The Righteous Live By Faith (Isaiah 36-37)

The Bible is full of discouragements, griefs, and losses. We aren’t promised an easy life. If we live long enough, we will experience unexpected heart breaks and situations more difficult than we can imagine. In the midst of that, we have a choice to make. We have to decide what we are going to do. If you have ever been in one of those difficult situations, you might have been unprepared, thinking, “How will I get through this?” We might try many different things. But I want us to know how to handle those situations before they happen. I want us to see the path ahead as clear as day so that, even though we are looking through tear filled eyes, we don’t have anxiety about what the next step will be.

Today, we will be looking at the story of Hezekiah and Jerusalem. This story is a beacon of hope, reminding us that the righteous live by faith. Not a faith that is blind to reality, but one that sees beyond the immediate, to the God who promises, the God who delivers, and the God who saves. Today, I would like for us to study, not just this story of the siege and how God overcame the enemy. But I want us to learn anew what it means to say, "The righteous shall live by faith." I also want us to see the implications of these events on our lives.

The Challenge to Faith

Isaiah 36:1–10 (ESV) — 1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 2 And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. 3 And there came out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder. 4 And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? 5 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? 6 Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7 But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar”? 8 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 9 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10 Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.” ’ ”

In the shadow of Jerusalem's walls, as the vast Assyrian army lay encamped, ready to extinguish the last flicker of hope from God's chosen city, we find not just a physical battle but a spiritual crucible. Here, in the grip of what seemed like inevitable defeat, faith was put to the ultimate test. The Assyrian siege wasn’t just a challenge to Jerusalem’s defenses; it was a challenge to the very heart of faith itself.

The Historical Challenge

King Hezekiah stood at the crossroads of faith and fear. The Assyrian leader’s taunts were not merely threats of physical destruction but attacks on the trustworthiness of God Himself. "On what do you rest this trust of yours?" sneered the representatives of Assyria, mocking the very idea that God could save Jerusalem from their hands.

Amidst the dire threats and the suffocating siege laid by Assyria, there was a temptation for Jerusalem to place its trust in the power of Egypt, seeking a deliverance that relied on the might of chariots and horses rather than on the faithfulness of God. God's warning against this misplaced trust is stark; relying on Egypt would be futile. Jerusalem came to the painful realization that Egypt would not come to their rescue, that the salvation of man-made alliances is but a shadow compared to the steadfast deliverance promised by God.

In the rest of this chapter, the Rabshakeh is asked not to speak in the common language of the people, but he speaks it even more loudly. He tells the people that Hezekiah is deceiving them by saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us.” He tempts them to come out of the city and enjoy peace and prosperity. Can you imagine? It seems that all they need to do is give up on God and everything will be better.

This moment mirrors the challenges we face in our own "sieges" - those times when our circumstances, our problems, seem insurmountable, when the voices around us and in us question the faithfulness of God. "Can God really save? Can He truly deliver you from this?"

This moment of realization is a poignant reminder of the dangers of placing our faith in the wrong saviors. Our "Egypts" might come in various forms—be it reliance on our own strength, wisdom, or the help of others—yet, they ultimately fall short. The challenge to faith, then, extends beyond facing our fears and doubts; it involves discerning where our trust truly lies. Jerusalem's awakening to the fact that Egypt would not come is a call for us to examine our own sources of trust. Are we leaning on the "Egypts" of our lives, or are we placing our unwavering trust in the Lord, confident in His promise that He alone is our true deliverance and salvation?

As we navigate the sieges of life, it could be the loss of a job, a dire health diagnosis, or a relationship at breaking point, let this realization guide us back to the heart of true faith: a complete and sole reliance on God, who is our ever-present help in times of trouble, and the only one who can deliver us through His unfailing love and power. In these moments, the challenge to our faith is no less real than the army that encircled Jerusalem.

Choosing Faith over Fear

Hezekiah’s response to this existential threat was to seek the Lord. He did not allow the size of the enemy or the severity of the threat to dictate his response. Instead, he chose faith, bringing the mocking words of the Assyrians before God in prayer, laying them out in the temple, and seeking divine intervention.

This act of faith—choosing to trust God in the face of overwhelming odds—is the essence of what it means to live by faith. It’s about making a conscious decision to trust in God’s promises, even when the evidence before our eyes suggests we should do otherwise.

Like Assyria, the world taunts us. It tells us that we can’t rely on God to deliver. They try to push us towards fear and despair. Let us take a lesson from Hezekiah. The challenge to faith is not an occasion for despair but an opportunity to deepen our trust in God. It's a call to bring our fears, our doubts, and our challenges before Him in prayer, confident in His ability to deliver us. This is where we stand up and stand out.

As we face our own sieges, let us remember that the righteous live by faith. Faith that does not ignore the reality of our challenges but chooses to see them through the lens of God’s unchanging character and His eternal promises. This is the faith that stands firm in the face of the greatest challenges, the faith that we are called to live out every day.

The Nature of God's Faithfulness

As Jerusalem stood on the brink of despair, its earthly allies proven unreliable, the narrative shifts, guiding us into a deeper understanding of the nature of God's faithfulness. In this moment of realization—that Egypt will not come, that human solutions are insufficient—we are ushered into the heart of God’s promises, a place where fear is met with the certainty of divine faithfulness. You see, when we look at the verses leading up to Isaiah 36-37, we find many wonderful promises from God. He calls them out over trusting in Egypt, sure, but he also makes it clear that he wants to save them.

The Virtue of Waiting

Isaiah 30:18 illuminates this beautifully, "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." God’s waiting is a demonstration of his enormous patience and love for his people. He allows them to foolishly pursue the dead end road, waiting for them to look to him for deliverance. He’s willing to be the last one selected for the team. He is waiting for them to stop trusting in others to save them, waiting for them to wait on him. Here, waiting is not passive but an active stance of faith, a recognition that God's timing is perfect, and His plans are worth every moment of our trust. This waiting reflects a deep trust in God’s character and His promises, acknowledging that His ways are higher than ours. God is waiting for Jerusalem to stop trying to save themselves and start waiting on God’s deliverance.

Promise of Revelation

Isaiah 33, in particular, offers a profound promise of God’s presence and revelation as Jerusalem comes to the understanding that God is their only hope. Verse 2 of this chapter is a cry for the Lord’s help and an acknowledgment of His role as the stabilizer in times of trouble. It says, "O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble." God doesn’t harbor hard feelings. He’s not harsh or critical. God responds to this cry and waiting with a promise of salvation and justice. He promises to come and reveal Himself to His people in a time of distress, showcasing His sovereignty and grace even in the midst of turmoil.

God Reveals Himself to Those Who Wait

The culmination of waiting on the Lord is the beautiful promise that God will indeed reveal Himself to those who earnestly seek Him. Isaiah 33:17 promises, "Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar." This verse speaks of a future hope and the beauty of God’s kingdom, which becomes a reality for those who wait on Him. It’s a reminder that, in God’s perfect timing, He unveils the fullness of His salvation and glory to His people.

Faithfulness Demonstrated in Deliverance

Isaiah 37:33–37 (ESV) — 33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 35 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” 36 And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh.

The historical deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian siege in Isaiah 36-37 is a powerful testament to God's faithfulness. Against all odds, the city was saved, not by the might of Egypt, but by the powerful hand of God. This act of deliverance is a foretaste of the greater salvation He promises to all who trust in Him. It's a vivid demonstration that when God says He will save, He will save indeed.

Living in the Light of God's Faithfulness

Understanding the nature of God’s faithfulness changes how we live our lives. It means that our faith is not a blind leap into the dark but a confident step into the light of God's promises. It means that when we face our own sieges, our response is not to look for earthly saviors but to trust in the One who has proven time and again that He is faithful.

Part 3: Living by Faith

In Scripture, faith is more than belief—it's an active, living trust that shapes how we navigate the world. The historical narrative of Jerusalem's deliverance and the prophetic visions of Isaiah not only illuminate the nature of God's faithfulness but also call us into a life characterized by faith. This living by faith, especially in the context of God's promises and our waiting on Him, translates into practical steps for our daily lives.

Embracing Faith as a Lifestyle

Living by faith means seeing beyond the immediate threats and challenges—our "Assyrian sieges"—and trusting in God's ultimate deliverance and faithfulness. It's a lifestyle that prioritizes God's promises over our perceptions, choosing to wait on Him even when the world urges us to seek quick solutions.

Practical Steps of Faith

So what should we do if we are going to live by faith? What should be our immediate response when the tragic events unfold in our lives? There are many tools and resources at our disposal. We can google it, ask AI to help, call someone, or do something. But the person with faith responds in a certain way.

• Prayer: Like Hezekiah laying the threats before God, our first response in times of trial should be to turn to prayer. Prayer is both an act of faith and a means to strengthen it, allowing us to lay our fears, hopes, and needs before the Lord, confident in His attentive care.
• Scripture Engagement: Immersing ourselves in the Word of God fortifies our faith. Through Scripture, we're reminded of God’s past acts of deliverance, His character, and His promises for the future. This engagement is not passive but involves meditating on, wrestling with, and applying God’s Word in our lives.
• Community Support: Living by faith is not a solitary endeavor. Just as Jerusalem faced its threats not as isolated individuals but as a community, we too are called to support one another in faith. Sharing our struggles, offering encouragement, and praying for one another are all expressions of faith lived out within the body of Christ.
• Witness and Service: Faith compels us to action. It calls us to bear witness to the hope we have in Christ and to serve those around us in His love. Through our words and deeds, we demonstrate the reality of God's kingdom and His faithfulness, inviting others to discover the peace and hope we have in Him.

⠀The Outcome of Faith

The ultimate outcome of living by faith is not necessarily the immediate resolution of our problems but the deeper assurance of God’s presence and the eventual fulfillment of His promises. As Isaiah 33:17 assures, those who wait on the Lord will indeed behold the beauty of the King and the vastness of His kingdom. That means we will see him working

Future Hope: The Heavenly Jerusalem and the Messianic Kingdom

But it's imperative to cast our gaze forward, beyond the historical deliverance of Jerusalem and even beyond the immediate application of living by faith. You see, all of these statements leading up to the siege of Assyria are wrapped up in a future hope that was not realized by the Jews in history. The fact is that God’s promises here are more than what they received. He promised many things that did not come to pass until Jesus walked the earth. We turn our eyes to the horizon of hope, to the promises of a heavenly Jerusalem and the Messianic kingdom, as depicted in the prophecies of Isaiah. These visions not only encapsulate the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises but also offer us a blueprint for how we are to live today, in anticipation of what is to come.

This celestial city, promised throughout Scripture, serves as the ultimate realization of God’s faithfulness and the eternal dwelling place of His people. Here, in the shadow of the earthly Jerusalem's trials and God’s deliverance, we find a foretaste of the Messianic promises that point us toward our eternal home.

The Messianic Promises

The promises found in Isaiah not only offered hope for the immediate deliverance from Assyria but also pointed forward to the coming Messiah—Jesus Christ. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Christ fulfills these promises, inaugurating a kingdom that transcends earthly borders and temporal reigns. This kingdom is marked by justice, peace, and the presence of God in a way that the earthly Jerusalem could only symbolize.

Correlation to Our City Today

As believers, we live in the tension between the now and the not yet—between the present reality of God's kingdom established through Christ and the future consummation of this kingdom in the New Jerusalem. The deliverance Jerusalem experienced and the vision of peace and righteousness outlined in Isaiah serve as a deposit, guaranteeing the full inheritance we await.

Beholding God's Glory and Protection

Just as the inhabitants of Jerusalem beheld God's glory in their deliverance from physical siege, we, too, are invited to behold God's glory in the person of Jesus Christ. Our deliverance from sin and death through Christ is the ultimate demonstration of God’s glory and protection. It is a foretaste of what we will experience in fullness in the Heavenly Jerusalem, where God’s glory will illuminate every corner, and His protection will be so complete that no sun or moon will be needed (Revelation 21:23).

The Heavenly Jerusalem: Our Eternal Hope

The promise of the Heavenly Jerusalem stands as our eternal hope—a city where God will dwell among His people, where tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more (Revelation 21:4). This is not merely a distant dream but the assured future for all who are in Christ. As they beheld God’s glory and protection in the past, so will we, but in a manner far exceeding anything experienced in this life. Our anticipation of the Heavenly Jerusalem motivates us to live by faith, to endure trials with hope, and to strive for righteousness in anticipation of the full realization of God’s kingdom.

Application: Living in Light of the Heavenly Jerusalem

Understanding this correlation between God saving Jerusalem and our heavenly Jerusalem invites us to live today in light of the eternal city. It means our actions, our faith, and our hope are shaped not just by the challenges and promises of the present but by the certainty of our future inheritance. As citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem, we are called to reflect its values here and now, living as ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom, fostering peace, justice, and righteousness in anticipation of the day when these will be fully realized.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as we navigate the sieges of life, let us keep our eyes fixed on the Heavenly Jerusalem, drawing strength from the knowledge that our present struggles are not in vain but are preparing us for an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. In this hope, let us press forward, living by faith in the God who delivers, protects, and ultimately brings us home to the city where He Himself is the light.