◄ Isaiah 38:6 ►
And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
Study Bible
And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria.
This promise of deliverance is given to King Hezekiah during a time of great threat from the Assyrian Empire, led by King Sennacherib. Historically, the Assyrians were known for their military prowess and had already conquered many surrounding nations, including the northern kingdom of Israel. The city referred to here is Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, which was under siege. This deliverance is a direct intervention by God, emphasizing His sovereignty and power over even the mightiest of earthly kings. The phrase also echoes God's covenantal faithfulness to His people, reminiscent of His deliverance of Israel from Egypt. This act of deliverance can be seen as a type of Christ, who delivers believers from the bondage of sin.

I will defend this city.
The defense of Jerusalem is not just a military action but a divine assurance of protection. This promise highlights God's role as a protector and defender of His chosen people. In the broader biblical narrative, Jerusalem holds significant theological importance as the city of David and the location of the temple, symbolizing God's presence among His people. The defense of the city is also a fulfillment of God's promises to David that his lineage would endure. This assurance can be connected to other scriptures where God is depicted as a fortress and shield for His people, such as in Psalms. The defense of Jerusalem foreshadows the ultimate defense and salvation found in Jesus Christ, who is often referred to as the cornerstone of the spiritual temple, the Church.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Hezekiah
The king of Judah who was ill and prayed to God for healing. God extended his life by 15 years and promised deliverance from the Assyrians.

2. Isaiah
The prophet who conveyed God's message to Hezekiah, including the promise of deliverance.

3. Jerusalem
The city that God promised to defend against the Assyrian threat.

4. King of Assyria
The ruler whose army threatened Jerusalem, representing a significant external threat to Judah.

5. God's Deliverance
The divine intervention promised by God to protect Jerusalem from the Assyrian forces.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty and Protection
God is sovereign over nations and rulers, and His protection is assured for those who trust in Him.

The Power of Prayer
Hezekiah's prayer and God's response highlight the importance of seeking God in times of crisis.

Faith in God's Promises
Believers are encouraged to have faith in God's promises, even when circumstances seem dire.

God's Timing
God's deliverance often comes in His perfect timing, teaching us patience and trust.

Divine Intervention
God's intervention in human affairs is a testament to His power and faithfulness.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Hezekiah's response to his illness and the Assyrian threat demonstrate his faith in God?

2. In what ways can we apply the promise of God's protection in Isaiah 38:6 to our personal lives today?

3. How does the account of God's deliverance in 2 Kings 19 enhance our understanding of Isaiah 38:6?

4. What can we learn from Hezekiah's prayer life that can be applied to our own prayer practices?

5. How does the theme of divine protection in Isaiah 38:6 connect with other biblical promises of God's faithfulness and deliverance?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Kings 19
This chapter provides a detailed account of the Assyrian threat and God's miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem, reinforcing the promise made in Isaiah 38:6.

Psalm 46
This psalm speaks of God as a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, echoing the theme of divine protection.

Isaiah 37
The preceding chapter describes the Assyrian siege and God's assurance of deliverance, setting the context for Isaiah 38:6.

2 Chronicles 32
Chronicles the events of Hezekiah's reign, including the Assyrian threat and God's deliverance, providing a historical backdrop to Isaiah 38:6.
Sermons
Sickness and Recovery of HezekiahE. Johnson Isaiah 38:1-8
Human Life; the Kindness of God and the Wisdom of ManW. Clarkson Isaiah 38:4-6
People
Ahaz, Amoz, David, Hezekiah, Isaiah
Places
Assyria
Topics
Asshur, Assyria, Covered, Defend, Deliver, Hands, Safe, Town, Watch
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 38:6

     1320   God, as Saviour
     5292   defence, divine

Isaiah 38:1-6

     8614   prayer, answers

Isaiah 38:1-8

     5333   healing

Isaiah 38:1-10

     8610   prayer, asking God

Isaiah 38:4-8

     5548   speech, divine

Library
The Life of the Spirit
(First Sunday after Christmas.) Isaiah xxxviii. 16. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit. These words are the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah; and they are true words, words from God. But, if they are true words, they are true words for every one--for you and me, for every one here in this church this day: for they do not say, By these things certain men live, one man here and another man there; but all men. Whosoever is really alive, that is, has …
Charles Kingsley—Town and Country Sermons

No Man Cometh to the Father but by Me.
This being added for further confirmation of what was formerly said, will point out unto us several necessary truths, as, I. That it is most necessary to be sound and clear in this fundamental point of coming to God only in and through Christ. For, 1. It is the whole marrow of the gospel. 2. It is the hinge of our salvation, Christ is "the chief corner stone," Isa. xxxviii. 16. 1 Pet. i. 5, 6; and, 3. The only ground of all our solid and true peace and comfort. 4 An error or a mistake here, is most …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Epistle ii. To Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch.
To Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch. Gregory to Anastasius, Patriarch of Antioch. I have received the letters of your most sweet Blessedness, which flowed with tears for words. For I saw in them a cloud flying aloft as clouds do; but, though it carried with it a darkness of sorrow, I could not easily discover at its commencement whence it came or whither it was going, since by reason of the darkness I speak of I did not fully understand its origin. Yet it becomes you, most holy ones, ever to recall …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Letter Xliv Concerning the Maccabees but to whom Written is Unknown.
Concerning the Maccabees But to Whom Written is Unknown. [69] He relies to the question why the Church has decreed a festival to the Maccabees alone of all the righteous under the ancient law. 1. Fulk, Abbot of Epernay, had already written to ask me the same question as your charity has addressed to your humble servant by Brother Hescelin. I have put off replying to him, being desirous to find, if possible, some statement in the Fathers about this which was asked, which I might send to him, rather …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
A BRIEF AND FAITHFUL RELATION OF THE EXCEEDING MERCY OF GOD IN CHRIST TO HIS POOR SERVANT, JOHN BUNYAN; WHEREIN IS PARTICULARLY SHOWED THE MANNER OF HIS CONVERSION, HIS SIGHT AND TROUBLE FOR SIN, HIS DREADFUL TEMPTATIONS, ALSO HOW HE DESPAIRED OF GOD'S MERCY, AND HOW THE LORD AT LENGTH THROUGH CHRIST DID DELIVER HIM FROM ALL THE GUILT AND TERROR THAT LAY UPON HIM. Whereunto is added a brief relation of his call to the work of the ministry, of his temptations therein, as also what he hath met with …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Meditations for the Sick.
Whilst thy sickness remains, use often, for thy comfort, these few meditations, taken from the ends wherefore God sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are ten. 1. That by afflictions God may not only correct our sins past, but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruptions, and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit; like a good father, who suffers his tender babe to scorch his finger in a candle, that he may the rather learn to beware …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Assurance
Q-xxxvi: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM SANCTIFICATION? A: Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. The first benefit flowing from sanctification is assurance of God's love. 'Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.' 2 Pet 1:10. Sanctification is the seed, assurance is the flower which grows out of it: assurance is a consequent of sanctification. The saints of old had it. We know that we know …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Power of God
The next attribute is God's power. Job 9:19. If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong.' In this chapter is a magnificent description of God's power. Lo, he is strong.' The Hebrew word for strong signifies a conquering, prevailing strength. He is strong.' The superlative degree is intended here; viz., He is most strong. He is called El-shaddai, God almighty. Gen 17:7. His almightiness lies in this, that he can do whatever is feasible. Divines distinguish between authority and power. God has both. …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

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

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