Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 19:15
And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest [between] the cherubims, thou art the God, [even] thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
15. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord ] The Chronicler says ‘Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven’.
O Lord God [R.V. the God ] of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims ] R.V. which sittest upon the cherubim. On the cherubim and their position above the ark, as the place where the divine presence was manifested and dwelt, see note on 1Ki 6:23.
thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth ] Sennacherib’s letter had spoken of ‘the gods of the nations’. Hezekiah contrasts his own faith in Jehovah with the false opinions of the heathen whose lands Sennacherib had overrun, and hence shews at once that he hopes that the fate of himself and his people will also be a contrast to theirs. In the next clause also he shews that the maker of all things must be the disposer of them all.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Which dwellest between the cherubims – The reference is to the shechinah, or miraculous glory, which from time to time appeared above the mercy-seat from between the two cherubims, whose wings overshadowed the ark of the covenant (1Ki 6:23-27; compare Exo 25:22; Lev 16:2, etc.).
Thou art the God, even thou alone – This is the protest of the pure theist against the intense polytheism of Sennacheribs letter, which assumes that gods are only gods of particular nations, and that Hezekiahs God is but one out of an indefinite number, no stronger or more formidable than the rest.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
2Ki 19:15-19
And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord.
What to do when trouble comes
Hezekiah the King of Judah was in very great trouble. For some time the forces of the Assyrian had overcome the land and had taken the fenced cities: Jerusalem had been spared only on payment of a ransom that had greatly impoverished it. But that sufficed for a time only: and now the hosts of the enemy had gathered again and demanded its surrender. The city of Samaria had fallen and all the land was possessed by Assyria. It was an insult to the proud conqueror that Jerusalem alone should defy him. Round about the walls gathered their forces, and Rab-shakeh the commander had come near to the city and Cried aloud in the ears of all the people his threats against them and his summons to surrender. To his blasphemies Hezekiah had given no answer. Leaving forces enough behind him to sustain the siege Rab-shakeh had marched off then to join his royal master elsewhere. But now Egypt was marching up to fight the Assyrian. Of that Jerusalem could know nothing; but Rab-shakeh was anxious to withdraw the army from Jerusalem in order to strengthen his own forces; and he wrote a letter, impudent and blasphemous, thinking to frighten Hezekiah into surrender
1. The first thing for us to look at is this,–A king in trouble. Troubled soul, do not think within yourself that your case is peculiar,–all men have their troubles. Do not go envying any man, for no position will bring escape from trouble. But further, here is a good man in trouble. Turn to the beginning of the previous chapter and read the record of this man. The worst thing that could befall us in this world would be for us to have in anything our own way.
3. Again, here was a very great trouble. Net for himself was it that Hezekiah thought only or even mostly, though this was quite enough to think about. A crown and throne and all the proud position of king is quite enough to lose at one blow. But that was swallowed up in his concern about his people and the perils that beset them.
4. And it was a trouble for which there seemed to be no help. Samaria had fallen, and they looked in vain towards the north. (M. G. Pearse.)
Prayer in emergencies
The Christian believes in a revelation from God. Revelation unfolds many things which we could not discover for ourselves, explains or accounts for many actions or events which are puzzling without it. It takes us beyond second causes to the fountain head of all plans and transactions; it deals with what we see not as merely hard dry facts, but facts with a meaning and purpose; it tells of a higher, nobler, state of being belonging to us; and of spiritual powers which have influence over us; it speaks to us of Him in Whom we live, and move, and have our being. What is prayer? It is the means of holding communication with the unseen world–all worship may be called prayer, for it is the approach of man to God–the setting on foot a line of connection with our great Invisible Ruler. If we at all understand our real complex nature, the union of an invisible spirit with our outward bodies, we must see that our intercourse with the invisible world is all important, and that an acknowledgment of our dependence upon the Supreme Invisible Ruler is indispensable to our true and complete character. Prayer is a sign of weakness, but an instrument of strength; it is a confession of our own inability, burs laying our grasp upon the strong and mighty One, able to do all things. We pray because we feel weak, but by prayer we feel strong. It is not for Gods information, but for our security–not to persuade Him, but to prove our trust in Him–that we pray. It is of use because it thus brings us consciously within the circle of His willing influence. It is of obligation, because it is commanded by Him. Some men object to prayer as if it were useless. They say, God has laid down certain rules for the government of the world–certain clear laws–and it is not to be expected that He should alter these laws for us, when we choose to ask Him to do so. But this surely is to make Almighty God a slave of His own creatures. The Lawgiver has always power and the right to suspend His laws if He will, and in this case the Lawgiver is such that it were an insult to Him to suppose Him unable to suspend the action of His laws in a particular instance without disarranging the whole machinery of the world, and putting it out of gear. Besides, His laws are framed not blindly but with that infinite foresight which would enable Him to foresee all prayers, all claims or entreaties for exemption from the working of His laws. In the case of men we might reasonably think that laws would be inoperative if exemptions were made at every turn, but in the case of Almighty God this conclusion would not hold. He may maintain the principles on which His laws are based, even while He suspends their action in special cases. Infinite Wisdom must needs be allowed elasticity in the observance of His own laws, and He may surely with all justice and consistency make His laws contingent upon mans actions; and after all, the Supreme Lord keeps in His own Hands the continuance of any laws He makes, He gives force to His laws, His will is the motive power; therefore, if He will, the law must become inoperative, if He will to listen to mans prayer, the answer must come. Now, prayer is generally to be regarded as a habit. But there is another kind of prayer–prayer in emergencies. Though our life is on the whole monotonous, i.e., the same things happen day after day, the same needs come, and therefore the same prayers are needed, yet occasional occurrences intervene, requiring special attention and immediate thought and help. Then we must seek instant succour. To delay may be fatal; to wait for our morning or evening prayer must be to wait till the special danger has gone by, or has fallen upon us. It becomes us, the moment the peril is recognised, to fall on our knees and call in the intervention of God Almighty. We have in the case of Hezekiah an admirable instance of the power and efficacy of prayer. But supposing the Assyrians had not been destroyed, but had carried on the siege and triumphed, would Hezekiahs prayer have received no answer? God graciously sent a complete answer for the encouragement of His people, and for the discomfiture of the vaunting Assyrians; but even if so direct an answer had not been given, the prayer of faith would not have been in vain. All that God promises is to answer–not to answer exactly as we wish. Suppose a danger imminent: sickness nigh unto death; a shipwreck; a fire; an invasion of our country; you would fain extricate yourself from the peril. There may be plenty to volunteer advice: first one and then another specific is suggested; various lines of policy, all conflicting, all perhaps hopeless to all appearance. Yet there is another resource: take your anxieties and spread them before the Lord, take them especially into the house of the Lord. Another form of perplexity arises from mental or spiritual difficulties: you fail to see the truth of some Christian doctrine; or you cannot discover what truth is; opposite opinions present themselves, and there is a temptation to cast off all belief because you cannot come to a decision in your own mind as to which is the true doctrine; some minds, for instance, have a difficulty in accepting the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, because it seems to be inconsistent with common sense that three should in any view be one–remember it is only above, not contrary to, reason. Take the matter quietly before your God, kneel before Him in secrecy, and in faith ask His guidance, and then spread out the conflicting passages before the light of His mercy-seat, and be assured that somehow you will find light to direct you, for the meek shall He guide in judgment. (G. F. Prescott, M. A.)
Hezekiah, or prayer in trouble
I. That prayer is the believers privilege. Viewing the children of God as participating in the troubles of life in common with others, it is indeed a most important privilege. Prayer has been called the outlet of trouble, and the inlet of comfort; it serves as the open window to a heated room, to remove what is oppressive, and admit what is refreshing. Prayer is a duty–not a mere duty, however, but a precious privilege; indeed, all duties are privileges and blessings if rightly understood; God never assigns or commands anything which is not for the good of those on whom it is enjoined. Prayer is the choicest privilege of earth; it is the intercourse with heaven–the speaking to God as to a Father and a Friend; it is not only conformity to Christs Spirit, but the joining in very act with Son and Spirit, at the very time and for the very object in which they are engaged. Christ not only prayed on earth, but is gone to pray in heaven, and has sent His Spirit to take His place below. Oh! let us look at Son and Spirit pleading; would they ever have assumed the office, but that they saw the helpless state of man, and volunteered to plead in and for him? They pray for man; it is their pleasure; and if man be permitted to conjoin with them in prayer, is it not a blessed privilege that he may so do?
II. Let us consider Hezekiahs conduct and prayer as a test of the real state of the heart. We are told, in verse 1, what was his great resource. Prayer was his habit; not the mere exclamation, nor sudden feeling when danger threatened, which men have by instinct, no! we are told Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, he clave to the Lord; such expressions imply the habit of prayer; when trouble came he had not to commence an acquaintance with God.
III. Let us consider Hezekiahs prayer as an example of the manner of prayer. But let us take Hezekiah as a model for our imitation. How did he particularise? he spreads the letter before the Lord; he takes each part, and reasons on it; and if we compare the particulars of the letter with what is specified in the prayer, we shall see the meaning of his spreading the letter before the Lord. His was not a general prayer for deliverance, but a specifying of particulars; thus had he abundant matter for his petitions, thus by opening all his case, he disburdened his own heart, thus he put God in remembrance, and involved His glory with His peoples safety. Such should be the manner of prayer, then there will not be wandering or coldness. (B. Jacob, A. M.)
Hezekiah in trouble
I. First, a specimen of threatening communication is alluded to in my text, and recorded in the verses immediately preceding it. In introducing it to your notice, I admonish you, first, that the historical parts of the Scriptures are the records of Cods dealings with His Church mainly, conveying only so much generally of the history of the world, as is needful to illustrate these dealings with the Church; and consequently that every event is to be viewed in accordance with this plan; otherwise we become bewildered and lost in reading the narrative of Holy Scripture, and we lose the object for which that narrative is perpetuated and recorded. If you look into the threatening letter of the haughty Assyrian, you will find it remarkable, as containing three of the topics, which are commonly dwelt upon by persecutors, when they desire to trouble the Church and people of God. The first of these three topics is the mockery of Hezekiahs faith, as mere fancy. A second particular in the letter is this: here is an attempt to work upon Hezekiahs fears. For the world, like faithful servants of the wicked one, will try, and do try, experiment after experiment, for the injury of the Lords people; if ridicule will not prevail, terror will be used. Here is, further and thirdly, an attempt to confound the true religion with the superstitions of men, and the Lord Jehovah with the idols of the heathen: that So the visitations of judgment, with which the enemies of Cod are often permitted to vex and destroy each other, might be held forth as an additional discouragement from the exercise of faith in those who are joined to the Lord.
II. In the second place, my text affords us a specimen of wise demeanour in the people of God, when they are assailed by persecutions or threatenings from the world. No business whatever will detain us from the house and ordinances of God, if we have the fear and love of God in our hearts; because we need His blessing in all our transactions. And if at all other times, then especially we need it in seasons of affliction.
III. In the third place, a specimen of simple faith is also here presented; to which the spiritually-minded among you will do well to take heed, as to that plan whereby we may most effectually remove our anxious cares off our own shoulders, and honour that word of grace and truth, given to every adopted child of God: Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee (Psa 55:22). That phraseology is very remarkable, in the superabundance of the promise above the matter involved in the exhortation–Cast thy burden upon the Lord; the answer to that would be–And He shall sustain it, He will bear it for thee; but the answer is more–He shall sustain thee, thee and thy burden too.
1. Simplicity of faith is shown in the act under contemplation. It is left on record for the instruction of those who in after ages would glorify God in a troublesome world.
2. Faith suggests the efficacy of prayer. The Lords people are thereby enabled to judge Him faithful, who hath promised.
3. Finally, this faith may be exercised, and prayer presented, and that with good success, in the most apparently perilous circumstances. (W. Borrows, M. A.)
A king in prayer
Prayers have their histories. Their ancestry is trouble, struggle with circumstances, and helplessness. They mark epochs in our lives, They are born in those hours which leave an indelible impression upon us. The sublimest strains which men have uttered have been towards God in moments of agony,
I. Hezekiah prayed to Jehovah as the god of his nation. O Lord God of Israel.
1. The nation bore the name of one of its progenitors that as a prince had prevailed with God. Names and events around which cluster Divine deliverances may encourage us in prayer. Past manifestations of Gods power may enlarge our faith. What God has been to our forefathers, our churches, our nations in times of trouble, He will be to us amid the perils of our day. History is a handmaid in the service of Faith.
2. His nation was Jehovahs peculiar dwelling-place–which dwellest between the cherubims. The Skekinah, the holy light, as a symbol of the Divine presence, ever shone forth from between those weird and colossal figures which Solomon had carved and placed on either side of the mercy-seat. God will protect where He dwells. While He remains, there is perfect safety. When He departs, there is ruin.
(1) God dwelling in a nation saves it. God now manifests Himself, not by a material brightness, but by righteousness, purity, and truth.
(2) God dwelling in a man saves him. Every Christian is a temple of God. The true cherubim and Shekinah are in the soul.
(3) God dwelling in a Church saves it. No enemies can overthrow a Church that has the Divine glory shining in the midst of it.
(4) We can appeal to the manifestations of the Divine presence to increase our confidence in God in times of danger.
II. Hezekiah recognises, in his prayer, the sole supremacy of Jehovah. Thou art the God, etc.; and have cast their gods into the fire, etc. Each nation had its gods. Polytheistic ideas and customs prevailed in the nations surrounding Jordan. The gods were often destroyed when the nations fell which they were supposed to protect. The Jews alone asserted the existence of one supreme God.
1. Hezekiah asserted that Jehovah was the only true God. Polytheism was a foolish delusion. It probably arose from mens innate propensity to materialise spiritual things, from the worship of natural objects as the manifestation of the Divine power, from the sinful and insatiate imagination of mens hearts, from the deification of departed heroes, or from the attempt to give visible shape to applauded virtues. But there can be but one infinite and eternal God.
2. That He exercised supreme control over all the kingdoms of the earth. He was not only the God of Israel, but of all nations.
III. He appealed to Jehovah as the maker of heaven and earth. Heaven and earth to the Jewish mind included all things. In this sublime idea of God is involved–
1. That He is eternal. He existed before all things; delighting in the glory of His own nature before the worlds were made; no material form nor spiritual existence sharing that eternity with Him.
2. That He is separate from His works. The universe is not He, as the ancient pantheists taught, and as some teach now. He is immanent in all His creations, but independent of them. The maker is not His work. God transcends all beings and worlds.
3. That He is omnipotent. He who made the universe must be Almighty. Its greatness is inconceivable, and the power that produced it must be infinite.
4. That He has an absolute right to control an things. The maker has indefeasible rights in His productions.
5. That He has all things under His direct control. As He has created all forces, an laws, an agencies, all worlds, all angels, all men, He has them under His immediate direction, and can turn them whithersoever He will. This conception of God afforded solid ground for Hezekiahs faith.
IV. Hezekiah prayed with great earnestness. Earnestness is needed, not to lead God to observe our condition, or to create a disposition in Him to help us, but–
1. That the strength of our desires may be revealed.
2. That we may be raised from the low condition of formal devotion.
3. That we may have all the spiritual culture which the outcries of real need may impart.
4. That we may be prepared to receive Divine deliverances thankfully. Hezekiah was stirred with the most powerful emotions as he prayed. His trouble heated his soul as a fire.
V. Hezekiah recognised the greatness of the deliverance which he sought. Of a truth, Lord, etc. To recognise the greatness of the deliverance we need will–
1. Deepen our sense of helplessness in ourselves
2. Stimulate the exercise of great faith.
3. Prepare us for the manifestation of Gods great delivering hand.
VI. Hezekiah associated the glory of Jehovah with the deliverance which he sought. The reproaches which had been cast upon him had been cast upon God. But it was Gods delivering arm put forth in answer to Hezekiahs faith and prayer–
(1) that His people might learn to put their trust in Him, and
(2) that all the earth might know that none could defy His power and prosper. (Homiletic Quarterly.)
Spiritual-mindedness a protection
Much constant communion will surround us with an atmosphere through which none of the many influences which threaten our Christian life and our Christian work can penetrate. As the diver in his bell sits dry at the bottom of the sea, and draws a pure air from the free heavens far above him, and is parted from that murderous waste of green death that clings so closely round the translucent crystal walls which keep him safe; so we, enclosed in God, shall repel from ourselves all that would overflow to destroy us and our work, and may by His grace lay deeper than the waters some courses in the great building that shall one day rise, stately and many-mansioned, from out of the conquered waves. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Laying down the burden
Dr. H. Clay Trumbull, the well-known religious leader of America who passed away the other day, related a story about one of his little daughters. She brought to me a while ago, he says, a geography book, having on its cover a picture of fabled Atlas, bearing the globe on his shoulders. Pointing to the overburdened man, with his bowed head, upstrained shoulders, and distended muscles, staggering under the weight that seemed just ready to crush him, she said: Papa! Why dont that man lay that thing down? Well, my dear, I answered, it would be a great deal better if he did. But that man has the idea that he must carry the world on his shoulders. There are a good many men of that sort, as you will find when you are older. That childs question is a pertinent one to any of you who are struggling under oppressive burden of personal anxiety of any nature whatosever. Why dont you lay that thing down? Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 15. Thou art the God, &c.] Thou art not only God of Israel, but God also of Assyria, and of all the nations of the world.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
[See comments on 2Ki 19:1]
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(15) Which dwellest between the cherubims.Rather, which sittest above the cherubim, or, the cherub-throned. (Comp. Exo. 25:22; 1Sa. 4:4; Psa. 18:10; Eze. 1:26.)
Thou art the God.With emphasis on Thou. Thou art the true God, thou alone, unto all the kingdoms, &c.
Thou hast made.Thou it was that madest. The thought is, And therefore Thou artthe only God for all the kingdoms (comp. Isa. 40:18 seq.), and the only ruler of princes.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. Between the cherubim Allusion to the arrangements of the place of communion in the sanctuary. See at Exo 25:22.
Thou alone, of all the kingdoms The true Hebrew doctrine of the absolute supremacy and ubiquity of God, in distinction from the heathen notion, which the Assyrians held, that each land or kingdom had its god.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Prayer Of King Hezekiah ( 2Ki 19:15-19 ).
It is almost impossible for us to appreciate the tension which Hezekiah must have been experiencing at this time. Outside the city walls were the enemy. Inside were what remained of his people. It was to be his decision as to what to do next. And he did not know what to do. His prayer was simple and to the point.
Firstly he considered just Whom it was to Whom he was speaking. It was the God of Israel, the One Who sits between the cherubim, the one Who is the only God and God alone, the Creator of Heaven and earth.
Then he called on God to hear and look and consider the situation, and especially these words that he had received from the king of Assyria, which He should note were in defiance of Him as the living God.
Then he humbly acknowledged the truth of what Sennacherib had written. It was true that the kings of Assyria had laid waste the lands and cities mentioned, and had cast their gods into the fire. But that had been because they were no-gods, and simply the works of man’s hands (he had been well taught by Isaiah – see Isa 40:18-20; Isa 44:9-20). It was that that explained how they could be burned.
And finally he called on YHWH to demonstrate to all the kingdoms of the earth that He was different from all others, so that they might know that He alone was God.
Thus having reached the end of his resources Hezekiah had recognised that his only hope lay in God, and his approach was not on the basis of his own need, nor of the need of his people, but on the basis that Sennacherib had insulted YHWH and that YHWH should vindicate His Name for His own glory. His concern was for the honour and Name of YHWH. That should be at the root of all prayer.
Analysis.
a
b “Incline your ear, O YHWH, and hear; open your eyes, O YHWH, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, by which he has sent him to defy the living God” (2Ki 19:16).
c “Of a truth, YHWH, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, therefore they have destroyed them” (2Ki 19:17-18).
b “Now therefore, O YHWH our God, save you us, I beseech you, out of his hand (2Ki 19:19 a)
a “So that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you YHWH are God alone” (2Ki 19:19 b).
Note that in ‘a’ he calls on God as the One Who alone is God of all the kingdoms of the earth, and in the parallel it is that all the kingdoms of the earth might know that he is God alone. In ‘b’ he points to the threatening words of Sennacherib as defiance of the living God, and in the parallel he asks to be delivered out of his hand. Central in ‘c’ is the admission that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all other gods, but that that was simply because they were no-gods.
2Ki 19:15
‘And Hezekiah prayed before YHWH, and said, “O YHWH, the God of Israel, who sits between the cherubim, you are the God, even you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.” ’
Performing his responsibility as an intercessory priest of YHWH Hezekiah first contemplates Who YHWH is. (It is always wise to consider exactly Who God is before we pray). And he considered Him as the One Who sits between the Cherubim, of which the Ark with its Cherubim was the symbol. But this was not to limit Him to the Temple, for both the Psalms and Isaiah (2Ki 6:1-7) make clear that YHWH was seen as sitting between and borne by the real Cherubim (see 2Sa 22:11; Psa 80:1; Psa 99:1; compare also for the idea Num 7:89). Thus He was the God of Heaven. But He was also the only God of all the kingdoms of the earth. For He was the sole Creator of heaven and earth. And it was as the only God that he now approached Him.
2Ki 19:16
‘Incline your ear, O YHWH, and hear; open your eyes, O YHWH, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, by which he has sent him to defy the living God.”
Then he called on YHWH to specifically hear and see what Sennacherib had written, words which were in clear defiance of the living God, in the same way as Goliath’s had been in the time of David. Indeed it was clear that Sennacherib had deliberately gone out of his way to defy YHWH the living God (although not of course believing that He was the living God). So Hezekiah’s dependence was on the fact that YHWH was the only God, and that He was the living God, active and aware in man’s affairs, and able to intervene at will.
2Ki 19:17-18
“Of a truth, YHWH, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, therefore they have destroyed them.”
Then he basically admitted that Sennacherib’s words were right. It was true that all these other nations had been laid waste, and that their gods had been burned. But that was because they were no-gods. They were simply the work of men’s hands, and made of wood and stone. That was why they could be destroyed. And that was why they had been destroyed.
2Ki 19:19
“Now therefore, O YHWH our God, save you us, I beseech you, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you YHWH are God alone.”
Having laid the foundation of his prayer Hezekiah now entered his plea, And that was that YHWH, the God of Judah (‘our God’), would save Judah out of Sennacherib’s hand so that all the kingdoms of the world might recognise His uniqueness as the only God.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
2Ki 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest [between] the cherubims, thou art the God, [even] thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
Ver. 15. And Hezekiah prayed. ] He made intercession to God against Sennacherib, as once Elias did against Israel, Rom 11:2 the Christian Church against Julian the apostate, and against Arius the heretic; whose death was precationis opus, non morbi, saith Socrates Scholasticus; a the effect of prayers, not of any disease.
Thou art the God.
a Lib. i. cap. 15.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
prayed. When assaulted by the king of terrors he “turned his face to the wall and prayed” (Isa 38:2). But when the king of Babylon came with a present he did not pray, and fell into the snare (Isa 39:1, Isa 39:2). Note the Structure of Isaiah, chs. 36, 39, and see App-67.
dwellest. Compare his prayer in Psa 123:1. App-67.
art the God = art Thyself the God.
Thou hast made heaven and earth. Compare Gen 1:1. Hezekiah, in his “Songs of the degrees”, repeats this phrase as witnessing to the power of God, as Creator, to defeat the enemy. See Psa 121:1, Psa 121:2; Psa 123:1; Psa 124:8; Psa 134:3. See App-67.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
prayed: 2Sa 7:18-28, 2Ch 14:11, 2Ch 20:6, 2Ch 32:20, Dan 9:3, Dan 9:4
O Lord God: Gen 32:28, Gen 33:20, 1Ki 8:23, 1Ch 4:10, Isa 41:17
dwellest: Exo 25:22, 1Sa 4:4, 2Ch 5:7, 2Ch 5:8, Psa 80:1, Psa 99:1
thou art the God: 2Ki 5:15, 1Ki 18:39, Isa 43:10, Isa 44:6, Isa 44:8, Isa 45:22, Dan 4:34, Dan 4:35
thou hast made: Gen 1:1, Gen 2:4, Psa 33:9, Psa 102:25, Psa 146:6, Jer 10:10-12, Joh 1:1 – Joh 3:36
Reciprocal: Gen 2:1 – Thus Gen 24:3 – the Lev 9:24 – there came a fire 1Ki 17:20 – he cried 2Ki 18:5 – after him 1Ch 13:6 – that dwelleth 2Ch 20:5 – Jehoshaphat Neh 9:6 – even thou Psa 77:2 – In the Isa 37:15 – General Jer 32:17 – thou Mat 11:25 – Lord Luk 4:8 – only Joh 16:24 – in Act 4:24 – Lord Act 17:24 – seeing Heb 9:5 – over Jam 5:16 – The effectual
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
HEZEKIAHS PRAYER
And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord.
2Ki 19:15
I. Observe the one plea upon which Hezekiah rests his cause.He says nothing of himself, and of the services which he had wrought, and the reformation which he had promoted throughout the land. It was but a small matter that Hezekiah and his people should perish: there might be reasons why God would be pleased to suffer the threatened danger to overwhelm them. But Gods own honour was at stake. Hezekiah hoped that He would not suffer the nations of the earth to conclude that He was of no more power and might than the worthless idols, which of course had been unable to deliver their votaries from the hand of their enemies. He pleaded with Him to vindicate His own greatness, and deliver those who trusted in Him.
II. Thus Hezekiah sought and found relief in his anxiety, and the account of it is detailed with such fullness in Scripture, not only that we may admire Hezekiahs assured trust and hope in God, but may ourselves go and do likewise.What have we to do, when any danger, affliction, or perplexity befall us, but lay our case before God, as Hezekiah did? Who can tell what a blessing this history would be to us, if the very next time that any bad news was brought to us, whether it concerned ourselves personally, or our family, or our country, or the Church of God, we would go at once, without allowing ourselves to brood over our trouble, and perhaps grow fretful, desponding, and uncharitable, and lay it with all our fear and sorrow before our merciful Father, whether in His own House, to which Hezekiah repaired, or in the retirement of our own chamber? Who can tell how it would soothe and strengthen our hearts, and enable us to bear the impending blow? Even if it should still please God that the blow should fall, the act of communing with Him as our friend, and pouring out our hearts before Him, would be a stay and comfort, according to those precious words of the Apostle: Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God; and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Illustrations
(1) This Lesson shows us a good man in a great trial. Hezekiah was king of Judah. The king of Assyria was threatening him, and in a human sense there seemed no possibility of being able to defend himself against the great host of the Assyrians. He took the matter to the Lord, and here we have the result. The Lord took the kings trouble into His own hands, and brought about the destruction of the host of Assyrians.
(2) Prayer is heardthat is one great lesson. We may safely lay all the interests of our life, all our dangers, sorrows, and losses before God in prayer. The surest weapon we can use against any one who is trying to hurt us is to pray against himnot bitterly nor with resentment, but by laying all the hurt and danger before God, that He may take care of our interests for His own names sake.
(3) God is ready always to help us with our troubles and dangers. He told Hezekiah that He had heard his prayer against Sennacherib. We are not likely to be in such condition as Hezekiah was in, but there are other enemies than Assyrians. When temptation besieges us and we have no power against it, we may take the matter to God and tell Him about it, and He will hear us. Whatever danger or trouble we are in, if we go to God with it He will hear us and answer us.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
2Ki 19:15. Hezekiah prayed and said, O Lord God of Israel, &c. He calls him the God of Israel, because Israel was his peculiar people; and the God that dwelt between the cherubim, because there was the peculiar residence of his glory on earth; but he gives glory to him as the God of the whole earth, and not, as Sennacherib fancied, the God of Israel only. Let them say what they will, thou art sovereign Lord, the God of gods, even thou alone; universal Lord of all the kingdoms of the earth; and rightful Lord; for thou hast made heaven and earth Being Creator of all, by an incontestable title thou art owner and ruler of all.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
19:15 And Hezekiah {i} prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest [between] the cherubims, thou art the God, [even] thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
(i) He shows what the true refuge and help is in all dangers, that is, to flee to the Lord by earnest prayer.