The MAJOR & MINOR Prophets - The 16 Writing Prophets Of The Hebrew Canon

2. Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Lit. Speed the Spoil, Hasten the Booty; or Spoil-Speeds-Plunder-Hurries 6 ). 7KH VHFRQG ER\·V QDPH ZDV D SURSKHWLF DVVXUDQFH WKDW WKH $VV\ULDQ s would flood Israel and Judah like a mighty river, taking all before it and reaching up to the neck--that is leaving Jerusalem, like a man with his head sticking out of a flood. The Deliverance of Jerusalem During the reign of Hezekiah, the army of the dreaded Sennacherib king of Assyria did indeed sweep through the land like a flooding river, taking all the fortified cities of Judah (Isaiah 6HQQDFKHULE·V UHSUHVHQ tative (Rabshakeh) mocked the remnant of Jews in the besieged city of Jerusalem and the God they believed in, ridiculing King Hezekiah. When nervous Hezekiah KHDUG WKH HQHP\·V WDXQWV , he sent for Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 37) beseeching him to pray! ´$QG +H]HNLDK UHFHLYH d the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. Then Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying « (Isa 37:14-15). ·µ ´7KHQ ,VDLDK WKH VRQ RI $PR] VHQW WR +H]HNLDK VD\LQJ ¶7KXV VD\V WKH /25' *RG RI ,VUDHO ¶ Because you have prayed to Me agai QVW 6HQQDFKHULE NLQJ RI $VV\ULD · this is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him « ( ,VD µ The advice and prayer of Isaiah is a masterpiece of believing *RG·V ZRUGV ZKHQ everything else is declaring surrender and defeat. The confident prophet spoke destruction on the Assyrian hosts and assurance to the frightened king and his people. The Assyrians would not come into the city! How could this happen? But it did! ´7KHQ WKH DQJHO RI WKH /25' ZHQW RXW DQG NLOOHG LQ WKH FDPS RI WKH Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses ² all dead. So Sennacherib NLQJ RI $VV\ULD GHSDUWHG DQG ZHQW DZD\ UHWXUQHG KRPH DQG UHPDLQHG DW 1LQHYHKµ (Isa 37:36-37).

6 The Message

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