Isaiah 37:16 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, that art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth
Recently there was an American woman from Chicago who was stranded in Qatar in the Middle East. If you have ever been stranded in a motel, a hospital, or an airport far from home, you know that can be very nerve-wracking. I’ve forgotten what the situation was, but she couldn’t get a flight and was stranded in the airport in this foreign country. She cried and it was a bit of an ordeal. She went to a restaurant in the airport to decide what to do, and just one table over was a gentleman who noticed she was a little distraught. Upon beginning conversation, she found out that he was the CEO of an airline that made its hub in that city. Long story short, he provided first-class tickets to get her home safely. That worked out wonderfully well.
Maybe there have been times in your life when you did not know with whom you were dealing. That is often the case in the Bible. Kings of Judah and Israel and kings of foreign powers dealt with God, but they did not know who it was they were dealing with.
In Isaiah 37 the Assyrians had taken everything in their path in the known world and were now sieging Jerusalem. No idol, king, or kingdom could stand before them. The field commander for the King of Assyria sent a nasty letter to Hezekiah, king of God’s people. When Hezekiah got this threatening, menacing letter, he was distraught. Verse 14 says that he “went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.” Then, verse 15 says, “And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD saying…” What wonderful picture of prayer, to spread it before the Lord. God knows the worst and the weakest in us. There is nothing hidden from Him. How wonderful that we can come and we can spread our problems before God.
In verse 18 Hezekiah basically prays, “It is true, Lord, Assyria has conquered every nation, every god, every king. God, this is all true.” Prayer is not minimizing your problems. It is maximizing God. Often, throughout the rest of the prayer we find that Hezekiah makes the point that the enemies were God’s enemies. They were blaspheming God. They do not know who it was they were dealing with.
Today, we may not realize the gravity, power, and grandeur of the God to whom we can speak, but if He is your God and your Father, you can come to Him, spread it before Him without any hesitation, reservation, or shaping of facts to make it look better. We are not minimizing the problems; we are recognizing who God is.
So, who is God? I love the names of God found in this prayer. Verse 16 says, “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, that art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.” So, who is this God before whom Hezekiah spread his needs and worries?
First, He is the Lord of hosts. That is to say, He is the God of armies, a God of power and might. What is too great for me is not too great for God. There was a massive army with a storied history on the outskirts of Hezekiah’s city, yet verse 36 says, “Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand.” That is 185,000 soldiers. On the face of it, the story is absurd unless there is a God. If there is a God, it would be absurd if He could not do things infinitely beyond our capacities. If you believe there is no God, then you still have to deal with forces you cannot see that are infinitely bigger than you can imagine to even get this universe here. There is a God; He has revealed Himself; He is the Lord of hosts and you can trust Him.
Second, He is the God of Israel. Despite God’s power, He is a personal God. Most people you feel comfortable with you feel comfortable with because they feel inclined toward you and they are not intimidating as to their power, intelligence, beauty, or whatever. They are not too good because then you would feel uncomfortable. God is not like you or like me. God has power beyond our wildest dreams, yet God regards us.
In verse 4 He is called the Lord thy God. Again, He is a personal God. He is a God in whom we can trust. In verse 23 He is the Holy One of Israel, Israel’s God. This was Isaiah’s God, Hezekiah’s God, and this can be your God. He is powerful and personal. Verse 16 says, “That art the God, even thou alone.”
Third, He is the Creator God. In verse 16 Hezekiah says, “Thou hast made heaven and earth.” Any god we can make is a creation, not a creator. Idols in the Bible are oftentimes stone or wood covered with silver or gold. God made all those elements. Any object that is a creation is not worthy of the name God. God is the Creator, not the creation. That is the God to whom Hezekiah was talking, the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, the God alone.
Fourth, in verse 17 He is the living God. Hezekiah essentially says, “Incline your ear, God. Hear and see what the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God.” He is the living God. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not the God who was, but the God who is. In I Timothy we are told not to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
Sometimes we lose sight of just who it is we are dealing with. We know our problems, but do we know our God? We are not to ignore our problems, but we are to pay attention to God, the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, the God Creator, the living God. Spread your problems before the Lord. Give your cares and life to God and realize who He is.