Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.'" Sermons
I. THESE WERE WORDS AGAINST GOD. Alas! there have been many such in every age. This is part of the perils of moral government, which leaves the creature "free." But God has set in order a universe of men, and not of machines, and he is too wise not to have ordered all things wisely and well. Man is evidently a being born to the perils which beset all freedom. Thus he can speak against the Most High. "I am equal to the sad occasion," says in effect Jehovah to Isaiah. "The servants of the King of Assyria have blasphemed me, but I will send a blast upon them." No more solemn thought can occupy our minds than the consideration how every day blasphemous, false, and base words are spoken against our Father in heaven. II. THESE WORDS ARE OFTEN DESIGNED TO HURT HIS CHILDREN. "Fear them not," says God; "they cannot hurt you." We are thankful for this revelation of the impotence of evil. If your character is falsely traduced, God can "bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." If your influence is injured for a time, God has so ordered the world that evil men reveal their true character. They are not good, and they know it; "and they that be otherwise cannot be hid." Let not the friends of God tremble in the presence of infidel insinuation or sceptical scorn. God's nature has been revealed. His wonderful works attest his power and goodness. Christ and the cross are the revelation of his love. III. THESE WORDS ARE SURE TO BE HEARD. We cannot at times help the entrance of evil, but we can help the entertainment of it. We must treat all the evil surmises of wicked men with the disdain that they deserve. We can, as Solomon suggests, "turn from it and pass away." Besides, just as there is in love what Dr. Chalmers calls "the expulsive power of a new affection," so there is in love to God a power to banish all that old love of the world which makes men mingle with the irreverent and undevout. The syren voice of evil whisperings will have no charm for us when we hide God's Word in our heart. The great lesson is not to be afraid of the wickedness of the wicked, or to make their words of account by taking too great note of them. Many malignant words would have perished at their birth if they had not been made much of by argument and reply. The best answer is to trust in God and do the right. - W.M.S.
Lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. I. THE PERSON WHO WAS TO ENGAGE IN THE WORK OF INTERCESSION Was one of great eminence in the Church and commonwealth, a great and good man, a prophet of the Lord, and one who was indulged with peculiar nearness to Him. Persons of eminent piety will not be contented with ordinary applications to the throne of grace; they will seek till they find, and wrestle till they prevail. This was a day of trouble, as Hezekiah calls it; and. therefore, it ought to be a day of prayer. Intercession is the duty of all saints. But herein ministers should take the lead. They are the Church's watchmen, and God's remembrancers. Zedekiah, who at one time cast Jeremiah the prophet into a dungeon, at another time desired an interest in his supplications, and sent messengers to him, saying, "Pray now unto the Lord our God for us." And God often spares the wicked for the sake of the righteous, and in answer to their requests, even as the intercession of Abraham was accepted for the inhabitants of Sodom.II. THOSE FOR WHOM THE PROPHET WAS REQUESTED TO PRAY were "the remnant that was left"; a certain number known unto God, and who remained after the rest were scattered or destroyed. This should teach us, that though in our prayers we should be forgetful of none, yet we are to be particularly mindful of our fellow-Christians, especially when in a state of adversity. It becomes us also to be attentive to public and national calamities, as well as to those which are personal and private, and to spread them before the Lord in prayer and supplication. III. There is something observable as to THE MANNER IN WHICH THE PROPHET'S INTERCESSION IS REQUESTED. "Lift up thy prayer." This expressive form of speech may teach us to remember — 1. That the glorious object of prayer is infinitely exalted. 2. The low and mean condition of the worshipper. 3. The secrecy of prayer, according to our Lord's direction, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet," &c. Lifting up a prayer may denote the same thing as David expresses by the lifting up of the soul to God, in mental and silent ejaculation. 4. The importunity and ardour of prayer. In lifting up our prayer to God, our affections should rise high, though our voice may be low and feeble. 5. The spirituality and heavenly-mindedness of the person engaged. 6. Boldness and confidence, accompanied with the hope of being heard and answered. 7. The proper end of prayer, which is not to draw the Divine Being near to us, but ourselves to Him. (B. Beddome, M. A.) 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 Bad, Behold, Blast, Cause, Caused, Cut, Death, Ears, Fall, Giving, Hears, News, Report, Return, Rumor, Rumour, Spirit, Sword, TidingsOutline 1. Hezekiah mourning, sends to Isaiah to pray for them6. Isaiah comforts them 8. Sennacherib, going to encounter Tirhakah, sends a blasphemous letter to Hezekiah 14. Hezekiah's prayer 21. Isaiah's prophecy of the destruction of Sennacherib, and the good of Zion 36. An angel slays the Assyrians 37. Sennacherib is slain at Nineveh by his own sons. Dictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 37:7Library Where to Carry TroublesAnd 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 Scripture The Triumph of Faith The First Trumpet. The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal 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. Christ Rightly and Properly Said to have Merited Grace and Salvation for Us. The Harbinger A Discourse of the House and Forest of Lebanon The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem: The Prophet Amos. Concerning the Lord's Supper Divine Support and Protection Isaiah Links Isaiah 37:7 NIVIsaiah 37:7 NLT Isaiah 37:7 ESV Isaiah 37:7 NASB Isaiah 37:7 KJV Isaiah 37:7 Bible Apps Isaiah 37:7 Parallel Isaiah 37:7 Biblia Paralela Isaiah 37:7 Chinese Bible Isaiah 37:7 French Bible Isaiah 37:7 German Bible Isaiah 37:7 Commentaries Bible Hub |