Contrast this with 37:1-2, where Hezekiah tore his own clothes and asked Isaiah to pray. Now there is no tearing of clothes and he does his own praying. Here is a man who knows his way about in the realm of faith. He begins by committing all to God (v. 14) and then turns to asking (vv. 15-20).

What a magnificent prayer! And how feeble it makes our own prayers seem by comparison. It begins and ends with God, and its overriding concern is that God might be glorified in the situation. Hezekiah has gone up to the temple and spread out Sennacherib’s letter before the Lord. And now, as he begins to pray, he recalls who it is he prays to: O Lord Almighty of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim (v. 16a). This is no distant, unknown God, but the God who has revealed Himself to His people and is present among them. He is not just a local, national God, He is Creator of heaven and earth and sovereign over all the kingdoms of the earth (v. 16b).

Hezekiah’s prayer is magnificent because it arises from a deep and true understanding of who God is, and is fundamentally an act of worship. Such praying lifts people out of themselves and into the presence of God. And in that context, present problems are not lost sight of; they are just seen from a new perspective, and the cry for deliverance becomes a cry that God’s kingdom may come and His will be done (v. 20). The context of worship purges the cry of all pathetic self-interest and binds together the one who cries and the One who hears in a common desire and a common purpose. If only we could learn to pray like this, what times we would have on our knees, and what a difference we would see in the progress of the gospel in the world!

Such prayers do not go unheeded. Even as Hezekiah has been praying, God has been revealing His Word to Isaiah, so that Hezekiah scarcely has time to rise from his knees before he receives an answer (v. 21-22). We must not miss this, because it is part of the Bible’s strong teaching about prayer. Because someone has prayed, God steps in and changes the course of history. It is a breathtaking truth, and at first sight a worrying one, because it appears to put humans rather than God in control. But this is just an illusion. There is no conflict between God’s absolute sovereignty and the power of prayer, because, quite simply, this is the way God has chosen to work. Through prayer He draws us up into His purposes and involves us in what He is doing. What a privilege! Even the desire to pray is His gift.

The first word that Hezekiah receives is a judgment oracle against Sennacherib (vv. 22-29). The second word is a sign for Hezekiah himself (v. 30). The removal of Sennacherib will be only a means to an end, and Hezekiah will know that it is indeed the Lord who has done it by the positive things that flow from it (vv. 30b-32). The third and final word of Hezekiah again concerns Sennacherib: he will not be allowed to take Jerusalem. The Lord will defend it for His own sake and for the sake of David His servant (vv. 33-35). For all Hezekiah’s piety, the plans of God do not revolve around him, but around God Himself, and His servant. Hezekiah is saved, not for his own sake, but for the sake of another.

All that is needed to draw this chapter to its close, however, is the brief, almost matter-of-fact report that God did what He said He would do. He broke the morale of the Assyrian force with a single blow (v. 36), where upon Sennacherib obediently broke camp and headed for home (v. 37), and eventually met precisely the fate that the Lord had said He would (v. 38). The towering tyrant is dispatched in just three verses. All Hezekiah had to do, like his fathers of old was to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” It brought king and people back to the exodus roots of their faith.

Isaiah 37:14-38 Reflection Questions:

Do your prayers include a concern that God is glorified or are they just for your wants and needs?

Do you see yourself as a partner with God in the course of history?

What is the main lesson you learned from this study?