Isaiah 37:33-38: a reflection

33“Therefore the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither will he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. 34He will return the way that he came, and he won’t come to this city,’ says the LORD. 35‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’” 36Then the LORD’s angel went out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the camp of the Assyrians. When men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, went away, returned to Nineveh, and stayed there. 38As he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Esar Haddon his son reigned in his place.

Jerusalem is threatened by the vast army of Assyria, whose king has boasted against God; and God declares he will defend the city. Notice the ground on which he does it: I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David's sake. And that night, God's angel strikes down the Assyrian army; the boastful king departs, and is later killed by his own sons while worshiping his god, a god that could not even protect its worshiper.

Notice the ground of God's deliverance: for his own sake. He did not defend Jerusalem because the people deserved it, but for his own name's sake, for the honor of his own name against the boasting of the enemy, and for the sake of his promise to David. The deliverance rested not on the people's merit, but on God's own honor and faithfulness. And the contrast is sharp: the God who defends for his own sake against the false god who could not protect even the king who worshiped it in its own temple.

That God defends his people for his own sake is both a comfort and a lesson. It is a comfort, for it means our deliverance does not rest on our own merit, which is always in doubt, but on God's own honor and faithfulness, which are sure. And it is a lesson in the contrast between the living God and the idols people trust: the living God defends his people, while the false gods cannot protect even their own worshipers. When you need deliverance, do not rest your hope only on your own merit; God acts for his own name's sake, for the honor of his name and his faithfulness to his promises, which are surer ground than your worthiness. And do not trust in the false refuges that cannot save, the idols of our day, but in the living God who defends his people. God delivered Jerusalem for his own sake; rest your hope on his honor and faithfulness, and trust the living God who saves, not the false gods that cannot protect even their own.

Lord, when Jerusalem was threatened by the boasting Assyrian army, you declared you would defend the city for your own sake, and for your servant David's sake; and your angel struck down the army, while the boastful king was later killed by his own sons before a god that could not protect him. Show me both the comfort and the lesson in your defending your people for your own sake. It is a comfort, for it means my deliverance does not rest on my own merit, which is always in doubt, but on your own honor and faithfulness, which are sure. And it is a lesson in the contrast between you, the living God, and the idols people trust: you defend your people, while the false gods cannot protect even their own worshipers. When I need deliverance, keep me from resting my hope only on my own merit; you act for your own name's sake, for the honor of your name and your faithfulness to your promises, surer ground than my worthiness. And keep me from trusting in the false refuges that cannot save, the idols of my day, but in you, the living God who defends your people. You delivered Jerusalem for your own sake; help me rest my hope on your honor and faithfulness, Lord, and trust you, the living God who saves.