Isaiah 37:21 - Meaning and Application

We can learn here that people who receive frightening messages from men with patience, and then send messages of faith to God in prayer, may expect grace and peace from God for their comfort, even when they are deeply discouraged. Isaiah sent Hezekiah a long answer to his prayer in God’s name, and he sent it in writing because it was too long to speak aloud. He sent it as a direct reply to the prayer, in effect saying, “You prayed to me, and your prayer has been heard.” Isaiah could have pointed Hezekiah back to the prophecies he had already given, especially chapter 10, and told him to find comfort there. Instead, God sent a special message on purpose, so Hezekiah might have full comfort. God never fails on his side of the exchange between earth and heaven.

Those who lift themselves up, especially against God and his people, really bring shame on themselves in the eyes of wise people. “The virgin daughter of Zion,” meaning Jerusalem and God’s people, despised Sennacherib and all his weak threats. She knew that as long as she stayed faithful, God would protect her. The enemy might bark, but he could not bite. His threats were only empty noise, like a mere flash of lightning.

Anyone who mistreats God’s people insults God himself. He takes what is said and done against them as said and done against him. “Whom have you reproached?” means, “You have reproached the Holy One of Israel.” Sennacherib made the insult worse by not only speaking against God himself, but also sending his servants, his base and worthless messengers, to do the same.

People who brag about themselves and their own achievements also dishonor God and his rule over the world. Sennacherib said, in effect, “I have dug wells and drunk water. I have done great things, and I will do more,” as Isaiah 37:24-26 shows. But the strongest people are only what God makes them. God also brings about only what he planned long ago in his eternal counsel, because he does all things according to the purpose of his will. To claim such victories as his own work was sheer pride.

All the hatred, movement, and plans of the church’s enemies are under God’s watch and control. Sennacherib was busy everywhere, going out and coming in, but God knew every move he made and watched him closely (Isaiah 37:28). More than that, God had his hand on him too. He had a hook in his nose and a bridle in his lips, so that even though he was stubborn and wild, God could turn him back by the way he came (Isaiah 37:29). He had gone as far as God allowed, and no farther. God had once given Sennacherib a commission against Judah (Isaiah 10:6), but here that commission is revoked. He had frightened God’s people, but he must not harm them. In effect, his authority was canceled, and he was held responsible for what he had done beyond his bounds.

God is not only a strong protector of his people, he is also their generous provider, like both a sun and a shield to those who trust in him. Jerusalem would be defended (Isaiah 37:35). The enemy would not enter it, or even begin a proper siege, because they would be driven back before it could start (Isaiah 37:33). But God would also show mercy and do good to his people. Their land would become unusually fruitful, so their losses would be more than repaired. They would not suffer because the enemy had wasted the country, or because they had been pulled away from farming. The ground would again yield its produce on its own, and they would live well from it. The Lord’s blessing can make a person rich without much labor, when he chooses.

They should not think that their country’s ruin would excuse them from keeping the sabbatical year, the year when they were not to plow or sow. It seems this would happen the very next year. Even if they did not have their usual supplies stored up for that year, they still had to keep God’s command and trust him to provide. God must be trusted in the path of duty.

No one can stand before God’s judgments when they come with his authority. The largest armies cannot stand against them. One angel, in one night, can strike down a huge army when God commands it (Isaiah 37:36). Here 185,000 strong soldiers were turned at once into dead bodies. Many think Psalm 76 was written about this defeat, where God is shown as more glorious than the mountains of prey, and the psalm says that he, even he, should be feared (Psalm 76:4, 7). Angels are used, more than we often realize, as servants of God’s justice, to punish pride and break the power of wicked men.

The greatest rulers cannot stand before these judgments either. The great king of Assyria was made to look very small when he had to return in shame, unable to carry out what he had planned with such confidence. He also returned in fear, because he had to wonder whether the angel who destroyed his army might destroy him too. He was made to look even smaller when his own sons, who should have protected him, killed him before his idol, the false god whose protection he had sought (Isaiah 37:37, 38). God can quickly stop the breath of those who breathe out threats and murder against his people, and he will do so when their guilt is full. By such judgments, the Lord shows who he is. He is the God who resists the proud.

This event fulfilled many prophecies, and that should strengthen us. As those prophecies point forward and give general promises of the safety of the church and of all who trust in God, we should depend on God for their fulfillment. He who has delivered us before will deliver us again. Lord, forgive our enemies, but let all your enemies perish, O Lord.