John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 39:3

"Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon." — Isaiah 39:3 (ASV)

Then came Isaiah the Prophet. He continues the same narrative, but also adds doctrine. Although he does not say that God had sent him, it is certain that he did this by the influence of the Holy Spirit and by the command of God. Therefore, he gives himself the designation of the Prophet, by which he indicates that he did not come as a private individual, but to perform an office which God had commanded him, so that Hezekiah could clearly see that he was not dealing with a mortal man.

Now, when he says that he came, we should infer that he was not sent for, but was allowed to remain quietly at home while Hezekiah was making a boastful display of his treasures; for prophets are not usually invited to consultations of this sort. But formerly, while he was weighed down by extreme distress, while Rabshakeh insulted him so fiercely and uttered such daring blasphemies against God, he sent to Isaiah and requested him to intercede with God and to soothe his anguish by some consolation (Isaiah 37:2, 3, 4).

Thus in adversity and distress the prophets are sought, but in prosperity are disregarded or even despised, because they disturb our mirth with their admonitions and appear to cause grief. But Isaiah came, though he was not invited; and in this we should observe and praise his steadfastness. We are taught by his example that we should not wait until we are sent for by men who need the performance of our duty, when they flatter themselves in the midst of the heaviest distresses and bring danger on themselves either by levity, ignorance, or even malice. For it is our duty to gather the wandering sheep, and we should do this diligently, even though we are not requested by any person.

Though Hezekiah may be justly blamed for having been corrupted by the flatteries of the king of Babylon so as not to ask counsel from God, yet it is a manifestation of remarkable modesty that he does not drive away or despise the Prophet, as if he had found fault without reason, but replies gently, and finally receives calmly and mildly a very severe reproof. It would have been better if he had, from the beginning, inquired at the mouth of God, as it is said in the psalm,

“Thy commandments are the men of my counsel,”
(Psalms 119:24)

but, having committed a mistake, his next duty was to receive submissively the remedy for the fault.

What did those men say? The Prophet does not immediately inflict on him the pain of a severe reproof, but wounds him gently, to lead him to a confession of his sin. For Hezekiah flattered himself and thought that all was going well with him, and therefore needed to be gradually aroused from his slothfulness. Still, these words gave a sharp wound, as if he had said, “What have you to do with those men? Should you not keep at the greatest distance from a plague so contagious?” He also inquires about the contents of the message, in order to make Hezekiah ashamed of not having perceived the deceit that was practiced on him. For there is reason to believe that he would not have censured the congratulation if there had not been some poison mixed with it, but he points out those snares in which the Babylonians wished to entangle him.

And yet it is evident from the reply that Hezekiah was not yet struck by that gentle reproof, for he is still on good terms with himself and boasts that those men came from a distant country, from Babylon. There is reason to believe that Isaiah was not ignorant of that country, so Hezekiah did not need to express the distance in such magnificent language; but he boasts in this manner because he was under the influence of ambition. It was therefore necessary that he should be more keenly pressed and that sharper spurs should be applied.