Commentary on Isaiah, Commentary on Isaiah · Chapter 37 · Verse 21
Verſ. 21. Then Iſaiah the ſonne of Amos ſent vntounto Hezekiah, ſaying, Thus ſaith the Lord God of Iſrael; Becauſe thou haſt praied vntounto me concerning Sennacherib King of Aſhur,
22. This is the word that the Lord hath ſpoken againſt him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion hath despiſed thee, and laughed thee to ſcorne: the daughter of Ieruſalem hath ſhaken her head at thee.
NOw behold the fruit of praier: for things being brought to an after deale, God ſuddenly reacheth Hezekias his hand, by the miniſterie of our Prophet Iſaiah. God will hauehave our faith ſtill exerciſed.Not that hee ſo reached or ſtretched it forth, that the enemie was forthwith put to flight; but in promiſing deliuerance by Iſaiahs mouth, he ſtill exerciſeth the faith of his ſeruant. Now as the Prophet for his part, could not of himſelfe hauehave giuen this conſolation; ſo had it been but a ridiculous thing to hauehave promiſed it, vnleſſe Hezekias had alſo beleeued that this meſſage was ſent him from God. He therfore contented himſelfe with this bare promiſe, waiting in ſilence till God ſhould manifeſt his power. Now by this wee are taught, that it is our dutie at all times to aske counſell of the Lord, if we meane to feele his comforts in our afflictions and diſtreſſes: for if we ſet light by the meſſage which he ſends vsus by the miniſterie of his faithfull ſeruants, we are then vtterly vnworthy to receiue any conſolation from him. But albeit wee be neuer ſo well inſtructed, and filled as it were with the knowledge of this doctrine, yet it ſtands vsus in hand to know it eueryevery day better and better, ſtill drawing thence new teſtimonies to confirme our faith withall, to the end we may hauehave remedies at hand when new aſſaults ſhall befall vsus, and may not at any time bee deſtitute of comfort in the middeſt of our greateſt calamities: for hee that is beſt furniſhed and fortified this way, can neuer bee too well prouided. We hauehave in Hezekias here a ſingular example of faith and conſtancie; and yet the Lord contents not himſelfe to hauehave comforted him once, and by one prophecie onelyonly; as in verſe 6, 7. but he now confirmes his faith many waies; that we who are far ſhort of that conſtancie which was in him, might learne to know what need wee hauehave of many helpes for the ſuſtaining and vpholding of our faith continually.
Becauſe thou haſt praied vntounto me.] The holy hiſtorie expreſſeth no more but this verbe, I hauehave heard thee: the word becauſe therefore is a relatiue in that place: but here it is an expoſitiue, or a particle of giuing a reaſon, as in many other places. For it is forced and conſtrained to ſupply the verbe To heare; as manie expoſitors doe: and the ſentence runnes well being reade as it is; when God therein ſhewes that he will ouerthrow all the practiſes of Sennacherib, and repreſſe his violence and furie, becauſe Hezekias hath praied. As if he ſhould ſay; I giuegive thee ſuch an anſwer as fits thy requeſt. And doubtleſſe whoſoeuer he be that directs his praier vntounto God,Aske, and it ſh…l be giuen you: Mat 7.7 See Ezech. 36.37. hee ſhall in the end feele how much the Lord is inclined to anſwer: indeede hee often holds his peace, and offers vsus no conſolation by his word, but it is becauſe wee hauehave been mute in our afflictions.
The ſumme of the prophecie comes to this; that Hezekias, as feeble and deſtitute as hee was of all ſuccour, yet needed not for all that to feare in beholding this tyrant ſo to aduance himſelfe: for God would be the moderator in this caſe, who proteſts that hee will take the quarrell into his owne hand: as if he ſhould ſay; Sennacherib indeed hath offered outrage againſt thee and thy people, but the weight of it falles vponupon my Maiestie. And thus he ſhewes that hee will be reuenged of the heathen that knew not his name; and withall admoniſheth the faithfull not to ſorrow as men without hope, if the world for a time doe tread them vnderunder foote, for he hath ſtore of ſuccours readie in heauen to ſuſtaine their infirmities. But it hath much greater force, in that he ſpeakes to the whole Church, then if he had ſpoken to Hezekias particularly: for this circumſtance augments the indignitie of the fact, becauſe Sennacherib ſcorned the meane eſtate of this poore people, as if Gods helpe had been a matter of nothing. The Prophet then taxeth the blindneſſe of this Tyrant, who hauing no reſpect vntounto God, thus proudly inſulteth ouer his poore and deſolate Church.
It is an vſuall thing in the Scriptures, to call Cities daughters: ſometimes goodlie Cities alſo are called virgins, as we hauehave noted before in another place. But heere Iſaiah meant to note out Ieruſalems weakneſſe, who was as a poore virgin, ſuccourleſſe and comfortleſſe, which this vile ruffian, and curſed cutthrote vexed and reuiled: whereas God on the other ſide, as the father to whom this iniury was offered, ſhewes that he is acquainted well enough with the plots of this miſcreant, as alſo in what eſtate the whole land of Iudea was.