Copyright Mike Sullivan, 2018.
This study is part of a ten-week teaching series on Isaiah given at Xenos Christian Fellowship in 2017 and 2018.
Isaiah tells two stories about two very different men: King Ahaz and King Hezekiah. We read about King Ahaz mainly in chapters 7 and 8, and King Hezekiah in chapters 36-39.
It is useful to study these men side-by-side because their lives teach us about contrasting concepts in the Bible: fear and faith.
Fear
By fear I mean a strong negative emotion we feel arising from a threat or a perceived threat. Common threats include job loss, financial problems, losing a treasured relationship—the list endless. One of my fears is that the band One Direction might come back together again. I had to suffer through their music when my daughters were still living at home. Thankfully the band broke up. Let's pray they stay that way!
Everyone experiences fear at times, and when that happens…
Fear can drive us to do irrational things.
When I was in 8th grade, I was babysitting for our neighbors one night. After their little boy was sound asleep, I saw an ad on TV for a movie titled When a Stranger Calls. In the movie, a psychopath terrorizes a babysitter by calling her on the phone and asking "are the kids safe?" "Have you checked the children?" This upsets the babysitter, so she calls the police. The police then trace the call and tell her, "the call is coming from inside the house, whatever you do, get out of the house!" Five minutes after the TV ad ended, the phone rang. I picked up the receiver and the person on the line asked, "are the kids safe?" You can imagine how I felt. It was a prank call, but I was afraid, and that's when the irrational behavior started. I grabbed a knife from the knife block in the kitchen. Then I did a SWAT-team-style sweep, room by room, from 2nd floor to basement, looking for a psychopath. That's pretty irrational—there obviously was no danger—but people do irrational things when they are afraid.
Fear is a very powerful emotion, but even so…
God commands us to not be afraid.
You would think, if you surveyed the entire Bible, that the most repeated command would be something like "do not lie" or "love one another." But it isn't. The most repeated command is, "don't be afraid."i
God's command to not be afraid is often misunderstood. He isn't prohibiting the initial, visceral response of fear. If you're being chased by a grizzly bear, you will feel terror. That's hard-wired into your nervous system! And by repeatedly saying, "don't be afraid," God isn't saying the danger is all in your head. Jesus told us in advance there would be real dangers associated with following him.
But God is prohibiting being controlled by your fears. God knows fear can drive people to act in ways that are irrational and destructive. So he warns us: don't let your fears dictate your actions.
I realize we'll need to do some work to understand what fear-based living is and why God prohibits it. To that end, let's take a closer look at the life of King Ahaz, a man who was controlled by his fears.
King Ahaz
Remember that the twelve tribes of Israel split into two countries: Israel in the north, whose capital was Samaria and Judah in the south, whose capital was Jerusalem. Ahaz was the king of Judah and Jerusalem.
The threat
What was king Ahaz afraid of?
7:1 Now it came about in the days of Ahaz... that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah... king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it...
The northern kingdom of Israel and another country called Aram teamed up to attack Judah and Jerusalem.
7:2 When it was reported to the house of David [this is king Ahaz and his royal court]... his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.
Ahaz and his people shook with fear, but before you criticize them for being afraid, how would you feel if the local news reported an army was massing outside of your town, preparing to attack? Wouldn't you be terrified?
God knows Ahaz is afraid, so he reaches out to him through Isaiah and makes Ahaz a promise:
7:4 ...'Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands... 5 'Because Aram, with Ephraim... has planned evil against you, saying, 6 "Let us go up against Judah and terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in its walls..." 7 thus says the Lord GOD: "It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass."
Ahaz saw these two invading armies as a terrible threat to his country, but to God they were just a couple burning sticks—nothing he couldn't handle. So he tells Ahaz, "Relax! These two powers may have plotted evil against you, but it won't happen. I promise you, it shall not come to pass."
Ahaz' response
You will never find firmer ground to stand on than a promise from God. But instead of being comforted by God's promise of protection, Ahaz sought comfort elsewhere. From his throne in Jerusalem, Ahaz reached out to the Assyrians, a powerful country further to the north.
The book of Kings explains...
2 Kings 16:7 "...Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, 'I am your servant and your son; come up and deliver me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.'"
This is very sad. As the king of Judah, Ahaz was under God's care. But he turns away from God, his true father, and tells the king of Assyria, "I'm your servant and your son."
To make matters worse, Ahaz actually hired the Assyrians to rescue him even though God promised to do it for free! And to pay for Assyria's services—this is really bad—he used gold and silver articles from God's temple!!ii
Imagine how God felt—he had already promised that Jerusalem would be safe, but Ahaz was calling God a liar. He was so inconsolably gripped by fear, he robbed God's own temple to buy protection!
This kind of irrational behavior is typical of fear-based living. This is what it looks like when we handle threats on our own, without any regard for God or his promises.
The outcome
Initially, Ahaz' plan worked well. Assyria attacked Israel and Aram, which prevented those countries from harassing Judah. Isaiah predicted this would happen:
8:7 "Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to bring on them [Israel and Aram] the strong and abundant waters of the Euphrates, even the king of Assyria and all his glory; and it will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks.
Isaiah uses the image of a flood to describe how Assyria would conquer Aram and Israel. But Isaiah's prediction includes something Ahaz didn't anticipate...
8:8a "Then it [the Assyrian flood] will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through, it will reach even to the neck..."
The flood, the onslaught of the Assyrian army, would continue flowing into Judah, rising right up to the neck, right up to the capital city of Jerusalem! In other words, just when Ahaz thought he was safe, the Assyrians would break their alliance and attack him!iii
So Ahaz' response only made things worse. What went wrong? Ahaz was controlled by his fears. Fear drove him to do something very irrational—he made an alliance with the Assyrians, the most ruthless country in the Ancient Near East! Is it surprising that they eventually turned on Ahaz? Of course not. He knew better and should have trusted God instead.
What can we learn from Ahaz' fear?
We're a lot like Ahaz!
Deep down, Ahaz didn't really believe God could or would help him. Have you ever felt that way? Some never seek God for help because they don't believe in him in the first place. Others believe, yet doubt that God can be counted on to do much. If you are in the former camp, realize there are good reasons to believe God is there. If you aren't persuaded, ask a Christian friend to explain why they do believe God exists. And then ask God to reveal himself to you. If you already believe in God, but doubt his willingness or ability to help, you have a decision to make. You can continue to handle your threats how you see fit, or you can believe Isaiah when he says God is your "strength," your "salvation in the time of distress," and a source of "stability, wisdom, and knowledge" (Is. 33:2-6).
If God was a myth, or if he just didn't care to help us, it would be understandable to act like an orphan and be controlled by your fears. But that's not the situation you are in. God is willing to adopt you and bring you under his loving care.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
You can become God's child by personally entrusting yourself to Christ and asking him to forgive you. Once you do this, Christ comes to live in you through the Holy Spirit. And when that happens, people like myself who battle with fear and anxiety find they have new resources—the living God inside them—helping them overcome their fears.
I'm not saying all your problems will go away, but people who come to Christ often report having more resilience to withstand what used to knock them off balance. You can have that and it begins by calling out to Christ and asking him to forgive you. I urge you to experience for yourself what it is like to be under God's care.
The alternative: fearing God.
Fear-based living is destructive, and Ahaz' life is a prime example. But God wanted Isaiah to follow a different path…
8:11 "For thus the Lord spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying...
Ever hear a teacher make a point that really hits home? Isaiah is describing something like that. When God spoke to Isaiah, his hand was strong on him, pressing home an important point, and here it is...
8:12b ...you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. 13 It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. Then He shall become a sanctuary..."
God didn't want Isaiah to live in fear. He told him, "If you want someone to fear, Isaiah, fear ME! You think the Assyrians have a big army? I'm the LORD of hosts, I lead an army of angels too numerous to count. Think about that!"
That's what fearing God is—not shaking before him in terror—but cultivating awe and respect for God as we consider who he is. Notice that fearing God in this sense is not just the alternative to being controlled by your fears, it is the cure. God promises, "when you fear me, I will become your sanctuary." How true! When we fear God—when we appreciate his awesome power and strength and commitment to accomplish his will—he becomes a refuge, a true point of stability in our chaotic lives. And that affects how we feel and how we respond to our fears.
When I was dating my wife Edith, I was afraid to get married. I used to joke around about it, but deep down my fear was based on coming from a broken home. I worried if I married someone and started my own family, it might fall apart. I finally admitted this to a wise, older Christian, and he said, "I'm not going to tell you that won't happen. There are no guarantees, but I can tell you about who God is, and how he has the resources to get you through anything you may face in life. That's what you need to focus on."
There are so many threats out there—financial setbacks, illnesses, relational problems, etc. Is the solution to fearfully try to manage all of them? That will never work! We should cultivate a larger view of God so that his presence with us and his power puts all of our fears in perspective.
Of course, it would help to have a clear example of what it looks like to do that, which is where King Hezekiah comes in...
King Hezekiah
Hezekiah was King Ahaz' son, and like Ahaz, he faced a terrible crisis during his reign.
The threat
36:1 Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.
This threat was more serious than the one Ahaz faced. This time, Assyria is on the march. In Hezekiah's day, Assyria was a superpower—one of the largest empires on earth. Isaiah says they had already seized "all of the fortified cities of Judah" and only Jerusalem was left. Like Isaiah predicted back in chapter 8, the Assyrian flood had swept through Judah and risen right up to their neck!
36:2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh... to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army...
The Assyrian King Sennacherib sent Rabshakeh and his army to the people of Jerusalem to intimidate them.
36:13 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean and said, "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14 "Thus says the king, 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, "The LORD will surely deliver us, this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 16 'Do not listen to Hezekiah,' for thus says the king of Assyria, 'Make your peace with me...'"
Every time I read about this huge Assyrian army outside of Jerusalem, I think about the army of Orcs outside the walls of Helm's Deep in The Lord of the Rings. Even the name Rabshakeh sounds Orc-like!iv Remember how the people of Rohan huddled inside the fortress while a mob of Orcs raged outside? It must have been just as terrifying to be in Jerusalem at this time. This is what my fears can feel like—so crushing, so overwhelming, so terrifying, so beyond my capacity to handle. Let's see how Hezekiah responded.
Hezekiah's response
36:22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
In the ancient world, tearing your clothes was a sign that things were bad.
37:1 And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes...
As Hezekiah listened to his servants standing there in their torn clothes, he starts tearing his own as if to say, "yeah, you're right, things are bad!"
Just to make sure Hezekiah was listening, the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, sent him a follow-up message...
37:9b ...[Sennacherib] sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 "Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah, 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, "Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 11 'Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be spared? 12 'Did the gods of those nations which my fathers have destroyed deliver them...
When I'm in the grip of fear, I lose sleep. I can see Hezekiah up out of bed, shuffling down the halls of his palace, thinking about this message, pacing around wondering, what am I going to do?! What am I going to do?!
His own army was weakened by trying to defend the whole country. Now the Assyrians could muster all their firepower right outside the city. If there was ever a time to be afraid, this was it!! Fortunately, Hezekiah wasn't the same man as Ahaz...
37:14 Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD...
Here we see a big difference between Ahaz and Hezekiah. Despite God's promise of protection, Ahaz sought out the Assyrians for help. But Hezekiah, with Sennacherib's mocking words still ringing in his ears, went straight to God. And he sought God out, even though he had no clue what God planned to do!
Hezekiah took the letter full of threats from the Assyrians...
…and spread it out before the LORD. 15 Hezekiah prayed to the LORD saying…
Before we read this prayer, I just have to say it is one of the great prayers in the Bible. There is much to learn about handling our fears in these words.
37:16 "O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands... 20 Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God."
Instead of being controlled by his fears, Hezekiah does four things:
First, he takes his fears to God.
Have you ever wondered if it would be faithless or unspiritual to pour out your fears to God? Maybe you worry God will just tell you to quit whining and get a grip. The truth is just the opposite: God wants you to come to him with your fears.
Picture Hezekiah taking this letter full of threats from the Assyrians and "spreading it out... before God." That's what God wants you to do—take your fears to him! If you read the Psalms, you'll notice that King David does this again and again.
Everyone has fears. Be honest with yourself… what are you afraid of right now? Have you spread those fears out before God like Hezekiah does? Have you talked them over with God?
Second, he doesn't water down the problem.
Have you ever hung out with someone in crisis and wondered, are they coming to terms with how truly bad this is?
Hezekiah was not in denial. He was willing to face the bitter facts. He tells God, "Sennacherib is reproaching you, mocking you, slandering you! The Assyrians bring devastation everywhere they go. They have real swords and spears in their hands, and they are coming for us!"
It is comforting to see Hezekiah pray to God in this way. It means God doesn't want you to just stuff your fears and act like nothing is wrong, or like there is no danger. If you are facing a crisis, God doesn't want you to bury your head in the sand and act like everything is OK.
Third, Hezekiah remembers who God is.
We've already said how easy and natural it is, in these moments of fear, to feel like an orphan. Hezekiah chose instead to reflect on who God is and what God is capable of doing.
God is the lord of hosts—he commands a huge army of angels. He has all the firepower needed to crush the Assyrians. If the Assyrians think their gods will help them, they won't because they don't even exist. God is on his throne—the true king, the one in charge—and he is our God!
How did Hezekiah find refuge? How did he find strength to lead in a time of crisis? By focusing on God. God is awesome and his power is unmatched. That's why Hezekiah could reassure his people it was going to be OK, even though the Assyrian army sat right outside the city walls.
Fourth, Hezekiah sees that in this crisis (and this true of any crises) there is an opportunity to show that God is great.
Hezekiah prays "deliver us from his hand," but he isn't just after physical safety. He seeks deliverance so that all the kingdoms of the earth might know God alone is God. He wants them to know it was the God of Israel, not Judah's army, who stopped the Assyrian advance.
In a similar way, when we face a threat of some kind, there is an opportunity to put God in a good light.
Some of you remember Wayne Talarzyk. He was a faithful servant in our church for many years. At one point his doctor told him he had liver cancer and only had a few months to live. That's enough to stir fear in anyone.
I had the opportunity to talk with Wayne after his diagnosis, and I could tell he was doing what Hezekiah did here: he took his situation to God; he drew strength from knowing who God was; and he seized the opportunity to put God in a good light.
I think people are curious to see if our faith makes any difference when we face adversity, and Wayne's did. He wasn't controlled by his fears. He walked through the last months of his life with courage and concern for the people around him. When God finally provided Wayne with the ultimate deliverance, eternal life, he had left his mark on many, many people. That kind of impact is what Hezekiah is praying for here.
The outcome
God heard Hezekiah's prayer and responded.
37:21 Then Isaiah... sent word to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that the LORD has spoken against him...
To King Sennacherib, God says,
37:23 "Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? And against whom have you raised your voice and haughtily lifted up your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel!"
Sennacherib and Rabshakeh were talking smack about God—not such a good idea. You think the Assyrians are a scary enemy? How about God himself? He wasn't going to stand for the Assyrian's proud boasting, so he declared,
37:29 "Because of your raging against Me and because your arrogance has come up to My ears, therefore I will put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came."
The Assyrians used to hook their enemies through the skull and drag them through the dirt. Now God says he has a hook waiting for the Assyrians! He'll give them a dose of their own medicine.
And what about their plan to conquer Jerusalem?
37:33 "Therefore, thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, 'He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield, or throw up a siege ramp against it... 36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp.v
Needless to say the Assyrian army, after suffering this many losses, failed to conquer Jerusalem!
A fascinating side-note to this story is that sources outside the Bible confirm what we've just read.
The annals of the Assyrian king Sennacherib are recorded on the Taylor prism, now located in the British Museum. The cuneiform on the prism describes the siege of Jerusalem. Sennacherib never admits taking huge losses in Judah, but he does make this interesting statement: "Hezekiah himself I locked up in Jerusalem like a bird in its cage."vi This clearly implies Sennacherib never succeeded in taking the city!
In addition, the single Hebrew word translated "put to death" in v. 36 can mean smite with sickness, which fits the Jewish historian Josephus' description of what happened to Rabshakeh and his army. Josephus quotes an earlier Babylonian historian named Berosus who reported that a pestilence broke out in the Assyrian camp and wiped out their army.vii
What can we learn from Hezekiah's faith?
What did we just see in Hezekiah? Not a man in the grip of his fears, but a man with faith. Hezekiah trusted God to honor his promises even though the situation must have been terrifying.
What about you? What it would look like to have faith operating in your life?
Do you KNOW and AFFIRM God's promises?
God promised Hezekiah he would rescue Jerusalem. But what has God promised you? Have you searched scripture looking for promises that address your fears?
There are hundreds of promises in the Bible, and we don't have time to list them all, but here is one that is broad enough to act as kind of a summary promise:
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
These verses don't say God will resolve every threat you face in the way you want him to. But they do promise that in any situation, in all of your ways and paths, if you trust him, he will lead you to a good place.
What about more specific promises? If you scan the text of the Bible carefully, you'll be able to collect God's promises like seashells on the beach. As you go along, you will not only find important promises, but promises that directly address the specific fears you have. We do not have time to look at dozens of promises right now, but here's something that might whet your appetite: consider the different ways Isaiah refers to God—over 30 different ways! Here are a few:
Our sanctuary (8:14).
Wonderful counselor (9:6).
Everlasting father (9:6).
Our strength (12:2).
Our song (12:2).
Our salvation (12:2).
A nail in a sure place (22:23).
A refuge from the storm (25:4).
Precious cornerstone (28:16).
A sure foundation (28:16).
Our hiding place (32:2).
A stream in a dry desert (32:2).
Our shepherd (40:11).
Our grief bearer (53:4).
Our conquering hero (53:12).
Our leader and commander (55:4).
Our redeemer (59:20).
Our everlasting light (60:20).
These titles reflect God's desire to provide for you in a variety of ways. Knowing them should give you comfort and hope.
Imagine breaking your leg in the middle of a 20-mile solo-hike deep in the wilderness. Would you be afraid? Probably, because you would be alone with limited resources. Now imagine breaking your leg playing softball in town, surrounded by friends, with a hospital nearby. It would still be painful, but not as scary. Having teammates with you and ready access to medical care would give you real comfort and hope. In a similar way, God's presence and provision, communicated through these titles, should give you a palpable sense of comfort. Get these truths in front of you on a regular basis and you won't be as controlled by your fears.
Someone might object, "I can't just flip a switch and turn off my fears!!" I agree. But over time, what you habitually choose to think about will change how you feel and how you act.
Are you leaning on PAST steps of faith or taking NEW ones?
Here is a sad final chapter to King Hezekiah's story. Toward the end of his reign he became sick to the point of death. He pled for his life and God granted him 15 more years to live.
While he was recovering, the King of Babylon sent a delegation to Hezekiah with a get-well card and some gifts. Hezekiah, eager to impress his visitors, proudly showed them all the wealth in his kingdom—gold, grain, weapons. He was boasting as if he, not God, had made it all possible.
When Isaiah heard about this, he rebuked Hezekiah for parading his wealth before the Babylonians.
39:6 "'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,' says the LORD. 7 'And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.'"
Sounds like bad news, right? You could never tell from Hezekiah's jaded response:
39:8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is GOOD." For he thought, "For there will be peace and truth in my days."
Hezekiah shows no concern for the next generation and cynically concludes, "it sucks to be them!"
What happened to this great man of faith? At some point, I think Hezekiah started coasting. Instead of preparing his people for the future, he lived in the afterglow of the past. He certainly wasn't worried about leaving a good legacy for the next generation! After reading this, it's not surprising to learn that Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, went on to be one of Judah's most wicked kings.
Hezekiah did many things well, but he didn't finish well. And there is a warning here for all Christians. It's easy to look back at how God has used us in the past, but those old stories won't inspire the next generation to do anything. They need to see our faith in action now.
The typical trend when you get old is to let fear increasingly dictate your decisions. But God wants us to keep moving forward. Our church runs a summer camp for low income youth every year. Volunteers drive into rough areas of town, pick up students, and take them to our facility to have fun and learn about Jesus. It's not an easy job—the kids can be rowdy and hard to manage. Despite this, one 75-year-old women was determined to help. She did a great job and loved it and has kept in touch with the families of the students she drove.
I love hearing stories like that. Our past acts of faith from years ago won't inspire anyone to serve God. It's what we do now that matters. Choosing faith over fear today will determine your legacy.
i The exact phrase "do not be afraid" appears 47 times in the NASB, "do not fear" 58 times, "fear not" four times.
iii The Assyrians eventually did turn on Ahaz.
2 Chronicles 28:20 "So Tigleth Pilesar king of Assyria came against [Ahaz] and afflicted him instead of strengthening him."
iv Rabshakeh is the Assyrian word for field commander.
v According to Isaiah 10:16, the warriors were felled by a wasting disease.
vi Translated from the Taylor Prism in the British Museum: "I attacked Hezekiah of Judah who had not subjected himself to me, and took forty-six fortresses, forts and small cities. I carried away captive 200,150 people, big and small, both male and female, a multitude of horses, young bulls, asses, camels, and oxen. Hezekiah himself I locked up in Jerusalem like a bird in its cage. I put up banks against the city. I separated his cities whose inhabitants I had taken prisoners from his realm and gave them to Mitiniti, king of Ashdod, Padi, king of Ekron, and Zilbel, king of Gaza and thus diminished his country. And I added another tax to the one imposed on him earlier."
vii Josephus, Antiquities, 10.15-21.