (קָבַל, qabal) implies acceptance or taking possession, indicating Hezekiah's willingness to confront the reality of the situation. This moment is pivotal, as it sets the stage for Hezekiah's response, which is not one of despair but of faith. from the messengers
The messengers are the bearers of the Assyrian king's threats. Historically, messengers played a crucial role in ancient diplomacy and warfare, often serving as the voice of their sovereign. In this context, they represent the physical manifestation of the Assyrian threat. The presence of messengers underscores the gravity of the situation, as they bring a direct challenge to Hezekiah's leadership and faith. read it
Reading the letter is an act of acknowledgment and understanding. The Hebrew word for "read" (קָרָא, qara) can also mean to call or proclaim. By reading the letter, Hezekiah is not only understanding the content but also preparing to proclaim his response. This act of reading is a step towards seeking divine intervention, as it leads to his prayerful action. went up to the house of the LORD
Hezekiah's decision to go to the house of the LORD, the temple, is a profound act of faith and submission. The temple in Jerusalem was the center of worship and the dwelling place of God's presence among His people. By going up to the temple, Hezekiah is symbolically ascending to a higher plane of trust and reliance on God. This action reflects a deep-seated belief in the power and sovereignty of God over earthly matters. and spread it out before the LORD
Spreading the letter before the LORD is a powerful gesture of surrender and supplication. The Hebrew verb for "spread" (פָּרַשׂ, paras) conveys the idea of laying open or displaying. Hezekiah is not hiding his fears or the threat but is openly presenting them to God. This act of laying the letter before the LORD signifies a transfer of burden, acknowledging that the battle belongs to God. It is an expression of trust that God will see, hear, and act on behalf of His people. Persons / Places / Events 1. HezekiahThe King of Judah during the time of the Assyrian threat. Known for his faithfulness to God and his reforms to restore proper worship in Judah. 2. The MessengersIndividuals sent by Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, to deliver a threatening letter to Hezekiah, demanding surrender. 3. The House of the LORDRefers to the temple in Jerusalem, the central place of worship for the Israelites and the dwelling place of God's presence. 4. SennacheribThe King of Assyria, known for his military campaigns and attempts to conquer Judah. 5. The LetterA written threat from Sennacherib, challenging the power of God and demanding Hezekiah's submission. Teaching Points Approaching God in Times of CrisisHezekiah's immediate response to a crisis was to seek God in prayer. In our own lives, we should prioritize turning to God first when faced with challenges. The Power of PrayerBy spreading the letter before the LORD, Hezekiah demonstrated his belief in God's ability to intervene. This act of faith reminds us of the importance of bringing our concerns to God in prayer. Trusting in God's SovereigntyHezekiah's actions show a deep trust in God's control over all circumstances. We are encouraged to trust in God's plan and power, even when situations seem overwhelming. Faith in ActionHezekiah's faith was not passive; he actively sought God's help. Our faith should also lead us to take action, seeking God's guidance and intervention. God's FaithfulnessThe account of Hezekiah reassures us of God's faithfulness to His people. We can be confident that God hears our prayers and is faithful to respond according to His will. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Hezekiah's response to the Assyrian threat challenge or inspire your own approach to crises in your life? 2. In what ways can you "spread out" your concerns before the LORD in your daily prayer life? 3. How does the account of Hezekiah encourage you to trust in God's sovereignty over your current circumstances? 4. What other biblical examples can you think of where individuals turned to God in prayer during a crisis? How do these examples reinforce the importance of prayer? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's faithfulness in response to prayer. How can this past experience encourage you in your current walk with God? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Kings 19:14-19This passage parallels Isaiah 37:14, providing additional context and details about Hezekiah's prayer and God's response. Philippians 4:6-7Encourages believers to present their requests to God with thanksgiving, promising peace that guards hearts and minds, similar to Hezekiah's act of laying his concerns before God. 1 Peter 5:7Advises casting all anxieties on God because He cares, reflecting Hezekiah's trust in God's sovereignty over his dire situation. People Adrammelech, Amoz, Assyrians, David, Eliakim, Esarhaddon, Haran, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Rabshakeh, Sennacherib, Sharezer, Shebna, TirhakahPlaces Ararat, Arpad, Assyria, Cush, Egypt, Gozan, Hamath, Haran, Hena, Ivvah, Jerusalem, Lachish, Lebanon, Libnah, Mount Zion, Nineveh, Rezeph, Sepharvaim, Telassar, Tigris-Euphrates Region, ZionTopics Hands, Hezekiah, Hezeki'ah, Letter, Letters, Messengers, Opening, Readeth, Reading, Received, Spread, Spreadeth, Taketh, TempleDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 37:14 5391 letters
8224 dependence Isaiah 37:14-17 5893 insults Isaiah 37:14-20 5292 defence, divine
8031 trust, importance
8611 prayer, for others Library Where to Carry Troubles
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.'--ISAIAH xxxvii. 14. When Hezekiah heard the threatenings of Sennacherib's servants, he rent his clothes and went into the house of the Lord, and sent to Isaiah entreating his prayers. When he received the menacing letter, his faith was greater, having been heartened by Isaiah's assurances. So he then himself appealed to Jehovah, spreading …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Triumph of Faith
'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. 15. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, 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. 17. Incline Thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open Thine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The First Trumpet.
The first trumpet of the seventh seal begins from the final disturbance and overthrow of the Roman idolarchy at the close of the sixth seal; and as it was to bring the first plague on the empire, now beginning to fall, it lays waste the third part of the earth, with a horrible storm of hail mingled with fire and blood; that is, it depopulates the territory and people of the Roman world, (viz. the basis and ground of its universal polity) with a terrible and bloody irruption of the northern nations, …
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
The Medes and Cimmerians: Lydia--The conquest of Egypt, of Arabia, and of Elam. As we have already seen, Sennacherib reigned for eight years after his triumph; eight years of tranquillity at home, and of peace with all his neighbours abroad. If we examine the contemporary monuments or the documents of a later period, and attempt to glean from them some details concerning the close of his career, we find that there is a complete absence of any record of national movement on the part of either Elam, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 The Golden Eagle is Cut to Pieces. Herod's Barbarity when He was Ready to Die. He Attempts to Kill Himself. He Commands Antipater to be Slain.
1. Now Herod's distemper became more and more severe to him, and this because these his disorders fell upon him in his old age, and when he was in a melancholy condition; for he was already seventy years of age, and had been brought by the calamities that happened to him about his children, whereby he had no pleasure in life, even when he was in health; the grief also that Antipater was still alive aggravated his disease, whom he resolved to put to death now not at random, but as soon as he should …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem Christ Rightly and Properly Said to have Merited Grace and Salvation for Us.
1. Christ not only the minister, but also the author and prince of salvation. Divine grace not obscured by this mode of expression. The merit of Christ not opposed to the mercy of God, but depends upon it. 2. The compatibility of the two proved by various passages of Scripture. 3. Christ by his obedience truly merited divine grace for us. 4. This grace obtained by the shedding of Christ's blood, and his obedience even unto death. 5. In this way he paid our ransom. 6. The presumptuous manner in which …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 A Discourse of the House and Forest of Lebanon
OF THE HOUSE OF THE FOREST OF LEBANON. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. That part of Palestine in which the celebrated mountains of Lebanon are situated, is the border country adjoining Syria, having Sidon for its seaport, and Land, nearly adjoining the city of Damascus, on the north. This metropolitan city of Syria, and capital of the kingdom of Damascus, was strongly fortified; and during the border conflicts it served as a cover to the Assyrian army. Bunyan, with great reason, supposes that, to keep …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
WHEREIN ITS GOODLY LIGHT, WALLS, GATES, ANGELS, AND THE MANNER OF THEIR STANDING, ARE EXPOUNDED: ALSO HER LENGTH AND BREADTH, TOGETHER WITH THE GOLDEN MEASURING-REED EXPLAINED: AND THE GLORY OF ALL UNFOLDED. AS ALSO THE NUMEROUSNESS OF ITS INHABITANTS; AND WHAT THE TREE AND WATER OF LIFE ARE, BY WHICH THEY ARE SUSTAINED. 'Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.'-Psalm 87:3 'And the name of the city from that day shall be, THE LORD IS THERE.'-Ezekiel 48:35 London: Printed in the year 1665 …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Prophet Amos.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. It will not be necessary to extend our preliminary remarks on the prophet Amos, since on the main point--viz., the circumstances under which he appeared as a prophet--the introduction to the prophecies of Hosea may be regarded as having been written for those of Amos also. For, according to the inscription, they belong to the same period at which Hosea's prophetic ministry began, viz., the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam II., and after Uzziah had ascended the …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Concerning the Lord's Supper
There are two passages which treat in the clearest manner of this subject, and at which we shall look,--the statements in the Gospels respecting the Lord's Supper, and the words of Paul. (1 Cor. xi.) Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree that Christ gave the whole sacrament to all His disciples; and that Paul taught both parts of it is so certain, that no one has yet been shameless enough to assert the contrary. Add to this, that according to the relation of Matthew, Christ did not say concerning the bread, …
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation Divine Support and Protection
[What shall we say then to these things?] If God be for us, who can be against us? T he passions of joy or grief, of admiration or gratitude, are moderate when we are able to find words which fully describe their emotions. When they rise very high, language is too faint to express them; and the person is either lost in silence, or feels something which, after his most laboured efforts, is too big for utterance. We may often observe the Apostle Paul under this difficulty, when attempting to excite …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Isaiah 37:14 NIVIsaiah 37:14 NLTIsaiah 37:14 ESVIsaiah 37:14 NASBIsaiah 37:14 KJV
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