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So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah, and delivered

their message.

6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou

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hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have 7 blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, some sudden destruction, and he shall hear a rumour of some other enemies, and shall return to his own land in a fright; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

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So Rabshakeh returned to give the king an account of what had been done, and left the other captains to block up the city; and he found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish, being unable to take it. 9 And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again 10 unto Hezekiah,* saying, Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah, king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the 11 hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them ul12 terly and shalt thou be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; [as] Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which 13 [were] in Thelasar? Where [is] the king of Hamath, and the "king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah ?

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And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD; he read it, and instead of writing a provoking answer, he (as it were) sent it to the King of kings by earnest prayer ; acknowledging God's universal provi15 dence, and referring himself to the divine determination. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest [between] the cherubims, thou art the God, [even} thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou 16 hast made heaven and earth. LORD, bow down thine ear, ankl hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God; behold, here it is; see, and read his blasphenty under his own hand; deliberate blasphemy against thee the living God, and not 47 an hasty passionate word. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyr18 ia have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast

The learned are much divided about the event here referred to. The case seems to be as Prideous has stated it, Sennacherib upon receiving Hezekiah's presents, went down toward Egypt and took Ashdod. (Isa. xx. 1.) destroyed No Amon in Egypt, of which we have an account in Nahum iii, and besieged Pelusium, another city. Tirhakah, v. 9. came to its relief; which forced him to raise the siege, but Sennacherib attacked him and beat him. In Isaiah xvii. xix. we read of the judgments of God upon Egypt and the Ethiopians. Now when Sennacherib heard say (.9.) that Tirhakah was coming again, he was desirous to terrify Hezekiah to surrender, that he might the better deal with the king of Ethiopia afterward. He therefore sends him a blasphemous letter, much the same with Rabshakeh's speech before. He had heard that Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, and had some promise of deliverance. This he ridicules, representing Jehovah to be only a local deity; and trusting in his former conguests, be says, Let not thy God, in whom they trustest, &c. 9. 19-13.

their gods into the fire; in this they pretend to no more than they have done, they have prevailed over other gods: for they [were] no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone : 19 therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou [art] the Lord GOD, [even] thou only; distinguish thyself from idols, and show that thou art the only living and true God.

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Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, the messengers probably came while he was praying in the temple, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, [That] which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 21 This [is] the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; he elegantly addresses himself to the king of Assyria; The virgin the daughter of Zion, the upper part of the city, which was called Zion, hath despised thee, [and] laughed thee to scorn, the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee; the lower part, called Jerusalem, laughed, and shook their head. This is a prophetical representation of what would as certainly be, as if it were 22 already past. 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; against his infinite excellency, who has a peculiar regard to Israel. 23 By thy messengers thou hast reproached the LORD, and hast said. With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof: [and] the choice fir trees thereof and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, [and 24 into] the forest of his Carmel. I have digged and drunk strange waters; I can have food and water where the enemy thought I should have none; perhaps this was intended as a banter on Hezekiah's stopping up the fountains; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places or as some render it, I have dried up the rivers of Egypt, taken their fortresses. was easily as if their rivers were dried up, Isa. xix. 6. Then follow. 25 the words of God in answer to all this empty boast. Hast thou not 1. heard long ago [how] I have done it, [and] of antient times

that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou, at shouldst be to lay waste fenced cities [into] ruinous heaps; what is this to what I have done, who have dried up the sca? nor couldst thou have done what thou hast, but by my power and 26 help; I delivered them to thee, 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 house tops, and [as corn] blasted before it be grown up; thou hast only been an instrument in my hand, the 27 rod of mine anger, Isa. x. 5. But I know thy abode, and thy

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This is an admirable description of a boasting king, puffed up with his successes. To what place cannot I force my way, and make an entire conquest of the country, of the moun tains, the cities, the woods, and the fields, and drive my triumphant chariot over them all!

going out and thy coming in, and thy rage against me; all thy 28 contrivances against my people. Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, the voice of thy threat. enings and thine armies, therefore I will 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, as easily as a man turns and pulls out a fish that hangs on his hook, or a rider turns his horse's head with 29 a bridle, And this [shall be] sign unto thee; not a sign of their ensuing deliverance, for that came immediately; but a sign of God's care of his people, and his favour toward them; Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in 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. When Sennacherib was gone, they were afraid of famine; his army having eaten up or trodden down the corn; but there was enough for this year and the next, which was the sabbatical year, and the third they should go on with their usual husbandry, 30 and prosper, And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit up. ward; the inhabitants shall have firm possession of the country, 31 and increase and multiply in it. For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion; those that are shut up in the siege shall go forth the zeal of the LORD [of 32 hosts] shall do this; zeal for his honour and his people. Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, whom you at present fear, He shall not come into this city, not make one attack upon it, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with 33 shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, 34 saith the LORD. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake; for the sake of my power and mercy, and relation to this people, and especially to David, whose piety I remember, and to whom I have promised a successor.

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And it came to pass that night in which the promise was made, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred four score and five thousand; he destroyed all the army that was encamped about Jerusalem, probably by a pestilential wind, under the direction of an angel: these were common in this country ; and, as travellers inform us, sometimes destroy a whole caravan at once; it is called in v. 7. a blast and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they [were] all 36 dead corpses. Sa Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt in Nineveh, full of shame, confusion, and distraction of thought; and in revenge he destroyed 37 many of the Jews there. And he became so hateful to his people and family, that 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.

• Psalm lxxvi. was composed on this occasion,

1.

REFLECTIONS.

RAYER is the best refuge of good men in every time of difficulty and oppression. Hezekiah prayed himself, and sent to Isaiah to pray for him and for the people. Their enemies endeavour to frighten them from it, as Rabshakeh did Hezekiah, saying, Where is your God? But he is the first and last resort of good men; when heavy afflictions come upon them, when the interest of religion is at the lowest ebb, when difficulties insurmountable come, then is the time for prayer: in the mount of danger the Lord is seen. It is a comfort that they can spread their cases before the Lord, and that he takes notice of them; that he will hear their prayer, and send an answer of peace.

2. It always becomes us, in prayer, to regard the honour of God, and to fetch our pleas from thence. Adore him, with Hezekiah, as the God of Israel; as the God of the kingdoms of the earth; the supreme, universal, everlasting King; we should maintain a regard to his glory, that the nations may know, and serve him. A principle of religion is improved by prayer, especially that his name be glorified. This should be our daily prayer, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom 'come.

3. God, who takes notice of the boasts of proud men, can easily humble them. When men, like Sennacherib, exalt their voice, and left up their haughty eyes on high, he sees and observes it. All boastings are reflections upon God and his providence, to whom we owe every thing. It is wrong to talk proudly; but, as Mr. HENRY observes upon this story, it is worse to write proud and angry letters; for that shows deliberation and design; and these continue long, and do more mischief.' Every one that is proud in heart, however he may show it, is an abomination to the Lord.

4. It is a great satisfaction to the church and people of God, to think that he has the greatest and proudest of their enemies under 'his control. He has his eye upon them, knows their abode, their going out and coming in, their rage against his people; he observes all their plots and contrivances; and has his hand upon them; his hook is in their nose, and his bridle in their mouth; they are doing his work, and act by his power; he sees and knows all their insolence and rage; and, as the psalmist observes concerning this story, Psalm 1xxvi. 10. The wrath of man shall praise him, and the remainder of wrath shall he restrain.

5. What a great, powerful, and terrible God is Jehovah. At his rebuke, the psalmist observes, the chariots and horses are cast into a "deep sleep; none of the men of might have found their hands. The greatest numbers cannot stand before him; one of his mighty angels destroyed this numerous host. Where is the great king, the king of Assyria, now? Thou, says the psalmist, even Thou, art to be feured; not the greatest king, but Thou alone; and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? The general lesson from the whole is, O love the Lord, all ye his saints; for the Lord preserveth the faithful, but plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. (See the seventy sixth Psalm.)

CHAP. XX.

Hezekiah's sickness, and his recovery, upon earnest prayer ; a melan choly instance of his vanity, for which he is reproved; and his prosperity and death.

* IN those days, while Sennacherib was encamped against Jerusa

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lem, and in the fourteenth year of his reign, was Hezekiah sick unto death, sick of a mortal disease. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not .2 live. Then he turned his face to the wall, for privacy, and pray3 ed unto the LORD, saying, I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done [that which is] good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore, because the reformation was not completed, the city was in great danger, and he had no son to succeed him. 4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle 5 court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, that out of regard to them, his life is spared; Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD, and return thanks for the cure. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years, longer than on account of this disease he could expect to live: and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's 7 sake. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took And Hezekiah said and laid [it] on the boil, and he recovered."

unto Isaiah, What [shall be] the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day? The message seeming to be contradictory to the former, he asks a sign, probably remembering that his father was reproved for • refusing one. And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? 10 He leaves him to choose. And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees; which Hezekiah thought 11 more supernatural and extraordinary. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.t

* His disorder was probably a quinsey, or imposthume in his throat. The figs might Have a natural tendency to ripen it; but could not succeed, in so dangerous a case, without a miraculous interposition.

+ There is no reason to suppose that the whole course of the heavens retired back upon this occasion; but that the beams of the sun were inflected, or bent back; which might be done in an instant, and kept so for some considerable time. We do not read of any sundial so ancient as this. The original is, on the degrees or steps of Ahaz; a flight of steps that led to the palace, near to which there was some pyramid or obelisk, which might cast such a shadow on the steps, as to measure the time. It seems to have been a sort of naturak dial, which most eople, by observation, make for themselves.

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