There is No god but the LORD
King Hezekiah’s prayer to the one true God.
On the verge of being destroyed by the mighty Assyrian army, King Hezekiah prayed.
“O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.
Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands — wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them.
Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone.” (Isaiah 37:16–20)
The LORD is All-Powerful.
Hezekiah mentions the LORD’s power in several ways.
- He is the “LORD of hosts” — He commands the armies of heaven.
- He is the “One who dwells between the cherubim” — a reference to the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. He is powerful, but He can be approached.
- He is the only God “of all the kingdoms of the earth” — a reference to His authority over humanity.
- He is the Creator of “heaven and earth” — a reference to His right to rule over everyone.
The LORD Hears Challenges to His Power.
Hezekiah approached the LORD and urged Him to hear the challenges made against Him.
King Sennacherib was making Israel and claiming that he would overpower their God the same way he had overpowered every nation’s gods.
Hezekiah knows the LORD has heard — and he begs Him to take action to glorify His name by protecting His people.
The LORD is Not Weak like gods Created by Mankind.
Yes, the king of Assyria had overpowered and destroyed other gods — but this was because they were no gods at all. They were simply images created out of wood and stone.
An idol god can deliver no one. A piece of stone or wood can answer no prayer.
Hezekiah acknowledges these idol gods are worthless. People depend on them, and they offer nothing in return.
The LORD is the Only God.
The LORD is not helpless to save like an idol god of wood or stone.
Hezekiah calls on the LORD to save them — for His own name’s sake; to show the world’s nations that He alone is God — the only God.
The rest of Isaiah 37 shows that the LORD did precisely that — Assyria was defeated, and the LORD was exalted and shown to be the only true God.
He is still the one true God today.
