Isaiah 37:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.

NIV: Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.

NASB: Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.

CSB: Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers’ hands, read it, then went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord.

NLT: After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.

Sennacherib has sent a letter to Hezekiah (Isaiah 37:10). He has done so after realizing that his attack on Jerusalem may be delayed by the approach of the Egyptian army (Isaiah 37:8–9). He wants Hezekiah to know he is still coming and that surrender is still the only wise option. He has warned Hezekiah not to be deceived by any promises from the Lord God of Israel to save Judah from him.

Hezekiah's response if profound. Without saying a word to anyone, he takes the letter to temple and lays it open before God. The Hebrew word used here implies that this was a scroll which was fully unrolled. Then Judah's king begins to pray for the Lord's help. He will ask God to defend His own name and to save Judah from the Assyrians. This will show everyone on earth that the Lord is the only true God.

Hezekiah's act of presenting the letter before the Lord is a beautiful example of carrying our burdens to God. The king is not asking God to read the letter as if He doesn't know what it says. He is asking the Lord to take responsibility for what he, even as the king, cannot solve. He trusts the Lord alone and nobody else to provide what His people need.

Paul tells believers in Jesus to do exactly this (Philippians 4:6–7). Instead of holding on to anxiety believers can present requests to God with gratitude. His people can trust Him with their burdens and fears. Doing this brings the born-again believer peace that makes no sense in human terms. Nothing about the circumstances will have changed in that moment, only the power of trusting in the One who cares to carry what we care about most (1 Peter 5:7).

Isaiah 37:14–20 records Hezekiah's perfect response to recent Assyrian threats (Isaiah 37:10). With no other options, Judah's King Hezekiah falls entirely on God's mercy in prayer and humility. He asks the Lord to respond to King Sennacherib's blasphemy. Hezekiah begs the Lord to save Judah from the Assyrians so that the entire world will see that Israel's God is the only true Lord.

Hezekiah is overcome with grief at news that Sennacherib has mocked the Lord and is coming to destroy Jerusalem. God reassures Hezekiah that the Asyrian king will return home to be killed there. Hezekiah prays in the temple, asking the Lord to defend His name and save Judah. Through Isaiah, the Lord reveals to Hezekiah that Jerusalem will not be touched. Assyria's army won't even have the chance to attack. Responding to their aggression and blasphemy, the "angel of the Lord" virtually wipes out the gigantic Assyrian army overnight. Sennacherib returns home and is later killed by his sons.

Isaiah 37 continues the narrative started in Isaiah 36. Assyrian messengers threaten to bring their enormous, nearby army to take Jerusalem. Hezekiah seeks God in response and is reassured that Jerusalem will not see so much as a single Assyrian arrow. The Lord promises to save the city and make the survivors prosper. The angel of the Lord kills an overwhelming number of Assyrian soldiers overnight. Sennacherib returns home and is eventually killed by his own sons. Hezekiah will then face a serious illness and be granted a brief reprieve by God (Isaiah 38).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).