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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 39:5

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Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts:

5. Hear the word of the Lord ] Isaiah’s tone is threatening, because he sees in this thing a sin against Jehovah. It was not necessary to specify wherein the offence consisted; king and prophet understood each other perfectly. The reception of an embassy from the sworn enemy of the king of Assyria was in itself an act of rebellion likely to precipitate a conflict which Isaiah strove to avert; and the childish vanity displayed by Hezekiah, his pride in earthly resources, and his readiness to enter into friendly relations with the powers of this world, were tendencies against which Isaiah’s ministry had been a continuous protest. All these tendencies sprang from a single root, the lack of that absolute faith in Jehovah as the all-sufficient guide and protector of the nation which was the fundamental article of Isaiah’s political programme.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Hear the word of the Lord of hosts – Hear what the mighty God that rules in heaven says of this. This is an instance of great fidelity on the part of the prophet. He felt himself sent from God in a solemn manner to rebuke sin in a monarch, and a pious monarch. It is an instance that strikingly resembles the boldness and faithfulness of Nathan when he went to David, and said, Thou art the man 2Sa 12:7.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Isa 39:5-7

Hear the word of the Lord of hosts

Isaiahs prophecy of the Babylonian captivity

Jarchi directs attention to the exact correspondence of the punishment with the offence.

As the Babylonians had seen all, they should one day take all; as nothing had been withheld from them now, so nothing should be withheld from them hereafter. (J. A. Alexander.)

A costly gratification

Benjamin Franklin, when a lad, was greatly enamoured of a whistle he saw for sale. Swept away by the desire to possess the toy, he gathered all his money and offered it to the vendor, who at once took it and handed over the whistle to the eager boy. For a time the sense of a craving gratified shut out all other consideration. Then, gradually, the lad realised how he had been fooled; and in after-days the wise man, as he observed men and their foolish ways, would remember his own early experience, and say of this man and of that, He has paid too dear for his whistle. (W. C. Bonnet.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

5. Lord of hostswho has allthy goods at His disposal.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah,…. Now he begins to let him know that he came not of himself, and that he did not ask these questions to gratify his own curiosity, but that he came from the Lord, and with a word of rebuke from him:

hear the word of the Lord of hosts; a greater King than thou art, who art so elated with thy riches, and grandeur, and fame; or than the king of Babylon, whose ambassadors these are; even the King of kings, and Lord of armies above and below, and who is able to make good every word that is spoken by him, and therefore should be solemnly attended to.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Hezekiah’s Vanity Punished.

B. C. 712.

5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 8 Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

Hence let us observe, 1. That, if God love us, he will humble us, and will find some way or other to pull down our spirits when they are lifted up above measure. A mortifying message is sent to Hezekiah, that he might be humbled for the pride of his heart, and be convinced of the folly of it; for though God may suffer his people to fall into sin, as he did Hezekiah here, to prove him, that he might know all that was in his heart, yet he will not suffer them to lie still in it. 2. It is just with God to take that from us which we make the matter of our pride, and on which we build a carnal confidence. When David was proud of the numbers of his people God took a course to make them fewer; and when Hezekiah boasts of his treasures, and looks upon them with too great a complacency, he is told that he acts like the foolish traveller who shows his money and gold to one that proves a thief and is thereby tempted to rob him. 3. If we could but see things that will be, we should be ashamed of our thoughts of things that are. If Hezekiah had known that the seed and successors of this king of Babylon would hereafter be the ruin of his family and kingdom, he would not have complimented his ambassadors as he did; and, when the prophet told him that it would be so, we may well imagine how he was vexed at himself for what he had done. We cannot certainly foresee what will be, but are told, in general, All is vanity, and therefore it is vanity for us to take complacency and put confidence in any thing that goes under that character. 4. Those that are fond of an acquaintance or alliance with irreligious men will first or last have enough of it, and will have cause to repent it. Hezekiah thought himself very happy in the friendship of Babylon, though it was the mother of harlots and idolatries; but Babylon, who now courted Jerusalem, in process of time conquered her and carried her captive. Leagues with sinners, and leagues with sin too, will end thus; it is therefore our wisdom to keep at a distance from them. 5. Those that truly repent of their sins will take it well to be reproved for them and will be willing to be told of their faults. Hezekiah reckoned that word of the Lord good which discovered sin to him, and made him sensible that he had done amiss, which before he was not aware of. The language of true penitents is, Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness; and the law is therefore good, because, being spiritual, in it sin appears sin, and exceedingly sinful. 6. True penitents will quietly submit, not only to the reproofs of the word, but to the rebukes of Providence for their sins. When Hezekiah was told of the punishment of his iniquity he said, Good is the word of the Lord, not only the mitigation of the sentence, but the sentence itself; he has nothing to object against the equity of it, but says Amen to the threatening. Those that see the evil of sin, and what it deserves, will justify God in all that is brought upon them for it, and own that he punishes them less than their iniquities deserve. 7. Though we must not be regardless of those that come after us, yet we must reckon ourselves well done by if there be peace and truth in our days, and better than we had reason to expect. If a storm be coming, we must reckon it a favour to get into the harbour before it comes, and be gathered to the grave in peace; yet we can never be secure of this, but must prepare for changes in our own time, that we may stand complete in all the will of God, and bid it welcome whatever it is.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

Vs. 5-8: A WORD FROM THE LORD

1. Hezekiah has not inquired of the Lord in this matter; nevertheless, the Lord will speak to it, (vs. 5; Deu 28:49-57). Isaiah’s “Hear the word of the Lord!” (comp. 1Sa 13:13-14; 1Sa 15:16-23), suggests the solmenity and authority of a divine decree.

2. The day will come when everything Hezekiah’s guests have looked upon will be carried away into Babylon, (vs. 6).

a. All that is in the king’s palace, (2Ki 24:10-15; 2Ki 25:13-15; Jer 20:5).

b. Everything “thy fathers have laid up in store until this day”.

c. Nothing will be left!

3. Furthermore, the kings’ sons, as yet unborn, will be taken captive, to become eunuchs (incapable of carrying on the Davidic line) in the palace of the king of Babylon, (vs. 7; Dan 1:2-7).

a. Hezekiah forgot the lesson he should have learned from placing his trust in Egypt.

b. He forgot the ability and faithfullness of God to shield him -as manifested in the overthrow of the Assyrian host, (ch. 37).

c. He forgot the signs of divine care, as evidenced by the reversing shadow of the sun-dial, and his miraculous recovery from sickness, (ch. 38).

d. Forgetting all this, he hastened to align himself with the king of Babylon, against the king of Assyria – leading to the ultimate bankruptcy of his treasurers, and the loss of his sons; both swallowed up by Babylon, in whom he put his trust!

6. Even today, the child of God who “keeps his own counsel”, and leans on the flesh, will soon find that the world robs him of his spiritual wealth, while bringing weakness, emptiness, fruitlessness and death upon his offspring.

4. Difficult as it was to bear, Hezekiah accepted the prophetic rebuke as a loyal servant of Jehovah, (vs. 8; comp. 1Sa 3:18; Job 1:20-21).

a. He recognized the divine threatening as RIGHT, and fully deserved – humbling himself, and repenting of the pride of heart that had given occasion to the utterance of the prophecy, (2Ch 32:26).

b. He, further, acknowledged that, for himself, it was tempered with mercy – in that it would not be carried out during his own lifetime, (comp. 2Ch 34:28).

5. It will be profitable to understand that the sin of Hezekiah was’ NOT the CAUSE, but the OCCASION, for the utterance of this

prophecy, and the overwhelming judgment that was to follow.

a. Seven hundred years earlier Moses had spoken of a general exile of his people because of their sin, (Lev 26:33; Deu 28:64-67).

b. Five hundred years later Ahijah declared that Israel would be uprooted and scattered “beyond the rivers”, (1Ki 14:15).

c. About 100 years before Isaiah’s pronouncement, the prophet Amos had threatened them with “captivity beyond Damascus”, (Amo 5:27).

d. And Isaiah himself had previously intimated some future connection between the fortunes of Israel and Babylon, (Isa 14:1; Isa 21:10).

e. But here, for the first time, is the Babylonian captivity clearly foretold.

6. Much of the remainder of Isaiah’s prophetic record will deal with the outworkings of that which is here announced as inevitable.

(HERE IN THE HARDBOUND COMMENTARY IS FOUNDA MAP OF THE LAND IN THE TIME OF ISAIAH)

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

5. Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah. From this judgment of God we perceive that the sin of Hezekiah was not small, though common sense judges differently; for since God always observes the highest moderation in chastising men, we may infer from the severity of the punishment that it was no ordinary fault, but a highly aggravated crime. Hence also we are reminded that men judge amiss of words or actions, but that God alone is the competent judge of them. Hezekiah shewed his treasures. Had they been heaped up, that they might always lie hidden in the earth? He received the messengers kindly. Should he have driven them away? He lent an ear to their instructions. But that was when the rival of the Assyrian voluntarily desired his friendship. Ought he to have rejected so valuable an advantage? In a word, so far as appearances go, we shall find nothing for which an apology may not be offered.

But God, from whom nothing is hidden, observes in Hezekiah’s joy, first, ingratitude; because he is unmindful of the distresses which lately pressed him down, and, in some respects, substitutes the Chaldeans in the room of God himself, to whom he ought to have dedicated his own person and all that he possessed. Next, he observes pride; because Hezekiah attempts too eagerly to gain reputation by magnificence and riches He observes a sinful desire to enter into an alliance which would have been destructive to the whole nation. But the chief fault was ambition, which almost entirely banishes the fear of God from the hearts of men. Hence Augustine justly exclaims, “How great and how pernicious is the poison of pride, which cannot be cured but by poison!” For he has his eye on that passage in one of Paul’s Epistles, in which he says that “a messenger of Satan had been given to buffet him, that he might not be puffed up by the greatness of revelations.” (2Co 12:7.) Hezekiah was unshaken, when all was nearly ruined; but he is vanquished by these flatteries, and does not resist vain ambition. Let us, therefore, attentively and diligently consider what a destructive evil this is, and let us be so much the more careful to avoid it.

Hear the word of Jehovah of hosts Being about to be the bearer of a harsh sentence, he begins by saying that he is God’s herald, and a little afterwards, he again repeats that God has commanded him to do this, not merely for the purpose of protecting himself against hatred, (99) but in order to make a deep impression on the heart of the king’. Here again we see his steadfastness and heroic courage. He does not dread the face of the king, or fear to make known his disease, and to announce to him the judgment of God; for although, at that time as well as now, kings had delicate ears, yet, being fully aware that God had enjoined this duty upon him, he boldly executes his commission, however much it might be disliked. Prophets were, indeed, subject to kings, and claimed nothing for themselves, unless when it was their duty to speak in the name of God; and in such cases there is nothing so lofty that it ought not to be abased before the majesty of God. And if his object had been to gain the good graces of his prince, he would have been silent like other flatterers; but he has regard to his office, and endeavors to discharge it most faithfully.

(99) “ Non pas que pour crainte d’estre mal voulu, il se descharge sur le Seigneur.” “Not that, through fear of bringing ill-will on himself, he throws the blame on the Lord.”

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

2. PUNISHMENT

TEXT: Isa. 39:5-8

Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of Jehovah of hosts.

Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith Jehovah.

And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon.

Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of Jehovah which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

QUERIES

Why carried away to Babylon instead of Assyria?

Why did Hezekiah say the prediction was good?

PARAPHRASE

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Hear the word of Jehovah of hosts. Behold, the time is coming when all of the armament and treasures which you have so boastfully shown your Babylonian visitorseverything your ancestors have worked so hard to accumulate and store upwill be carried off by the Babylonians as the booty of war. None of your wealth or weapons will be left, says the Lord. Your own sons and grandsons will be taken away by these same Babylonians and made slaves in the palace of their king. Hezekiah was humbled by the prophets words and said, Yes, the word of the Lord is good and just. Furthermore, the word of the Lord is merciful. The Lord will make peace and truth to prevail for us at least for the rest of my days.

COMMENTS

Isa. 39:5-7 CARRYING AWAY: Isaiah came, not in a human advisory capacity, but as a prophet of God. His prediction carried all the authority of Almighty God. It was, in fact, the word of Jehovah.

It is ironic that all the treasures Hezekiah had shown to the Babylonian envoys will someday, Isaiah predicts, be carried off by the Babylonians as the booty of conquest. Isaiahs prediction is enigmatic and problematical, to say the least. Here are the Babylonian envoys bringing gifts, expressing concern about Hezekiahs health, making friendly and charming inquiries about the grandeur of Judahs beautiful Temple vessels, diplomatically inviting Hezekiah to join forces with a great crusade against the common enemy, Assyria, and Isaiah is predicting they will be Judahs real conquerors. What appears to be the real threat, which has terrified the people, Assyria, Isaiah has predicted will disappear and pose no threat at all to Judah. What it really amounts to is a confrontation between the finite knowledge (limited only to the past and present) and the infinite knowledge of God (unlimited). Hezekiahs part in the drama is to decide which he will trust.

A prediction even more piercing to the heart of Hezekiah was the one concerning his sons. He does not even have a son yet! Now the dark news comes that when he shall have a son, his destiny is that of conquest and slavery in a pagan palace. The fulfillment of this prediction may be seen in Dan. 1:3-6; 2Ch. 33:11; 2Ki. 24:12-16. Manasseh, Hezekiahs immediate son, was taken to Babylon by the Assyrians; Jehoiachin, a great-great-great-great grandson of Hezekiah was taken captive by the Babylonians. The throne of Judah, the house of David, so precious to Hezekiah, will not only cease to exist, but the sovereign crowned heads which sit upon it will be forced into shameful servitude in an unclean, idolatrous, pagan court.

Isa. 39:8 CALM ACOUIESCENCE: Hezekiah reacts to the rebuke of Isaiah and the word of the Lord as one would expect a man of his calibre to react. He is a man of great faith, but not a perfect man. He has weaknesses. But he is a man of a good and malleable heart. He is capable of acknowledging his sin and repenting when confronted with the will of God. In this respect, he is like his progenitor, David. It is not only the sin of Hezekiah that brings on the Babylonian captivity (cf. Deu. 28:32), but the whole nation has defaulted on their covenant with God. Already other prophets have arraigned Judah before the judgment bar of God (Amo. 2:4-5; Hos. 6:11, etc.).

Hezekiah should not be accused of a selfish attitude when he says, For there shall be peace and truth in my days. He has resigned his will to that of the Lord and pronounced the will of the Lord good! What all does he mean? We cannot be certain. Perhaps he is acknowledging the justness of Gods chastisement. Perhaps he is acknowledging the good that will result from the chastening of a rebellious and unfaithful people through the coming captivity. He himself has just endured a chastening in his illness, and it has made him a man more responsive to the revealed will of God. Now he thanks the Lord, not only for himself but for his nation, that there will be a time of peace and truth for Judah before the darkness of the Babylonian captivity falls. E. J. Young paraphrases Hezekiah, There will be peace and truth at least in my days, but I am not spared the misfortune of the knowledge that my descendants will go into captivity.
The great forces of evil that oppose the redemptive work of God through His covenant loom on the horizon in Babylon. The mercy of God is extended to the covenant people for a short time. But soon they must be cast into the crucible and purified. Soon they must suffer the discipline of God that produces the fruit of righteousness. Soon the remnant must be refined that through it may come the Messiah and redemption to all peoples. It is no comfort to know that peace and truth will last only for Hezekiahs day. What about the future fortunes of the people of God? What ultimate and everlasting comfort can be given to Gods people? What about peace and truth forever?
The answers to these questions are reserved for the second great section of the book of Isaiah, chapters 4066.

QUIZ

What is so enigmatic about predicting captivity by Babylon?

Which sons of Hezekiah were taken captive?

Was Hezekiah selfish in being glad of peace and truth in his own days?

Where is the answer to the enigma of the captivities?

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

5, 6. Hear the word of the Lord The prophet’s soul was surcharged now with a coming of explicit, definite affliction upon his own people. The king’s imprudence was, for the first time, the occasion of such an utterance. Babylon now rises to his view as the next great engulfing power against the nation.

Behold, the days come Days of captivity. In one hundred and twenty years they did come.

All that is in thine house Which Hezekiah had himself gathered since he was plundered by Sennacherib.

And that which thy fathers have laid up in store Possibly of this Sennacherib got nothing. Was it not in keeping with the prudence of this people to preserve in most secret store, large wealth never to be touched but in extreme emergencies?

Shall be carried to Babylon But preserved, as a fact of history, (Ezr 1:7,) to be used again in the restored temple at restored Jerusalem. The divine principle, a remnant shall be saved, extended to all that pertained to the symbols of the spiritual life of that people.

Nothing shall be left The old national life was to expire utterly, to be resurrected in the spiritual remnant.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 39:5-8

5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts, 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.’ 8Then 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.

Isa 39:5 This is a literary marker (hear, BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERATIVE) for a divine message, obviously related to Hezekiah’s rash act.

Isa 39:6 This verse is the prophecy of the coming Babylonian exiles under Nebuchadnezzar II (i.e., 605, 597, 586, 582 B.C.). It seems that the biblical thrust is not only (1) Hezekiah’s arrogance; but also (2) the idolatry of his son, Manasseh (cf. 2Ki 21:1-18); and (3) the peoples’ continuing unbelief and idolatry. The real problem was Hezekiah’s being tempted to trust a political alliance again, as he had Egypt earlier. One would think his answer to prayer in chapter 38 would have insulated him from this type of activity.

Isa 39:7 This verse is surprising, not because it is a true prophecy, but because Isaiah always believed in the inviolability of Jerusalem and the Davidic family (cf. 2 Samuel 7).

Also note that the Babylon of Hezekiah’s visitors is not the same Babylon that caused the four exiles. Much of Isaiah’s poetry is ambiguous enough to relate to

1. Assyria

2. Babylon

3. Neo-Babylon

4. end-time events

will be taken away This happened to King Jehoiachin (cf. 2Ki 24:15).

officials The term (BDB 710) literally means eunuchs, but it came to refer to high court officials (cf. Potiphar was married, Gen 39:1). In this context the term must refer to

1. a token symbol of Babylonian power

2. a ward of the state

Isa 39:8 The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good This is a startling statement. It either means that Hezekiah realizes his pride was the source of God’s just judgment and, therefore, is fair, or it may imply, as in Isa 39:8 b, that he is just glad that the judgment will not occur in his day. Some scholars have asserted that the reason for the king’s happiness is that this means he will have a son.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. How is this concept of trust related to the Assyrian official’s haunting message in Isaiah 36, 37?

2. Did Hezekiah pay tribute to Assyria and did he have a military alliance with Egypt?

3. Why is Isa 37:20 so significant?

4. Why does God give two signs to Hezekiah?

5. Why is Hezekiah judged so severely for showing the Babylonian officials his treasure?

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

the LORD of Hosts. See note on 1Sa 1:3.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Isa 39:5-8

Isa 39:5-6

“Then said Isaiah unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of Jehovah of hosts: Behold the days are coming, when all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith Jehovah.”

As Rawlinson observed that, “Concerning the exact times and seasons, the prophets generally knew nothing. They were mouth-pieces to deliver the Divine will. They were not keen-witted politicians, forecasting results by the exercise of sharpsightedness and sagacity.

No human wisdom could have supplied such information as this to Isaiah. Babylon, at the time of this prophecy, was a rebellious portion of the Assyrian Empire; and it would be only a few years until Esarhaddon, the son of Sennacherib, would be on the throne of Babylon. What an unlikely prophecy this must have appeared to be! Nevertheless, in about 120 years, all of this prophecy was completely fulfilled in Babylon’s rape of Jerusalem and the deportation of the royal family first, and later, the whole population to Babylon.

As Jamieson pointed out this is “the very first place in the Bible where the place of Israel’s punishment is announced.” It is particularly important, however, that this is by no means the first prophecy of Israel’s being plucked off of `their land.’ Moses prophesied, “Ye shall be plucked off the land; and Jehovah will scatter thee among all peoples” (Deu 28:63-64). Ahijah prophesied against Jeroboam: “Jehovah will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking Jehovah to anger” (1Ki 14:15). “Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the god of hosts” (Amo 5:27). Here, at last in the prophecy of Isaiah, God finally revealed the very city into which Israel would be carried captive. Although it had been known from the beginning by the Father that Babylon would be the place of Israel’s captivity, it was only in this chapter that God at last revealed it through Isaiah. Yet, it is clear enough that “Babylon” was actually intended in those other prophecies.

Isa 39:7

“And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

This is good news and bad news combined. The good news is that Hezekiah would not die childless as he had feared; but the bad news was the prophetic fate of his sons. The prospect of their being eunuchs in the place of the king of Babylon was indeed a terrible destination. Furthermore, Manasseh who would succeed him in the throne was indeed an evil son of the devil until near the very end of his life.

In the Book of Daniel, we read that, “Among the princes of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azaraiah; and the prince of the eunuchs gave names unto them (Dan 1:6-7). It was usually true in that era that “eunuchs” were men who had been emasculated; and although it was also true that sometimes “eunuchs” were “officers of the king.” This was by no means true of the princes of Judah in Babylon. They were not officers of the king, but captives; and here, they even endured the humiliation of having their names changed. We not only agree with Culver that, “There is a great possibility that Daniel and his friends were emasculated, but we, through the influence of Isaiah’s prophecy here, believe that that is the only proper understanding of the fate of those princes of the royal household of Judah. Many agree with this interpretation. “The descendants of Hezekiah, rather than his actual sons, seem to be intended here; and the fulfillment of this prophecy is to be found in Dan 1:3, where certain of `the king’s seed’ are mentioned among the Israelites who served as eunuchs in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.

Isa 39:8

“Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of Jehovah which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.”

In 2Ch 32:26, we learn that, “Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Jehovah came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.” This information was also, in all probability, imparted to Hezekiah at the same time with the message here; and it was for this that Hezekiah was especially glad.

We deeply appreciate the discernment of Kidner who saw in this little chapter the explanation of the rest of the great Prophecy of Isaiah:

“To Hezekiah there was comfort in the postponement of the disaster awaiting Israel, but not to Isaiah. Evidently, he took this burden home with him, and so lived under its weight that when God spoke to him again it was to one who in spirit had already lived long years in Babylon (Isa 40:2), and who could speak “to the heart” of a generation of exiles yet to be born.

Here then, is the explanation of Isaiah’s focus upon the problems of later generations featured in the next division of his prophecy.

Some have read a certain trait of selfishness into Hezekiah’s words of thankfulness here; but we believe Dummelow was correct in the statement that, “On the contrary, his spirit at this time seemed rather to have been one of humble contrition.

(The end of Division V.)

Isa 39:5-7 CARRYING AWAY: Isaiah came, not in a human advisory capacity, but as a prophet of God. His prediction carried all the authority of Almighty God. It was, in fact, the word of Jehovah.

A prediction even more piercing to the heart of Hezekiah was the one concerning his sons. He does not even have a son yet! Now the dark news comes that when he shall have a son, his destiny is that of conquest and slavery in a pagan palace. The fulfillment of this prediction may be seen in Dan 1:3-6; 2Ch 33:11; 2Ki 24:12-16. Manasseh, Hezekiahs immediate son, was taken to Babylon by the Assyrians; Jehoiachin, a great-great-great-great grandson of Hezekiah was taken captive by the Babylonians. The throne of Judah, the house of David, so precious to Hezekiah, will not only cease to exist, but the sovereign crowned heads which sit upon it will be forced into shameful servitude in an unclean, idolatrous, pagan court.

Isa 39:8 CALM ACOUIESCENCE: Hezekiah reacts to the rebuke of Isaiah and the word of the Lord as one would expect a man of his calibre to react. He is a man of great faith, but not a perfect man. He has weaknesses. But he is a man of a good and malleable heart. He is capable of acknowledging his sin and repenting when confronted with the will of God. In this respect, he is like his progenitor, David. It is not only the sin of Hezekiah that brings on the Babylonian captivity (cf. Deu 28:32), but the whole nation has defaulted on their covenant with God. Already other prophets have arraigned Judah before the judgment bar of God (Amo 2:4-5; Hos 6:11, etc.).

The great forces of evil that oppose the redemptive work of God through His covenant loom on the horizon in Babylon. The mercy of God is extended to the covenant people for a short time. But soon they must be cast into the crucible and purified. Soon they must suffer the discipline of God that produces the fruit of righteousness. Soon the remnant must be refined that through it may come the Messiah and redemption to all peoples. It is no comfort to know that peace and truth will last only for Hezekiahs day. What about the future fortunes of the people of God? What ultimate and everlasting comfort can be given to Gods people? What about peace and truth forever?

The answers to these questions are reserved for the second great section of the book of Isaiah, chapters 40-66.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

Hear: 1Sa 13:13, 1Sa 13:14, 1Sa 15:16

Reciprocal: 2Ch 18:18 – hear the word

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Isaiah informed the king that the Babylonians would end up taking everything that Hezekiah had shown the ambassadors back to Babylon-not as resources for opposition to Assyria but as the spoils of war. This is the first explicit reference to the Babylonian captivity in Isaiah. Many critics of the Bible who do not believe in predictive prophecy have used this reference as evidence of a much later date of writing than Isaiah’s day. The ambassadors had come "from Babylon" (Isa 39:3), and they would carry everything off "to Babylon" (Isa 39:6). Hezekiah had shown them "all" (Isa 39:4), and they would take "all" (Isa 39:6, twice) to Babylon. This happened finally in 586 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem (cf. 2Ki 24:13; 2Ki 25:13-15; 2Ch 36:18; Jer 20:5). Isaiah’s mention of Babylon as the enemy undoubtedly shocked Hezekiah because at this time Assyria was the great threat to Judah. Furthermore, Isaiah had previously predicted the demise of Babylon (ch. 14).

". . . Isaiah’s message to Hezekiah is the same as it was to Ahaz, whose trust was in Assyria. ’That which we trust in place of God will one day turn and destroy us.’" [Note: Oswalt, p. 696.]

This one sin of Hezekiah’s did not doom Judah to Babylonian captivity. However, it illustrates the pride that the whole nation and its leaders manifested that ultimately resulted in the captivity.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

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