Seder 35: Isaiah 36-37---Judah and the Davidic Line are Rescued

 King Hezekiah was one of three kings of Judah that the Bible identifies as following in David's footsteps (2 Ki 18:3).  The others were Asa (1 Ki 15:11) and Josiah (2 Ki 22:2).  Hezekiah was a religious reformer, putting away idolatry and reviving true worship.  He heeded the words of the prophets (Jer 26:17-19).  

In 705 BC, when the Assyrian king Sargon II died, Hezekiah stopped paying tribute to Assyria.  He retook some Philistine towns and strengthened Jerusalem's defenses.  

But in 701, Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah and took Lachish, the second largest city, and was set to continue on to Jerusalem, even after Hezekiah gave him silver and gold (2 Ki 18:14-16).  

Sennacherib sent three representatives to Jerusalem to try to intimidate Jerusalem into surrendering to him.  They arrived at the same location to which Isaiah had gone, years earlier, to encourage Hezekiah's father King Ahaz to trust in God rather than in Assyria (Isa 36:2; 7:3).  Isaiah 36-37 are the climax of Isaiah's teaching about not placing trust in the nations.  

The Assyrians announced to the people of Jerusalem that there was no way God could save them.  The Assyrians had defeated every nation and god they had encountered.  

Hezekiah responded by going to the Temple to pray (Isa 37:14-20).  He began by praising God as sole ruler of the universe and faithful to his people (v. 16).  He then asked God to defend his Name against the mocking and blasphemous words of the Assyrians (v 17).  Admitting that the Assyrians had overrun all their enemies so far, he asked God to deliver Judah for the sake of his reputation among the nations.

The prophet Isaiah announced that God had heard Hezekiah's prayer.  God who rules all nations, including Assyria, would not allow the Assyrians to attack Jerusalem.  Instead, he sent an angel to wipe out the Assyrian army (v 36).  Judah and the line of the Messiah were rescued.

Seder 156: Psalm 47---Praise for the King!

 In Psalm 47, all peoples are called upon to hail the God of Israel as king over all the earth.  

Commentator Willem Van Gemeren points out that in the Ancient Near East, rulers loved to be called, and to call themselves, "the great king."  One example is the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib (2 Ki 18:28; Isa 36:4).  Kings who gave themselves this title could not tolerate competition.  But God is the real "great king,' and he has no rival (v 2).  

God is to be praised for his mighty deeds on behalf of his people---for example, in freeing the Israelites from Egypt and granting them the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (vv 3-4).  

In verses 5-8 of the psalm, he is pictured ascending to his throne in heaven accompanied by the sound of the shofar.  (Because of verse 5, this psalm is associated with the Feast of Trumpets in Jewish worship and with Ascension Day in Christian worship.)  Again, all are encouraged to sing praises to him.  

Verse 9 looks forward to the time when all peoples become "the people of the God of Abraham."  This verse goes on to say that "the shields of the earth belong to God."  The Septuagint has "kings" instead of "shields." Indeed, the two are basically synonymous; they are presented in parallel in Psalm 89:18:  "For our shield belongs to the Lord,; our king to the Holy One of Israel."  God is highly exalted as the ruler of all.