Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight - Indignation and Glory (34-35); Historical Interlude (36-39)

After the section on the woes, Isaiah calls on all nations to hear another summation of God's purposes:

Some people refuse to believe that God manifests anger. They think that His love is an easy-going toleration of anything and everything, a universal condoning of human behavior. However, the Scriptures frequently speak of the wrath of God and show that there will be a time when His righteousness will be vindicated through His judgment of the world.

His indignation is not the vengeful, selfish anger of sinful human beings, but rather the holy wrath of outraged majesty. God would not be God if He allowed evil to go on forever unpunished and unchecked. As the prophet says, this indignation of the Lord is directed against nations universally (v. 2). It is not limited to Isaiah's time or to the coming destruction of the Assyrian army. It is the end-time judgment on all nations, the outpouring of God's wrath on the whole world. As the psalmist says, "Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure" (Psalm 2:5, KJV). That looks forward unmistakably to the time when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to take over the government of the earth.

The day of the Lord's vengeance (v. 8) is graphically described in other passages of Scripture, both in the Old Testament (Joel, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah) and in the New (2 Thessalonians and supremely in the book of Revelation). In Revelation, the extended mention of the series of judgments included in the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls presents an awe-inspiring foreview of what God is going to do when He intervenes in human affairs. The earth-dwellers - those whose horizon is limited to this world - will then experience the indignation of God.

The truly believing heart can rest in the knowledge that things are going to be different from what they are now. Wrongs are to be righted, evil recompensed, and good rewarded. It was important for the people of Israel to know that as they faced the immediate future, which was bleak with the thought of judgment for the nation's sins. As they contemplated the terrible iniquity of the pagan nations around them, some of which (As syria and Babylon) were the instruments of God's judgment on Israel and Judah (see Habakkuk 1:5-11), they did not need to question God or rail at Him in unbelief. Those nations and all nations ultimately will receive the due reward of their deeds. Thus the doctrine of the wrath of God, while fearsome to those who insist on being His enemies, is seen as the necessary and satisfying corollary to His love and grace.

In the face of passages such as this one, it is strange indeed that some people (even many scholars) can speak of the provincialism of the Old Testament as if the people of Israel thought of the Lord (Yahweh) only as a tribal or national God who had no concern for other people and nations. One of the dominant notes in Isaiah, as has been indicated from time to time, is universality. All nations are constantly in view. The salvation that is offered is worldwide in its applications as is the judgment that is to come. "The Lord's indignation is against all nations" (v. 2).

Just as the indignation of chapter 34 is universal, so also the glory of chapter 35 is universal. This chapter is a lovely poetic description of the condition of nature in the millennial kingdom. Its conditions will be accompaniments to the reign of Messiah.

Since the modern resettlement of the land by Jews from all over the world, and especially since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the settlers have done wonders in restoring the fertility of the soil through scientific irrigation and cultivation. The arabah and the negev have indeed been cultivated beyond anything known in recent times. But that is certainly far short of the description in this chapter. The miracle of healing that the Lord Jesus Christ performed during His earthly ministry were a credential of His messiahship and a foreshadowing of the marvelous conditions that will characterize the Millennium. Here nature is pictured as reflecting the glories that are to come to God's people. The New Testament asserts that the "whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now" (Romans 8:22). Isaiah 35 is a prophecy of the time when the groaning will be over and the physical earth will be "set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).

This chapter furnishes another illustration of Isaiah's use of constantly recurring themes. Here the "highway" is mentioned prominently again:

It is prepared for God's elect, who will come back to their land from all parts of the earth. This concept of the highway is one of the many evidences of the unity of Isaiah (cf. 11:16 and 40:3). At the end of chapter 35 the "ransomed of the Lord" (v. 10) are seen returning to Zion with in expressible joy. The same idea is repeated in Isaiah 51:11. It is strange that many of those who acknowledge the historicity of the Exodus, having no difficulty accepting the literalness of the narrative about Israel's coming out of Egypt and possessing the land of Canaan, seem to think that it is very stupid to interpret such prophetic passages as this one literally. There is going to be a future day in which Israel will be regathered from all the earth as described here and in numerous other prophetic passages. The church in the New Testament has sufficient glories without appropriating Israel's blessings. This passage, along with many others, shows what God is going to do with this material planet when He removes the curse put on the physical creation as a result of Adam's sin. If the earth is so beautiful now, even though under a curse, what will it be like when the curse is removed! Passages such as this help to give us a foregleam of the wonders to come.

The acceptance of millennial glory does not detract in any way from the perfection of the eternal state. Both the Millennium and the eternal state are in view in prophecy (cf. Isaiah 65:17), but the emphasis in the Old Testament prophetical books seems to be on the millennial kingdom. God's theocratic purpose is in harmony with His redemptive purpose because His original man date to Adam to rule the earth is ultimately going to be carried out fully by the Last Adam, who is the "Lord from heaven" (1 Corinthians 15:47, KJV). The Redeemer, Jesus Christ, is also the "King of kings, and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16).

Some commentators regard chapters 36-39 as a full-fledged division of the book, making the outline in three parts rather than two. However, it seems more convenient to consider this section as an integral part of the first main division. At any rate, many interpreters have agreed that these chapters form a bridge between the earlier chapters that deal with Assyria and the later chapters that anticipate the Babylonian period of world-domination and the coming Babylonian captivity. Isaiah lived, of course, in the Assyrian period, but his message had to do in large measure with the Babylonian captivity. (These chapters should be compared with 2 Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 29:32. 2 Kings 19 and Isaiah 37 are identical).

3.1 Problems of the Chronological Relationship Between the Deliverance from Sennacherib's Invasion and King Hezekiah's Illness and Miraculous Recovery

The study of the Bible is not without its problems. One of those, in this particular context, concerns the dates of Hezekiah's reign. A related difficulty has to do with the two main events described in the section. What is the chronological relationship between the deliverance from Sennacherib's invasion and King Hezekiah's illness and miraculous recovery?

According to the book of Isaiah and other Biblical statements, the chronological sequence was recorded as follow:

However, when it is compared with secular historical record, there are several problems:

Year (B.C.)	Isaiah's Activity
before 722	Hezekiah began to reign jointly with his father Ahaz as King of Judah (Southern Kingdom)
722	Fall of Samaria, Israel (Northern Kingdom), it was taken into captivity by the Assyrians under Tiglath-pileser
716/15	Hezekiah began to reign as King of Judah (Southern Kingdom) formally
704	Hezekiah's illness and recovery
703	Embassy of Merodach-baladan (Babylonian) to Hezekiah
701 (14th of Hezekiah's reign)	Assyrian King Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem, Judah (Southern Kingdom), and subsequent withdrawal
681	Death of Assyrian King Sennacherib

The student who wishes to pursue the complex subject of the chronology of Israel and Judah would do well to consult Thiele's study (Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings. For a different point of view see Martin Anstey, The Romance of Bible Chronology.)

The second major event in the historical interlude is the account of Hezekiah's critical illness and his miraculous healing. This event possibly occurred before Sennacherib's invasion previously described due to the following Biblical reasons:

To answer the question why the prophet would place the two great events out of chronological order, it can be said that the Assyrian invasion was related to much that had preceded in the book, since the whole first half was much to say about Assyria and its relationship to the kingdom of Judah. It is as though the prophet is rounding out the Assyrian times by recording this major invasion and divine deliverance.

King Hezekiah's illness and recovery gives occasion to the narrative of the Babylonian envoys and links the prophet's time with the future of Babylonian captivity, which loomed on the horizon and had such a prominent place in the prophetic message of Isaiah. That is what is meant by the "bridge effect" of this section.

As seen previously, 36:1 contains one of the few dates in the book of Isaiah. Some years before that Assyria had swallowed up the Northern Kingdom. In subsequent years the Assyrian monarchs evidently considered Judah as easy prey. When one realizes that the city of Jerusalem was only about ten miles from the border between Israel and Judah, one can see how simple it was for the Assyrian ruler to deploy his forces against it. One can imagine the alarm in the city as word came of one walled town after another falling to the Assyrian invaders.

A delegation came from Sennacherib who was occupied with the siege of Lachish in the southwestern region of the kingdom of Judah. "Rabshakeh" is not a proper name, but a title of one of the leading Assyrian officials. The meeting between this scornful enemy and the emissaries took place in a location with historic associations, the same place where the prophet had gone out to meet King Ahaz with the prophecy of Immanuel (7:3-14). Sennacherib's own annals tell how he had shut up Hezekiah in Jerusalem "like a bird in a cage."

In reading the account one can sense the scorn of the rabshakeh by the fact that he did not even speak courteously to Hezekiah's envoys; that is, he simply used the king's name without using his title, King of Judah. The tone of the rabshakeh was arrogant and scornful, correctly echoing the attitude of his master. It should be remembered that it was Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, who had gone against the word of the Lord through Isaiah in seeking Assyria's help and making an Assyrian alliance. As a part of his reforms, Hezekiah had been trying to break away from the Assyrian alliance, although even he made the mistake of relying on Egypt for help. One thing the Assyrian official said was true - that Egypt could not be relied on for safety (v. 6). He said Egypt was a broken reed and events proved that to be true.

The rabshakeh berated the Judaic emissaries and actually claimed to be representing Yahweh in coming against Judah (v. 10). He evidently misunderstood or misrepresented what King Hezekiah had done in closing down the high places, alleging that such an action was against the Lord, while on the contrary it was just the opposite.

Although speaking to the representatives of King Hezekiah, the rabshakeh was apparently talking loudly so he would be heard by those people of Jerusalem who were observing from the city wall. He was speaking in the Hebrew language and could therefore be understood by the assembled people. The Judaic envoys requested that he speak Aramaic, which in the eighth century had already become a sort of trade language or lingua franca, so as not to stir up the people. Instead of acceding to their request, he returned coarse and insulting remarks in the people's own language, seeking to awaken in them terror and revulsion, by threatening them with a horrible famine that would ensue if they tried to withstand the Assyrian power.

That which doomed the Assyrians to failure was their blasphemous comparison of the true God with the "gods" of the nations, which understandably had not been able to deliver their devotees from the Assyrian king.

Hezekiah's representatives had obeyed Hezekiab by not returning an answer to the taunts of the rabshakeh (v. 21). They returned to him with their clothes torn - the normal and authentic sign of mourning (v. 22).

King Hezekiah knew what to do. He entered the house of the Lord and then sent for a word from the prophet Isaiah. The prophet replied by sending back a message of reassurance that God would deliver him from the arrogant king and his army.

An interval elapsed during which the rabshakeh reported back to Sennacherib, who had been besieging Libnah (v. 8). There is some question as to whether the second message to Hezekiah was only a short time after the first, during the same campaign, or whether it came during a subsequent invasion of Judah. The former seems more likely.

Sennacherib noted that the Egyptians were on the march, under Tirhakah of the Cushite (Ethiopian) dynasty, and warned Hezekiah not to depend on them.

As mentioned previously, the Assyrian monarch blasphemously equated Hezekiah's God with the gods of the nations he had conquered. Where were their gods when they needed them, he asked, and where were the kings of those nations now?

This time Hezekiah received a menacing letter from Sennacherib, reiterating what had been said previously by the rabshakeh. Hezekiah, a truly godly man, spread out this letter before the Lord (37:14); not that he thought God needed to see it, but as an act of supplication, acknowledging that his help could only come from the Lord.

The prayer of Hezekiah is an eloquent answer to those who allege that the Old Testament teaches a polytheistic or henotheistic religion. It is sometimes said by destructive critics of the Bible that the Hebrews in Old Testament times thought of the Lord as one among many gods, although He was their particular God. Such a view is a travesty on the Old Testament. Hezekiah believed in and expressed as clear an ethical monotheism as anyone possibly could. He knew that the so-called gods of the nations were nonentities and proclaimed it as clearly as the apostle Paul does in the New Testament (cf. v. 19 with 1 Corinthians 8:4-6).

No doubt many in Isaiah's time doubted or wondered at the prophecy that God gave through Isaiah in answer to Hezekiab's prayer. Certainly from a human point of view the Assyrian army seemed more than capable of conquering the city of Jerusalem. But Sennacherib and his people did not know God; they had left Him out of their calculations, as unsaved people always do (Psalm 14:1). It was He who defended the city (v. 35).

The chapter closes with a very brief statement concerning the destruction in the Assyrian army brought about by the Angel of Yahweh (v. 36) and Sennacherib's departure and later murder in Nineveh by two of his sons. Secular historians have to admit that the Assyrians withdrew because of widespread disaster. Pestilence is the term most often used, but the context makes it clear that it was no ordinary pestilence. It was a direct judgment from God. The expression "the angel of Yahweh" (the angel of the LORD) is a term normally, though not always, used in the Old Testament to express a theophany (a manifestation of God). In these cases the "the angel of Yahweh" is God Himself. The New Testament reveals Him to be the second Person of the Godhead, i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:18).

(Note: For further information on the identity of "the angel of the LORD", please read Section 2.4 of Chapter 17 and Section 8 of Chapter 23, Systematic Theology.)

As mentioned in the above Section 3.3, the second major event in the historical interlude is the account of Hezekiah's critical illness and his miraculous healing. This event possibly occurred before Sennacherib's invasion previously described. The expression "in those days" (38:1) is fitting in this case.

From that statement of Scripture that Manasseh was twelve years old when Hezekiah died (2 Kings 20:21-21:1) it appears that Hezekiah had no heir at the time Isaiah spoke to him about his impending death {Explanatory notes: Later on, Hezekiah was granted fifteen more years of life (38:5). It seems that Manasseh was born approximately three years after the miraculous recovery of Hezekiah.}. That would account for the king's overwhelming sorrow. He turned his face to the wall (v. 2), not to pout like a child at the prophet's message but to close out all other influences while he communed with God about this dreadful news. God had promised that Israel would never be without a man to sit on David's throne (see the Davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel 7:4-17). Could God go back on His promise?

Some have raised the objection that God was trifling with Hezekiah by telling him he was going to die when God knew that He was going to spare him for fifteen more years. That is a problem with those who fail to see the parallel teachings in Scripture of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. There are some things that God does absolutely without any secondary causes. There are other things that He chooses to do mediately through secondary causes of various kinds. And some things God has decreed that He will do only in answer to believing prayer. Hezekiah must exercise faith, look to God, and acknowledge that he had no hope apart from God's direct intervention. God's answer through the prophet in which He alludes to "your father David" (v. 5) is a reminder of the Davidic Covenant as an unconditional and unfailing determination on God's part.

The mention of deliverance from the king of Assyria in connection with Hezekiah's healing gives further credence to the view that the illness came before Sennacherib's invasion (v. 6).

There is some uncertainty about the precise nature of the sign God gave to Hezekiah. Whether the instrument referred to was an actual sundial or simply that time was reckoned as the shadow descended on a particular stairway is a matter of conjecture. Some affirm that true sundials were unknown in Judah at that time, but others with some evidence assert that the sundial was invented by the Babylonians in that century and that obviously Judah had some contact with the Babylonians even then, as evidenced by the coming of the envoys from Merodach-baladan (39:1). At any rate, what God did was a miracle, perhaps not as generally noticeable as the long day of Joshua (Joshua 10:13-14) but just as real and just as remarkable.

Isaiah 38 contains a very beautiful psalm written by King Hezekiah after his miraculous recovery (vv. 9-20). It is a striking testimony to the faith of this outstanding man. He recognized that salvation was even more important than the recovery of his physical health:

That prayer in the poetic form of a psalm can be compared to Jonah's similar prayer from the stomach of the great sea creature (Jonah 2:1-9). In each case the person involved came to realize his complete dependence on the Lord and cast himself wholly on Him.

Yet, even godly men can make serious mistakes. Hezekiah, for all his faith and prayerfulness, seems to have given way to pride in showing all his wealth and that of the Temple to the delegation from Merodach-baladan, the Babylonian king. In another passage God tells us that the incident of the Babylonian envoys was permitted by God as a test of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 32:31). In that test he did not come out so admirably. Each of us can learn the lesson of our need for constant trust and dependence on God. Victory in one battle does not automatically insure victory in the next. "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12).

This event shows the historical background of the later Babylonian captivity, which is such an important topic in Isaiah's prophecy, especially in the second part of the book of Isaiah.