ISAIAH
CHAPTER 36
OBSERVATION
STAGE
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
The purpose of
the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand within the
normative rules of language, context and logic 
.
.This
limits the observer to the content offered by the book of Isaiah. This
will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more
importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective
comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.
Remember that
something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in
view.
The subject
matter of Isaiah chapters 8 & 10, which was available for the people
of Judah to know, is directly related to that of chapters 36 & 37
relative to ancient Assyria's rampage through the fortified cities of
Judah, and the great army of Assyria set to do battle at the gates of
Jerusalem when Hezekiah was king. For in chapters 8 & 10, Isaiah
encouraged the people of Judah to trust in the LORD's promise of
deliverance of Jerusalem and its people from Assyria:
****** EXCERPTS
FROM ISAIAH CHAPTERS 8 & 10 ******
Or
skip to the beginning of chapter 36: 
(ISA
10:5-19) CHAPTER TEN MOVES TO THE ROD OF THE LORD'S ANGER AND WRATH
AGAINST HIS UNGODLY PEOPLE FROM THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM OF JUDAH: ASSYRIA,
WHOM HE SENT TO TREAD THEM DOWN AND SEIZE THE SPOILS. THE ASSYRIAN KING
WAS ARROGANT AND CONSIDERED THAT THE CONQUEST OF MANY NATIONS WAS SOLELY
BY HIS OWN WISDOM AND STRENGTH. HE CONSIDERED THAT TO CUT DOWN MANY
NATIONS WAS HIS DESTINY AND THAT HE WAS DEPENDENT UPON NO GOD. HE
CLAIMED THAT HIS POWER WAS GREATER THAN ANY OF THE IDOLS WHOM THE
CONQUERED NATIONS WORSHIPPED; AND THE IDOLS OF THOSE NATIONS HE
CONSIDERED EXCELLED THOSE OF JERUSALEM AND SAMARIA (THE NORTHERN
KINGDOM) BECAUSE OTHER NATIONS WHICH ASSYRIA HAD CONQUERED DEMONSTRATED
SUPERIOR MILITARY POWER AGAINST JUDAH AND ISRAEL! SO WHEN THE WORK OF
THE LORD UPON MT. ZION AND JERUSALEM WAS FINISHED, THE LORD WOULD
DESTROY ASSYRIA
(ISA
10:24-34) THE CONTEXT OF CHAPTER TEN MOVES FROM THE DAY OF THE
LORD WHEN THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL - THE HOUSE OF JACOB - WILL RETURN TO
THE LORD AND NEVER AGAIN DEPEND UPON ANYONE BUT THE LORD; WHEN THE
PEOPLE WILL SUFFER THROUGH A COMPLETE DESTRUCTION, BUT A REMNANT WILL
SURVIVE TO RETURN - IN LIGHT OF THIS PROMISE, THE CONTEXT IN ISAIAH
CHAPTER TEN MOVES TO:
THE
ANCIENT TIMES OF JUDAH AND ASSYRIA. THE PEOPLE WHO DWELT IN ZION WERE
NOT TO BE AFRAID OF THE ASSYRIANS. FOR YET A VERY LITTLE WHILE AND THEIR
DESTRUCTION WOULD CEASE. THE FORCES OF ASSYRIA WOULD HAVE CIRCLED ALL
AROUND JERUSALEM IN THEIR CONQUEST OF JUDAH'S CITIES; BUT THEN THE LORD
OF HOSTS WOULD CUT ASSYRIA DOWN BEFORE THE GATES OF JERUSALEM, WITH ONLY
A FEW SURVIVORS LEFT
****** END
OF EXCERPTS FROM ISAIAH CHAPTERS 8 & 10 ******
I)
[Isa 36:1-22]:
A)
(1-7) IN THE FOURTEENTH YEAR OF THE RULE OF KING HEZEKIAH, SENNACHERIB,
KING OF ASSYRIA CONQUERED THE FORTIFIED CITIES OF JUDAH. THEN HE SENT
HIS CHIEF SPOKESMAN WITH A GREAT ARMY TO KING HEZEKIAH AT JERUSALEM. THE
CHIEF SPOKESMAN SAID, ''''SAY TO HEZEKIAH, '''THUS SAYS THE GREAT KING
OF ASSYRIA: "WHAT CONFIDENCE IS THIS IN WHICH YOU TRUST? I SAY YOU
SPEAK OF HAVING PLANS AND POWER FOR WAR; BUT THEY ARE MERE WORDS. NOW IN
WHOM DO YOU TRUST, THAT YOU REBEL AGAINST ME? LOOK! YOU HAVE TRUSTED IN
THE STAFF OF THIS BROKEN REED, EGYPT, ON WHICH IF A MAN LEANS, IT WILL
GO INTO HIS HAND AND PIERCE IT. SO IS PHAROAH KING OF EGYPT TO ALL WHO
TRUST IN HIM. BUT IF YOU SAY TO ME, 'WE TRUST IN THE LORD OUR GOD,' IS
IT NOT HE WHOSE HIGH PLACES AND WHOSE ALTARS HEZEKIAH HAS TAKEN AWAY,
AND SAID TO JUDAH AND JERUSALEM, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP BEFORE THIS ALTAR?"
''' ''''
1)
[Compare 2 Kings 18:14-18]:
2)
[Compare the Assyrian chronicle - the baked-clay Taylor prism now
preserved in the British Museum - the historical testimony of Assyrian
king Sennacherib]:
B)
(8-9) THE ASSYRIAN CHIEF SPOKESMAN URGED HEZEKIAH TO GIVE A PLEDGE IN A
SKEPTICAL AND SARCASTIC TONE TO MAKE THE POINT THAT JUDAH WAS
DEFENSELESS AGAINST ASSYRIA AND SHOULD SURRENDER: "NOW THEREFORE, I
URGE YOU, GIVE A PLEDGE TO MY MASTER THE KING OF ASSYRIA, AND I WILL
GIVE YOU TWO THOUSAND HORSES - IF YOU ARE ABLE ON YOUR PART TO PUT
RIDERS ON THEM!" THE COMMANDER'S OFFER WAS CONTEMPTUOUS, MOCKING
AND WHOLLY UNREALISTIC IN VIEW OF JUDAH'S COMPLETE LACK OF CAVALRY
TROOPS AND TOTAL RELIANCE UPON EGYPT TO SUPPLY CALVARY SUPPORT. SINCE
ASSYRIA HAD JUST DEFEATED THE EGYPTIAN ARMY AT ELTEKEH, ABOUT 32 MILES
WEST-NORTHWEST OF JERUSALEM, AND HAD ROLLED OVER LASCHISH NEARBY
JERUSALEM WHICH GUARDED THE HIGHWAY TO EGYPT; ANY SUPPORT FROM EGYPT WAS
NEUTRALIZED. SO THE ASSYRIAN CHIEF SPOKESMAN CONCLUDED, "HOW THEN
WILL YOU REPEL ONE CAPTAIN OF THE LEAST OF MY MASTER'S SERVANTS, AND PUT
YOUR TRUST IN EGYPT FOR CHARIOTS AND HORSEMEN?" THE ASSYRIAN
COMMANDER MADE JUDAH'S UTTER INABILITY TO DEFEND ITSELF AGAINST ASSYRIA
PAINFULLY CLEAR. SO THE MESSAGE WAS THAT JUDAH HAD BETTER SURRENDER NOW.
C)
(10-12) THE ASSYRIAN COMMANDER THEN ASKED, EVIDENTLY WITH THE WORDS OF
HIS MASTER, THE KING OF ASSYRIA, USING THE NAME OF THE GOD OF JUDAH:
'''HAVE I NOW COME UP WITHOUT THE LORD AGAINST THIS LAND TO DESTROY IT?
THE LORD SAID TO ME, "GO UP AGAINST THIS LAND, AND DESTROY IT."
''' THE SPOKESMEN FOR HEZEKIAH PLEADED WITH THE COMMANDER TO STOP
SPEAKING IN HEBREW AND TO SPEAK IN ARAMAIC SO THAT THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH
WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND AND BECOME PANIC. THE COMMANDER SAID, ''''HAS MY
MASTER SENT ME TO YOUR MASTER AND TO YOU TO SPEAK THESE WORDS, AND NOT
TO THE MEN WHO SIT ON THE WALL, WHO WILL EAT AND DRINK THEIR OWN WASTE
WITH YOU?''''
D)
(13-20) THE ASSYRIAN COMMANDER STOOD AND CALLED OUT WITH A LOUD VOICE IN
HEBREW, SO THAT THE PEOPLE COULD HEAR HIM, AND SAID, ''''HEAR THE WORDS
OF THE GREAT KING, THE KING OF ASSYRIA! THUS SAYS THE KING: '''DO NOT
LET HEZEKIAH DECEIVE YOU, FOR HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DELIVER YOU; NOR
LET HEZEKIAH MAKE YOU TRUST IN THE LORD TO DELIVER YOU. MAKE PEACE WITH
ME BY A PRESENT [IN THE SENSE OF GIVING THE KING OF ASSYRIA THE GIFT OF
THEIR SURRENDER], COME OUT WITH ME, AND EVERY ONE WILL EAT OF HIS OWN
VINE AND FIG TREE, AND DRINK THE WATERS OF HIS OWN CISTERN, UNTIL I COME
AND TAKE YOU AWAY TO A LAND LIKE YOUR OWN LAND, A LAND OF GRAIN AND NEW
WINE, A LAND OF BREAD AND VINEYARDS, (CONTRARY TO THE EVIDENCE OF HIS
CRUEL ADVANCE ON THE CITIES OF JUDAH). THE COMMANDER THEN REPEATS WITH,
'''BEWARE LEST HEZEKIAH PERSUADE YOU SAYING, "THE LORD WILL DELIVER
US. WHERE ARE THE GODS OF HAMATH AND ARPAD... OF SEPHARVAIM... SAMARIA?
WHO AMONG ALL THE GODS OF THESE LANDS HAVE DELIVERED THEIR COUNTRIES
FROM MY HAND, THAT THE LORD SHOULD DELIVER JERUSALEM FROM MY HAND?'''
''''
E)
THOUGH HORRIFIED AND TERRIFIED, THE THREE SPOKESMEN FOR HEZEKIAH AND THE
PEOPLE OF JUDAH OBEYED HEZEKIAH'S COMMAND NOT TO ANSWER THE COMMANDER.
THE SPOKESMEN OF JUDAH CAME TO HEZEKIAH WITH THEIR CLOTHES TORN IN GRIEF
AND HORROR AND TOLD THE KING THE WORDS THAT THE ASSYRIAN COMMANDER HAD
SPOKEN
CONTINUE
TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 37 .
