When Blasphemy Comes to Town Text: Isaiah 37:1-7
Introduction: The Braggart at the Gates
We live in an age of sophisticated blasphemy. Our modern Rabshakehs do not stand outside the city walls shouting in Hebrew; they stand behind university lecterns, they write for prestigious journals, and they direct blockbuster films. They are smooth, articulate, and condescending. Their message is the same as the ancient Assyrian's: your God is a local deity, a tribal superstition, and He is no match for the realities of the modern world, whether that reality is an Assyrian army or the latest iteration of secular humanism. The gods of all the other nations have fallen, they say, so what makes you think your God is any different?
The story of Hezekiah and Sennacherib is therefore not some dusty artifact of ancient history. It is a paradigm. It is a case study in how the people of God are to respond when the world, in its full-throated arrogance, comes to the gates of the holy city and demands its surrender. The world always believes its own press. It believes its own power is ultimate, its own wisdom is supreme, and its own threats are final. And when confronted with this kind of swagger, the church has two options. It can compromise, negotiate, and ultimately capitulate, trusting in the arm of flesh. Or it can do what Hezekiah did: it can tear its clothes, go into the house of the Lord, and appeal to the only throne that actually matters.
This is a story about the collision of two kingdoms. On the one hand, you have the kingdom of Assyria, a brutal, efficient, world-conquering empire. Its king, Sennacherib, is a man who believes he is the master of history. On the other hand, you have the kingdom of Judah, a tiny, beleaguered remnant, with a king who is about to learn that true power is not found in armies, but in humility and prayer. The central issue is blasphemy. Rabshakeh, the Assyrian field commander, has not just insulted Judah; he has reproached the living God. He has put Yahweh on the same level as the impotent idols of the conquered nations. This is the ultimate mistake. This is like a gnat challenging a blast furnace. And in these first seven verses, we see the proper, covenantal response to such high-handed rebellion.
We see a king who knows where to turn in a crisis. We see a recognition of utter helplessness. And we see the calm, sovereign, and utterly devastating response of the God who is not, as it turns out, just another god on the shelf.
The Text
Now it happened that when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of Yahweh. Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household with Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah, 'This day is a day of distress, reproof, and rejection; for children have come to the point of breaking forth, but there is no strength to give birth. Perhaps Yahweh your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore, lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left.' " So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, 'Thus says Yahweh, "Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a report and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land." ' "
(Isaiah 37:1-7 LSB)
The King's Godly Panic (v. 1-2)
We begin with the immediate reaction of King Hezekiah to the blasphemous threats of the Assyrians.
"Now it happened that when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of Yahweh. Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household with Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz." (Isaiah 37:1-2)
Hezekiah's response is not one of political calculation or military strategy. It is one of profound spiritual distress. Tearing clothes and wearing sackcloth were outward signs of deep grief, repentance, and humiliation. This is what godly leadership looks like in a crisis. Hezekiah does not put on a brave face for the cameras. He does not project an aura of calm control. He recognizes the spiritual nature of the assault. The blasphemies of Rabshakeh were not just bad PR; they were a direct attack on the honor of God, and Hezekiah feels the blow personally, as any true servant of God would.
Notice the three things he does immediately. First, he tears his clothes, a visceral reaction to the horror of the blasphemy. Second, he covers himself with sackcloth, an act of humbling himself before God. Third, and most importantly, he goes straight to the temple, "the house of Yahweh." He takes the problem to the only place it can be solved. He understands that this is not a problem that can be handled in the king's court or the war room. This is a theological crisis, and it must be dealt with before the throne of God.
But he doesn't go alone. He sends a high-level delegation, also in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah. This is key. Hezekiah is the king, the civil magistrate. Isaiah is the prophet, the minister of the Word. A godly king knows his limitations. He knows that in a spiritual war, he needs a word from the Lord. He doesn't try to be both king and prophet. He seeks out the man of God. This is a picture of the proper relationship between church and state. The state, when it is godly, recognizes its need for the wisdom and direction that can only come from God's revealed Word, ministered by God's ordained servants.
A Kingdom on the Brink (v. 3-4)
The message the delegation brings to Isaiah is a masterpiece of desperation and faith.
"And they said to him, 'Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, reproof, and rejection; for children have come to the point of breaking forth, but there is no strength to give birth. Perhaps Yahweh your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore, lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left.' " (Isaiah 37:3-4)
Hezekiah's assessment of the situation is brutally honest. It is a day of "distress, reproof, and rejection." He is not sugarcoating anything. The metaphor he uses is potent: a woman in labor who lacks the strength to deliver her child. It is a picture of utter helplessness, of being at the very precipice of a great event, a new beginning, but having no power to bring it to pass. It is the agony of impotence in the face of crisis. This is the necessary first step to deliverance. You must come to the end of your own strength before you can truly rely on God's.
But in this desperation, there is a flicker of hope, grounded in the character of God. "Perhaps Yahweh your God will hear..." This is not the "perhaps" of doubt, but the "perhaps" of humble appeal. Hezekiah's hope is not in his army or his walls. His hope is that God is a God who hears. And what does he want God to hear? Not his own pleas for safety first, but "the words of Rabshakeh." Hezekiah's primary concern is God's reputation. The Assyrian has been sent "to reproach the living God." This is the central issue. Hezekiah is asking God to act not primarily for Judah's sake, but for His own name's sake.
Notice the possessive pronoun: "Yahweh your God." Hezekiah says this to Isaiah. It is a recognition of the prophet's unique standing with God, and it is a humble appeal. You are the man of God; you speak to Him. Plead with your God on our behalf. And then the specific request: "Therefore, lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left." Judah is just a remnant. The northern kingdom is already gone, swallowed by this same Assyrian beast. Hezekiah knows they are small and insignificant. But he also knows that God has a history of preserving His remnant. This is a prayer soaked in covenantal understanding.
The Word of the Lord (v. 5-7)
The response from God, delivered through Isaiah, is immediate, decisive, and filled with sovereign calm.
"So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them, 'Thus you shall say to your master, Thus says Yahweh, "Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a report and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land." ' " (Isaiah 37:5-7)
First, God addresses the fear. "Do not be afraid." This is the constant refrain of God to His people throughout Scripture. Why should they not be afraid? Because of the "words" they have heard. God dismisses the entire Assyrian psychological warfare campaign as mere words. He contrasts their empty noise with His substantive reality. These are the words of "the young men of the king of Assyria." The term here can mean servants or underlings, and it carries a note of contempt. These are just insolent errand boys who have "blasphemed Me." God takes it personally. The reproach was against the living God, and the living God has heard it.
Then comes the prophecy, a stunning declaration of God's absolute sovereignty over the affairs of men, even over the mind of a pagan king. "Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a report and return to his own land." God does not say He will send a mighty army to fight Sennacherib. He says He will plant a thought in his head. He will manipulate the flow of information. He will whisper a rumor down the grapevine, and this great, world-conquering monarch will pack up his things and go home. This is the Creator/creature distinction in action. Sennacherib thinks he is the master of his own destiny, but his very thoughts are governed by the God he is mocking. God can steer the battleship of the Assyrian empire by turning the tiny rudder of a rumor.
And the prophecy doesn't end there. "And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land." God not only predicts Sennacherib's retreat, but also the specific, ignominious manner of his death. He will not die gloriously in battle. He will be cut down at home, in his own land, in the house of his own impotent god, by the hands of his own sons. The punishment will perfectly fit the crime. The man who lived by the sword, who blasphemed the living God, will die by the sword before a dead god. God's justice is always poetic.
Conclusion: The Fear of God is the Beginning of Courage
This passage lays out the divine pattern for dealing with the arrogant threats of a hostile world. The world speaks, and its words are designed to produce fear. But the Lord speaks, and His word produces faith.
Hezekiah's response is our model. When the world blasphemes, we must not first strategize, but humble ourselves. We must recognize that the primary offense is not against us, but against our God. Our first concern must be for His glory. And we must take the matter to Him in prayer, seeking His word through His appointed means.
The world's power is always a bluff. It looks immense, like the Assyrian army. It sounds intimidating, like the words of Rabshakeh. But it is all contingent. It is all creaturely. The most powerful tyrant on earth is still just a man who needs God's permission to draw his next breath. God governs the thoughts of kings. He directs the paths of armies. He writes the end of the story from the beginning.
The blasphemous words of the Assyrians were ultimately just noise. But the quiet word of Yahweh, spoken through His prophet, was reality itself. God said Sennacherib would hear a rumor, and he did. God said he would go home, and he did. God said he would die by the sword, and he did. Every syllable came to pass.
Therefore, do not be afraid of the words you hear today, the blasphemies from our modern Assyrians. They are just the proud boasts of creatures on a leash. The fear of man is a snare, but the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and it is also the beginning of true courage. When we, like Hezekiah, are more concerned for the honor of the living God than for our own safety, we will find that our God is more than able to deal with those who reproach His name. He has a long history of making the braggarts of this world fall by the sword in their own land.