2 Kings 19:29

FURTHER ENCOURAGEMENT REGARDING THE REMNANT

"And this shall be the sign unto thee: ye shall eat this year of that which groweth of itself, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape: the zeal of Jehovah shall perform this. Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith Jehovah. For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake."

"This shall be the sign unto thee" (2 Kings 19:29). What is meant here is that, because their crops had been destroyed, they would eat of what came up voluntarily; the same would happen the following year because nothing was planted; but the third year everything would be back to normal. It is evident here that the person addressed is no longer Sennacherib, but Hezekiah. Such unannounced switches of persons addressed are common in prophecy.

"The house of Judah shall again take root downward" (2 Kings 19:30). "There was a 113-year interval yet remaining in the history of Judah before the Babylonian captivity,"[20] and during this time Judah did indeed prosper. "They were able to recover their ancient vigor and to extend their dominion over nearly all of their old territory."[21]

"Out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape" (2 Kings 19:31). Here indeed was the bad news for Jerusalem. Alas, it would also fall, just like Samaria. The present deliverance from Sennacherib, notwithstanding, Judah and Jerusalem would also pay the penalty of their stubborn, wicked idolatry. Hezekiah's own son, Manasseh, would be a principal cause of her ultimate destruction. A remnant would be saved, not in Jerusalem, but out of it. It is amazing that Judah and Jerusalem paid so little attention to this warning. God's purpose for Israel was never focused upon the whole people, but upon the few (the remnant) who would have the faith and character of Abraham.

"The king of Assyria ... shall not come unto this city ... nor cast up a mound against it" (2 Kings 19:33). Yes, in the Assyrian inscriptions, Sennacherib claims to have done this; but no Christian should allow any servant of Satan to contradict the Word of God. We believe that this prophecy was fulfilled exactly as Isaiah gave it.

The angel of death spread his wings on the blast

And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;

And the might of the Gentile unsmote by the sword

Was melted like snow in the glance of the Lord.

- Lord Byron