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The giant book of Isaiah is divided into three main parts. The first part, composed of chapters 1-35, begins at approximately the late seventeenth century BC and includes prophesies foretelling the fall of Judah to the expanding superpower Assyria. The middle section of Isaiah, which includes chapters 36-39, serves as an account of King Hezekiah's dependence upon God to save Jerusalem from the Assyrians. This book is mainly a bridge between the reigns of the Assyrians and Babylonians. The final book, chapters 40-66, depicts the exile that the Babylonians force upon the Lord's people. In this book, Isaiah provides many words of encouragement for them, foretelling the end of the exile through Persia's rise (www.bibletutor.com/books/isaiah.html).
Chapter 36 of Isaiah begins with Sennacherib, king of Assyria, threatening Judah and all of its inhabitants. Sennacherib is cocky, boasting in verse 8 that he will give Judah two thousand horses for Judah to use in battle with him. He also tells the people of Judah not to listen to their king, Hezekiah, when he encourages them to depend upon God for deliverance (Isa. 36:16). Judah is in a state of disarray, fear, and a lack of faith.
Chapter 37 illustrates King Hezekiah tearing off his clothes due to the blasphemy thrust upon God by Sennacherib as he enters the Lord's temple to seek advice from the prophet Isaiah (Kaiser, p.391). Here, Hezekiah receives word that He is to pray to the Lord for his people's lives (Isa. 37:4). Furthermore, Isaiah tells Hezekiah's assistants not to fear Sennacherib, because the Lord will take care of him: "Do not be afraid of what you have heard- those words with which the underlining of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! I am going to put a spirit in him so that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword" (Isa. 37:6-7, NIV). After this, Hezekiah is shown worshipping God and asking for much-needed help regarding defense versus Assyria, just as he was instructed to do. From verse 21 and on, there is a lengthy account of God's charges against Sennacherib's blasphemy of Him and a promise to defend Jerusalem from Assyria (Isa. 37:34). Right after this, the Lord put to death 185,000 Assyrian troops. When the rest of the army awoke, they were startled to find a mass of dead bodies. Sennacherib fled to Nineveh, leaving his army. However, one day, worshipping in his temple, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer murdered him in cold blood, just as it had been foretold (Isa. 37:38).
There are many important Biblical themes depicted here, one being the power of prayer. God instructs Hezekiah through His prophet Isaiah to pray for God's mercy and presence. God, in fact, heard these prayers, and provided for the people of Jerusalem and King Hezekiah, just as He desires to help us. Prayer is actually one of the biggest themes in the Bible, turning up in just about every book. His prayer, here, is reminiscent of Deuteronomic History; it is similar to King David's in 2 Sam. 7:18-29 and King Solomon's in I Kgs. 8:23-53. This form of prayer shows the immediacy and seriousness of the situation (Clements, p.284). One of the most famous references to prayer is from Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (NIV). In other words, God wants us to ask Him for help, to depend on Him. Hezekiah asked for help, and received it by the love and grace of God.
Another major point of this story is that God keeps His covenant with His people. In Isaiah 37:7, God proclaims through Isaiah that He will place a spirit within Sennacherib and that he will flea back to his homeland and be cut down with the sword. Furthermore, in Isaiah 37:35, God vows to protect Jerusalem and save it from Assyria. In the next verses, both of these promises are fulfilled, keeping consistent with the Lord's solid Word. Other instances of God keeping His covenant with the faithful are throughout the Bible, including a promise to give Joshua and His people Canaan and to send the savior, Jesus Christ, through the family line of Abraham.
There are many aspects of this that relate to us today. God has a covenant with us regarding everlasting life: "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV). In other words, those who believe in Jesus Christ as the savior of all will have a share in God's kingdom. We can trust this covenant, because God has never broken a promise with His people, as shown within the Bible.
Furthermore, God shows that He will deal with the disobedient, the Sennacheribs of today, and that we shouldn't be preoccupied with punishing them. God didn't create us to seek revenge upon all who hurt us; He commanded us to "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything (He has) commanded (us)" (Matthew 28:19-20). King Hezekiah was faithful to this truth as well, because he allowed Sennacherib to flea the country without pursuing revenge.
In addition to exhibiting strong moral and divine guidelines for people, Isaiah has much historical significance within it. It describes the rises of both, the Assyrian and Babylonian, empires. This is important, because the Bible needs sound historical input for its stories to completely be coherent and grounded. If the Bible had unsound history within it, the fallibility of it would need to be questioned. Also, it is important in showing how Israel and Judah were formed.
Sources cited:
www.bibletutor.com/books/isaiah.htm
NIV Study Bible, Zondervan: Colorado Springs, CO 1996
Clements, R.E., Isaiah 1-39, Marshall Morgan and Scott: Grand Rapids, MI, 1980
Kaiser, Otto, Isaiah 13-39, Westminster Press: Philadelphia, 1973
Robinson, George L., Book of Isaiah, Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, MI, 1958
Widyapranawa, S.H., Isaiah 1-39, Wm B Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, MI, 1990
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