Isaiah 36—37: An Extraordinary Deliverance
HAVE YOU EVER been intimidated by someone's ability to present an argument? Have you ever been frustrated by someone's ability to twist your words and distort the truth? How do you respond in such situations? Isaiah and King Hezekiah were confronted with just such a situation. They remained confident in God, however, and were able to respond with force and conviction to the blasphemous words they heard.
Warming Up to God
Describe a time you have heard someone distort God's words.
Read Isaiah 36—37. »
Discovering the Word
- Use map 3 and the historical chart (in the introduction) to get a picture of the situation described in 36:1-3. (You may remember that the place where the Assyrian commander stood in verse 2 is the same spot where Isaiah had confronted Ahaz years earlier [see 7:3].) How do you think the Israelites and King Hezekiah were feeling at this point?
- How does the field commander distort the truth in verse 7 and in verse 10?
- What temptations does the king hold out in 36:16-20?
- What attitudes are demonstrated in Hezekiah's message to Isaiah and Isaiah's reply (37:1-7)?
- Sennacherib's response (37:9-13) is a cruder replay of the threats of his field commander in chapter 36. What is the substance of Isaiah's reply to Sennacherib's taunt?
- Contrast the word of hope to Hezekiah (37:30-32) and the shockingly brief statement about the end of Sennacherib's campaign and the end of his life (37:36-38).
Applying the Word
- In what respects can you see parallels between the threats of the Assyrian general and the temptations you face?
- In what respects can you take Hezekiah's and Isaiah's responses to Sennacherib as models for your own response to intimidation?
Responding in Prayer
As you face a world that is hostile toward Christianity, pray that you will be made bold in faith.
For Further Study
God at War by Gregory A. Boyd