Isaiah 36 and 37
A King of a country east of Jerusalem had conquered all the lands around, excepting Judah, and he thought he could take that also, so he came with a great army against the small cities first, and while fighting them he sent a man with a part of his army to tell the king of Judah, who lived in Jerusalem, that he would take that city also, and wanted them to surrender without fighting.
The man who came with the message was a bold, proud man like the king; he stood at a high place on the road into Jerusalem and shouted his demands to the men who came to meet him; he asked why they should think their city would be safe when all the cities around had been defeated and the people carried away. He was very scornful that the king and people should trust God to save them, he said the gods, or idols, of other lands had not saved them; he told them that the Lord had said to destroy the land, which was a he to, frighten them.
The men of the city did not try to answer the man’s boasts, for their king had said, “Answer him not.” They went back into the city and told the king his words. The king grieved to hear such a message, but he believed in God and took the message the man had sent, into the temple and prayed to God to save them from these wicked men; he also sent: for the prophet Isaiah, and God told Isaiah to tell him to send word to the boasting king that God knew his rage, but that he “should not come into the city, nor shoot all arrow there ... .” “By the way he came, by the same shall he return,” and “that he should fall by the sword in his own land.”
In the night God sent an angel to bring death to a great number of the boastful king’s army, and he hurried back to his land.
Even though he had seen the power of God in sending death, he did not believe Him, and kept on worshiping an idol, and was killed by his own sons, who were wicked as he, and wanted his throne. That king and his general were surely proud, wicked men to say they and their army were stronger than the Lord, and to scorn and defy Him.
Isaiah had told before that the king of Assyria would come against the land “as a river, strong and many,” just as he did, and that “God was with” His people (Isa. 8:7,107Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks: (Isaiah 8:7)
10Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. (Isaiah 8:10)): So, that time, what was told to Isaiah came true.
There are solemn words about a “man of sin” with power from Satan, who will “oppose and exalt himself above all,” whom the man sent by the wicked king seems to foretell. How dreadful that any will follow him who denies the Lord’s great love and power, and “receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved.” (2 Thess. 2:3-103Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:3‑10)).
ML 11/30/1941