Devotional Commentary on Isaiah 37

 

Isaiah is still in his diary of Sennacherib’s last campaign in Israel. Whereas Sennacherib was in 701 BCE (mentioned in one verse in Isaiah 36:1) at Jerusalem to collect money from Hezekiah and other states, of which K1285 from Niniveh is the evidence of the sums of money collected, and also his Annals which reported that during this Third Campaign of his, he boasted to have made Hezekiah to be “like a bird in a cage”, during this last campaign of Sennacherib, he stayed away from Jerusalem. He was at Lachish wrapped up in a military campaign and only his messengers came to Jerusalem. Delitzsch Vol. II 1890 page 101 also indicated that “Sennacherib effected nothing against Jerusalem except that he blockaded it some time.” Of course, Delitzsch felt that Isaiah got data mixed up. Delitzsch only knows of one campaign against Jerusalem and that is the one in 701 BCE. All modern commentaries work with this scenario but then you have to be negative about the Word of God! Adventists refused to be. The Word of God is also an Ancient Near Eastern document with legitimate and accurate data.

 

Beginners about this history need to know that there are at least two major camps on treating this data: Non-Adventist ones who deny the veracity of the biblical text and Adventist scholars like: S. Horn, E. Thiele, W. Shea, S. J. Schwantes who kept to the veracity of the Word of God thus suggesting two campaigns, one in 701 BCE well reported by Assyrian sources and one in 689 BCE that is silent. If Lachish was taken in 701 BCE as scholars are saying, why does the Bible say he went there in 689 BCE for a campaign? The only way to solve this is to think that in 701 BCE it was only about money-collecting but in 689 BCE it was all war.

 

This last campaign was probably between 689-687 BCE. Hezekiah died in 687 BCE and Tirhakah only left his mother’s house in 689 according to the Inscription as was cited in chapter 36 at the age of 20, born in 710/709/708 BCE when Shabako was king of Egypt. Tirhakah was 20 years old at the time of his co-regency in 690 BCE. He could not have been old enough in 701 BCE to scare Sennacherib off. This is the view of the Siegfried Horn and Edwin Thiele years in Adventism and since archaeology of the world changed from historical, chronological and textual discussions to anthropological and social focus after the 1970’s, the Adventist scholars who studied in universities outside the church (more so) and those in the denominations’ schools were slowly pushing historical, chronological and textual discussions on a secondary level and culture, society, and other aspects to the foreground. The slogan created by William Dever the archaeologist of Arizona, under which a number of our Adventist scholars studied and are now leaders in our schools, was: keep the Bible off the tel and only focus on the tel with anthropological models. He actually said it in my presence to another famous archaeologist who visited us that day, when I was in a hole excavating Friday, July 6th in 1990, namely, that day Joe Seger and William Dever stood near my hole and he said these words: “On this tel, Joe, there is no Bible”. The text must not be on the tel and this evasiveness of the text became later embedded in commentaries written by similar scholars so that Reform and extra-Protestant influence in Adventism can be seen in the trimming of data affecting the book of Isaiah in our Sabbath School Quarterlies. The “skipping over” parts.  

 

There are no Assyrian sources for this last campaign since it was a big disaster. The Assyrian sources never recorded any fear from their side but the Israelite sources are honest and report the immense fear that they suffered when the superpower came to their gates. That is one reason to trust the Bible more than the Assyrian Sources, counter Jewish scholars’ insistence to the contrary. It is a fact that the last seven years of Sennacherib’s life, are wanting in sources. Only scanty data exists. The records are incomplete, unsuccessful recordings, not recorded at all or unfactual recordings. A disaster of so many soldiers dying and families affected would have cast the ruler in a big dilemma for survival.

 

Hezekiah tore his clothes and entered the house of the Lord (v. 1). It is the safest place to be and thus the right decision for any ruler. He got an idea and sent his scribes to Isaiah (v. 2). Also a right decision. They asked for help from Isaiah (v. 3). They asked him to counter the disgrace that the Assyrian messenger did to God and to save the remnant (v. 4). Isaiah’s message was ready. The Lord said that He heard the blasphemy of the Assyrians (v. 6). The Lord will put a spirit in him and he will hear a rumor and return to his own land (v. 7).

 

The Assyrian general returned and found Sennacherib fighting against Libnah, for Sennacherib had left Lachish. This was in 689-687 BCE. They told him about Tirhaka the king of Cush or Ethiopia that was ruler of Egypt and that was to come against him (v. 9). We know that Tirkhaka was corronated at Memphis in 690 BCE after Shebitku died according to established Egyptian sources (Stelae IV 12-13).

 

Immediately Sennacherib sent messengers with a letter to Hezekiah again, this time blaming God that He is deceiving Hezekiah (v. 10). When Sennacherib said these words, as a leader of a superpower, he dressed himself in the clothes of Satan or Lucifer to continue the Rebellion that started in Heaven, to continue it here on earth. A great mistake. He used mass propaganda of his greatness and how gods could not help other nations and how kings of other nations fell (vv. 11-13). In the Sabbath School Quarterly of 2004, R. Gane spoke of the propaganda of the Assyrians. They were known for that boasting and fearful depictions.

 

Was Hezekiah afraid? He was. He took the letter and spread it before the Lord and prayed (vv. 14-15). Beautiful honesty of Israelite historiography that overshadows the arrogance of Assyrian historiography. In fact the Assyrian records of these events are totally lost or perhaps obliterated? God’s throne is above the angels and He is God of all kingdoms and Hezekiah wants God to hear and see the words of Sennacherib reproaching the living God (v. 16-17). Isaiah admitted and so did Hezekiah, that the superpower has destroyed other countries and their gods (v. 18-19).

 

He pleaded for deliverance that “the earth may know that You alone Lord, are God” (v. 20). The Lord responded through Isaiah to Hezekiah’s prayer (v. 21). The Lord address Sennacherib in the following way: He said that Judah has despised, mocked and shaken the head against Assyria (v. 22). These are the faithful of Jerusalem or the faithful remnant. Assyria has mocked and blasphemed the faithful remnant of God and against the Holy One of Israel (v. 23). Great error. The messengers of Assyria has angered the Lord by their saying that through their own power “with my chariots” (v. 24b) they have conquered the countries (vv. 24b-d; 25a-c). But, the Lord said that He planned it “from ancient times, I planned it, now I have brought it to pass” (v. 26a-e). The superpower got its strength and power from the Lord (v. 27). The Lord knows the sitting down and going out of Assyria (v. 28) “and your raging against Me” (v. 28c). The arrogance of Assyria, just like Lucifer’s arrogance, has come up before the Lord (v. 29a-b). As a result the Lord decided to punish the superpower “I will turn you back by the way which you came” (v. 29e).

 

The Lord spoke to Hezekiah saying that for three years Hezekiah shall slowly, year by year for three years grow to an agricultural entity (v. 30) and the remnant shall flourish (v. 31). The zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall perform this (v. 32).

 

As far as Sennacherib is concerned, the Lord indicated that “he shall not come to this city” (vv. 33-34). This is substantiating, that it is a later campaign than the Third Campaign of Sennacherib in 701 BCE, since it that campaign he did come to Jerusalem as both the Bible and Assyrian Sources confirm.

 

God remembers His covenant and the faithful of the remnant (v. 35). The Angel of the Lord killed 185 000 Assyrians in their camp and the next morning it was great mourning and shock (v. 36). Sennacherib returned home to Niniveh (v. 37).

 

As he was worshipping his two oldest sons killed him with a sword and they ran to Ararat and Esarhaddon, his third son became king (v. 38). Sennacherib died in 684 BCE on the 20th day of Tebet. In Assyrian sources the oldest brother was Arad-Mulissu or Arad-Ninlil and the accomplice was [god X]-šar-uur. Isaiah named them as Adrammelech and Sharezer, the Hebrew form for the names. Assyrian sources says that Esarhaddon cried out “Woe” and in his excitement, torn his priestly robe and uttered a lament. He said “my brothers went mad”. The prophecy of Isaiah and the sure Word of God became fact.

 

When there are differences between Isaiah and 2 Kings 18-19, it is because of difficult exilic times and access to direct reading was very difficult to secure so that slips of the ear, of the eye, of the memory can be seen in the 586 BCE historiography copying of 2 Kings. Sin affects also the quality of preservation of our Scriptures but God preserved in Isaiah a standard text for these problems to be solved. There are no errors in the description of the events and facts were not mixed or conflated at all. Two descriptions of two events separated in time with different aims and different results in each of them. That is biblical and incomplete Assyrian sources data’s proper stance.

 

Dear God

You are in control of all kingdoms and superpowers. We are also living with some. We want to be counted with the faithful remnant knowing that You will take care of them. Amen.