Isaiah 37:3-4

Isaiah 37:3-4

[3] And they said  Hezekiah,  This day  of trouble,  and of rebuke,  and of blasphemy:  for the children  are come  to the birth,  and there is not strength  to bring forth.  [4] thy God  will hear  the words  of Rabshakeh,  whom the king  of Assyria  his master  hath sent  to reproach  the living  God,  and will reprove  the words  thy God  hath heard:  wherefore lift up  thy prayer  for the remnant  that is left. 

What does Isaiah 37:3-4 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The leaders of Judah, speaking for their king, acknowledged that he had come to the end of his rope. The Assyrian invasion of Judah had been like labor pains for the king, but now the crisis had peaked and there was no human strength left to expel the enemy. Hezekiah confessed that he deserved the adversity that had overtaken him, which had signaled an end of hope and resulted in great embarrassment. Yet he did not appeal for divine help on the basis of his own needs but because of the Lord"s honor and the needs of His people (cf. 1 Samuel 17:26; 1 Samuel 17:36). The king appealed for Isaiah"s prayers on behalf of the remnant, the remaining Judahites who had not already been devoured by the Assyrians.
"This kind of admission of helplessness is frequently a necessity before divine help can be received. So long as we believe that we only need some assistance, we are still treating ourselves as lords of the situation, and that latent pride cuts us off from all that God would give us." [1]
The saying "God is my copilot" may reflect a similar attitude.