April 17, 2026

No Fear in the Lᴏʀᴅ

Isaiah 37:1-17

‘Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me…’

The Assyrian invaders leave Hezekiah’s advisors with ultimatums which they immediately repeat to King Hezekiah. Hezekiah puts on sackcloth and ashes and sends his messengers to the prophet Isaiah to inquire of God for the Lᴏʀᴅ’s response.

When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’” ¹

Turning the tide? Even before Hezekiah responds, the Assyrians ‘hear a rumor’ and move forces away from the siege of Jerusalem. They withdraw leaving threats of what will happen when they return, challenging the ability of the Lᴏʀᴅ to deliver,

“Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed…’” ²

It is unwise to challenge the living Lᴏʀᴅ Almighty. While in this age we have become desensitized to political rhetoric and meaningless pronouncements of grandeur, God—who never changes—does not have such a weak response. While the Assyrians deal with another threat, Hezekiah seeks divine action on behalf of Jerusalem and on behalf of the Name of the Lᴏʀᴅ,

Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD:
“O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made the heavens and the earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God…” ³

Challenging dependence upon God becomes ‘mocking the living God’ and removes the embellishments of the rhetoric and calls it what it is and prompts the divine promise,

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.⁴

It is a good to stand with God against the mockers: This is not about covering all possibilities just in case God does not come through for you—this is about the singular outcome when God stands up for His Name. He is not comparable to gods created by mankind and will not be lessened by such comparison. It is wise to ‘not be afraid of the words reviling’ the true God. What is spoken against Him will not prevail.

FOOTNOTES:
¹ Isaiah 37:5-7 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/isa/37/5-7/s_716005
² Isaiah 37:10-12 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/isa/37/10-12/s_716010
³ Isaiah 37:14-17 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/isa/37/14-17/s_716014
⁴ Galatians 6:7 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/gal/6/7/s_1097007

Isaiah 37:1-17 (ESV) - https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/isa/37/1-17/s_716001

All Scripture references from the Blue Letter Bible, ESV
at https://www.blueletterbible.org
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