Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"Went into the house of the LORD"
Text: Isaiah 37:1
THE RESPONSE OF KING HEZEKIAH
King Hezekiah heard the report made by his trusted advisors. He noted their torn clothes and as he listened to their grim report, he turned to the LORD.
“And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes,
covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household,
Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth,
to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.”
Isaiah 37:1-2
1. Understanding the dire danger Jerusalem was in.
a) The threat of the Assyrians.
i) This was fearsome.
ii) This was formidable.
b) The might of the Assyrians.
i) Cities of Judah had been conquered.
ii) Cities of Syria had also fallen to the Assyrians.
2. Seeking the LORD in the Temple in Jerusalem.
a) He had received the report of his advisors.
b) Militarily, Judah would be unable to prevail against the Assyrians.
c) He went to the Temple to pray and to seek the LORD.
c) It would take nothing less than Divine intervention to bring about a Deliverance from the threat of the Assyrians.
d) Hezekiah never felt more helpless as the king of Judah than at this moment
when Jerusalem was already under heavy siege.
3. Seeking the counsel and help of Isaiah the prophet.
a) Hezekiah sent his three advisors to Isaiah the prophet.
b) He also sent the elders of the priests to see Isaiah.
c) All of them were covered with sackcloth.
i) This was a sign of great sorrow.
ii) This was the garb of distress.
iii) This was how they were seeking the LORD in their hour of need.