Isaiah 37:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "‘I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me.

NIV: "But I know where you are and when you come and go and how you rage against me.

NASB: But I know your sitting down, Your going out, your coming in, And your raging against Me.

CSB: But I know your sitting down, your going out and your coming in, and your raging against me.

NLT: 'But I know you well — where you stay and when you come and go. I know the way you have raged against me.

KJV: But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

NKJV: “But I know your dwelling place, Your going out and your coming in, And your rage against Me.

In the heart of every sinful human being is pride, the basis of all sin: the assumption that we, not God, are truly in control. We naturally believe ourselves self-made and responsible for all our success. We blame setbacks on others, including the Lord, but take all the credit for victories. We resist anything that contradicts our preferences. That works out in different ways for each person. For Sennacherib, king of Assyria, it was a boasting attitude of invincibility (Isaiah 37:24–25).

Using this prophecy through Isaiah (Isaiah 37:21–22), the Lord is correcting Sennacherib. The self-glorifying king has accomplished nothing apart from the Lord he openly mocks (Isaiah 37:23). The Lord tells Sennacherib that He has seen it all (Isaiah 37:26–27). He sees every detail of the king's life. He certainly sees the arrogant rage in Sennacherib's heart. That rage has come out (Luke 6:45; Matthew 5:18–19) as threats and attempts to manipulate the people of God by mocking their Lord (Isaiah 37:10–12)

In a statement that should terrify Sennacherib, the Lord assures him that nothing has escaped His notice (Isaiah 37:29). What is terrible for Sennacherib is comforting for another king, Hezekiah. That king of Judah had asked the Lord to see and hear Sennacherib's blasphemy against Him (Isaiah 37:17–20). God has seen and heard and is preparing to respond.

Isaiah 37:21–38 contains the Lord's response to Hezekiah's humble prayer (Isaiah 37:14–20). Through Isaiah, the Lord first addresses Sennacherib in a poem. He tells the most powerful man on earth at the time that God will turn him around and send him home. Next the Lord promises Hezekiah that Sennacherib will never even approach Jerusalem, let alone attack it. The remnant of Judah will survive and thrive. As the Assyrians plan to engage in a different battle, the Lord destroys nearly the entire army in a single night. Sennacherib goes home. He is later killed by his sons.

Hezekiah is overcome with grief at news that Sennacherib has mocked the Lord and is coming to destroy Jerusalem. God reassures Hezekiah that the Asyrian king will return home to be killed there. Hezekiah prays in the temple, asking the Lord to defend His name and save Judah. Through Isaiah, the Lord reveals to Hezekiah that Jerusalem will not be touched. Assyria's army won't even have the chance to attack. Responding to their aggression and blasphemy, the "angel of the Lord" virtually wipes out the gigantic Assyrian army overnight. Sennacherib returns home and is later killed by his sons.

Isaiah 37 continues the narrative started in Isaiah 36. Assyrian messengers threaten to bring their enormous, nearby army to take Jerusalem. Hezekiah seeks God in response and is reassured that Jerusalem will not see so much as a single Assyrian arrow. The Lord promises to save the city and make the survivors prosper. The angel of the Lord kills an overwhelming number of Assyrian soldiers overnight. Sennacherib returns home and is eventually killed by his own sons. Hezekiah will then face a serious illness and be granted a brief reprieve by God (Isaiah 38).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).