While the Gods Stare on Blankly

Welcome to the Exciting Climax of Isaiah!

When we left Hezekiah yesterday, he was looking down the barrel of Assyrian’s gun.  As the powerful Assyrian Empire rolled across the landscape, they had finally come to the doorstep of Jerusalem, and according to a recent archaeological find, the king of Assyria, Sennacherib boasted, “I had [Hezekiah] a prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a cage.”

But Hezekiah keeps his cool – he has such maturity in God that for him, this is not about the survival of his kingdom, but of what his kingdom stands for: the character of God. He says nothing to his messengers, or his kingly council – he moves straight past them and toward the Temple of God and begins in prayer.

Hezekiah’s prayer is among the most passionate and moving prayers in all of Scripture. Similar to Jesus’ prayer just before his arrest, we get the chance to see the true character of a leader under pressure of immanent death.  Before the Ark of the Covenant, Hezekiah spreads out a letter he has received from Sennacherib, and makes his case, not on his own righteousness – but on the character of God.  In fact, he is not even concerned for his safety – only priests were allowed to enter this sacred space; but he is confident that God will hear his prayer.

He acknowledges that Yahweh is seated between cherubim in the mysterious cosmos of heaven, and yet he has laid on this letter before the earthly throne of the Ark.  King Hezekiah directs his thoughts to his King who is above all creation and yet is decisively present in everything here below.

The main message throughout the book of Isaiah is that God alone saves.  Now Hezekiah gives voice as to who and why this salvation comes.  In a sense, v20 is the focal point of the entire book of Isaiah.  ”That all the kingdoms of the earth may know…that you alone are God.” Hezekiah does not see Yahweh’s exclusivity as some embarrassing problem but a message that will liberate the world from human and spiritual oppression. God responds in the affirmative – he will save Jerusalem in order to display his glory for all the nations affected by the bully Assyria to witness, and hopefully – to join!

God keeps his promise, affirming Hezekiah’s faith and prayers with an incredible demonstration of God’s saving power.  Right as the Assyrian army are at the door step of Jerusalem, as the “bird was locked in his cage,” – God sends an angel to wipe out 185,000 soldiers in one night (some think it was a disease).  Sennacherib and the Assyrians high-tail it back to Nineveh in defeat!

A short follow-up story – an “epilogue” if you will – a much older King Sennacherib (now, 20 years later) finds himself in his god’s temple - Nisroch.  He is worshiping and praying, perhaps wondering what had happened to his massive army and impressive empire, which was beginning to crumble.  A broken man, he weeps and prays before a statue of stone and rock. He does not hear his two sons enter the temple.  They assassinate  him there, while his god Nisroch stared on blankly.

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