Reading for June 11th

Read Isaiah 37.22-38. In verses 21-35: Isaiah replies to the Assyrain letter with a series of prphetic declarations. Jerusalem survived intact and the king retained his throne. These facts were more central to Isaiah's message than the punishment eventually inflicted on Sennacherib, who is accused of blasphemy (37.38). In verse 36: The work of the angel of the Lord may have been an outbreak of disease among the forces camped in unhygienic conditions (as foretold in 10.16). Verse 37.7 declares: "I myself will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land." Other possibilities cannot be ruled out, and no precise information is available. In verses 37-38: Sennacherib's assassination by members of his own family is not reported in Assyrian royal chronciles. The king's death occurred some time after the events of 701, but his insult to the God of Jerusalem was seen to demand personal punishment. Comments or Questions..