And Ezechias took the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it, and went up to the house of the Lord, and Ezechias spread it before the Lord.
וַיִּקַּ֨ח חִזְקִיָּ֧הוּ אֶת־הַסְּפָרִ֛ים מִיַּ֥ד הַמַּלְאָכִ֖ים וַיִּקְרָאֵ֑הוּ וַיַּ֙עַל֙ בֵּ֣ית יְהוָ֔ה וַיִּפְרְשֵׂ֥הוּ חִזְקִיָּ֖הוּ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Hezekiah received the scroll from the envoys, viewing it as a powerful armory for seeking God’s favor. Unlike his father, who lacked faith, Hezekiah was a man of belief, valiantly battling against adversaries. Where did he find his strength to confront the conquerors? From the temple of God, through prayers and heartfelt petitions. Such weapons are essential for invoking divine assistance at all times and in every place.
Due to his profound reverence for the Almighty, Hezekiah opens the sacred text, not out of a belief that God is unaware of Sennacherib's immense pride, but rather to voice his distress over the barbaric folly of this king, as if to summon God—the Sovereign over all creation—as a witness to the arrogant claims made by Sennacherib. Observe how Hezekiah's humility starkly contrasts with the boastful assertions of Sennacherib. The latter dares to mock God's glory by asserting that the God in whom you trust will not save you, declaring that Jerusalem will not escape the grip of the king of Assyria. Conversely, Hezekiah acknowledges the greatness of God's power, referring to Him as the Lord of hosts and the God of Israel, the Creator of everything, whether heavenly or earthly.
He proclaims that God sits enthroned upon the Cherubim. He recognizes that while some are titled kings on earth, it is God alone who is the true and sovereign King, under whose authority all creation falls, and who alone formed the heavens and the earth, sustaining all that once was nonexistent. Hezekiah implores God to hear and consider these matters—not to turn a blind eye to such grievous blasphemies, but to justly address the transgressor. For Sennacherib has insulted the living God, who is entirely unlike the idols of the nations, audaciously choosing to equate himself with them.
In response to the blasphemies of King Sennacherib, Hezekiah employed his customary means of battle. He returned to the temple, laying his letters before the Lord. Initially, he had refrained from speaking there, held back by a deep reverence for God, which made him hesitant to voice his prayers openly. However, after receiving the encouragement of Isaiah's words: "Fear not the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria reviled me" (1 Kings 19:6), he approached the Lord with confidence. He declared that the Lord is the only true God, highlighting that idols are mere representations of the lifeless. This truth is evident in numerous accounts where the kings of Persia invaded Greece, destroying and plundering the temples of the Greeks. Hezekiah pleads for divine retribution, so that through his experiences, all nations may recognize that there is only one God capable of delivering His people from peril.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS