The Peaceable Kindom
NL111 for November 20, 2022
The Text
Isaiah 36:1-3, 13-20; 37:1-7; 2:1-4
Last Time on ‘The Story’
The prophet Isaiah served during the time of the kings Uzziah (Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah
So the political landscape is a tough one. Israel, the Northern kingdom, has been destroyed by the Assyrian empire, which is now threatening Judah, the Southern kingdom.
Isaiah was contemporary of Micah, and they likely interacted with one another (you may notice they have some of the same language, the “swords into plowshares” from this week’s paricape is almost word-for-word the same as from Micah chapter 4).
Isaiah begins his ministry around the end of king Uzziah’s life, and receives a call from God to continue proclaiming the coming justice/judgment on Jerusalem and Judah, knowing that they will not listen and destruction will come anyways. He, like Micah, proclaims a two-fold message of judgment and hope, warning of the destruction of the ‘lofty city,’ while also promising the rise of a New Jerusalem. Most of the book takes the form of poetic oracles, and has an interesting pattern to it (which we will look at below), but there are a few narrative sections, which form most of our paricape for this week.
This week’s section is part of what is sometimes called First Isaiah (or the OG, as I like to call him). This is presumably the original author of the oracles attributed to Isaiah covered in chapters 1-39. Scholars have long debated the source of ‘Second Isaiah’ (Chapters 40-66), or even Second and Third Isaiah (40-55, and 56-66). The traditional view is that it was all written by one prophet, but many scholars believe that chapter 40 and on was written by a later disciple of Isaiah tasked with preserving his writings and continuing the work. This will not have a whole lot to do with our conversation today, but in a few weeks (NL114, December 11th) we will be looking at a section in Second Isaiah after the Exile.
Overview of the Book of Isaiah
Again, the Bible Project is very helpful in getting the big picture of the book of Isaiah.
Ch 1-12 Judgement and Hope for Jerusalem
Ch 1 Isaiah proclaims the wickedness of Jerusalem, full of the whoredom of idolatry
2:1-4 Isaiah proclaims a future hope of a New Jerusalem where YHWH’s will reign
This is where the closing section of our paricape comes from.
2:5-4:1 YHWH’s Judgment will fall on the arrogant, Jewish or otherwise
4:2-6 The future ‘branch’ of YHWH will be the glory of the survivors of Israel
5:1-7 The Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard, where the beloved has provided everything, yet gets only wild grapes, so will destroy.
5:8-23 a list of the political elite’s sins which are the wild grapes
5:24-30 prediction of destruction coming through imperial forces, as a punishment for Jerusalem’s iniquities.
Ch 6 The Vision of God in the Temple, and Isaiah’s call to speak to the people even though they will not listen.
Ch 7-12 stories during the days of King Ahaz
7:1-9 Isaiah reassures king Ahaz who is worried about Aram and Israel attacking Jerusalem
7:10-25 YHWH will give a sign of a child (named Immanuel, ‘God with us’) who before he is old enough to know between good and evil, these two kingdoms will be wiped out
8:1-15 Isaiah knocks-up a prophetess, and his son is another countdown to the destruction of Aram/Israel, and the might of Assyria.
8:16-22 References to Isaiah’s disciples
9:1-7 the promise of a great future king (another one we hear a lot during Advent)
9:8-10:4 the arrogance of Jerusalem who trust in their own might rather than YHWH’s
10:5-19 Judgment will also come upon Assyria, because they suck too, even though YHWH is using them to punish Jerusalem
10:20-34 but a righteous remnant will return
11:1-9 a shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, from the stump of Jerusalem which has been cut down.
11:10-16 YHWH will recover the remnant a second time from all over the world and destroy all of the enemies
ch 12 a song of praise
Ch 13-27 Judgment and Hope for the Nations
13:1-22 An oracle against Babylon, the violence that they bring upon others will fall on them
14:1-2 YHWH will restore the children of Jacob/Israel and they will rule
14:3-23 YHWH will destroy Babylon, including their remnant
14:24-27 An oracle against Assyria, and a removing of the yoke that they put on others
14:28-32 An oracle against Philistia who will be destroyed
15:1-16:14 An Oracle against Moab (way more oracle than the others, interesting)
17:1-14 An Oracle against Damascus
18:1-7 An Oracle about Ethiopia (Likely the African kingdom of Kush, which is a whole rabbit trail, but very interesting)
19:1-17 An Oracle concerning Egypt
19:18-25 A vision of peaceful relations between Egypt, Israel, and Assyria
20:1-6 Isaiah walks around naked and barefoot to signify Assyria’s eventual victory over Egypt and Kush (Ethiopia)
This is significant because Jerusalem was looking to Egypt as an ally during this time.
21:1-17 Oracles concerning Babylon, Edom, and Arabia
22:1-14 Another warning about the coming destruction of Jerusalem
22:15-25 Warning against leaders of Jerusalem who only care for themselves
23:1-18 An oracle concerning Tyre
24:1-23 All of creation will be judged by YHWH
25:1-12 Hymn of Praise for YHWH’s deliverance from oppression, God’s preferential option for the poor
26:1-21 A song of praise for Judah, returning to Zion
27:1-13 Israel will be restored by YHWH
Ch 28-39 The Rise and Fall of Jerusalem, specifically the rise and fall of Hezekiah (the story for today).
Ch 28-35 Accusation of Jerusalem’s leaders, and promise of a redeemed Zion
28:1-29 Judgment against the corrupt rulers, priests, and false prophets
29:1-16 Destruction foretold against Jerusalem because of corruption
29:17-24 Miraculous restoration (the blind will see, the deaf shall hear, etc)
30:1-7 The futility of trusting in Egypt as an ally
30:8-17 Isaiah instructed to write everything down for future people to read
30:18-26 God’s promise of a faithful Zion
30:27-33 God’s eventual judgment on Assyria
31:1-9 Another reminder that trusting in Egypt rather than YHWH is a bad move
32:1-8 Promise of a future king and leaders who will rule with justice and righteousness.
32:9-15 A call on women who have been complacent (and complicit?) to repent and prepare for destruction
32:16-20 A promise of peace, with justice being found in the wilderness, and quietness and peace as a result of righteousness
33:1-16 Crying out for God’s graciousness and victory over the destroyer
33:17-24 Seeing YHWH’s glorious kingdom Zion and God’s king
34:1-17 YHWH’s judgment/justice enacted on all the nations
35:1-10 The return of those ransomed by YHWH
Ch 36-39 Hezekiah
36:1-22 Sennachereb and Rabshekeh threaten Jerusalem (our main text)
37:1-13 Hezekiah freaks out, but Isaiah assures him of YHWH’s deliverance
37:14-35 Hezekiah prays to YHWH at the temple
37:36-38 YHWH strikes down 85,000 Assyrian soldiers, and Senacherib goes home (to be killed by his sons)
38:1-22 Hezekiah gets sick and miraculously recovers, sings a hymn of praise
39:1-8 Hezekiah welcomes an envoy from Babylon, who Isaiah says will one day destroy Jerusalem
Today’s Story
The Fourteenth Year of King Hezekiah: According to the timeline in 2 Kings 18, this would be eight years after the fall of Samaria. Early in his reign, Hezekiah witnessed the might of the Assyrian empire, then ruled by king Shalmanseser. Again according to 2 Kings, Hezekiah was a pretty solid king. Not only did he do “right in the sight of YHWH,” unlike his father Ahaz (who is compared to Ahab of Israel, not an auspicious comparison), but he even removed the many idols and cultic worship sites. He even went so far as to break the bronze snake (which Moses made in the wilderness) into pieces because people were worshiping it. “He trusted in YHWH the God of Israel; so that there was no one like him among all of the kings of Judah after him, or among those who were before him” (2 Kings 18:5). So in the introductory explanation, at least, this guy surpasses even David. However, the stories that we have about Hezekiah, are so-so, which leaves us with two possibilities:
He started out so-so, and through the experiences of siege, illness, etc, had a come-to-YHWH moment and made things right.
In this case, there is much potential for a redemption story. He may have started out much like his father, but through the experience of God’s redemptive and salvific work, at some point made things right. Kind of a Christmas Carol situation.
Or he was always a good and righteous king, but dealing with the extreme nature of these events could test even him.
The ambiguity must have been noticed at some point, because the account in 2 Chronicles (starting at Ch. 29) makes it crystal clear. In that account, Hezekiah starts out his reign with the cleansing of the temple and restoration of temple worship (that is how bad it had gotten), a re-institution of the Passover feast, destruction of pagan shrines, and a reorganization of the priests.
In this case, this is a righteous king who is caught up in the drama of geopolitical forces beyond his control. Which then brings up some other interpretive possibilities.
Given the broad assumptions of the Deuteronomistic Histories, the threat of destruction from Assyria is the result of Judah’s sin. Hezekiah, despite being a righteous king, is dealing with the sins of his ancestors, and specifically his father, Ahaz. Ahaz had formed an alliance with the Assyrians as a defense against the Aramean-Israelite alliance (2 Kings 16), making Judah a vassal of the Assyrians.
Hezekiah, however, refuses to serve Assyria (a bold move) ostensibly because he trusts in YHWH to protect them. This attack is therefore a response from the Assyrians to Hezekiah’s rebellion.
So when Hezekiah’s first response to Sennacherib’s attack on Judah is, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear” (2 Kings 18:14), that bold and faithful move is slightly less bold when he actually has to put his money where his mouth is.
I resemble that remark, I don’t know about you. It is easy to say the right things, and have the right answers, it is sometimes different to live that faith out in practice.
There is also the more modern theological claim that while the Biblical interpretation is that God causes these terrible things to happen, God does not actually cause this great pain. God is with us in the evil that we experience, but does not actually cause it.
In the end, this take may use different words, but ultimately says the same thing. The events of this narrative are the results of the actions of Ahaz, Hezekiah, and many many other decisions.
Regardless of God’s direct or indirect direction, Hezekiah and all of Jerusalem is faced with a challenge, and an opportunity to have faith, or not.
the Rabshakeh: So to be honest, I love this name. It sounds like such a bad-ass name, the Rabshakeh, who I imagine as a huge warrior in front of a vast army (perhaps played by Dwaine ‘the Rock’ Johnson or Gerard Butler (ala 300)). I was quite disappointed to learn that Rabshakeh is literally translated as ‘cup-bearer,’ so this is more like Sennecherib’s Press Secretary rather than his Five Star General.
But maybe that makes his message even more insidious. Instead of the great booming voice of a warrior, it is the smooth-talking oration of a lawyer (I am going to go ahead and cast Joel McHale because I just finished a watch-through of Community). Ultimately, the power of this speech is in the logical and well-reasoned way that it is constructed.
First of all, the speech is spoken in Hebrew, the Rabshakeh wants to make sure that everyone is able to hear and understand, not just the political elite. This would be vital for his role as spokesperson for the king of Assyria, battles and sieges are costly, the sooner there is a resolution to the conflict, the better. So Rabshakeh begins to persuade the people to join his side.
First is the argument against Hezekiah, encouraging the people not to trust in his words, that they will be safe. Implicit in this is the argument that will be more explicit later that they should not trust in the God of Hezekiah either.
He also makes the counter offer of peace if they turn themselves over to the king of Assyria. You notice here that Rabshakeh uses the language of the Hebrew prophets, “every one of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree and drink water from your own cistern.” Both Micah and Isaiah uses similar language.
Next Rabshekeh overtly questions YHWH with a very logical appeal to the standard theological understanding of the day and clear precedent.
Again, the assumption in the ancient world was that battles were just the physical manifestation of a divine conflict. If one army defeated another one, the understanding was that when one nation defeated another one, their god was more powerful than their opponent’s god. The common practice for the defeated city would be to take up the worship of the new God.
Rabshakeh, as the spokesperson of the Assyrian army has seen many cities fall to the Assyrians, many gods being brought low. Therefore, it would save us all a lot of time if you would just give up now and admit that we have the more powerful god.
The Hebrew people, however, had the annoying habit of not following this wider cultural assumption. When they were defeated, they asserted that it was not the might of the the god of their enemies, but the will of YHWH which allowed their enemies to defeat them. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, prophets warn (and argue against in the case of Habakkuk, next week) that YHWH will use the armies of their enemies in order to call them back to faithfulness.
Hezekiah’s Response: Hezekiah’s response is less than robust. He tears his clothes and puts on sackcloth (signs of mourning), and goes to the temple. In a human sense, this is a pretty weak reaction. It seems that he has given up, he knows that he is unable to fight them off, and so he does nothing. Can we blame him in this? In faced with the suffering of his people, and the overwhelming might of the Assyrian army, what can he really do?
It is, however, a response that is rooted in Scriptural understanding. Throughout the Deuteronomistic Histories, we have seen the pattern over and over of the people of Israel falling away from the justice and righteousness that they have been called to. They have worshiped other gods, and allowed for idol worship in their lands. Ever since the monarchy has been established, the blame and possibility of repentance falls on the soldiers of the king. So Hezekaiah is doing exactly what he is supposed to do. If God has brought the Assyrian army to Jerusalem, there must be some reason, some sin that they have committed, which needs repentance from. Hezekiah has done well in removing the idol worship and cleaning things up from his father’s reign, but he still has the humility to know that there may be something else that he has overlooked, therefore he takes on a posture of mourning and repentance, and sends for Isaiah the prophet. The prophets have long been the voice of YHWH to the kings, letting them know what they need to repent from.
Hezekiah’s message to Isaiah, is one of great distress. Using the tragic image of a stillbirth to describe their situation. My first reading of Hezekiah’s message was that he is worried that YHWH heard the words of Rabshakeh and will somehow be afraid. Upon closer reading, however, I realize that he is saying exactly the opposite. His hope is that YHWH has heard the blasphemous words of Rabshakeh, and therefore the words of the king of Assyria, and will rebuke them.
It is interesting that my own toxic masculinity driven imperial assumptions of leadership caused me to miss the subtlety of what is going on here. We are so enculturated with a strong-man mythos, that an humble king, asking for the help of YHWH God seems like a lack of faith, when, in-fact, Hezekiah has one of the more faithful responses that we have seen.
Isaiah’s Answer: Isaiah responds to Hezekiah’s pleading with words of comfort. Do not be afraid of the words of the Rabshakeh, because YHWH has heard them, and will deal with it. The King of Assyria will hear a rumor, and return to his own land, and be killed there.
Are you kidding? A rumor? We are expecting (again driven by imperialism) the vanquishing of foes, and the defeating of enemies. How could something so simple as a rumor defeat this mighty king? Again, the text is messing with our western assumptions, and it is great.
The Peaceable Kingdom: It is at this point that the Narrative Lectionary shifts all the way back to Isaiah chapter 2, and a beautiful vision of the Kindom of God. Here Isaiah is beginning to paint a picture of a future Jerusalem, not the one mired in idolatry, injustice, and war. This new Zion, the mountain of YHWH draws from allusions from the garden of Eden as a high mountain. We have also seen how the image of a hill (or high lace) has definite worship connotations, but that this one will be the highest (perhaps more in a spiritual sense than a physical one). In this vision, the nations will come to the mountain, but unlike the image we just had of a great imperial army marching on Jerusalem to siege and defeat it, in this case, the nations are coming to Jerusalem in order to worship YHWH, and learn God’s ways.
In this passage, and others, Isaiah casts a vision not of the God who is so strong, the nation that is so powerful, that they defeat everyone else. This is not the forced Pax romana of Imperialism, but something else. Not only will Jerusaem be new, but all of the nations will be changed in this vision. Peace will be so pervasive, that there will be no need for weapons, and that material can be put to better use. The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship has a call to action with Guns to Gardens inspired by this scriptural vision, enacting it here and now in our communities. The prophet imagines a world so deeply rooted in peace, that nations will no longer have need to learn war any more. This is a world that we all long for, and yet is so far from the world we see around us.
The Rest of the Story
After Hezekiah receives the response from Isaiah, he goes back to the Temple, and prays an epic prayer proclaiming YHWH’s ultimate authority over all of the nations of the earth, and calling on YHWH to cast down the haughty words of Rabshakeh and Assyria’s false gods. Isiah provided YHWH’s response, basically a divine ‘oh no you di’n’t’ speech to Assyria. The sign that is provided for YHWH’s victory is that the people of Judah will be able to eat this year from the abundance of what grows by itself (a clear allusion to the Sabbath year, where they were not supposed to plant every seventh year and just live off of what grows by itself). The second year will also be a Sabbath year, and the third year they will be able to plant and things will ‘get back to normal’ (I for one can’t help but see a connection to pandemic years, but maybe that is just me). Again, YHWH promises faithfulness to the remnant of Jerusalem who will survive. As for Sennecereb, YHWH proclaims through Isaiah that he will not be able to lay siege to Jerusalem.
We are then told that the ‘Angel of YHWH’ strikes down 185,000 in the Assyrian camp. Whether this is direct divine action, or some sort of plague that sweeps through the camp, it is absolutely a devastating blow to the Assyrians and king Sennechereb, who goes back home to Assyria. Back in Nineveh (of Jonah fame). While there, and while he is worshiping in the temple of Nisroch, he is assassinated by two of his sons. This spells doom for the Assyrian Empire which implodes over the next decades.
Hezechia gets sick to the point of death, and Isaiah comes to tell him to get his shazbot together before he dies. Hezekiah prays to YHWH, asking for mercy, which Isaiah grants, an extra 15 years of life. The sign of this recovery is that his sundial will go back “ten steps.” The Hebrew is uncertain, but it seems that YHWH messes with the rotation of the earth, so a pretty big sign. Hezekiah sings a dope psalm, and carries on.
The final scene of First Isaiah is Hezekiah showing this new up-and-comer nation from the east, Babylon, around Jerusalem. He shows them literally everything. Isaiah is not super happy about that, and informs Hezekiah that Babylon will be returning (in a hundred years or so) to destroy Jerusalem, and will take all the treasures from the storehouses and the Temple that Hezekiah just showed off.
Picking back in 2 Kings, we find that Hezekiah’s son and grandson, Manassah and Amon, are dinguses like his father, and roll back all of the reforms that Hezekaih had made. Hezekiah’s great-grandson, Josaiah, re-reformes the nation; which then get rolled back again by his son, Jehoahaz, who is captured by the Babylonians in their first invasion.
Pop Culture References
In the miniseries “V: The Arrival” (a prequel to the 80’s series V) an advanced alien species suddenly arrives on earth, with a peaceful message transmitted to everyone on earth in their own language, it ends with the chilling statement, “We are peace, always.” Of course, it turns out that the V are in fact malevolent, and wish to take over everything. Sound familiar?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy begins with a pastoral scene of the main character, Arthur Dent, who’s house is going to torn down in order to make room for a highway. This destruction is soon outdone by a Vogon Constructor Fleet sent to destroy the earth to make room for an intergalactic highway. Both the council and the Vogons send bureaucratic and officious spokespersons. Kind of like the Rabshakeh.
The greatest example of a ruler being destroyed by a rumor is in Doctor Who, The Christmas Invasion, when the Doctor, newly transformed into David Tennant, does not like the actions of Harriot Jones, Prime Minister, and starts a rumor that eventually leads to her losing her seat. This is one of the main reasons that I am not a big fan of the tenth Doctor.
Hymn Suggestions
Links
Prayer of the Day
God of Peace. You call us to imagine a world without violence and warfare, where leaders humbly honor you instead of seeking their own glory. We do not know how to live in that world while we see violence and war around us every day. Help us to create that world, in small ways and big ways, as we work for and look forward to your peaceable kingdom on earth. Amen.
And because I was very late this week, a bonus:
First Sunday of Advent- November 27, 2022 (Habakkuk- the Message)
ONE: GOD, how long do I have to cry out for help before you listen?
MANY: How many times do I have to yell, “Help! Murder! Police!” before you come to the rescue?
ONE: Why do you force me to look at evil, stare trouble in the face day after day?
MANY: Anarchy and violence break out, quarrels and fights all over the place.
ONE: What’s God going to say to my questions? I’m braced for the worst. I’ll climb the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I’ll wait to hear what God says, how God will answer my complaint.
(Light first candle)
Prayer of the Day: We cry out O God, in a world of violence, of suffering, and of pain. You do not often answer in the ways that we are expecting, or even in ways that we understand. Yet you have been faithful to us in the past, often in ways that we were not expecting. We trust that you will be faithful again, and expect your coming into the world afresh. Let the righteous live by faith. Amen.
Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah (Glory to God # 85, Verse 1)
Light one candle to watch for Messiah: Let the light banish darkness.
He shall bring salvation to Israel, God fulfills the promise.
ONE: Though the cherry trees don’t blossom and the strawberries don’t ripen.
MANY: Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted.
ONE: Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty,
MANY: I’m singing joyful praise to GOD.
ALL: I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.