Isaiah 37:14-20 record Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance. Verses 21-38 record how God answered that prayer. The section’s relevance for the Church is found in the fact that Hezekiah prays in a moment of severe threat from his enemy (cf. 36:4-5, 15-17). Believers trust God in times of trouble and their faith works itself out in prayers like this one. Preaching prayers, whether this one or those found in Psalms, present an opportunity for us to evaluate the object of our faith (37:16 and the description of God), to annunciate the temptations we face (37:17-19), and, of course, to articulate our petition for help (37:20). Finally, when a preaching portion actually shows God answering the prayer, here is an excellent opportunity to bolster our faith. It’s difficult not to be encouraged by the display of God’s power to save. Remember, though, that God’s handling of Sennacherib is not the definitive act of deliverance. That occurred when our Savior on the cross died to deliver us from our sins and from Satan’s control. That’s the reason why we can have full confidence that God delivers those who trust Him wholly.
Randal Pelton, Ph.D., D.Min., Th.M.
Senior Pastor, Professor
Gaining Strength from a Look at Our Joy-Filled Future
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Isaiah 35 contains a prophecy that is designed to make us say, “I can’t wait to get there!” The key to understanding the prophecy is noting both the picture of our preferable future (vv. 1-2, 5-10) and instruction for those of us who must wait (vv. 3-4). In this case, the instructions of vv. 3-4 become a condition to arriving at our final destination in the new heavens and new earth. To reject the instructions is equal to trusting in some other deliverance–some form of idolatry. Isaiah has been challenging God’s people to trust God wholly in order to be assured of inheriting the Kingdom. The Gospel can be communicated as you explain the concept of redemption found in vv. 9-10. Once again, one angle to the Cross can be seen through a contrast with v. 4’s statement: “He will come and save you.” God did do that on the Cross when He did not come and save His Son.
“your eyes will see…”: A Glimpse of the Good Life God Gives
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Isaiah 33:17-24 continue to show the kind of life the righteous will enjoy. Isaiah’s vision of our preferable future is designed to urge us to trust God alone for salvation. The tendency in Isaiah’s day and our day is to turn away from God or to supplement our faith in God with allegiance to some other source of deliverance (some kind of idolatry). Back then the temptation was to trust Assyria for help instead of trusting God. So, Isaiah provides a glimpse of what the righteous will see. It’s the kind of life we all want. For instance, v. 24 says, “And no inhabitant will say, ‘I am sick.'” When many have responded by saying, “Yes, that’s the life we want,” then it’s a matter of them making sure their faith is turning them into the kind of person described in v. 15, “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly…”
The Kind of Congregation Christ Creates
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Isaiah 33:13-16 are designed to help us be sure that we are the kinds of people who will be able to withstand the scrutiny of a holy God. Allow the question and answer format to flesh out meaning. Verse 15 describes the kind of person that is created by saving faith. V. 16 begins to show the quality of life the righteous-by-faith enjoy. Isaiah’s purpose continues: God will destroy all who rebel against Him and will deliver all who trust Him; all who trust Him, however, must look like Him. V. 14 describes our Lord’s terrifying holiness in action. Faith in Christ leads to a Spirit-empowered righteousness. It’s true of every true Believer.
A Prayer, Profession, and Hope for the New Year
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In the middle of an address to Israel’s enemy, we read Isaiah wording a prayer for us (Isaiah 33:1-6). It’s a prayer that Believers pray when they are in the middle of difficult circumstances. Like many Psalms, Isaiah’s prayer is designed to teach us how to pray. Following the grammatical and syntactical rules reveals that the largest section (vv. 3-6) explains a reason for praying and trusting God (“we wait for you” in v. 2). One of my favorite phrases in all Scripture is found in v. 6, “and he will be the stability of your times.” If we believe who God is and what He has promised for us, then we will readily ask Him to “be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.”
Answering Any Questions God Is Asking In The Preaching Portion
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Asking Questions In A Way That Encourages An Answer
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Preaching Already-Not Yet Prophetic Material
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Isaiah 30:18-26 records an encouraging report about our Lord waiting to give us His best gifts. It proved to be very applicable for a Christmas Day message. The preaching portion included not only what God will do, but also how His people will respond. It is this future look that contains information on how genuine Christians respond to God now. In Isaiah, this type of response guarantees that God’s people will escape destruction and be completely delivered in the Day of the Lord. Verses 20-21, for instance, describe a new capacity to see and hear. Spirit-controlled Christians have this capacity now. That leads to an inevitable change of lifestyle (v. 22) as genuine Christians do away with their idolatry. Contrast this response of the godly with Revelation 9:20-21 where we read of those who “did not…give up worshiping…idols…” The ethical sections of prophetic material instruct the Church by showing how genuine Believers live life now while they wait for their Lord’s return.
OT Parable: Trusting God Like Farmers Do
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Isaiah 28 closes with a parable. Like New Testament parables, one key to interpreting them is to note repetition (in this case the idea of being taught by God in vv. 26 and 29). The successful farmers believe in God’s ways and farm their land accordingly, unlike God’s people. Isaiah was addressing God’s people, many of whom, were not trusting and obeying God. That’s the point of this section: God’s people are encouraged to believe and obey God’s word like the farmers in the parable do. Verse 29’s description of our Lord is designed to drive us to depend on Him for guidance and direction through life. Remember that Isaiah is continuing to urge God’s people to stop the trend of looking more and more like society and less and less like their Savior. Meaning for parables are often disclosed through the law of end stress (what comes last is important). This certainly is true in 28:29. We shouldn’t forget at Christmas time that this description of God first occurred back in Isaiah 9:6 where it points to our Savior, the Son given to us.