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Isa 37:14-28 Whom Have You Reproached and Blasphemed?

Isa 37:14  And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
Isa 37:15  And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying,
Isa 37:16  O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.
Isa 37:17  Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.
Isa 37:18  Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,
Isa 37:19  And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
Isa 37:20  Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.
Isa 37:21  Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:
Isa 37:22  This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
Isa 37:23  Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
Isa 37:24  By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
Isa 37:25  I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.
Isa 37:26  Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.
Isa 37:27  Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.
Isa 37:28  But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

It is of the utmost importance that we remember the Lord caused all of this to happen to Judah and King Hezekiah as types of us and for our admonition and for our correction, because King Hezekiah's lack of faith at first is a type of each of us. That is all part of what the Lord has ordained for all who He drags to Himself. This story typifies us and our relationship with our Maker and our Savior:

1Co 10:6 Now these things became types of us, for us not to be lusters after evil things, (CLV)

1Co 10:11 Now all this befalls them typically. Yet it was written for our admonition, to whom the consummations of the eons have attained. (CLV)

Hezekiah, like all the kings before him and like every man, was formed of very weak flesh and blood. He was at first incapable of making faithful Godly decisions which were for the best for his own people. Hezekiah did not want to be weak and unfaithful, and neither do any of us. But that is exactly how the Lord has, at first, made us:

Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

As we have seen, both Hezekiah and his father Ahaz had attempted to pacify the king of Assyria, and both voluntarily subjected themselves to his sovereignty of his kingdom. They did so as types of us while we are ruled over by our flesh even when we want to do what we know is right.

Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

All the kings of Israel knew that the the Lord had delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage through the ten plagues, culminating in the death of all the first-born of Egypt. They all knew about how their fathers had rebelled against the Lord while they were still in Egypt. All the kings knew about the parting of the Red Sea and how the Lord brought them safely through the sea and used the same waters to destroy the Egyptians. All the kings knew all the stories about how their fathers had rebelled against the Lord in the wilderness and under all the judges, even though the Lord never once failed to send them a deliverer in the form of a judge.

The judges typified the Lord Himself as Israel's king, and just like all of us, Israel was not satisfied with an invisible king who did not appear to the nations around themselves. Israel wanted a physical king just as we do until this very day:

1Sa 8:4  Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
1Sa 8:5  And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
1Sa 8:6  But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
1Sa 8:7  And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
1Sa 8:8  According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
1Sa 8:9  Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

However, as types of us, Israel wanted to be like the nations around them who all had a physical king who ruled over them. So they were given King Saul, who also rebelled against the Lord and wanted to serve the Lord as he and the people thought best, instead of trembling at the words of God and doing exactly what He said to do.

All the kings of Judah knew how the Lord typically rejected His own anointed king and replaced him with His typically accepted anointed king, King David, "a man after [His, the Lord's] own heart".

1Sa 13:14  But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou [King Saul] hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

King Hezekiah knew he had sinned in seeking to curry the favor of the king of Assyria by taking the Lord's gold and silver and sending it to him when the king of Assyria demanded it. It all serves as a type of every man's very weak, earthy, composition of wood, hay and stubble, and the necessity of having it all burned up because:

Psa 14:3  They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

There really is just "one event to all", and this is that "one event":

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.

Eze 7:3  Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.
Eze 7:4  And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

The Lord's "very elect", along with "the whole creation", must suffer the loss of the kingdom of their old man. His very elect, along with all men, must relinguish their own flesh and blood before they can inherit the kingdom of God. But those who repent in this age will not suffer the loss of being "the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb". The "very elect" will not suffer the loss of their "crown of life", which is given only to those for whom "the whole creation [is now] groaning and travailing":

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

When the scriptures speak of "the adoption... an inheritance... [being] given a kingdom" they are not talking about those who are cast into the lake of fire.  Those verses all refer to those who endure "the sufferings of this present time". All those scriptures are manifestly speaking of those "who first trusted in Christ... which have the first-fruits of the spirit", those who suffer the death of their old man now in this life who will "receive a reward... the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" as "the first-fruits unto God and the Lamb":

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

These are the few who are granted to repent of giving the Lord's gold and silver to the king of Assyria, and that is what distinguishes Hezekiah from all the other kings of Judah and Israel. Hezekiah was given to repent, whereas most others were not. In repenting of his sins, Hezekiah typifies us as those who in this life are the first to trust in Christ and are the first to repent of transgressions against Christ and His Father:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

As a type of "the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb", we read:

Isa 37:14  And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
Isa 37:15  And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying,

As these words apply to us we must see all of this within us, and see the king of Assyria and Babylon and sin within us for which we humble ourselves and confess and "spread before the Lord". These threats from the king of Assyria are the words of our rebellious old man to our humble and submissive new man asking our new man:

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

If we substitute the word 'beast' with the words 'king of Assyria' we have the very essence of Rabshakeh's message to Judah from the king of Assyria:

Isa 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? [our beast]
Isa 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?
Isa 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? [our beast]

This scene was all played out between Christ and the devil when the devil tried to convince Christ He was nothing more than flesh and blood, just as he tells us with the same questions:

Mat 4:3  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Mat 4:5  Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
Mat 4:6  And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Mat 4:7  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Mat 4:11  Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

If the adversary can just get us to doubt our calling, he has done his job. But if Christ is in us, we, too, will say, "Get thee hence, Satan."

Hezekiah was once too afraid of those questions by the adversary to withstand them as he is now doing in spreading the words of the king of Assyria before the Lord. This is what the Lord's very elect do when they are pressed by the Lord on every side:

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

None of us just naturally, at first, think of seeking the Lord to deliver us from our trials. We just naturally think of how we can deliver ourselves, and in doing so, we "stagger to and fro as a drunken man", attempting to do what only the Lord is capable of doing. But in time, if we are the Lord's elect, He brings us through our fiery trials by bringing us to "our wits' end" and humbling us to seek Him as our only way out of our troubles. As a type of the Lord's first-fruits King Hezekiah prays this prayer:

Isa 37:16  O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.

Look at what King Hezekiah now admits: "Thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth." Whether or not Hezekiah is aware of this Truth, which is coming through his own words, he is confessing in these words that the king of Assyria has been sent by the Lord to afflict him and his nation. As the Lord told Nebuchadnezzar many years later:

Dan 4:17  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

None of us just naturally believed that the Lord has set the evil men we see as rulers over the nations of this world. Yet that is exactly what we are being told both here in Daniel 4 and in Isaiah 37:16. This revelation accords with the rest of the scriptures which teach from Genesis to Revelation:

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

But there is another revelation in this 16th verse which should encourage us to continue to "pray one for another" when we are brought into severe trials, which is exactly what this story of Hezekiah typifies. Notice that King Hezekiah informs us that "the God of Israel... dwells between the cherubims". Let's go to Revelation 5 and see exactly what that means and where the Lord truly "dwells":

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Rev 5:7  And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The Greek word translated as "us" in verses 9 and 10 is 'hemas'. It appears in 166 verses and is translated variously as 'us', 'we', and 'us-ward' in the King James Version. It is never once translated as 'they' or 'them', as the CVL and several other translations attempt to make this verse read. They do so for the simple reason that it is not given to them to accept the simple truth of these verses:

Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

What we are being told is that the God to whom we pray "dwells in you" and in me. These "cherubims" between which our heavenly Father and His son dwell are merely Biblical symbols of the Lord's elect in whom He dwells. So it is entirely proper that we ought to keep our foot when we "go to the house of God and be more ready to hear [His counsel from] between the cherubims, than to give the sacrifice of fools" and refuse to 'care...for consensus' within the very place the Lord dwells.

Ecc 5:1  Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
Ecc 5:2  Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven [within His elect], and thou [our proud flesh] upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

When the king of Assyria comes to us and tells us we must obey him or die, then, only if we are the Lord's elect, do we repent of our past habit of ignoring the words which come out from "between the cherubims" and "then [we] cry unto the Lord in [our] trouble"

Isa 37:17  Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.

Absolutely anything and everything that is contrary to "that which is written", and is contrary to that which comes out from "between the cherubims", has been "sent to reproach the living God" by denying that His words are true and that He is our deliverer. The Truth is that we need never fear anything or any threats coming from those who teach contrary to "that which is written":

1Co 4:6  Now these things, brothers, I applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us ye might learn not to think above that which is written, so that ye may not be puffed up, one over the one against the other. (ACV)

Like Hezekiah, we must be dragged to see and confess that of ourselves we have no power at all to withstand the king of Assyria, typifying Babylon with all her power:

Isa 37:18  Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,
Isa 37:19  And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
Isa 37:20  Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.

Don't expect the outward kingdoms of this present age to "know that you are Lord". At this time, this is true only of the nations within us. As Hezekiah points out to the Lord, there is no denying that outwardly Babylon, "the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations" and sits upon and "reigns over the kings of this earth":

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Hezekiah is withstanding King Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. The capital of the Assyrian empire was Nineveh, the great Gentile city to which the Lord sent the prophet Jonah to urge them to repent or be destroyed. Much to Jonah's dismay, Nineveh, typifying God's repentant elect, did repent and was spared. The city of Babylon is also in Assyria, and Hezekiah's experience with the king of Assyria typifies our struggles against what is later revealed to be "Mystery Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and of Abominations of The Earth".

Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

"Mystery Babylon, as the revelation of Jesus Christ reveals, has deceived all nations and sits upon all the kings of the earth. Both Hezekiah and his father, Ahaz, had voluntarily placed themselves under the sovereignty of the king of Assyria. In that sense Hezekiah's rebellion against the king of Assyria is a type of our coming out of Babylon and declaring that we will no longer serve those false gods and bow down before all the false doctrines and idols of the heart, which underpin that spiritually adulterous system that places the adulterous bride of Christ and her false lying doctrines above Christ Himself and above His doctrines. Christ will not play second fiddle to the adulterous bondwoman and her son. He will not be second to anyone or anything. He is the husband of His freewoman wife, and she and her children will be faithful to Him or she will not be His wife. Only those who are faithful to Christ and His doctrine are His bride, and He will protect, provide for, and be a husband to His bride, as He did in type to Hezekiah when he repented for depending upon his own strength, and cried out to the Lord for His protection and His deliverance:

Isa 37:21  Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:
Isa 37:22  This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

The virgin, the daughter of Zion," a type of us, did the same thing to a great Babylonian king less than a century later in the form of Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego:

Dan 3:16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
Dan 3:17  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Dan 3:18  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Once again our great boastful flesh is humiliated and destroyed by the strength of the True God who is ruling in the kingdoms of this earth:

Dan 4:17  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

Isa 37:23  Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

Sennecharib thought the God of Israel was no different than the gods of all the other nations he had  so easily subdued and conquered. The Babylonian world thinks the same of the Lord and His Christ until they make the mistake of attempting to subdue the Lord's bride. The Lord asks the simple question, "Whom have you blasphemed? and against who hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel."

However, talking to Christ and talking to His Christ is not like talking to any other man, as the religious leaders of Christ's day discovered soon enough:

Joh 7:44  And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
Joh 7:45  Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?
Joh 7:46  The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
Joh 7:47  Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?
Joh 7:48  Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?

If we have the mind of Christ and if we do the things He tells us to do, then we, too, will be granted to withstand every storm and every false doctrine which beats against the Lord's house:

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luk 6:47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

"Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed on Him?" The Pharisees were the leaders of the established church of Christ's day. The Jewish religion of that day is a type of the great harlot churches out of whom we all must come as we have been commanded:

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Isaiah tells us the king of Assyria has "laid waste all nations and their countries":

Isa 37:18  Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,

"Come out of​ her my people​"​ is not addressed just to Jews, Protestants and Catholics. As we just saw, the great harlot of Revelation 17-18 'sits upon many waters' and "reigns over the kings of the earth".​

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

When we are told "come out of her my people", these words are also addressed to the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists and even the a​theists of this world. If and when Christ comes to us and drags us to Himself,​ we must separate ourselves from all the false doctrines and idols of the heart which are "not subject to the law of God..." Every religion of mankind has rebelled against the words of their own Maker and absolutely insists that we partake of their riotous ways in rebellion against the law of Christ. This what Sennecharib's threats and demands upon King Hezekiah and upon Judah typify​. So we are told:

Isa 37:24  By thy [Sennecarib's] servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
Isa 37:25  I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.

Christ tells us:

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

When Christ tells us that without Him we can do nothing, He means 'nothing'. He means that we cannot even sin without being "in Him" as Paul makes so clear when speaking to the pagan Athenians using this very phrase, "in Him":

Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

The very clear message to Sennecharib, as a type of our old man,​ is that in spite of all of his and our pride in our wickedness, the fact remains that even in our wicked state we really are nothing more than an instrument in the Lord's hands. Long before the days of Sennecharib the Lord had demonstrated how Pharaoh was nothing more than an instument whose heart He could harden at His will, as He does with all wicked men, and He is not shy to let us all know this Truth:

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

So we are also informed that it is only by His mercy that we are crushed to powder and made to repent and to be​c​o​me a vessel of mercy instead of remaining as a vessel of wrath:

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

That is exactly what the Lord is telling Sennecarib through the words of Isaiah:

Isa 37:26  Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.
Isa 37:27  Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

The Lord is reminding Sennecharib of​ the same thing He told Pharaoh, "Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth." Through His words to Sennecharib, the Lord is speaking to our old man,​ and He is telling us how He has used our own time in Babylon to "lay waste [our] defenced cities into ruinous heaps".​ That is what Babylon does to us. It ruins us,​ and it is through that ruin we can now partake of the reward of being given to be humbled in this life:

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

When we see words like "inheritance... reward...  prize... crown of life... kingdom... first trusted... [and] firstfruits unto God and the Lamb", these words are all referring primarily to the benefits of the honor we are given for suffering​ with Christ in "this present time" and to be blessed to be in the first resurrection:

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruitsunto God and to the Lamb.

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

1Co 9:24  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Luk 22:29  And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Col 3:24  Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

2Jn 1:8  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

It is true that "every man's works... will be tried by fire", but not every man is tried "first", and not every man is "the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb".

Isa 37:28  But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

The Lord knows our abode, because He knows every hair of our heads, and He knows every sparrow that falls:

Mat 10:29  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
Mat 10:30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Is the Lord really concerned about the hairs of our heads and sparrows that fall? The point He is making is​, "You are of more value than many sparrows.​" He knows our abode, our going out and our coming in, and He knows how our flesh and our carnal minds "rage against Him". But if we are in Christ, and if we have been granted to repent, and if we are granted to "suffer with Christ [and] overcome the wicked one [in] this present time", then we are typified by Hezekiah who we will see in our next study is shown God's mercy, and is delivered from his troubles after being brought to his wits​' end during "this present time":

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, [Sennecharib, typifying our own hopeless trials] which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Like Hezekiah, we must come to our wits' end. We have attempted to appease the beast,​ and we have seen just how merciless our beast is​. Now we are blessed to be one of the few who is given the gift of repentance, and we are given the faith to now depend upon the Lord for our deliverance from that devouring beast within us. This story of Hezekiah is an outward picture of an inward, spiritual battle, and it is a battle that only the Lord can win for us.

In our next study we will see how the Lord is able to "work all things after the counsel of His own will... together for good to them that love Him and are the called according to His purpose". "All things" are at His disposal to be "worked after the counsel of His own will".

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Here are the verses which give a view of the tools the Lord has at His disposal to bring about our salvation if we love Him and keep His commandments:

Isa 37:29  Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
Isa 37:30  And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.
Isa 37:31  And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:
Isa 37:32  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.
Isa 37:33  Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.
Isa 37:34  By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
Isa 37:35  For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
Isa 37:36  Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
Isa 37:37  So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
Isa 37:38  And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.