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ISAIAH CHAPTER 39
OBSERVATION STAGE
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.
Chapter 38 provides the timeframe for chapter 39:
****** EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 38 ******
Or
skip to the beginning of chapter 39: 
(Isa 38:1 NKJV) '''In those days, Hezekiah [had been] sick [and] near death. And Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz went to him and said to him, "Thus the LORD [had said] to him, 'Set your house in order, for [your shall be dying] and you will not live.' " ''' '''' =
When
Sennacherib, king of Assyria and his armies swept through Judah and
reached the fortified city of Laschish near Jerusalem in 701 B.C; King
Hezekiah trembled before the Assyrians. He showed no faith in the LORD's
repeated promises of deliverance, (Isa 10:24-25; 31:5; 37:35). Hezekiah's
alliance with Egypt, which was made against the command of the LORD, had
already been defeated at Eltekeh ,
proving that the Egyptians were useless against the vast Assyrian forces.
Instead of trusting alone in the LORD to protect Jerusalem and the people
of the LORD, King Hezekiah sent a message to the king of Assyria at
Lachish saying, "I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you
impose on me I will pay," (2 Kings 18:14). And the king of Assyria
assessed Hezekiah king of Judah a ransom of three hundred talents of
silver [~ ten metric tons] and thirty talents of gold - a huge fortune,
which in part came from stripping gold from the House of the LORD to give
to the blaspheming Sennacherib, king of Assyria - a great offense to the
LORD! (cf. 2 Kings 18:14-18 ).
And that did not change Sennacherib's intent to destroy
Jerusalem and take the people of the LORD into captivity, (Isa 36:1-7
.)!!
When
Hezekiah pleaded with king Sennacherib of Assyria for mercy and sent the
huge ransom, his dependence upon the LORD was totally lacking. His
relationship with the LORD was estranged. Hezekiah had been repeatedly
told not to seek any alliances such as he had done with Egypt, (cf. Isa
30:1-7 ).
The King was to rely solely upon the LORD. Hence Hezekiah had become
terminally ill at the hand of the LORD, (cf. Isa 38:15).
Isaiah told him that the LORD had said for him to set his house in order
for he would die. So Hezekiah prayed to the LORD for mercy with bitter
tears at the premature ending of his life. When Hezekiah turned to the
LORD in prayer, he began to grow in his faith in the LORD. He received the
LORD's mercies of recovery and fifteen more years to live; and the LORD
repeated His promise that He would rescue him and the city of Jerusalem,
i.e., defend the city from the hand of the king of Assyria, (cf. Isa
38:5-6). This implied that the time for that rescue had not yet come but
was close at hand. Hezekiah's turning to the LORD was especially evident
in his writing about his illness and his recovery. In that writing he
wrote of his joy at regaining his health; his salvation from sins unto
eternal life; and he honored the LORD with thanksgiving and praise.
So the phrase in Isa 38:1 rendered "In those days, King
Hezekiah [had become] sick [unto dying]," in the NKJV referred to the
period of time just after Hezekiah pleaded for mercy and
paid the huge ransom to Sennacherib. Since
Hezekiah died in 686 B.C., his illness and recovery occurred fifteen years
earlier, sometime in the year 701 B.C. - the year of Sennacherib's
invasion of Judah.
Since
Hezekiah's terminal illness came right after his unfaithfulness and
estrangement from the LORD when he pleaded for mercy and paid Assyria the
ransom; and since the LORD declared in His answer to Hezekiah's prayer for
mercy, that He would rescue Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem from the
hand of the king of Assyria; then the timeframe of his illness and
recovery was evidently before Sennacherib sent his great army from
Laschish to surround Jerusalem and make demands to Hezekiah for Jerusalem
to surrender to enslavement or be tortured and destroyed
.
When Sennacherib made harsh demands for Hezekiah to surrender, Hezekiah
continued to show faith in the LORD. He did not respond to Sennacherib's
demands for surrender. Instead he sought the LORD's protection through the
prayers of Isaiah the Prophet, (Isa 37:1-7 );
and shortly thereafter, King Hezekiah prayed directly and earnestly to the
LORD for deliverance with great spiritual fervor and wisdom. He evidenced
a great concern for the Holiness and Sovereignty of the LORD which the
blaspheming Sennacherib had mocked, (Isa 37:14-20
).
Whereupon Hezekiah's prayers were answered: the LORD promised once more to
protect His people and His city - stipulating that Sennacherib would
receive a spirit and be sent away to his homeland where he would die by
the sword .
The next day, Sennacherib's great army lay dead at the gates of Jerusalem
and Sennacherib was on his way back to his land, leaving Jerusalem
untouched, .,
(Isa 38:1).
****** END OF EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 38 ******
(Isa 39:1 NKJV) '''At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and ...recovered.
(Isa 39:2 NKJV) And Hezekiah was pleased [lit., rejoiced in the sense of being pleased] with them, and showed them the house of his treasures - the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory - all that was found [lit., had been found] among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
(Isa 39:3 NKJV) Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, "What did these men say [lit., have these men said], and from where did they come to you?" So Hezekiah said, "They came [lit., had come] to me from a far country, from Babylon."
(Isa 39:4 NKJV) And he said, "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them."
(Isa 39:5 NKJV) Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD of hosts:
(Isa 39:6 NKJV) 'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried [lit., have been carried] to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the LORD.
(Isa 39:7 NKJV) And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'
(Isa 39:8 NKJV) So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!" For he said, "[At least] there will be peace and truth in my days."
(Isa 39:1 NKJV) ''At that time Merodach-Baladan, [Marduk-Apla-Idinna], the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard [lit., was hearing] that he had been sick and had recovered [lit., was recovering]. (Isa 39:2 NKJV) And Hezekiah was pleased [lit., he rejoiced in the sense of being pleased] with them, [individuals comprising a delegation which brought the letters and present] and showed them the house of his treasures - the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory - all that was found [lit., had been found] among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them." =
The arrival of a delegation at Jerusalem carrying letters and a present for King Hezekiah from Merodach-Baladan, king of Babylon corroborates the time when King Hezekiah was terminally ill and recovered - both by the hand of the LORD.
During Sennacherib's rulership of Assyria, Merodach-Baladan [Marduk-Apla-Idinna according to Assyrian records] ruled Babylon from 722/721 to 710 B.C. and for nine months in 703-702 B.C. when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, ousted him from the throne to regain control of Babylon. Merodach-Baladan [Marduk-Apla-Idinna] sent a delegation bearing letters and a present to Hezekiah as a goodwill gesture to King Hezekiah because of the King's illness and recovery. Merodach-Baladan was also endeavoring to firm up an alliance with Judah against Assyria in anticipation of forming alliances with tribes in Babylonia and Elam to regain control of Babylon. With Sennacherib busy in the west, Merodach-Baladan took advantage of the help of the anti-Assyrian party in Babylon and was joined by a Chaldean prince, Shuzubu. Merodach-Baladan took control as king of Babylon and stirred up active revolt. Note that the arrival of Merodach-Baladan's delegation which addressed Hezekiah's recovery from terminal illness by definition / context must have followed Hezekiah's recovery / repentance to faith in the LORD. Furthermore, Hezekiah's illness and the subsequent visit of the delegation of Merodach-Baladan could not have occurred prior to when Hezekiah was unfaithful to the LORD with his plea and payment of ransom to Sennacherib. For Hezekiah would then have reverted from repentance after recovering from his illness to estrangement from the LORD in the face of the Assyrian threat, when the context at this time was that King Hezekiah was growing in his faith through the time when the LORD delivered Jerusalem from the hand of the king of Assyria. Furthermore, the timeframe of the arrival of the Merodach-Baladan delegation which by definition must follow Hezekiah's illness and recovery could not have been while Sennacherib was rampaging through Judah. For the delegation would not have been able to get past the enemy Assyrian camps to enter Jerusalem. And at that time, King Hezekiah was busy making preparations in order to respond to the oncoming Assyrian threat, (2 Chr 32:1-8; 2 Kgs 20:20). Hence, the arrival of the delegation must have been after Hezekiah's mortal illness and supernatural recovery at the hand of the LORD, as well as after the great Assyrian army surrounding Jerusalem was destroyed and the Assyrian king went back to his country.
Note that
Merodach-Baladan would not succeed in regaining his throne. For after
abandoning his campaign against Jerusalem and Egypt, king Sennacherib
began a series of battles for control of Babylon in 700 B.C. He finally
defeated Merodach-Baladan in 689 B.C., eleven years later - corroborating
the loss of his great army at Jerusalem. Sennacherib destroyed the city of
Babylon and flooded it into a marshland. Merodach-Baladan died in exile in
Elam, where he had fled ..,
(Isa 39:1).
(Isa 39:1 NKJV) '''At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard [lit., was hearing] that he had been sick and had recovered [lit., was recovering]. (Isa 39:2 NKJV) And Hezekiah was pleased [lit., was being pleased] with them, and showed them [lit., was showing them] the house of his treasures - the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory - all that was found [lit., had been found] among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. (Isa 39:3 NKJV) Then Isaiah the prophet went [lit., was coming] to King Hezekiah, and said [lit., was saying] to him, "What did these men say [lit., have these men said], and from where did they come [lit., were coming] to you?" So Hezekiah said, "They came [lit., had come] to me from a far country, from Babylon." (Isa 39:4 NKJV) And he said, [lit., was saying], "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah answered, [lit., was answering], "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them." (Isa 39:5 NKJV) Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: (Isa 39:6 NKJV) 'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried [lit., have been carried] to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the LORD. (Isa 39:7 NKJV) And they shall take away [lit., be taking away] some of your sons who will descend [lit., shall be descendants] from you, whom you will beget [lit., be begetting]; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.' (Isa 39:8 NKJV) So Hezekiah said [lit., was saying] to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!" For he said, "At least there will be peace and truth in my days." ''' =
The phrase rendered, "At that time" refers to the timeframe of when king Hezekiah was restored to health by the LORD from a terminal illness and given 15 more years to live, whereupon Hezekiah received some letters and a present presented to him by a delegation from Merodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon.
King Hezekiah was pleased with the Babylonian delegation visiting him - the letters and the present. Hence he showed them all of his treasures and armory and defences. Hezekiah was evidently motivated by the possibility of forming an alliance with Babylon to provide protection against Assyria. He was evidently not considering that the LORD had just delivered Jerusalem from the Assyrian army which proved that he needed no alliance, (Isa 39:2).
When Isaiah the prophet inquired about Hezekiah's visitors - what they said and where they came from; Hezekiah evaded answering the first question. He only told Isaiah that they came to him from the far away country of Babylon, (Isa 39:3). Isaiah then asked what they had seen in Hezekiah's "house." This time, the king answered completely and truthfully: 'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried [lit., have been carried] to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the LORD. And they shall take away [lit., be taking away] some of your sons who will descend [lit., shall be descendants] from you, whom you will beget [lit., be begetting]; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon,' (Isa 39:3-7).
The LORD's announcement through Isaiah was a prophecy of judgment upon Hezekiah, the people of Judah and their leaders of the past for being unfaithful. All of the wealth stored in the palace would be taken by Babylon, (Isa 39:6). This implied a military conquest by Babylon resulting in the destruction and captivity of Judah under the rule of Babylon. This was an astounding prediction because at the time Assyria was the ruling empire.
Despite being delivered from the Assyrians, (Isa 37:36-38); being granted fifteen more years to live, (Isa 38:1-2); being given the knowledge that Judah would have a number of difficult years followed by Babylonian conquest and captivity - all of which was to be after his lifetime, (Isa 39:6-7); Hezekiah responded to God's pronouncement of judgment upon himself, his descendants and the kingdom of Judah with astounding self-centeredness and lack of remorse. Even when Isaiah announced that his own flesh and blood would be castrated and carried off to serve as eunuchs in the palace of Babylon, (Isa 39:7); Hezekiah showed no concern. Instead of remorse and repentance at the pronouncement of this catastrophic judgment, Hezekiah said, " 'The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!' For he said, 'At least there will be peace and truth in my days,' " (Isa 39:8).
CONTINUE TO ISAIAH
CHAPTER 40