DOCSLIB.ORG

1 2 8/28/11 2Kings 18-19 the Northern Kingdom Comprised of Ten

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
1 2 8/28/11 2Kings 18-19 the Northern Kingdom Comprised of Ten 1 2 8/28/11 18:3-4 The deeds of Hezekiah’s reign. 1) He did what was right in the sight of the 2Kings 18-19 LORD, as his father David had done. vs. 3 The northern Kingdom comprised of ten tribes has * He is the only one measuring up to gone into captivity by the hand of Assyria. David. 2) He cleansed the land of the pagan alters The southern kingdom comprised of two tribes, and shrines. vs. 4 Benjamin and Judah, is the only remnant left in the a) The high places. land, but will ultimately go into captivity under the b) The sacred pillars. hand of Babylon. c) The wooden image. d) The bronze serpent of Moses because This brings us to the reign of king Hezekiah, a the children of Israel burned incense good and faithful king that trusted God. to it, and called it Nehushtan, “It is a thing of brass”. Num. 21:8-9, Jn. 18:1-8 The reign of Hezekiah over Judah. 3:14-15 18:1-2 The time of Hezekiah’s reign. 18:5-8 The faith of Hezekiah during his 1) In the third year of Hoshea the son of reign. Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the 1) His trust in the LORD God of Israel, son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to excelled above all kings before and after, reign. vs. 1 in Judah. vs. 5 2) He was 25 years old when he became 2) The reason given was that he held fast to king, reigning 29 years in Jerusalem. vs. the LORD; he did not depart from 2a-b following Him, but kept His word. vs. 6 * He reigned from 716 B.C. to 687 B.C. 3) The result being that the LORD was with 3) His mother’s name was Abi the daughter him; he prospered wherever he went and of Zechariah. vs, 2c he rebelled against the king of Assyria * She is called Abijah in Chronicle. and did not serve him. vs. 7 2Chron. 29:1 3 4 4) He subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza 1) Sennacherib came up against all the and its territory, small and large cities. fortified cities of Judah and took them, in vs. 8 the 14th year of Hezekiah. vs. 13 * The annals of Sennacherib tell of the a) It is 701 B.C. , again he began to actions he took against Hezekiah and reign from 716-687 B.C. the other rebellious nations. b) The number of cities were ?, according the Assyrian records and 18:9-16 The captivity of Israel reviewed and also The Philistine cities Ashkelon the first invasion of Assyria of Judah. and Ekron.. 2) Hezekiah sent a message to Lachish 18:9-12 The review of Israel’s captivity. acknowledging his wrong and offered to 1) In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, 724 pay tribute, so Sennacherib ordered B.C. which was the seventh year of Hezekiah to pay three hundred talents of Hoshea the king of Israel, Shalmaneser silver and thirty talents of gold. vs. 14 king of Assyria came up against Samaria 3) Hezekiah took all the silver in the house and besieged it. vs. 9 of the LORD and in the treasuries of his * 2Kings 17:1, 6 house, as well as stripping the gold from 2) After three years Samaria fell, the sixth the doors of the temple and the pillars he year of Hezekiah, and the ninth year of had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Hoshea king of Israel. vs. 10 Assyria. vs. 15-16 * 722 B.C. 2Kings 17:5 3) The northern kingdom went captive to 18:17-25 The second invasion of Assyria over Assyria, to be relocated in the cities of Judah. Persia. vs. 11 * 2Kings 17:6 18:17-18 The King of Assyria dispatched an 4) The reason was their disobedience to God army against Hezekiah. and the covenant, vs. 12 1) Sennacherib sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh from Lachish, with a 18:13-16 The first invasion of Assyria of Judah. large army against Jerusalem. vs. 17 a) Tartan is a title a field marshal or commander. 5 6 b) Rabsaris. the chief eunuch and 5) He mocked them to trust in the LORD Rabshakeh, the chief cupbearer. their God, having removed the pagan 2) Arriving at Jerusalem, both officers went altars and telling Judah and Jerusalem, to and stood by the aqueduct from the upper only worship in the altar in Jerusalem. vs. pool, located on the highway to the 22 Fuller’s Field. vs. 18 6) He challenged them to come out to fight * Hezekiah had diverted the water from the Assyrians, even providing 2,000 the Upper Gihon to the pool of horsed, if they had riders. vs. 23 Siloam, chiseling 1700 feet of 7) He demeaned them saying they could not limestone. 2Kings 20:20, 2Chron. defeat one of his least captains, even 32:30 trusting Egypt. vs. 24 3) Calling out to the king, two officials of 8) He declared he had come by the direction Hezekiah came out. vs. 19 of Yahweh to destroy them. vs. 25 a) Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household. 18:26-37 The words of Rabshakeh against b) Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of God and Hezekiah. Asaph, the recorder. 18:26-27 The request to Rabshakeh to speak in 18:19-25 The words of Rabshakeh. Aramaic. 1) Rabshakeh directed the message to 1) Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah asked Hezekiah, form “the great king”, Rabshakeh to speak in the Aramaic Sennacherib,, “What confidence is this in language, in order to avoid the people on which you trust? vs. 19 the wall from being terrified. vs. 26 2) He confronted Hezekiah with having * Being as diplomatic as possible, plans and power for war insulting him “Please speak to your servants.” that they are mere words. vs. 20a-b 2) Rabshakeh lost it, reminding them of 3) He asked in whom he was trusting, that Sennacherib’s orders to speak to he would rebel against him? vs. 20c-d Hezekiah and threatened the men on the 4) He pointed out that trusting in Egypt was wall would eat and drink their own waste like trusting in a broken reed for a staff. with them. vs. 27 vs. 21 7 8 18:28-35 The embolden arrogant response of 2) Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah went to Rabshakeh. Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told 1) Rabshakeh stood and yelled out loud in him the words of the Rabshakeh. vs. 37 Hebrew, “Hear the word of the great 19:1-13 The grief but wise response of king, the king of Assyria!” vs. 28 Hezekiah to the words of Rabshakeh to 2) Warning by the order of Sennacherib, not destroy Jerusalem. to let Hezekiah deceive them about their deliverance. vs. 29 1) King Hezekiah humbled himself before God. 3) Nor of trusting Yahweh to deliver the vs. 1 city. vs. 30 * It is 701 B.C. 4) He told them to surrender and appease a) He expressed his grief over the words of him with a gift and they would enjoy Rabshakeh. vs. 1a-b freedom for a short time. vs. 31 b) He demonstrated his grief in a very 5) Then, he would return a take them into visible manner in sackcloth, a sign of captivity, allowing them to live, but they humility. vs. 1c-e should not listen to Hezekiah and be c) He went into the house of the LORD, a persuaded of God’s deliverance. vs. 32 sign of his desperation, remember 6) He pointed to the inability of the gods of Hezekiah led a great revival and declared the nations to deliver them from many reforms from his first year. Sennacherib. vs. 33 2Chron. 29-31 7) He pointed to the inability of the gods of * He witness Shalmaneser king of Samaria, over the king of Assyria. vs. 34 Assyria besiege Samaria and in three 7) He concluded Yahweh would be no years took it captive for not obeying different, when it came to Jerusalem. vs. the Lord, in the sixth year of his reign. 35 2kings 18:9-12 2) King Hezekiah sent his cabinet members to 18:36-37 The response of Hezekiah’s officials. humble themselves before Isaiah the 1) The people, in contrast, held their peace prophet. vs. 2 without saying a word, as Hezekiah had 1. Hezekiah sent Eliakim, who was over the commanded. vs. 36 household. vs. 2a 9 10 a. Elkiakim “Elyaquym”, means God 1) Acknowledging the time of national peril raises or God sets up. of their own doing, being chastened by b. Eliakim was over the household God. vs. 3 affairs of Hezekiah. * A day of distress and correction and 2. Shebna the scribe. vs. 2b rejection by God that they might a. Shebna “shebna”, means vigour. repent. Hos. 5:9-15 b. Shebna was a scribe, the recorder 2) Acknowledging their need of God’s help official documents, etc, the secretary through Isaiah’s intercession. vs. 4 of state. * “Your God”, Isaiah was one with God! 3. The elders of the priests. vs. 2c 3) The summary statement, “So the servants a. Those who performed service to God. of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.” vs. 5 b. Those who had much life experience. 4. Every one of these men were sent 19:6-7 King Hezekiah was given an answer covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the by Isaiah the prophet.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Attitudes Towards Linguistic Diversity in the Hebrew Bible
    Many Peoples of Obscure Speech and Difficult Language: Attitudes towards Linguistic Diversity in the Hebrew Bible The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Power, Cian Joseph. 2015. Many Peoples of Obscure Speech and Difficult Language: Attitudes towards Linguistic Diversity in the Hebrew Bible. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:23845462 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA MANY PEOPLES OF OBSCURE SPEECH AND DIFFICULT LANGUAGE: ATTITUDES TOWARDS LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY IN THE HEBREW BIBLE A dissertation presented by Cian Joseph Power to The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts August 2015 © 2015 Cian Joseph Power All rights reserved. Dissertation Advisor: Professor Peter Machinist Cian Joseph Power MANY PEOPLES OF OBSCURE SPEECH AND DIFFICULT LANGUAGE: ATTITUDES TOWARDS LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY IN THE HEBREW BIBLE Abstract The subject of this dissertation is the awareness of linguistic diversity in the Hebrew Bible—that is, the recognition evident in certain biblical texts that the world’s languages differ from one another. Given the frequent role of language in conceptions of identity, the biblical authors’ reflections on language are important to examine.
    [Show full text]
  • The Enigmatic Rabshakeh
    THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM: PART II: THE ENIGMATIC RABSHAKEH GABRIEL A. SIVAN THE RABSHAKEH'S PROPAGANDIST HARANGUE After departing from Sennacherib's headquarters at Lachish, his envoys march up to Jerusalem at the head of "a large force," intent on overawing Hezekiah and compelling him to surrender. They find the city gates closed before them and promptly have the entire vicinity reconnoitered to find the 1 most suitable place for their camp. The three envoys then approach the city walls and call upon the Judean guards to inform King Hezekiah that they have brought him a message from Sennacherib. Declining to meet them, Hezekiah sends three envoys of his own instead – Eliakim the chamberlain, Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the recorder. Up to this point, the Bible indicates that the Assyrian officials act and speak as one man. The Rabshakeh now emerges as Sennacherib's chief representa- tive, beginning his lengthy message with a deliberate insult. "You tell Heze- kiah" (not "King Hezekiah"), he says, "the words of the Great King, the King of Assyria…" (II Kgs. 18:19). The ensuing diatribe is a remarkable example of psychological warfare. "In a succession of arguments – using terror, ridi- cule, promises, slanted information and 'logical' proof of the futility of it all," 2 the Rabshakeh tries to break the defenders' will to resist. A skilled propagandist, the Rabshakeh mocks Hezekiah's reliance on the intervention of Egypt's pharaoh, "that splintered reed," whose army of chari- 3 ots, horsemen and archers Sennacherib has overcome. Anticipating the Ju- dean envoys' response, that they will put their trust in the Lord, he asks whether this is not the same God whom Hezekiah has surely offended by abolishing the local places of worship in favor of one altar in Jerusalem.
    [Show full text]
  • 2 Kings 18-19
    Lesson 12 – 2 Kings 18-19 Text: 2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chronicles 32; Isaiah 36-37 Main Characters: God, Hezekiah, Sennacherib, Rabshakeh Key Passages: - 2 Kings 18:5-7 – Hezekiah was successful because of his faith in the Lord, who prospered him. - 2 Kings 19:32-36 – God promised that He would defend His people, and so He did. Main Storyline: Following Ahaz’s death, his son, Hezekiah, became king over Judah. Knowing that the Assyrian threat was imminent, Hezekiah made careful preparations to try to protect the land. He had many fortifications built, raised an army, and had many provisions made for the soldiers. He also hoped that the Egyptian army would come support them in the event of an Assyrian invasion. One of the most important things that Hezekiah did in preparation for the Assyrian invasion was to stop up a spring called the Gihon, which flowed out of a cave just outside the city of Jerusalem. He had the spring diverted through an extensive tunnel called the Siloam Tunnel which allowed the water to emerge in the Pool of Siloam, which was inside Jerusalem. This deprived any invaders (such as the Assyrians) of water while giving the citizens of Jerusalem constant access to fresh water. When Assyria began its invasion of Judah, Hezekiah refused to submit to Assyria as many others had done. The king of Assyria, Sennacherib, then attacked and captured many of the fortified cities of Judah. After the cities started to fall to Assyria, Hezekiah pled with Sennacherib to stop his assault, and, in exchange, Hezekiah promised that he would do anything.
    [Show full text]
  • Chastised Rulers in the Ancient Near East
    Chastised Rulers in the Ancient Near East Dissertation Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree doctor of philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By J. H. Price, M.A., B.A. Graduate Program in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures The Ohio State University 2015 Dissertation Committee: Samuel A. Meier, Advisor Daniel Frank Carolina López-Ruiz Bill T. Arnold Copyright by J. H. Price 2015 Abstract In the ancient world, kings were a common subject of literary activity, as they played significant social, economic, and religious roles in the ancient Near East. Unsurprisingly, the praiseworthy deeds of kings were often memorialized in ancient literature. However, in some texts kings were remembered for criminal acts that brought punishment from the god(s). From these documents, which date from the second to the first millennium BCE, we learn that royal acts of sacrilege were believed to have altered the fate of the offending king, his people, or his nation. These chastised rulers are the subject of this this dissertation. In the pages that follow, the violations committed by these rulers are collected, explained, and compared, as are the divine punishments that resulted from royal sacrilege. Though attestations are concentrated in the Hebrew Bible and Mesopotamian literature, the very fact that the chastised ruler type also surfaces in Ugaritic, Hittite, and Northwest Semitic texts suggests that the concept was an integral part of ancient near eastern kingship ideologies. Thus, this dissertation will also explain the relationship between kings and gods and the unifying aspect of kingship that gave rise to the chastised ruler concept across the ancient Near East.
    [Show full text]
  • Did Sennacherib Campaign Once Or Twice Against Hezekiah 3
    DID SENNACHERIB CAMPAIGN ONCE OR TWICE AGAINST HEZEKIAH 3 SIEGFRIED H. HORN Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan There is no lack of.lit erature on the subject under discussion. Articles, too numerous to mention,l and several monographs,2 have dealt with the problems of Sennacherib's dealings with King Hezekiah of Judah, especially with the question whether the Assyrian king conducted one campaign or two campaigns against Palestine. There are two principal reasons why until recently it has been impossible to give a clear-cut answer to this question. The first reason is that the Biblical records agree in some parts with Sennacherib's version of the one and only Palesti- nian campaign recorded by him, but in other parts seem to refer to events difficult to connect with the campaign mentioned in the Assyrian annals. The second reason is that the Biblical records bring Sennacherib's campaign-r one of his campaigns, if there were two-in connection with "Tirhakah king of Ethiopia" (z Ki 19 : g; Is 37 : 9) ; but the campaign of Sennacherib, of which numerous Assyrian annal editions have come to light, took place in 701 B.c., some 12 years before Tirhakah came to the throne. 1 A bibliography on articles in periodicals and treatments of the subject in commentaries and histories of Israel or of Assyria up to 1926 is found on pp. I 17-122 of Honor's dissertation mentioned in n. 2. For more recent discussions see H. H. Rowley, "Hezekiah's Reform and Rebellion," BJRL, XLIV (1962)~especially the footnotes on PP.
    [Show full text]
  • 2 Kings 18:1 in the Third Year of King Hoshea Son of Elah of Israel, Hezekiah Son of King Ahaz of Judah Began to Reign
    2 Kings 18:1 In the third year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, Hezekiah son of King Ahaz of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the sight of the LORD just as his ancestor David had done. 4 He removed the high places, broke down the pillars, and cut down the sacred pole.1 He broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it; it was called Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the LORD the God of Israel; so that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah after him, or among those who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following him but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. 7 The LORD was with him; wherever he went, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. 8 He attacked the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city. 9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, King Shalmaneser of Assyria came up against Samaria, besieged it, 10 and at the end of three years, took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of King Hoshea of Israel, Samaria was taken.
    [Show full text]
  • BIBLE STORIES King Hezekiah and the Assyrian Bullies
    BIBLE STORIES King Hezekiah and the Assyrian Bullies A huge army waits outside the city of Jerusalem. “Give up!” say the bullies. “No one can save you now!” But King Hezekiah knows better. Hezekiah was a good king. He trusted God and always tried to do the right thing for his country, Judah. But when he had been king for 14 years, something terrible happened. Another king wanted to get even more space and power. So he sent armies to take over the countries around him. That included Judah! This greedy king’s name was Sennacherib, and he ruled Assyria. Assyria was already bigger and stronger than the other countries around. The people fought back, but it was no use. Assyria always won. Assyria’s armies took over the cities of Judah one by one. Then they came to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the city where Hezekiah lived! A bully One of the leaders of the Assyrian army marched up. He was called the Rabshakeh, and he wanted to scare the people. If they were scared, they might give up! Hezekiah and his people were very frightened, but they tried not to show it. Hezekiah sent three of his most trusted officials to talk to the Rabshakeh. Some of the people of Jerusalem watched and listened from the wall. The Rabshakeh looked around him. He spoke loudly so that all the people could hear him. “You talk tough, but it sure does not look like you are ready for war! Who do you expect to save you? Is it Egypt? Egypt can’t be trusted! Or will you say, ‘We trust in the Lord our God’? Your God wants me to defeat you! Say we gave you two thousand horses.
    [Show full text]
  • REL 101 Lecture 14 1 Hello Again. My Name Is John Strong and This Is Literature and World of the Hebrew Bible, Religious Studies 101
    REL 101 Lecture 14 1 Hello again. My name is John Strong and this is Literature and World of the Hebrew Bible, Religious Studies 101. This is session 14. Today I want to talk about warfare in the ancient Near East, warfare in ancient Israel. We have concluded our discussion of a lot of the Deuteronomistic literature. We have talked about how the Deuteronomistic history was written from the perspective of Deuteronomy, the Deuteronomistic law, and we’ve talked about the kind of role that literature played in the time of Josiah and the latter stages of the kingdom of Judah, and some of the historical events and situations that were going on at that time. I want to take these next couple of lessons and do some background kinds of material, and look back and review and maybe fill in some cultural points. Today we’re gonna look at warfare. We have a treat today in that most of today’s lesson is going to be taken from a videotape that I shot in Israel featuring an archaeologist, Israeli archaeologist, named Dr. Gabriel Barkai. He teaches at Jerusalem University College and Bar-Elon University in Israel. He has made some prominent discoveries. One of them — perhaps the most prominent and the one he personally said he’s most proud of was a small, little necklace, amulet, that has a priest’s blessing written on it. It was dated back to the time of the United Monarchy and is very famous. At any rate, what we’re gonna be discussing with him in today’s lecture is warfare in the ancient Near East and methods of warfare, and the kinds of weapons that were used and techniques that were used, and what kinds of condition was created when a city was besieged.
    [Show full text]
  • DIVINATION, POLITICS, & Ancient Near Eastern Empires
    DIVINATION, POLITICS, & AnciENT NEAR EastERN EMpiRES Edited by Alan Lenzi and Jonathan Stökl Ancient Near East Monographs – Monografías sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente Society of Biblical Literature Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente (UCA) Divination, Politics, anD ancient near eastern emPires ancient near east monographs General Editors ehud Ben Zvi roxana Flammini Editorial Board reinhard achenbach esther J. Hamori steven W. Holloway rené Krüger alan lenzi steven l. mcKenzie martti nissinen Graciela Gestoso singer Juan manuel tebes volume editor martti nissinen number 7 Divination, Politics, anD ancient near eastern emPires Divination, Politics, anD ancient near eastern emPires edited by alan lenzi Jonathan stökl society of Biblical literature atlanta copyright © 2014 by the society of Biblical literature all rights reserved. no part of this work may be reproduced or published in print form except with permission from the publisher. individuals are free to copy, distribute, and transmit the work in whole or in part by electronic means or by means of any informa- tion or retrieval system under the following conditions: (1) they must include with the work notice of ownership of the copyright by the society of Biblical literature; (2) they may not use the work for commercial purposes; and (3) they may not alter, transform, or build upon the work. requests for permission should be addressed in writing to the rights and Permissions office, society of Biblical literature, 825 Houston mill road, atlanta, Ga 30329, Usa. The ancient near east monographs/monografi as sobre el antiguo cercano oriente series is published jointly by the society of Biblical literature and the Universidad católica argentina Facultad de ciencias sociales, Políticas y de la comunicación, centro de estudios de Historia del antiguo oriente.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah 36:1-9, Assyrian Invasion-Part 1
    ISAIAH ISAIAH 36: 1-9, ASSYRIAN INVASION! PART 1 Much of the first half of the book of Isaiah dealt with the issue of trust. Was Judah going to trust Yahweh to protect them, or were they going to rely on themselves, on alliances with pagan nations, and on humanistic solutions to their problems? The next four chapters form a historical bridge from Assyrian hostilities towards Judah to Babylonian hostilities towards Judah. Both of these nations were deadly threats to Israel and Judah—Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom and Babylon conquered the Southern Kingdom—and they prefigure the end times nations of the world that will be trying to destroy Israel in the future. Chapters 36-37 reveal Hezekiah’s trust in God and the subsequent miraculous deliverance from the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem King Sennacherib planned. Chapter 38, which is chronologically prior to the deliverance from the Assyrian Army, reveals Yahweh’s healing of Hezekiah from an illness. Chapter 39 reveals Hezekiah’s lack of trust in God—even godly people can be very fickle—and the pronouncement of judgment on Judah at the hands of Babylon. “Hezekiah faced three crises in a short time: an international crisis (the invasion of the Assyrian army), a personal crisis (sickness and near death), and a national crisis (the visit of the Babylonian envoys). He came through the first two victoriously, but the third one tripped him up” [Warren W. Wiersbe, “Isaiah” in The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament: The Prophets, 43]. Oswalt summarized the first half of the book very well.
    [Show full text]
  • THROUGH the BIBLE ISAIAH 36-39 You're Watching TV When Your
    THROUGH THE BIBLE ISAIAH 36-39 You’re watching TV when your regular programming is interrupted by late-breaking news. A war correspondent on a battlefield is reporting on a crisis. This is what happens in tonight’s text, Isaiah 36-39. In chapter 36 the prophet Isaiah becomes a reporter. He interrupts his prophecy with news from the war zone. The mighty Assyrian army has been slaughtered. Isaiah covers one of the most dramatic battles in OT history. What happened to the Assyrian troops outside Jerusalem was so significant the Bible records it three times: 2 Chronicles 32, 2 Kings 18-20, and here! Chapter 36 begins, “Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.” Assyria was the Heavyweight Champ of the world! Their army appeared invincible. They had a string of impressive knock-outs. And the Assyrian king was a man named, “Sennacherib.” The Assyrian army rolled over the outposts north of Jerusalem - the border towns that served as the city’s first line of defense. Their troops breezed through the barricades and camped just outside Jerusalem’s walls. Imagine, living in the city, peering over the stones at 200,000 soldiers, covering the landscape like ants on buttered bread. Armed to the teeth, they’re dangerous. They’re in attack mode. They want to destroy your family. Fear reigns among the citizens of Jerusalem. “Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.” Lachish was field headquarters for the Assyrians.
    [Show full text]
  • God Is Glorified by Protecting Judah 2 KINGS 18:1–19:37 LESSON 29
    SHARE THE BIBLE LESSON God is glorifi ed by protecti ng Judah WEEK 29 2 Kings 18:1–19:37 WEEK 29 DAY 1 The Assyrians came • 2 Kings 18:1–16 READ ASK Leviti cus 8:1–36 1. What was King Hezekiah known for? EXPLAIN He was known for his great faith The truth of Leviti cus 8:1–36 and for destroying all false worship. Why do bad things happen to good people? Hezekiah was 2. What happened to Israel and why? a very good king who faced very serious trouble. No king God caused them to be defeated of Judah so far had been as zealous for God as David had and exiled because of their sin. been—unti l Hezekiah (2 Kgs 18:3). Hezekiah got rid of 3. Why did trouble come to faithful idolatry and all unauthorized worship (18:4). He trusted people like Hezekiah? God more than any other king (18:5). He kept God’s Because they sti ll live in a sin- commands (18:6b) and stayed faithful to the end (18:6a). As cursed world (Rom 8:22–23). a result, God blessed Hezekiah with the success that comes Because God uses it to show His from obedience (18:7–8; Deut 28:1–14; Josh 1:8). But then power to save and to increase their Sennachrib, the king of Assyria, invaded and devastated faith. Judah (1 Kings 18:13). How could this be if obedience leads to blessing? First, Judah’s defeat was a direct consequence DISCUSS of past sin.
    [Show full text]