Isaiah 37:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I recognize You apart from any witness, yet for the sake of others who may come to know You through the excellence of Your deeds, and so that the message of salvation may serve as a universal principle for everyone, I ask that the city be rescued from disaster, enabling the entire world to find deliverance from falsehood. The hope embodied in Jerusalem will instruct those who harbor a savage mindset. Consider, did He govern all things, and upon their completion, possess the gift of prophecy?

I heard, the barbarian declares, that the gods of the nations have failed to save each of their own from my grasp. If anyone were to voice such a sentiment, I would commend them and wholeheartedly agree. For the Assyrians laid waste to the entire region and set ablaze the cities, while the false deities rendered no aid, proving incapable of delivering anyone. How could they, when they are crafted from wood and stone, mere creations of stonemasons and carpenters? Consequently, they met their end alongside their worshippers. But O Lord, You are our salvation! This will serve as undeniable evidence and will persuade all celestial beings that unwavering faith in You, the one true God, is essential.

In response to King Sennacherib's blasphemies, Hezekiah resorted to his customary means of seeking help. He returned to the temple and presented the letters before the Lord. Previously, he had remained silent, hesitant to express himself in the temple due to his reverence for the Lord, which restrained him from voicing his prayers openly. However, upon hearing the encouraging words from Isaiah: Fear not the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria reviled me (1 Kings 19:6), he prayed with courage, affirming that the Lord is the only true God, thus highlighting the reality that idols are mere representations of the lifeless.