_Hezekiah. .. rent his clothes. .. and went into the house of the
Lord_
THE DISTRESS, OF HEZEKIAH
Hezekiah was probably weak in body, and therefore had lost true
courage of soul.
(_J. Parker, D. D._)
PERIL SHOULD DRIVE THE SOUL TO GOD
The best way to baffle the malicious designs of our enemies... [ Continue Reading ]
_This day is a day of trouble_
HEZEKIAH’S DAY OF TROUBLE
Ahaz the father and immediate predecessor of Hezekiah on the throne of
Judah, engaged himself, and virtually his successors, to pay tribute
to the kings of Assyria.
Such a state of vassalage Hezekiah no doubt rightly though hazardously
decl... [ Continue Reading ]
_Lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left_
EFFICACIOUS PRAYER
I. THE PERSON WHO WAS TO ENGAGE IN THE WORK OF INTERCESSION Was one of
great eminence in the Church and commonwealth, a great and good man, a
prophet of the Lord, and one who was indulged with peculiar nearness
to Him. Persons of... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee_
A PIECE OF SATANIC ADVICE
I. LET US WEIGH THIS PIECE OF SATANIC ADVICE. It is a very dangerous
temptation for three reasons.
1. Because it appeals to the natural pride of the heart. There is a
universal instinct which makes a man abhor the id... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Hezekiah received the letter. .. and read it. .. and spread it
before the Lord_
HEZEKIAH’S PRAYER AND DELIVERANCE
In the struggles, defeats, and final triumph of the ancient people of
God in their conflicts with the surrounding nations, we have a key to
the purposes of God in respect to the k... [ Continue Reading ]
_Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed?_
ISAIAH’S SAVING IDEA OF GOD
Isaiah in his day saved Jerusalem by teaching the people a better idea
of their God. For forty years he had been witnessing to a truer
thought of God, and at last the crisis and the triumph of his
religious statesmanship came.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The remnant_
THE ROOT AND FRUIT OF CHRISTIANITY
I. THE REMNANT THAT ARE SAID TO HAVE ESCAPED. Truly this is a
description of the Lord s Church in every age. Strait is the gate, &c.
Even so now also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace.” This remnan that is left is in great distre... [ Continue Reading ]
_He shall not come into this city_
THE MOMENTOUS ISSUES INVOLVED IN SENNACHERIB’S DEFEAT
We do not, perhaps, realise the magnitude of the crisis, not alone in
the life and fortunes of Isaiah, but in the history of the Jews, and,
inbreed, of the world at large.
It is not too much to say that if Se... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then the angel of the Lord went forth_
THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB’S ARMY
The narrative does not say here (but see Isaiah 30:30) what secondary
means, if any, were used.it does not exclude the use of secondary
means. As Dean Plumptre remarks, a modern historian would dwell on the
details of th... [ Continue Reading ]
_His sons smote him with the sword_
SENNACHERIB’S IGNOMINY
The sacred history would seem to imply that this disastrous end came
at once; but here twenty years of ignominy count for nothing.
“The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind to powder.”
Sennacherib died in 681 B.C., some twelve years... [ Continue Reading ]