Isaiah 37:8-38 “Commitment...Then What?”
Introduction
1. Hezekiah repented and called upon the Lord in 37:1-7.
2. It’s a matter of faith…trust. Whom will you now trust?
3. You call on the Lord. You confess the lack of faith.
4. You take your hands off the situation and give it to God...what can you expect?
5. Isaiah 37:8-38 we see what happened to Hezekiah:

I. THE PROBLEM IN COMMITMENT 37:8-13
Every commitment will be challenged. Sennacherib’s verbal assault through Rabshaketh.
Now he gives a written assault. (v. 14)
A. Desperation 8-9
1. 701 B.C. Lackish lay to the South of Libnah. Having left Lackish S. marched North
to Libnah with the intention of proceeding to Jerusalem.
2. He had heard…He heard…When he heard a rumor that a hostile army from Egypt
or Ethiopia is headed toward Assyria. The king (Sennacherib) braces himself for an
attack from Egypt.
3. He doesn’t want Hezekiah to think that he is off the hook. S. sends a threatening
letter which were empty words…mere words…rumors. S. is desperate and mere
words are moving him away from Jerusalem. He is losing control. He is desperate.
4. When someone challenges you…it may not be you. The challenger may be going
through it. He or she may be under pressure from something that you know nothing
about. It may not be God’s will for them to act in a certain way, but it is God’s
will for you.
B. Doubt 10
1. S. acknowledges Hezekiah’s faith. Let not thy God in whom thou trustest… There is
no mention of Egypt. S. knew Hezekiah was trusting totally in the Lord.
2. “Don’t let your God…deceive you.” “Don’t buy it. Don’t believe any message you
are getting from God. You are still in my clutches. Has any other nation matched my
power? Has any other god defeated me?”
3. At the heart of our struggle: Will we stake our lives on the truthfulness of God? It
is His integrity that is on the line in what becomes of us. If we are living for Him. Do
we believe that God will defend Himself by defending us? Are we so allied with
God that He is allied with us?
4. During the Civil War Abraham Lincoln was asked: “Is God on our side?” To which
Lincoln replied: “It is not whether He’s on mine, but whether I’m on His.”
C. Discouragement 11
1. You have heard…what you heard is true. (v. 18)
2. Look at what Satan has done, and not what God can do. Focusing on the past, and
the negative will lead to discouragement.
3. “You think that you can win?”
D. Defeat 12-13
1. Satan has an impressive track record!
2. The threat would be most impressive if Hezekiah had known these kings personally.
He could picture in his mind’s eye these kings impaled…butchered. That is what the
Assyrians did to their victims.
3. We look at others. We listen to others. Everyone else’s story doesn’t have to be your
story. The challenge came through the ear gate (Rabshaketh). Now it comes through
the eye gate.

II. THE PRAYER IN COMMITMENT 37:14-20
A spiritual enemy takes spiritual warfare. Hezekiah spreads the Assyrian letter before the
Lord. Now his passion is to bring glory to the Lord!
A. He Is Reliant 14-17
1. His Dependance 14-15 He is totally dependent upon the Lord.
2. His Deliverer 16-17 He is totally God-centered. Note the various name he uses
for God. Each emphasizes a different aspect of God:
*Jehovah…LORD His Purchase of redemption. His Promise as a Covenant Keeper.
*The Lord of host…His Power
*God of Israel…His Praise Elohim is plural with the root meaning, ‘to worship’, ‘to
adore’. He is the supreme object of worship.
*God dwellest between the cherubim…His Presence in the Tabernacle.
*Living God…His Potential.
3. Review who God is and then relate this God to your situation!
B. He Is Realistic 18-19
He recognizes the power of Assyria. If God doesn’t do it, it won’t get done!
C. He Is Right On 20
1. Save Us: That all the kingdoms may know that you alone are the Lord. He is not
praying, “Lord, why is this happening to me.” BUT “Lord, you receive all the glory in this.”
2. We need to see our lives in this way: Why are we here? Not to play in some
sandbox of our own making, but to be living proof that God saves sinners! Why is
God there? Not to service our convenience and our selfish dreams, but to display His
glory.
3. Ultimately, we must deal with God. He has allied Himself with us not to serve our
will, but to defend his own glory as we serve His will. Ray Ortlund
4. Happiness is God being God in you! Stop Praying: “Lord, I want You to make
my wife or husband better. I want my children to behave. I hate my job. I want the
ideal job.” God will not yield to a human agenda.
Start Praying: “Lord, I just want You to be God to me. I want my life, with my
problems, to show the world that You save sinners, and that Your grace is enough!”
5. We remove self from the center. Christianity is finding the glory of Christ as all we
need. I Die!

III. THE PERSPECTIVE IN COMMITMENT 37:21-35
Isaiah speaks for God: Man is responsible. God was in absolute control of the situation and
was working out His purpose through Assyria.
A. God Hates Pride 21-25
1. The battle is not with us, it’s with God. S. thought he was the Big Dog. He struts from
one victory to the next. (24, 25) He sees himself doing whatever, whenever,
wherever he desired.
2. This is from a human perspective…big military…superior weapons…brilliant strategy.
B. God Handles Pride 26-29
1. The string of victories that Assyria chalked up were all part of God’s plan. God can
use wicked, ruthless, evil to accomplish His purpose. He responds to that which
will bring the most glory to Himself and accomplish His ultimate purpose.
2. Human Initiative/Divine Sovereignty…Because you prayed to Me (v. 21) what if
Hezekiah had not prayed? The Lord performs foreordained purposes in answer to
prayer. Human responsibility is real. What we do or don’t do matters in the whole
scheme of things!
*God asserts ultimacy behind human actions. (26) Sennacherib has scored victory
after victory. God planned it and S. accomplished it.
*Divine sovereignty is real. The purpose of God is what explains the twists and turns
of history. Both human responsibility and divine sovereignty are real. Because you
have raged against me…I will put my hook in your nose…my bridle in your lips.
“The Lord rides the horse of history with all its ruthless energy, but all the
while He is in full control.”
C. God Humbles Pride 30-35
1. God gives grace to the humble. Hezekiah turned to God on God’s terms and God
honors faith.
2. God Has A Purpose God does that which will bring the most glory to Himself and
ultimately fulfill His plan.
3. What Motivates God? For my sake…For my servant (greater David) Jesus Christ
He is committed to us, not because of us, but because of our Substitute.

IV. THE PERFORMANCE IN COMMITMENT 37:36-38
A. God Comes Through 36
145,000 are slain in 3 vss. The real story was vss 14-35 when God and Hezekiah were
doing real business.
B. God Keeps His Promises 37-38
Hezekiah died in 698 B.C. 20 years later this verse occurred. (37:7) “I wonder if God
will keep His promise?”
The Bible is not about man’s glory, but it is about God’s glory. SO IS OUR LIVES!
You can live for yourself. You can try to get God to bless your world or YOU CAN LET GOD TELL HIS STORY THROUGH YOUR LIFE. Bow to His will…promote His glory…whatever adjustments that may be required surrender!
You will become living proof that God saves sinners! He Receives All the Glory!