ISAIAH LESSON 40


     We will begin this lesson in Isaiah 36:1 "Now it came to pass in
the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, [that] Sennacherib king of
Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took
them."

     We can quickly see from this, the change of time in this chapter.
In chapter 35, we had been looking at prophecy of the end time. Now we
are back to the time when Isaiah lived. The time of this could be
dated sometime about 700-715 B.C. The date something happened is not
extremely important for our teachings, because we are looking at the
Spiritual meaning, rather than the literal. We do need to note that
this happens in the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah. We see
that Assyria was an enemy of Judah, even then. We, also, see that the
king of Assyria, Sennacherib, came against Judah and defeated them.
The walls of the city did not save them.

     Isaiah 36:2 "And the king of Assyria sent Rab-shakeh from Lachish
to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the
conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field."

     Lachish is an ancient city of the Amorites. This area seems to be
a favorite place for others to attack Judah. The conduit of the upper
pool was the same place Isaiah was to have met Ahaz.

     Isaiah 36:3 "Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son,
which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's
son, the recorder."

     Let us pause for a moment and look at the meaning of these
people's names. "Eliakim" means God will establish. "Hilkiah" means
portion of Jehovah. Shebna was actually secretary to Hezekiah.  Joah
recorded all the affairs. The main thing we need to see, here, is that
Hezekiah sent three of his men to meet with them.

     Isaiah 36:4  "And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Say ye now to
Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What
confidence [is] this wherein thou trustest?"

     Rab-shakeh spoke for Sennacherib. He sends a message to Hezekiah
by the three men Hezekiah sent to meet them. The main issue is where
do they put their trust?

     Isaiah 36:5 "I say, [sayest thou], (but [they are but] vain
words) [I have] counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou
trust, that thou rebellest against me?"

     Sennacherib is prepared for war to come against Hezekiah. His men
tell Hezekiah's men they are prepared to fight. They ask Hezekiah's
men, where are your weapons and men to fight? Where are you putting
your trust?

     Isaiah 36:6 "Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed,
on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce
it: so [is] Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him."

     Egypt had been a powerful force in times past, but Assyria here,
says they are rotten within. If Hezekiah tries to rely on Egypt, they
will crumble and fall. He uses the word Pharaoh, because it was
uncertain which of the princes in Egypt really was the leader.

     Isaiah 36:7 "But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God:
[is it] not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken
away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this
altar?"

     This leader of Assyria did not realize when Hezekiah had the
altars and high places torn down, he was pleasing God, not offending
Him. Hezekiah was a man after God's heart. It would be correct for him
to look to God for help. The brazen altar in the temple in Jerusalem
is where offerings should have been made. The Assyrian did not realize
that Hezekiah was doing it God's way, when he told them to sacrifice
in Jerusalem exclusively.

     Isaiah 36:8 "Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my
master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses,
if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them."

     This Assyrian was trying to make covenant with Hezekiah. He is
really making fun of Hezekiah's ability to put an army together to
fight, when he offers him 2000 horses. He is saying, you cannot find
2000 men to fight on the horses, even if I gave them to you.

     Isaiah 36:9 "How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain
of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for
chariots and for horsemen?"

     Sennacherib was a very powerful force to be reckoned with. Egypt
could possibly send help, but that would not necessarily mean Hezekiah
would win the battle, however.

     Isaiah 36:10 "And am I now come up without the LORD against this
land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land,
and destroy it."

     This is a strange message to come from Sennacherib. He says, God
told him to come and destroy Judah. I can say for sure, that God uses
His enemies to carry out His judgement sometimes. God controls them
the same as all of His followers.

     Isaiah 36:11  "Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rab-
shakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language;
for we understand [it]: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in
the ears of the people that [are] on the wall."

     Eliakim, Shebna, and Joab represented Hezekiah. They were sent
for this special job, since they spoke The Syrian language, which was
probably Aramaic. The reason the 3 from Hezekiah wanted them to speak
Aramaic, instead of Hebrew, was so the soldiers guarding the wall
would not be able to understand and become afraid.

     Isaiah 36:12  "But Rab-shakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy
master and to thee to speak these words? [hath he] not [sent me] to
the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and
drink their own piss with you?"

     This is a nasty way of saying their defeat will be so bad they
will have no food and water for their provisions. He wants Hezekiah's
soldiers to hear and understand so they will be afraid. He wants these
soldiers to rebel against Hezekiah.

     Isaiah 36:13 "Then Rab-shakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice
in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king,
the king of Assyria."

     This Assyrian was crying aloud so all the people could hear and
turn against Hezekiah. He spoke loudly for all to hear, hoping their
fear would overcome them.

     Isaiah 36:14 "Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you:
for he shall not be able to deliver you."

     The Assyrian was trying to break their confidence in Hezekiah.

     Isaiah 36:15 "Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD,
saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be
delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria."

     Hezekiah did trust in God. He would try to cause them to trust in
God, also. These things are true about his statement. The message
Hezekiah would bring these people is, not to falter in their faith,
but trust God and He will deliver them. Hezekiah believes God will
save them.

     Isaiah 36:16 "Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of
Assyria, Make [an agreement] with me [by] a present, and come out to
me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree,
and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;"

     In a sense he is saying, desert your army and side in with me and
Sennacherib. He even promises them they can stay on their own place
and eat their own food. To show they have sided with him, they must
bring him a present.

     Isaiah 36:17 "Until I come and take you away to a land like your
own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards."

     After Sennacherib took over, he would move them to Assyria. He
would promise them they would be able to live just as they had before.

     Isaiah 36:18 "[Beware] lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The
LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered
his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?"

     The difference is Hezekiah's God is God, these other gods are
not.  The successes of Sennacherib were well known. He thought he
would be able to turn them against God and Hezekiah by telling them it
was useless to fight a winner like Assyria.

     Isaiah 36:19 "Where [are] the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where
[are] the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of
my hand?" Isaiah 36:20 "Who [are they] among all the gods of these
lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD
should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?"

     If they would look at the battle against Hamath, they would
realize the cruelty of these Assyrians. They burned Hamath to death,
after they captured him. Arphad is mentioned, because they sided in
with Hamath in the war, and came up with the same fate. I say, again,
their gods were not the real God. If Samaria fell to the Assyrians,
what made Hezekiah believe they would not fall, too?

     Isaiah 36:21 "But they held their peace, and answered him not a
word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not."

     They had orders from their leaders not to listen to the ministers
Assyria sent. They did not get frightened and follow the Assyrian.
They did not even answer him at all.

     Isaiah 36:22  "Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that [was]
over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph,
the recorder, to Hezekiah with [their] clothes rent, and told him the
words of Rab-shakeh."

     These 3, did not want to bring this message to Hezekiah. They
rent their clothes, because the message was so bad. They were mourning
for their king, their country, and their inability to change the mind
of Rab-shakeh. They gave Hezekiah the message with much sorrow in
their hearts.















                          Isaiah 40 Questions


1.  When did Sennacherib come against all the cities of Judah and take
    them?
2.  Who did the king of Assyria send to Jerusalem to speak for him?
3.  Where is Lachish?
4.  Where did they meet to talk?
5.  Who were the three that Hezekiah sent to speak for him?
6.  What does "Eliakim" mean?
7.  Who spoke for Assyria?
8.  What was the main issue he brought forth?
9.  What does he say the help of Egypt would be like?
10. What does the Assyrian accuse Hezekiah of doing, that he thought
    displeased God?
11. Where should their offerings be made?
12. In verse 8, what is he saying as sarcasm?
13. Who did he say had spoken to him to come against Hezekiah?
14. What language had this Assyrian been speaking in?
15. What language did the 3 from Hezekiah tell them to speak in?
16. What 3 men represented Hezekiah at the talks?
17. What did the nasty statement he made in verse 12 really mean?
18. Why was the Assyrian speaking so loudly?
19. What did the Assyrian say Hezekiah was doing to them?
20. What did the Assyrian offer them, if they would join in with him?
21. What was the difference in Hezekiah's God and the gods of these
    other nations mentioned?
22. What answer did the soldiers on the wall give the Assyrian?
23. What did the 3 messengers do that showed they were mourning?