Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Isaiah Chapter 37
Metaphysically Interpreting Isaiah 37:1-13
37:1And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Jehovah. 37:2And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 37:3And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. 37:4It may be Jehovah thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Jehovah thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.
37:5So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 37:6And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith Jehovah, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 37:7Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear tidings, and shall return unto his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
37:8So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. 37:9And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come out to fight against thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 37:10Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.37:11Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered? 37:12Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar? 37:13Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?
December 11, 1927: Isaiah 37:5-11
What is the meaning of Hezekiah? Hezekiah means “strength of God,” or that in us which realizes that God is our strength and that through that strength we, shall be sustained in the overcoming of all materiality.
What is the meaning of the word “Isaiah”? Isaiah means “salvation of Jehovah.” Isaiah represents that in us which received inspiration direct from the one Mind. This faculty not only receives wisdom direct from the fountainhead, but it also prophesied the result of certain spiritual activities in consciousness.
What is represented by the message of intimidation from the Assyrians to Hezekiah? The Assyrians represent a seemingly powerful phase of error thought that is warring against the Israelites, or true thoughts, yet is apparently using conciliatory methods. The power of error and of sense consciousness scares those who represent the truth and often causes them to pay tribute as did the Israelites to the Assyrians.
Metaphysically Interpreting Isaiah 37:14-35
37:14And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah. 37:15And Hezekiah prayed unto Jehovah, saying, 37:16O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest above the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. 37:17Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to defy the living God. 37:18Of a truth, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries, and their land, 37:19and have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. 37:20Now therefore, O Jehovah our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art Jehovah, even thou only.
37:21Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 37:22this is the word which Jehovah hath spoken concerning him:
The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
37:23Whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. 37:24By thy servants hast thou defied the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof; and I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field; 37:25I have digged and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet will I dry up all the rivers of Egypt.
37:26Hast thou not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? now have I brought it to pass, that it should be thine to lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps. 37:27Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as a field of grain before it is grown up.
37:28But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against me. 37:29Because of thy raging against me, and because thine arrogancy is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
37:30And this shall be the sign unto thee: ye shall eat this year 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. 37:31And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 37:32For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.
37:33Therefore 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. 37:34By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith Jehovah. 37:35For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
December 19, 1915: Isaiah 37:21-36
The children of Israel represent our spiritual consciousness. Hezekiah, “the strength of Jehovah,” represents our faith in God. The Scriptures recite that Hezekiah was a religious reformer among the Hebrews. He cleansed and repaired the temple, restored the temple services, and provided for the support of the Levites and for popular religious instruction from the books of the law, thus bringing about a great uprising against idolatry.
There is a universal thought consciousness in man and in the race that does not acknowledge the Spiritual Head of the universe. This thought is based upon sense observation. Instead of using the pure reason and intuitive understanding of the inner mind, man looks without and builds up a belief that the ruling power of all things is in matter and material forms. Thus idol worship is instituted. Men believe in the forces of nature, and deify them, as did the Greeks and Romans. Or they worship the material images carved by the hands of men; or they worship money. This idol worship takes many forms, but its basis is always in the without instead of the within, in the formed instead of the formless.
The Assyrians represent this Gentile, or unspiritual realm of thought, and Sennacherib, “bramble of destruction,” is its head. The Israelites had been intimidated by the Assyrians, and for the sake of peace were paying them a regular tribute. Thus we find that in our desire to avoid trouble, we make concessions to the unregenerate, material realm of consciousness. But a time comes when we decide to cast off the yoke of this bondage, and we declare our freedom and spiritual individuality. Then we have a war on our hands, or minds.
The material forces appear more powerful than the spiritual, and as we look the human family over, matter seems dominant. When we attempt to live an independent spiritual life, in the face of this apparently unconquerable army, they come down on us “like the wolf on the fold.” They boast of their success everywhere, and we are appalled.
Here the forces of the invisible and all-powerful Formless One are brought into action. Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed and called to heaven. Faith and Spiritual Understanding join in a demonstration of the higher law. Then the “angel,” or messenger of the Lord, was sent and cut off all the mighty men of valor and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria.
– UNITY magazine.
May 18, 1924: Isaiah 37:14
What phase of thinking do the Assyrians represent? The Assyrians represent the semi-spiritual thoughts. The messenger of the Assyrian king, mentioned in another part of this chapter, claimed to have been sent by the Lord to demand certain concessions to Assyria on the part of the Israelites.
What is the meaning of Hezekiah? Hezekiah means “strength of God,” or, that in us which realizes that God is our strength and that through that strength we shall be sustained in the overcoming of all materiality.
What is the meaning of Hezekiah's going up into the house of Jehovah and spreading out before Jehovah the message from the Assyrians? Hezekiah’s going up into the house of Jehovah represents the ascension of the I AM into cosmic consciousness, where it is inspired with wisdom and power.
May 18, 1924: Isaiah 37:21-23
What it the meaning of the word Isaiah? Isaiah means “salvation of Jehovah.” Isaiah represents that in us which receives inspiration direct from the one Mind. This faculty not only receives wisdom direct from the fountainhead, but it also prophesies the result of certain spiritual activities in consciousness.
When mental forces that claim to be spiritual come up against us and we seem unable to free ourselves from their claims, what should we do? We should go up into the house of Jehovah where, in silent mediation, we shall meet Isaiah, or divine inspiration, and there we shall see and know Truth.
When we have discerned Truth, what is the next step in overcoming semi-spiritual claims (Assyrians)? When a Christian metaphysician discerns and spiritually sees Truth, he should formulate and express in words what he has spiritually perceived, as stated by Isaiah: “Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria . . .”
What is represented by the virgin daughter of Zion? Zion was the citadel in Jerusalem, or the strongest fortified place. Zion represents spiritual purity and innocence, which are the very foundation of Christian character. “Innocence is its own defense.”
December 11, 1927: Isaiah 37:14-20
When students of Truth have discerned the right, what move is necessary to overcome the intimidating claims of error? When a Christian metaphysician discerns and spiritually sees the truth he should go into his spiritual consciousness and, as did Hezekiah, “spread it before Jehovah.”
What do we mean metaphysically by the phrase, “spread it before Jehovah”? Jehovah is the ruling identity in the kingdom of the heavens or the spiritual ether. When we proclaim the might, the power, the unity of the Creator and the ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth as did Hezekiah and call upon that mighty One to save us from all error, a tremendous spiritual force is set into action and thoughts of error are dissipated.
How did this prayer of Hezekiah demonstrate? In verses 36, 37, and 38 of this chapter it is related that the angel of Jehovah went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians 185,000 and that the king of Assyria departed and returned to his capital at Nineveh, and that afterward his sons killed him with the sword. In the words of Lord Byron:
The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green, That host with their banners at sunset were seen: Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown, That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.
For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed: And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!
And there lay the steed with his nostrils all wide, But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride: And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.
And there lay the rider distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow and the rust on his mail; And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.
And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!
Metaphysically Interpreting Isaiah 37:36-38
37:36And the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37:37So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 37:38And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.
May 18, 1924: Isaiah 37:29,33-36
What affirmations should we make to defend ourselves against subtle intellectual claims of spirituality? We should affirm: “I cannot be deceived by the red fleeted spirituality of the intellect. The energy and intensity of the intellect cannot reach me nor shoot an arrow there; neither can the intellect conceal its designs from me; neither shall he come up before it with a shield; neither shall any material condition deter me from my spiritual activity, nor cast up a mound against it.”
What is represented by the destruction of 185,000 Assyrians by the angel of Jehovah? The angel of Jehovah represents the messenger or Word of the I AM denying the claims of error. Denial destroys both crystallized and psychic states of consciousness.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-20-2014
