Isaiah 36-37:1-7

1.1 I would like to begin today's sermon by sharing my personal story. When my wife and I decided to come to Canada, our lives were unstable. My wife was pregnant. A ministry transition that I had been planning fell apart. The pastor called me the day before I was supposed to start and said that he could not hire me. He canceled our contract without notifying me first! Everything we had based our next steps on was gone overnight. I lost my job, and I did not know how to solve this situation or what to do next.

1.2 However, our hearts were not shaken; they remained stable. I don't know why, but we were calm. In that moment, we thought we might have a choice. We could devise another plan. Or, we could return to something deeper: a calling we had carried for years, a desire for a mission, and a direction we had not yet fully trusted.

1.3 I'm not going to tell you how that turned out yet. I want to sit with the question itself this morning. But we can think about this question this morning:

When everything you leaned on breaks, where do you turn?

1.4 That question is exactly what Isaiah 36–37 is about. Let's start today's sermon to find an answer to the question we have now. Let's read Isaiah 37:1–7.

Isaiah 37:1–7 ESV

As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz.
They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ”
When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’ ”

2.1 Before we discuss today's passage, we must consider the gravity of the situation.

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, has already captured 46 of Judah's fortified cities. Lachish has fallen. The King of Judah, Hezekiah, has already tried to secure the city's water supply by carving a 1,750-foot tunnel through rock. He has done everything humanly possible. Now, the Rabshakeh stands at the wall.

2.2 In this situation, Rabshakeh does not attack with swords. He attacks with words. He refuses to speak Aramaic, the diplomatic language. He deliberately speaks Hebrew so that every soldier on the wall can hear and understand him. This is psychological warfare. He tries to confuse Judah with his words.

2.3 His speech has three pillars: First, he dismantles the political alliance. "Egypt? That splintered reed? If you lean on it, it will pierce your hand" (36:6).

Isaiah 36:6 NLT

On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is completely unreliable!

2.4 Second, he highlights military disparity: "I'll give you 2,000 horses, but can you find riders for them?" (36:8).

Isaiah 36:8 NKJV

Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them!

2.5 Third, he subverts religion: "Did Hezekiah not remove the high places? YHWH is angry with you. In fact, YHWH sent me here." He weaponizes Hezekiah's own faith against him (36:10).

Isaiah 36:10 MSG

“ ‘And besides, do you think I came all this way to destroy this land without first getting God’s blessing? It was your God who told me, Make war on this land. Destroy it.’ ”

2.6 Then comes the theological knockout punch in verse 20: 

Isaiah 36:20 ESV

Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’ ”

2.7 The logic is simple and brutal. Samaria fell. Hamath fell. Arpad fell. Their gods could not save them. Your god is no different. Therefore, you will fall, too. This is more than just military pressure. It's a theological assault. The Rabshakeh says: "God's power is measured by results. Look at your results. Your God is weak." 

2.8 This is not the last time someone will stand before what looks like God's defeat and say — 'Where is your God now?' The cross looked exactly like this. A king, stripped and silent, with no army, no defense. And yet Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:25: 

1 Corinthians 1:25 KJV 1900

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The Rabshakeh's metric — power measured by visible results — is precisely what the cross dismantles."

3.1 How does Hezekiah respond to Rabshakeh’s psychological attack? He does not argue back. He doesn't give a counter-speech. Instead, he tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, and goes into the temple. This marks the first turning point in the text. Today’s passage calls this "holy silence." It is not passivity. Rather, it is a refusal to fight on the enemy's terms, a refusal to answer a fool according to his folly.

Isaiah 36:21 NRSV

But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.”

3.2 The people on the wall had said nothing (36:21). Now, their king follows the same discipline. This is profoundly countercultural. Our culture and every instinct says to respond, defend, argue, and fix. Hezekiah remains silent and turns to God. 

3.3 It's easy to think this way when we only consider our own situation and difficulties. We cannot be patient. We always ask God to respond quickly to our difficult situations. We always pray for a quick solution. When we focus on rapid solutions, we fall into psychological language and start believing that God is not doing enough for us. Then, we think that God is not enough. Now, Rabshakeh tried to do this.

3.4 Hezekiah's holy silence is fully realized in Jesus. When Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the charges they are bringing against you?" Matthew 27:14 says that Jesus "gave him no answer, not even to a single charge."

Matthew 27:13–14 ESV

Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

3.5 Jesus refused to fight on the enemy's terms. As the ultimate Remnant King, he remained silent before his accusers not because he had nothing to say, but because he was operating on a completely different level. Jesus refused to fight on the enemy's terms — because God's way of winning looks nothing like the world's. His silence was not weakness. It was the opening move of a completely different kind of victory. Therefore, when Hezekiah and Judah responded to Rabshakeh’s words, it was the right response. They could not do anything right with their instant response.

4.1 Now, we see Hezekiah’s response. He sends messengers to Isaiah, God’s prophet, bearing one of the most honest prayers in the Old Testament. He does not mince words:

Isaiah 37:3 NIV

They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.

4.2 Hezekiah did not rely on his kingship. Rather, he acknowledged his desperate and vulnerable situation. He accepted his weaknesses. This teaches us that we should acknowledge our vulnerability in the face of an unsolvable situation. Do not hide distress under bravado. Notice what Hezekiah prays for. He does not pray, "Save us because we deserve it." He prays:

Isaiah 37:4 AMP

It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria, his master, has sent to mock, reproach, insult, and defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant [of His people] that is left.

4.3 When Hezekiah prays, "This is your matter," he is doing something we recognize from the Lord's Prayer: "Hallowed be your name." Before asking for bread or deliverance, the prayer begins with honoring God. Hezekiah is not manipulating God. He is aligning himself with what God already cares about.

4.4 This is the hitpallēl shape of prayer: reflexive and self-examining. Before reaching toward God, Hezekiah turns inward and judges his situation honestly. He spreads his burden out before the Lord. He brings it with specific, tangible honesty. This prayer—self-examination before petition—resonates with Romans 8:26: 

Romans 8:26 ESV

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

4.5 Sometimes, our prayers become to-do lists or bullet points that we expect God to fulfill. But prayer is more than a to-do or wish list. Prayer is about surrendering ourselves to God. It is about encountering God directly. When our prayer is like that, we can start hearing God's word for us from that moment on. We can see how God is working in us.

5.1 Isaiah's response to Hezekiah's prayer and request is short. There is no elaborate prophecy. It's just this:

Isaiah 37:6 NASB 2020

And Isaiah said to them, “This is what you shall say to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.

5.2 Notice that God does not begin by explaining his plan. He begins by addressing fear. Then, in verse 7, it says, 

Isaiah 37:7 ESV

Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’ ”

5.3 No drawn sword. No army. Just a word—and a promise that the word will accomplish what it says. This is the theology of the Word. The Rabshakeh's words tried to create a reality of fear. Isaiah's prophetic words create a reality of deliverance. The Word always accomplishes its purpose (Isaiah 55:10–11), so this is possible.

Isaiah 55:10–11 NLT

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

5.4 When we are in a difficult situation, we should pray. But before our prayers become wish lists, we should examine our hearts and minds with the Word of God. We should examine our hearts with God's Word because it can correct and guide us. 

5.5 And the New Testament tells us that this Word became flesh — John 1:14. The same Word that defeated Sennacherib entered history in Jesus Christ. When he said 'It is finished' from the cross, that was not defeat. That was the Word accomplishing exactly what it was sent to do.

5.6 But we must be honest. Hezekiah responded well — he tore his clothes, entered the temple, prayed with raw honesty, and trusted the word of God. And God answered. The Assyrian army withdrew. And yet Judah still fell. Not long after, the nation was conquered, the temple destroyed, the people carried into exile. A faithful king's faithful response did not prevent the nation's collapse.

5.7 This is the clarification we need. God's response to our turning toward him does not guarantee the outcome we are hoping for. What it guarantees is something else entirely — that our movement toward him is never wasted. The posture matters, even when the results disappoint. Hezekiah is remembered not because everything worked out. He is remembered because of how he stood before God in the moment of crisis. This text preserves not the outcome. But the orientation.

Conclusion

6.1 When my wife suggested we come to Canada, nothing was guaranteed. We had direction and a calling, and we were willing to move toward God rather than scramble for the next plan. I am standing here today. But that is not the point of this story.

6.2 The point is what happened when the plan collapsed and we had to make a decision. Not toward Egypt. Not toward bravado. We turned back toward the thing we had been carrying—toward God and the calling he had placed on us. Hezekiah's actions in this text are similar. He does not display strength. He enters the temple broken, honest, and empty, which turns out to be the perfect posture for receiving a word from God.

6.3 Hezekiah is not the end of the story. He is merely a pointer. The passage we studied today calls him the archetypal "Remnant King" — the one who waits for the Lord in darkness and whose weapons are words, holy silence, and entering the temple as a petitioner. Also, Hezekiah’s silence was not a sign of weakness but a holy pause—a refusal to exploit God’s name to justify his selfish desires. Only when our prayers become a "mirror" that reflects ourselves to God rather than a "to-do list" that demands answers can we triumph not by the enemy’s methods but by God’s.

6.4 Jesus is the ultimate Remnant King. Just as God promised Hezekiah that the enemy would not fire a single arrow into the city, Christ secured the New Jerusalem against the final blows of sin and death. Just as Hezekiah spread out the letter before the Lord, Jesus spread out his arms on the cross, presenting our ultimate burden to God. Not to display strength, But to absorb and defeat it from the inside.

When all human resources are depleted, the Word of God becomes the only solid foundation.

Three Questions to Take Home

1. What are the loud voices in your life right now — the voices that are telling you the numbers don't work, the situation is impossible, God hasn't shown up? Can you name them?

2. What are your "Egypts" — the splintered reeds you keep leaning on, that promise support but ultimately wound you? Career, money, other people's approval, a plan you won't let go of?

3. When did you last pray like Hezekiah — not performing confidence, but actually spreading your specific, tangible burdens before God, honestly naming the distress, and trusting him with his own honour?