Isaiah 37:5-7
New King James Version
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”
5
The servants go to Isaiah with the words of the king. Hezekiah has demonstrated his trust in the Lord. Anytime a person turns from a way that is contrary to God and turns fully to God, the Lord will forgive and the Lord will act on their behalf. The Lord does nothing against His will. But the actions of Hezekiah reveal that his heart is turned to the Lord.
6
The Lord counters the words of the King of Assyria. The Lord tells Hezekiah not to fear the words that he has heard. The King of Assyria has blasphemed the Living God. He has looked at the God of Israel no different than many of the false gods of the day that the nations at that time served and gave worship to. But the difference with the God of Israel is that He is the true and Living God. He holds all things in His hand. When God speaks, He will back up exactly what He says. God continually throughout His word says do not be afraid to us because He knows that fear is a tactic of the enemy. Fear can paralyze a person or cause them to make decisions that are self-destructive. But when we let go of fear and trust the Lord by faith is when the power of God is released to accomplish His purposes.
7
Ultimately God is in control of the nations of the earth. But God will never step in until His people who are called by His name will humble themselves, turn from their sins, and cry out to the Living God. It is then that God will step in.
Here we see the control and sovereignty of God at work. The Lord says to not fear because He will send a spirit upon him that will cause him to return home and ultimately it is there that he will be destroyed. The Assyrian army surrounding Jerusalem looked like an impossible situation with certain defeat. But whenever we turn our hearts fully to God in any situation, a circumstance that seems like a certain defeat, turns into a place of victory. Israel would be saved at this point in time because of the grace and mercy of Almighty God. But to receive His grace and mercy we must turn our hearts fully unto the Lord.
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