Isaiah 37 tells us about how King Hezekiah seeking God's help through the prophet Isaiah after the King of Assyria had lashed out "to ridicule the living God". Isaiah told Hezekiah not to fear the blasphemy because God had things under control and that the king of Assyria would go home and there be killed. Hezekiah placed Sennacherib's insulting letter before God and prayed: "O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God"! Then Isaiah spoke the words of the Lord: "You have lifted your eyes in pride against the Holy One of Israel... you have heaped insults on the Lord... you rage against me but I will put my hook in your nose... for out of Jerusalem will come a remnant... he (Sennacherib) will not enter this city... then the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrians... and when Sennacherib was in the temple of his god his sons came and killed him".
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Isaiah 36 (résumé): Sennacherib threatens Jerusalem
Isaiah 36 registers the invasion of Judah by king Sennacherib of Assyria in 701 BC. Sennacherib "attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them", and his field commander challenges King Hezekiah of Judah questioning his and Jerusalem's "strategy and military strength" as well as questioning Jerusalem's dependance on Egyptian support which he ridicules as being like a "splintered reed of a staff" which you certainly can't lean on! Then the field commander jests that Sennacherib's army is on a divine mission to defeat Judah and that Judah's god doesn't stand a chance! Then in a clear scare mongering tactic the commander speaks loudly in the language of the people banding about the Assyrian threats and humiliation. "Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you!... don't listen to Hezekiah... make peace with me... how can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?" And Hezekiah's leaders despaired!
Half-way there!
I have completed the first half of the Book of Isaiah covering the first 33 chapters of its 66 total. This means I have now written the résumé of 60% of the Bible. The Book of Isaiah, the largest prophetic book in the Bible, is a collection of prophetic sayings about a variety of topics such as divine judgement, messianic hope and the holiness of God.
Monday, 4 May 2026
Isaiah 35 (résumé): Joy of the Redeemed
Isaiah 35 is an extremely joyful chapter of restoration and healing! A barren desert is transformed into a lush productive paradise! "The wilderness will rejoice and blossom... it will burst into bloom... they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God... strengthen the feeble... be strong and do not fear... the eyes of the blind will be opened and the deaf will hear... water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert... there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness... no lion will be there or any ferocious beast.... but only the redeemed will walk there and the ransomed of the Lord will return and enter Zion with singing!"
Isaiah 34 (résumé): Judgement against the Nations
Isaiah 34 decrees God's apocalyptic judgement on all nations focusing on Edom as a symbolic representative of these nations. For God is to ruthlessly and aggressively devastate the nations. "The Lord is angry with all nations... he will destroy them... their dead bodies will send up a stench... all the stars will be dissolved... it will be a great slaughter in Edom... the land will be drenched with blood... it is a day of God's vengeance and retribution... the desert owl and the screech owl will possess it... she will become a haunt for jackals... the falcons will gather each with its mate... they will possess the land for ever and dwell there from generation to generation".
Isaiah 33 (résumé): Distress & Help
Isaiah 33 is a declaration of God's judgement on the destroyer Assyria: "Woe to you, O destroyer... you will be destroyed!" Then God's people are encouraged to cry to God for his grace: "Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress". God then promises "to fill Zion with justice and righteousness... He will be the sure foundation for your times... Now will I arise, says the Lord. Now will I be exalted... your eyes will see the king in his beauty... Look upon Zion... a peaceful abode... its stakes will never be pulled up... the Lord is our judge, lawgiver and king!"
Isaiah 32 (résumé): The Kingdom of Righteousness
Isaiah 32 promises a future king and kingdom: "a king will reign in righteousness... a shelter from the wind... like streams in the desert... no longer will the fool be called noble... the scoundrel's methods are wicked... but the noble man makes noble plans". Then Isaiah warns against complacency because coming disaster will change the women's easy lives... because the grape harvest will fail... citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland for ever... till the Spirit is poured out from on high... justice will dwell in the desert... the fruit of righteousness will be peace... my people will live in peaceful dwelling-places... how blessed you will be!"