This chapter will be divided into two sub titles. Verses 1-4, king Hezekiah asks Isaiah to pray for him. Verses 5-38, Judah is delivered from king Sennacherib. Now, this chapter, Isaiah 37 and 2 Kings 19 are verse for verse and word for word the same written by Isaiah. I won’t be going back and forth because that would be redundant and boring. However, there will be some references taken from 2K.19 that we do not get from Isaiah 37. With that said, we will still see the like for the end times here in Isaiah 37 as we did in chapter 36. The reason both chapters (Isaiah 37 and 2K.19) are word for word is Isaiah was the prophet king Hezekiah searched for and sought to hear from God. The whole point was that the king of Assyria had come against Judah because Judah had fallen away (think of the apostacy in the end times) from God. Now here in chapter 37 king Hezekiah returns to the LORD. This prophecy will be fulfilled in the end times as Satan comes at the sixth trump and stands in Jerusalem claiming to be God. 2Thes.2:4. Keep this in mind as we go through this chapter. Isaiah 37 and verse 1 reads.
Isa.37:1] And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
Continuing from chapter 36, after he heard the words spoken by Rabshakeh, king Hezekiah turns back to the LORD. This is all the Father wants his children to do in these end times. Return back to me, saith the LORD.
Isa.37:2] And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
The king sent his cabinet to find Isaiah because he knew he was a prophet of the LORD. Covered with sackcloth means they were repentant. This is how one returns to the LORD, through repentance.
Isa.37:3] And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
The message from king Hezekiah to Isaiah is this is a day of trouble, should bring to mind the day of Jacob’s trouble. Here, we have the leaders of the people caught lying to them, and don’t forget that they stole from the house of the LORD to pay off a bribe. Being exposed by Rabshakeh to the people on the wall in Ch.36.
Isa.37:4] It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.
King Hezekiah is being humble and knows that Isaiah has the ear of God. Asking for prayer for the remnant is akin to the Elect in the end times. Isaiah had been warning those in power as well as the people, now they seek forgiveness. Now, the next 2 verses were included together in 2K.19, this brings both chapters differing by only this.
Isa.37:5] So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
[6] And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
They blasphemed the LORD by comparing him to other gods that do not exist. Isaiah is telling them not to worry.
Isa.37:7] Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
The LORD does this, not the army of Judah. At the seventh trump the LORD returns with a mighty army.
Isa.37:8] So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
[9] And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
These are the rumors from verse 7. Notice that Africa is now brought into this conflict.
Isa.37:10] Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
Isaiah tells them to give word to king Hezekiah whom he now trusts that Jerusalem shall not fall into the hand of the king of Assyria. Keep in mind the king of Assyria in the end times is Satan.
Isa.37:11] Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?
In the end times the whole world worships the antichrist, of course, they have been deceived.
Isa.37:12] Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar?
Notice that gods are lower case, there are no other gods but the LORD. Telassar is only mentioned here in Isaiah 37:12. In 2K.19:12 it is called Thelasar. Both have the same meaning in H8515 and means; Assyrian hill. Gozan H1470; a cutting off. Located in the mid-section of the Euphrates River. Haran H2771 and means; mountaineer, is also from the area of the Euphrates River. Rezeph H7530 and means; a hot stone. The children of Eden in Telassar tells us there are some of the Adamic seed with them. Bringing all this to the one world order of the end times.
Isa.37:13] Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?
All these fell to the king of Assyria because their false gods could not save them. This was the answer that Isaiah gave to them and he told them to go tell king Hezekiah this.
Isa.37:14] 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 hath sent to reproach the living God.
[18] Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,
[19] And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
[20] Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.
That was a strong prayer from king Hezekiah to the LORD, how will the LORD answer him.
Isa.37:21] Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:
The LORD sent Isaiah his prophet. You see God had a veil that only the high priest could go behind and only on one day of the year, on Passover. When Jesus died on the cross, the first thing he did was tear that veil from top to bottom so that all could now come to the LORD and no priest will stand between you and the LORD.
Isa.37:22] This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
[23] Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
You did this to yourself Hezekiah. You left me, said the LORD, the LORD is coming down hard on king Hezekiah for good reason. It is the LORD that brings someone to power, and king Hezekiah was given the power to lead God’s children. We’ll let this read through for a little bit.
Isa.37:24] By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
[25] I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.
[26] Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.
[27] Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.
[28] But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.
After all the LORD tells king Hezekiah through Isaiah, he comes to what I want you to think of for these end times. Satan has come, and the elect have been delivered up. And after hearing the Holy Spirit speak through them, many will come to repentance.
Isa.37:29] Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
Because many believed a lie and were deceived, and worshipped the antichrist, they too will feel the pain of discipline and return back to the Father.
Isa.37:30] And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.
That verse is very interesting. We have 3 years and a half given. After sowing they reap in six months. This is our sign for the end times. In Daniel, we find that in the middle of the week Satan comes. That would be 3 ½ years in Daniel’s prophecy. We know that in Rev.9 it is shortened to 5 months. We also know Jesus shortened the time in Mark 13:20 for the elect’s sake.
Isa.37:31] And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:
[32] For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.
[33] Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.
The remnant, or elect, is the reason God will not let the king of Assyria enter Jerusalem. But, for the end times, Satan will not have the victory, God’s elect will overcome and all that repent will overcome, but those in high places shall pray for mountains to fall on them.
Isa.37:34] By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
By the power of the LORD and the power of his Word Satan will not prevail.
Isa.37:35] For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
David is mentioned for the sake of Jesus Christ, the seventh trump shall sound. This is why after the second woe the third woe comes quickly. Rev.11:14. Now, after the message from Isaiah was read by king Hezekiah the LORD went to work immediately.
Isa.37:36] Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
The LORD will fight this battle for king Hezekiah so that Hezekiah cannot take credit for it. 185,000 died from the hand of the LORD. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Exodus 15:3.
Isa.37:37] So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
[38] And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.
What God has spoken, will happen exactly that way. Now, fortunately Satan has no son’s that will reign in his stead, he will simply be turned to ashes from within. Notice that Sennacherib died worshipping a false god. Let’s go to his throne.
Father, we thank you for your word and ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible