Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"Then the angel of the LORD went out"
Text: Isaiah 37:36
THE LORD OF HOSTS
The LORD has a great divine army who would do His bidding to fulfil His will. The angels of the LORD are many and mighty. Yet, only one angel is sufficient to deal with the hordes of soldiers that made up the Assyrian forces.
“Then the angel of the LORD went out,
and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand;
and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.
So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away,
returned home, and remained at Nineveh.
Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god,
that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword;
and they escaped into the land of Ararat.
Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.”
Isaiah 37:36-38
1. The angel of the LORD.
a) We are not told which angel was sent to deal with the Assyrian army.
b) This assigned “angel of the LORD” went out to do the Lord’s bidding.
c) By what means he attacked, we are not informed.
d) But the consequences were devastating to the Assyrian armies.
e) 185,000 Assyrian soldiers had died.
f) There were survivors who would report this news to Sennacherib.
2. The Withdrawal of Sennacherib.
a) He departed from Jerusalem.
b) The remaining number of soldiers could not hope to win any battle.
c) He returned home to Nineveh.
3. The slaying of Sennacherib.
a) Sennacherib went to pray in the temple of his god, Nisroch.
b) Two of his sons assassinated their father.
c) They fled after they had done this terrible deed.
d) Esarhaddon, another son, ascended the throne.
e) There was obviously a power struggle among the many sons of Sennacherib.
f) His life had come to an abrupt end.
g) This was his fate when he blasphemed the name of the LORD of hosts.