Isaiah 37:16-20

[16] O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. [17] Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. [18] Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, [19] And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed [20] Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD,

What is the context of Isaiah 37:16-20?

Hezekiah Prays (Isaiah 37:14-20 true)
Hezekiah’s Prayer .( AH .) (Isaiah 37:14-20 true)
Hezekiah’s Prayer in the Temple (Isaiah 37:14-20 true)
Hezekiah's Prayer for Deliverance (Isaiah 37:14-20 true)
Hezekiah’s Prayer (Isaiah 37:14-20 true)
Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer (Isaiah 37:8-20 true)
Hezekiah Seeks the Lord’s Help (Isaiah 37:1-20 true)

What does Isaiah 37:16-20 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Hezekiah began his prayer-did Isaiah witness it?-by acknowledging Yahweh"s uniqueness. Yahweh was not like the gods of the nations but the only true God, who dwelt among His people, the Creator who rules and determines everything. Theologically this confession climaxes the whole first part of the Book of Isaiah. Hezekiah asked the living God to pay attention to the reproachful blasphemies of the Assyrian king. He acknowledged the Assyrians" superiority over the nations they had overrun, but he ascribed this to the fact that those nations had only gods of wood and stone to defend them. Finally, he asked God to deliver Jerusalem so the nations would know that Yahweh alone was God. In short, he prayed for the glory of God.

"Like all true prayer, Hezekiah"s is preoccupied with God: who he is (16); his honour (17); his uniqueness (18-19); and the revelation of his glory to the world (20).

". . . The heart of prayer is not its petitionary content but the acknowledgment of God." ^[1]

"Hezekiah"s prayer ( Isaiah 37:15-20) is saturated with biblical theology and is not unlike the prayer of the church in Acts 4:24-31." ^[2]

God responded to Hezekiah"s prayer by giving Isaiah a message for the king. The prophet first explained what God would do ( Isaiah 37:21-29). Then he gave the king a sign that He would indeed do it ( Isaiah 37:30-35).