JERUSALEM S DELIVERANCE FORETOLD HEZEKIAH S PRAYER ISAIAH PROPHESIES SENNACHERIB S FALL 2 KINGS 19:1-37

Transcription

1 1 JERUSALEM S DELIVERANCE FORETOLD HEZEKIAH S PRAYER ISAIAH PROPHESIES SENNACHERIB S FALL 2 KINGS 19:1-37

2 2 Jerusalem s Deliverance Foretold Hezekiah s Prayer Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib s Fall Text: 2 Kings 19:1-37, 1. When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. 2. He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3. They told him, This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4. It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives. 5. When King Hezekiah s officials came to Isaiah, 6. Isaiah said to them, Tell your master, This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7. Listen! I am going to put such a spirit in him that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword. 8. When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.

3 3 9. Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10. Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. 11. Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12. Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them: the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13. Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah? 14. Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 15. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. 17. It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men s hands. 19. Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God. 20. Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria.

4 4 21. This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him: The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you. The Daughter of Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee. 22. Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! 23. By your messengers you have heaped insults on the Lord. And you have said, With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines. I have reached its remotest parts, the finest of its forests. 24. I have dug wells in foreign lands and drunk the water there. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt. 25. Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone. 26. Their people, drained of power, are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots,

5 5 like grass sprouting on the roof, scorched before it grows up. 27. But I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me. 28. Because you rage against me and your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came. 29. This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 30. Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. 31. For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. 32. Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it.

6 6 33. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. 34. I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant. 35. That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning there were all the dead bodies! 36. So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. 37. One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king. (NIV 1984) Introduction: I. Hezekiah ruled in troublesome and uncertain times. A. The Northern Kingdom had fallen, Assyria had captured forty-six (46) Judean towns, the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem and its propagandists taunted and reviled Hezekiah, the citizens of Jerusalem and, most regrettably, the LORD himself. (See McGee.) II. Isaiah 37:1-38 and 2 Kings 19:1-37 are parallel references. A. Isaiah 37:1-38, When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. He sent Eliakim the palace Administrator, Shebna the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of

7 7 Amoz. They told him, This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives. When King Hezekiah s officials came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, Tell your master, This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! I am going to put a spirit in him so that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword. When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah? Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: O LORD

8 8 Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God. Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word the LORD has spoken against him: The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises and mocks you. The Daughter of Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee. Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have heaped insults on the Lord. And you have said, With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines. I have reached its remotest heights, the finest of its forests. I have dug wells in foreign lands and drunk the water there. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt. Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone. Their people, drained of power, are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, scorched before it grows up. But I know where you

9 9 stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me. Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came. This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant! Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king. (NIV 1984) III. The Pulpit Commentary speaks of this as Sennacherib s second expedition against Hezekiah. A. Chapter 19 was outlined as follows by The Pulpit Commentary:

10 10 Commentary: 1. The sequel to the embassy of Robshakeh (verses 1-8). 2. The insulting letter of Sennacherib (verses 9-14). 3. Hezekiah s prayer, and God s answer to it by the mouth of Isaiah (verses 15-34). 4. The destruction of Sennacherib s host, his hurried flight, and his murder at Ninevah by his sons (verses 35-37). Jerusalem s Deliverance Foretold 2 Kings 19:1, When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. (NIV 1984) I. When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. A. When Hezekiah heard the report of his diplomats regarding their experience with the Assyrian diplomats, he:.. 1. tore his clothes as a sign of grief, penance, distress and affliction. a. 1 Kings 21:27-29, When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. Then the word of the LORD came to

11 11 Elijah the Tishbite: Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son. (NIV 1984) b. 2 Kings 6:30, When the king heard the woman s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and there, underneath, he had sackcloth on his body. (NIV 1984) 2. went into the temple to pray, and sent a delegation to God s prophet Isaiah to receive guidance from the LORD. (See Smith.) B. Coffman wrote that, In his earlier years, Hezekiah had favored an alliance with Egypt, in spite of Isaiah s continual warnings that God alone was the source of Judah s protection; but, in the extremity of this situation, he sought help from Egypt. C. How great is our need, in our nation s great period of corruption and decay, to go to God in prayer, seek his guidance and faithfully do his will! (See McGee.) 2 Kings 19:2, He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. (NIV 1984) I. He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

12 12 A. Eliakim and Shebna are named both here and as members of Hezekiah s delegation who met with the Assyrian diplomats (2 Kings 17:18). 1. Only Joah, of those named in 2 Kings 17:18, is not here specifically named. 2. Hezekiah and his advisors were all dressed in sackcloth indicating their grief. B. Clarke observed that Isaiah was at this time a famous and influential prophet who was known to have the word of the LORD with him. 1. Priests here were sent to the prophet (Isaiah) to hear God s will! 2. Others contemporary prophets may have included Hosea, Joel, Micah, and, perhaps, Obadiah. (The Pulpit Commentary) 3. Isaiah had been Ahaz s counselor and had become Hezekiah s counselor. (The Pulpit Commentary) a. Isaiah 7:4-16, Say to him, Be careful, keep calm and don t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah s son have plotted your ruin, saying, Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it. 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: It will not take place, it will not happen, for the head

13 13 of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights. But Ahaz said, I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test. Then Isaiah said, Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. (NIV 1984) 4. Isaiah could be fully trusted to convey God s message with absolute fidelity. Note: Nothing is known of Amoz other than he was Isaiah s father. 2 Kings 19:3, They told him, This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. (NIV 1984) I. They told him, This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress (trouble) and rebuke and disgrace,...

14 14 A. Hezekiah s approach indicates humility, distress, repentance, and inability to cope with the situation. B. There was no other place for Hezekiah to go but to the LORD! C. Jerusalem was distressed, troubled by Assyria s army and threats, rebuked by the LORD for their sins, disgraced by being so afflicted by heathens. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) II. as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. A. Hezekiah was unable to resist the Assyrians without divine help. 1. This is the current application of this common proverb. B. Clarke wrote, The Jewish state is here represented under the emblem of a woman in travail, who has been so long in the pangs of parturition, that her strength is now entirely exhausted, and her deliverance is hopeless, without a miracle. 2 Kings 19:4, It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives. (NIV 1984)

15 15 I. It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God,... A. Hezekiah spoke of the LORD as Isaiah s God because, due to the sins of Jerusalem, he had distanced himself from the citizens of Jerusalem. B. The blasphemy of Rabshakeh needed to be addressed. 1. Isaiah 37:4, It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives. (NIV 1984) 2. Hezekiah hoped God would punish Rabshakeh and nullify his words. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) 3. 2 Kings 18:30-35, Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death! Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, The LORD will deliver us. Has the god of any nation ever delivered

16 16 his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand? (NIV 1984) C. The Bible speaks of the living God in contrast with the lifeless gods made of wood, stone and metal. 1. Deuteronomy 5:26, For what mortal man has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? (NIV 1984) 2. Joshua 3:10, This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. (NIV 1984) 3. 1 Samuel 17:26, David asked the men standing near him, What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? (NIV 1984) 4. Psalm 42:2, My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (NIV 1984) 5. Psalm 84:2, My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (NIV 1984)

17 17 6. Hosea 1:10, Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, You are not my people, they will be called sons of the living God. (NIV 1984) II. and that he will rebuke (reprove) him for the words the LORD your God has heard. A. 2 Kings 18:33-35, Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand? (NIV 1984) B. 2 Kings 18:25, Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it. (NIV 1984) III. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives. A. The Northern Kingdom had been destroyed and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the remnant, was in severe danger of destruction. B. Hezekiah asks Isaiah to pray for this remnant, the remaining inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah. (See Clarke.) C. The idea of a remnant is prominent in the history of Judah and significant in the New Testament. (See Long.)

18 Kings 15:29, As soon as he began to reign, he killed Jeroboam s whole family. He did not leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all, according to the word of the LORD given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite (NIV 1984) 2. 1 Kings 19:18, Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him. (NIV 1984) 3. 2 Kings 7:13, One of his officers answered, Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened. (NIV 1984) 4. 2 Kings 10:11, So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor. (NIV 1984) 5. 2 Kings 17:18, So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor. (NIV 1984) 6. Isaiah 4:3, Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. (NIV 1984) 7. Isaiah 10:19, 20-22, And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them

19 19 down. In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous. (NIV 1984) 8. Isaiah 11:11, 16, In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt. (NIV 1984) 9. Jeremiah 23:3, I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. (NIV 1984) 10. Jeremiah 31:7, This is what the LORD says: Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel. (NIV 1984) 11. Jeremiah 44:2, This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns

20 20 of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins (NIV 1984) Kings 21:14, I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their foes, (NIV 1984) Kings 24:14, He carried into exile all Jerusalem: all the officers and fighting men, and all the craftsmen and artisans a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left. (NIV 1984) Kings 25:11-12, 22, Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had gone over to the king of Babylon. But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. (NIV 1984) Kings 8:46-53, When they sin against you for there is no one who does not sin and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly ; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies

21 21 who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy; for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace. May your eyes be open to your servant s plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you. For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance, just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, O Sovereign LORD, brought our fathers out of Egypt. (NIV 1984) 16. Romans 9:27, Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. (NIV 1984) 17. Romans 11:5, So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. (NIV 1984) D. Only a remnant of Judah was left because, as The Pulpit Commentary says, forty-six (46) Judaean cities had been captured, over two hundred thousand (200,000) captives had been carried off and Hezekiah s vassals were reduced. 1. Isaiah 1:7-9, Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when

22 22 overthrown by strangers. The Daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a field of melons, like a city under siege. Unless the LORD Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah. (NIV 1984) 2 Kings 19:5, When King Hezekiah s officials came to Isaiah, (NIV 1984) I. When King Hezekiah s officials came to Isaiah,... A. Hezekiah s delegation faithfully discharged their duties and arrived at Isaiah s location in Jerusalem as ordered and planned. 2 Kings 19:6, Isaiah said to them, Tell your master, This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. (NIV 1984) I. Isaiah said to them, Tell your master, This is what the LORD says:... A. It appears that Isaiah had an answer ready for Hezekiah s representatives. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) 1. Isaiah was a resident of Jerusalem and certainly was aware of the city s precarious position in regard to the Assyrians. 2. He naturally would have prayed to God about the present danger and evidently had received a reply from the LORD which he now shares with Hezekiah s representatives.

23 23 II. Do not be afraid of what you have heard those words with which the underlings (servants) of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. A. The word underlings was a term of disparagement, Hailey via Coffman wrote, a contemptuous term. 1. These underlings had disparaged God. Now, Isaiah disparaged Sennacherib s emissaries. B. Hezekiah was not to be afraid of what the Assyrian representatives had said. 1. Don t worry about their threats. C. Isaiah directed Hezekiah to let God deal with enemies, a lesson we should learn. 1. The LORD can handle enemies much better than we can, McGee wrote. 2 Kings 19:7, Listen! I am going to put such a spirit in him that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword. (NIV 1984) I. Listen! I am going (to send a blast upon him) to put such a spirit (of cowardice or a despondent mood) in him that when he hears a certain report (rumor), he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword. A. As this chapter explains, all four of these things happened just as foretold here.

24 24 B. The report, rumor, was that Tirhakah was marching to attack the Assyrian army. C. Sennacherib was murdered by his own sons. (verses 35-37) 2 Kings 19:8, When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. (NIV 1984) I. When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. A. Having been unsuccessful in obtaining the surrender of Jerusalem, the field commander returned to the Assyrian king and found he was involved in battle with Libnah, a neighboring town northwest of Lachish. (See Smith.) 1. There is some uncertainty about the location of Libnah in relation to Lachish. (Coffman quoting the Pulpit Commentary.) 2. Libnah and Lachish were located near each other in the mountains of Judah southward of Jerusalem, Clarke wrote. 2 Kings 19:9, Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: (NIV 1984) I. Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite (Ethiopian) king of Egypt, was marching out to fight against him.

25 25 A. This engagement with the Egyptian king could lead to Sennacherib s defeat and his departure from Palestine. 1. This could be the rumor God had predicted Sennacherib would hear. (Coffman) B. Long wrote, Kitchen argues that in B.C. 701, Tirhakah was sent by his ruling brother Shehitku to assist Hezekiah against the Assyrians. Since Tirhakah becomes king of Egypt by the time of the death of Sennacherib, he appears in Kings as the king of Egypt. C. The military involvement with Libnah and the report of an imminent attack by Tirhakah kept Sennacherib from attacking Jerusalem at that time. (See McGee.) D. The Pulpit Commentary reads. Tirhakah was one of the most distinguished of the later Egyptian monarchs. An Ethiopian by birth and originally ruling from Napata over the Upper Nile valley, he extended his dominion over Egypt probably about B.C. 700, maintaining, however, Shabatok, as a sort of puppet-king, upon the throne. About B.C. 693 he succeeded Shabatok, and held the throne until B.C. 667, being engaged in many wars with the Assyrians. He left numerous memorials in Egypt and Ethiopia, and was regarded by the Greeks as a great conqueror. II. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word:... A. In view of the impending battle with the Egyptian forces, Sennacherib made one final attempt to secure the capitulation of Jerusalem. 1. Sennacherib kept up the pressure on Hezekiah.

26 26 B. Sennacherib did not flee from the Egyptians, but continued his aggression as usual. 2 Kings 19:10, Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. (NIV 1984) I. Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says,... A. Sennacherib asserted once more that Jehovah could not, would not save Jerusalem from the Assyrian attack and that Hezekiah had better surrender while he could Kings 18:29, This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. (NIV 1984) B. Sennacherib surely holds some kind of world record for egotism, blasphemy and stupidity, among other things, in view of his remarks here about the LORD God of heaven and earth! C. Sennacherib continued his tirade against the LORD here even calling God a deceiver. D. This was an ominous letter. Sennecherib had conquered everything in his path, nothing had been able to withstand his might. Sennacherib was saying Hezekiah and Jerusalem would be next. (See McGee.) E. The messengers evidently verbally made Sennacherib s demands to Hezekiah and then presented a written copy of his demands.

27 27 II. Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria! A. Add lying to the list of Sennacherib s world records. B. Sennacherib may have sincerely believed Jerusalem could not withstand his military might. 1. Isaiah 10:8-11, 13-14, Are not my commanders all kings? he says. Has not Calno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols? For he says: By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp. (NIV 1984) 2 Kings 19:11, Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? (NIV 1984) I. Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. A. Assyria had indeed become a much feared power in the area having defeated enemies on all sides. II. And will you be delivered?

28 28 A. We must give the devil his due. Sennacherib was good at waging psychological warfare. B. He is saying that Hezekiah should not think for a minute that Jerusalem, by either human or divine means, would be spared from Assyria s mighty power. 2 Kings 19:12, Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them: the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? (NIV 1984 I. Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them:... A. Assyria s prior rulers are mentioned here as being mighty conquerors. 1. Sennacherib s claim was that neither gods nor men had been able to withstand Assyria and Hezekiah should not think he could withstand Assyria either. 2. The Pulpit Commentary states the Assyrian kings referred to their predecessors as their ancestors. a. In fact, only Sargon of previous Assyrian rulers was a true ancestor of Sennacherib. II. the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assur? A. The cities mentioned here were not mentioned in 2 Kings 18:34.

29 29 1. Gozan was a city or region in northern Mesopotamia, on the river Habor, to which the Israelites were deported by the king of Assyria after the destruction of Samaria. (Youngblood) 2. Haran was a city of northern Mesopotamia. Abraham and his father Terah lived there for a time. (Youngblood) 3. Rezeph was a city in eastern Syria. (Youngblood) 4. People of Eden, a phrase mentioned only here and in Isaiah 37:12, were most likely residents of Ben-Adini, a northern Aramean state on the upper Euphrates, west of the Balikh territory. (Bromiley) a. Isaiah 37:12, Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? (NIV 1984) b. Tel Assur was probably a major city of the Aramean kingdom known as Rit-adini. It was situated on the banks of the middle Euphrates at its great western bend. (Bromiley) 2 Kings 19:13, Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah? (NIV 1984) I. Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah? A. These cities were mentioned in 2 Kings 18:34.

30 30 B. Ilu-bid, king of Hamath, raised a rebellion against Sargon in B.C. 720, and was taken prisoner the same year and carried to Assyria. (The Pulpit Commentary) C. The king of Arpad revolted in conjunction with Hamath, and suffered a similar fate. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) D. Sepharvaim may have been the Syrian city of Sibraim which was situated between Hamath and Damascus. Others believe Sepharvaim may have been two Babylonian cities. (Youngblood) 1. Ezekiel 47:16, Berothah and Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer Hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. (NIV 1984) E. Hena was a Syrian town captured by Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Hena may be the same as Anah, a town on the Euphrates River about twenty (20) miles from Babylon (Youngblood). F. Ivvah (Ivah) was a city state of Samaria captured by the Assyrians and may be the same as Ava or Avva. (Youngblood) Hezekiah s Prayer 2 Kings 19:14, Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. (NIV 1984) 2 Chronicles 32:20, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. (NIV 1984)

31 31 I. Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. A. While previously Sennacherib had communicated by way of representatives, this time he communicated by letter which was delivered by messengers. B. It was customary for kings to communicate by letter, and not merely by messengers. (The Pulpit Commentary) 1. 2 Kings 5:5, By all means, go, the king of Aram replied. I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. (NIV 1984) 2. 2 Kings 20:12, At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah s illness. (NIV 1984) 3. 2 Chronicles 2:11, Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon: Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you their king. (NIV 1984) 4. Nehemiah 1:9, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name. (NIV 1984) II. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. A. The good king Hezekiah took his problems to the LORD.

32 32 1. Hezekiah set us all a wonderful example: We would do well to take all our problems to the LORD. 2. The temple was regarded as God s dwelling place. a. The letter was spread before God in the LORD s house for him to read. (See Clarke.) b. Placing the letter before the LORD was Hezekiah s way of silently pleading for God s help. 2 Kings 19:15, And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. (NIV 1984) I. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between (or on) the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. A. Hezekiah demonstrated profound trust in the LORD God and gave to him proper adulation and praise. B. God was LORD not only of Israel, but also of Assyria and all other nations of the world. (Clarke) 1. Yahweh was not simply a local deity as Sennacherib supposed. C. O LORD, God of Israel is rendered, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel in Isaiah 37:16.

33 33 D. The God of all the earth had chosen Judah-Israel as his chosen people and was enthroned between the cherubim in the Most Holy Place of the temple. II. You have made heaven and earth. A. The works of Yahweh are incomparable. 1. Heathen idols were imaginary, able to do absolutely nothing. 2. Isaiah 41:23-24, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; he who chooses you is detestable. (NIV 1984) 2 Kings 19:16, Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. (NIV 1984) I. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see;... A. McGee asked, Do you ever feel that God is not listening to you? 1. This is the way Hezekiah felt. B. McGee referred to Martin Luther s pleading with God to hear him. 1. LORD, are you hearing me? LORD, hear me. LORD, let your ear be open to my prayer.

34 34 2. Psalm 31:2, Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. (NIV 1984) 3. Psalm 71:2, Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. (NIV 1984) 4. Psalm 86:1, Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. (NIV 1984) 5. Proverbs 22:17, Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, (NIV 1984) II. listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. A. You know the blasphemies of Sennacherib. 1. Please help us, O LORD. 2. Punish the blasphemer. 2 Kings 19:17, It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. (NIV 1984) I. It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. A. Isaiah 37:18, It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. (NIV 1984)

35 35 B. Isaiah 10:5-14, Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. Are not my commanders all kings? he says. Has not Calno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols? When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. For he says: By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp. (NIV 1984) C. Past success does not guarantee future success. (The Pulpit Commentary) 1. Isaiah 10:5-14, Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is

36 36 not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. Are not my commanders all kings? he says. Has not Calno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols? When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. For he says: By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp. (NIV 1984) 2. All is in the hand of the LORD, and will be determined as God pleases. 2 Kings 19:18, They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men s hands. (NIV 1984) I. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men s hands. A. Heathen idols are not in the same category, class with Jehovah.

37 37 B. The ordinary practice of the Assyrians was to carry off the images taken from a conquered people, and to set them up in their own country as trophies of victory. (The Pulpit Commentary) 1. Isaiah 46:1-2, Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity. (NIV 1984) 2. Idols of little value, made of wood, stone and bronze, were often burned or destroyed. 3. Isaiah 43:17, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: (NIV 1984) 4. Isaiah 44:9-20, All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing? He and his kind will be put to shame; craftsmen are nothing but men. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and infamy. The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He

38 38 shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is man s fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, Ah! I am warm; I see the fire. From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, Save me; you are my god. They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood? He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, Is not this thing in my right hand a lie? (NIV 1984) 5. Isaiah 46:6-7, Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles. (NIV 1984)

39 39 2 Kings 19:19, Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God. (NIV 1984) I. Now, O LORD, our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God. A. Hezekiah begged God to rescue Jerusalem so all nations would know that only Jehovah was truly God! B. Sennacherib placed Jehovah and all the idols of other nations as equals, but Hezekiah draws the strongest possible contrast between Jehovah and idols. (The Pulpit Commentary) 1. 2 Kings 18:33-35, Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand? (NIV 1984) 2. Show your power so the heathens will know you are the only true God in heaven and earth, Hezekiah was asking. a. Exodus 32:12, Why should the Egyptians say, It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. (NIV 1984)