Conquered By Egypt, And Then By Babylon

Josiah had ben argueably the best king Israel or Judah ever had, following God to the best of his ability.  When he was killed, the people crowned his son Jehoahaz as king.  Jehoahaz deliberately turned away from God’s standards, copying his ancestors such as Amon, Manasseh, and Ahaz.  His reign only lasted three months, as II Kings 23:31-32 tells us.  “Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.”

Having defeated Josiah’s forces a Meggido, Pharaoh had gone on to carchemesh, where he successfully thwarted the Babylonian invasion.  On his way back to Egypt, he took control of Judah, forcing them to pay tribute according to II Kings 23:35.  “And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.”

As proof of his power, Pharaoh named his brother Eliakim king, changing his name to Jehoiakim, and carrying Jehoahaz to Egypt as a hostage, as II Chronicles 36:4 tells us.  “And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.”

In order to retain power, Jehoiakim paid the tribute, taxing the people to make the payments.  He followed the same path his brother had taken, and most of the people went along with it.  He would reign for a total of eleven years. As we see in II Kings 23:35-37.  “And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaohnechoh.  Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.”

Four years after Pharaoh had successfully defended Carchemesh, the Babylonians attacked the city, seizing control of the Assyrian Empire and expelling the Egyptian forces and claiming their territory.   Eight years after being taken over by the Egyptians, Judah became a Babylonian territory.  Three years later, Jehoiakim rebelled against Babylonian rule, as II Kings 24:1 describes.  “In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.”

This resulted in an invasion by the combined forces of the Babylonian Empire, fulfilling God’s prophecies, as II Kings 24:2-4 describes.  “And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets.  Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.” Though they had stopped doing those sins for a time, they had never repented of them or asked forgiveness, just kind of pushing them under the rug and ignoring them.

During this time, God sent various prophets, including Jeremiah to warn the people not to rebel, but to trust God, as described in Jeremiah 25, 26, 27, 35, 36, and 37.  As a result of the rebellion, Jehoiakim was taken as hostage and his son Jehoiachim became king, as II Chronicles 36:6-8 describes.  “Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.  Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.”

With the taking of Judah, Basbylon controlled everything to the traditional border of Egypt, eliminating Egypt as a threat, as we see in II Kings 24:7.  "And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.”  Several years later, Nebuchadnezzar would invade and conquer Egypt as well.   

Josiah Is Killed

From the very beginning of his reign, Josiah sought to please God.  After they found a copy of God’s Law, he began a concerted effort to get all of Judah to follow God as well, even out doing David in his devotion, as II Kings 23:25 tells us.  “And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.”

A great leader can influence peopl’s behaviou, but he cannot control their attitudes.  Although the people accepted Josiah’s leadership for over thirty years, destroying all the idols and stopping worshipping the false gods, they never truly confessed or repented of their idolatry under Manasseh and Amon.  As a result, they had never been forgiven for that sin, as II Kings 23:26-27 tells us.  “Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.  And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.” 

Thae Assyrian Empire was beginning to fade as the Babylonian Empire grew, and had been forced to withdraw to Charchemish on the Euphrates River, far north of israel and Judah.  The Egyptians claimed the city and went to their aid, apparently crossing Jewish territory.  Josiah refused to give them passage, as II Chronicles 35:20 tells us.  “After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. “

Necho II, the Egyptian pharaoh attempted to negotiate with Josiah, insisting they had no intention of attacking Judah, but Josiah refused to listen, disguising himself, and leading an attack on the Egyptians in the valley of Meggido, as II Chronicles 35:21-22 describes.  “But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.  Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.”

The Egyptians were victorious, and Josiah was fatally injured in the fighting and was taken back to Jerusalem, as II Chronicles 35:23-24 explains.  “And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.  His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.”

Josiah had been the best king they ever had and all Judah mourned over his death at such a young age.  Jeremiah held a special memorial for him that was to be observed in the future, according to II Chronicles 35:25-27.  “And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.  Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the LORD, And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.”

Because of their respect for Josiah, the people made his son Jehoahaz king as II chronicles 36:1 tells us.  “Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.”

Celebrating The Passover

Israel had not consistently kept the Passover, since Solomon’s day, although Hezekiah had re-instituted it almost a hundred years before.  In his eighteenth year as king, Josiah ordered the celebration of the Passover, in II Chronicles 35:1-6.  “Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.  And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD,  And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel, And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.  And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.  So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.”

II Kings 23:21 tells us he insisted it be done in accordance with the commands given in the book of the Law they had discovered, rather than just following tradition.  “And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.”

Josiah set an example, donating thousands of animals for sacrifices, and his subordinates followed his example, in II Chronicles 35:7-9.  “And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance.  And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.  Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.”

The law had specified that each family or household was to celebrate the Passover.  If a family was too small to eat an entire lamb, they were to invite their neighbors and eat it together.  Josiah had the entire nation of Judah celebrate the Passover together.  The priests and Levites killed the lambs, and sprinkled the blood for them, dividing them up among the families and roasting the meat as directed in the law, but also offering other sacrifices according to II Chronicles 35:10-14.  “So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.  And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.  And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.  And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people.  And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.”

The celebration was not limited to just celebrating the Passover, but included the temple musicians and the offering of other sacrifices as well.  They continued right on through the next seven days of the Feast of unleavened bread, according to ii Chronicles 35;15-17.  “And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.  So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Josiah.  And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.”

Hezekiah’s celebration of Passover had been the biggest one since David’s time, and Josiah’s surpassed even that of Hezekiah, according to II Chronicles 35:18-19.  “And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.”

Changing People’s Daily Lives

God had promised that Josiah would escape destruction because he sincerely sought to please God, but that Judah would be destroyed for their rejection of God.  Josiah spent the next few years trying to turn Judah completely to the Lord, destroying the high places and drove the false priests out of the cities, although he was unable to completely eradicate the idolatry, as II Kings 23:8-9 tells us.  “And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.  Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren.”

In Leviticus, God had specially forbidden sacrificing children to the Ammonite God, Molech,besides the prohibitions agains serving other Gods.  Solomon had built temples to Molech, and other kings had set up altars to other gods.    Josiah went through the land, destroying these temples and altars as II Kings 23:10-14 describes, to prevent the people from worshipping those other gods.  “And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.  And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.

And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.  And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.  And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.”

When Israel and Judah split after Solomon’s death, about three hundred fifty years before, Jeroboam had started his own religion, with Bethel as one of the centers of worship.  God had warned that the altar would be destroyed by a king named Josiah, in I Kings 13:1-2.  “And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.  And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.”

Three hundred fifty years later, Josiah fulfilled that promise, in II Kings 23:15-18.  “Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.  And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.  Then he said, What title is that that I see?

And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.

 And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.”

While he was at it, Josiah wiped out the false religions throughout both Judah and Israel, as described in II Kings 23:19-24.  “And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.  And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.   Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.”

While it was essential that the teachings and practices in the church be corrected, it would have little impact unless changes are made in the people’s daily lives as well.  Josiah was doing everything he could to prevent or postpone Judah’s destruction. 

Correcting Problems In The Church

For years, Josiah had tried to please God, without knowing what god actually wanted.  Sadly, today many Christians are in the same boat because churches have become so wrapped up in fulfilling the first part of the Great commission of Matthew 28:19-20 that they have neglected the last part, where Jesus said “…teaching them to observe all thing whatsoever I have commanded you.”  This requires a lot of time and effort, and Josiah would spend the next twenty years making the necessary changes.  

He started by reading God’s commands to the people so that they knew what was expected, then got them to commit to following those commands, in II Chronicles 34:29-33.  “Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.  And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.  And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.

And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.  And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.”

II chronicles 34:33 makes it sound like the corrections came about rather easily when the people committed themselves.  II chronicles 23 describes some of the things that had to be done.  The first thing was to eradicate all the idols and religious practices  that had been incorporated into the Temple worship and eliminate the false teachers and priests, as we see in II Kings 23:4-6.  “And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.  And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.  And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.”

Because Christian have not been systematically taught what God commands, Chruches have adopted religious practices and beliefs from various other groups, incorporating them into their beliefs and practices, just as Paul warned in I Timothy 4:1-3.  “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”  While Christians have the Holy Spirit to guide them, without a solid biblical background, they have no way of determining whether a practice or belief is from the Holy spirit or from some Satanic being.  John 14:26 tells us, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”  He can’t bring to mind things they have never heard. 

One obvious result of not following the Lord properly is a break down of moral standards.  Time after time when Israel and Judah turned away from god, they began to tolerate sexual immorality, and especially homosexuality.  One of the things that are essential for people to please God and avoid his judgment is to eliminate sexual immorality as Paul tells us in I Corinthians 5:11-13.  “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.  For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?  But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”  Josiah had to deal with homosexuality, in II Kings 23:7.  “And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.”

Until problems in the church are properly addressed, it will be difficult to bring the people to a truly godly spiritual state.   

Because He Served God, Josiah Would Escape Destruction

Eighteen years after Josiah became king, they began to repair and refurbish the temple.  In the process of cleaning things out, Hilkiah the priest found a copy of the Old Testament Law which had not been seen since Hezekiah’s death.  It was an important find, which they quickly brought to the king’s attention, as II Chronicles 34:14-18 points out.  “And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.  And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.  And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.  Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.”

For eighteen years, Josiah had been trying to serve God, based on the traditions and memories of the priests and Levites.  He was shocked to learn how little of the Law they had kept.  Sadly, we see the same thing in churches across America today.  Though God’s Word has been there all the time,  few have bothered to read it, and even fewer to actually study and practice it.   When they begin to see what the Bible commands, like Josiah, many are shocked. 

Josiah sent a group of people to find out what they needed to do in order to escape God’s judgement, in II Kings 22:11-13.  “And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.  And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go ye, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.“

Huldah the prophetess was able to tell them what God said about Judah’s disobedience, in II Chronicles 34:22-28.  “And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and they spake to her to that effect.

And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.  And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard; Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.  Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.”

Beause of their continued sin, Judah was going to face all the judgments God had promised as a result of such sin.  However, the sin was not Josiah’s fault, and because of his efforts to turn them back to God, he would be allowed to finish his reign in peace, without having to see the consequences of their sin.   It is much like the promises to the churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia in Revelation 2 and three, when he promised that because of their faithfulness, they would not experience the same conflicts as the other churches around them. 

Josiah Sets Out To Serve The Lord

Amon had reigned just two years when he was murdered at the age of twenty four.  His son, Josiah was only eight when his father died and he became king.  Unlike his father, Josiah sought to please the Lord, as II Kings 22:1-2 tells us.  “Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.   And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.”

Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh had originally been a wicked king, completely uninterested in serving God, but later in life turned fully to God.  Josiah was only eight when he became king, but he chose to follow the example his grandfather set for him, rather than his father’s.  As he grew, he understood more of it meant to serve God, and when he turned sixteen, he began to actively lead the people in worshipping God, as II Chronicles 34:3-7 tells us.  "For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.  And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.  And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.  And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.  And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.” 

Israel had been conquered and the Israelites relocated by the Assyrians in Hezekiah”s day, about ninety years before.  The Assyrians had replaced the Jews with other races, who had adopted many of the jewish beliefs and practices.  Josiah was able to go even into some of those areas and eliminate the various idols and altars.   Ten years after he began to turn the people back to worshipping God, Josiah gave orders to repair and rebuild the temple, as described in II Chronicles 34:8-13.  “Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.  And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the house: Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.

And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of music.  Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.”

A bad leader can destroy years of hard work in a very short time.  It took Josiah eighteen years to rebuild what his father had destroyed in just two years.   The choice of our leaders is of critical importance for the church, and should be carefully considered.  The qualifications paul lists in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are designed to determine whether a man is spiritually and morally capable of leading the church properly.  If the man cannot meet those requirements himself, how can he teach others to do so?

Amon Turns Away From God

Manasseh had started out to turn Judah completely away from the Lord, worshipping the gods of all the people around them and using the temple for idolatry.  When God sent prophets to warn him and then caused the things they warned about, he changed and began to serve the Lord, eliminating all the idols and false worship he could.  He had reigned fifty five years, but had been unable to completely eradicate the worship in the high places once he started it.

His son Amon had been born after Manasseh turned to the Lord, and never saw the struggles when they were going against him.  Like Manasseh, he started his reign by returning to the worship of all the idols Manasseh had originally worshippe, as II Kings 21:19-22 describes.  “Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did.  And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:  And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD.”

When Manasseh saw the consequences of his sin, he had changed his course and followed the Lord.  Amon did all the same things against God, ignoring the warnings and example of turning to God, as II Chronicles 33:22-23 tells us.  “But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them; And humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.”

After two years of doing things his own way, his personal servants had had enough and murdered him, according to II Kings 21:23.  “And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house.” It was not a widespread conspiracy, and the people promptly executed the conspirators, as II Kings 21:24 tells us, making his Josiah king.  “And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.”

While the people did not approve of his murder, they did not consider Amon as one of the great kings of Judah.  Like his father, Amon was buried in the garden of Uzzah, rather then in the sepulchers of the great kings of the past, as II Kings 21:25-26 tells us.  Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.” 

When people deliberately turn away from him, God is not obligated to give them numerous chances to return.  Amon had Manasseh’s example, and when he ignored it, God only gave him a short time to repent and make changes.

Manasseh Turns To God

God warned Manasseh and Judah what would happen but like a lot of people, they didn’t listen, as II Chronicles 33:10-11 tells us.  “And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.   Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.”  Like many children, he was assuming God was just threatening them but would not actually do what he said. 

When he realized God meant what he said, began to pay attention to him, turning to God just as his father had doen, as II Chronicles 33:12-16 tells us.  “And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.  Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.  And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.  And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.”

Manasseh was like many people who have grown up in good homes, never realizing the good things were the result of their parent’s attitudes and standards.   When he realized that, he made the necessary changes and began experiencing the blessings for himself.  Hezekiah had been able to get the people to completely turn away from worshipping in the high plces.  They went back to it when Manasseh became king, and he was never able to stop it completely, as II Chronicles 33:17 tells us.  “Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only.”  Once you have encouraged something that is wrong, it is very hard to correct it completely.  Though the people worshippe only God, they would never follow him completely, readily turning away when Manasseh’s son led them away. 

God forgave Manasseh when he repented and turned to God, but the consequences of his sin would carry on for many years, affecting Judah’s future.  As often happens, people remembered his life before he turned to God more than the things he did afterward, as II Chronicles 33:18-19 describe.  “Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel.  His prayer also, and how God was entreated of him, and all his sins, and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers.”  Manasseh reigned fifty five years, yet these are the main things that are remembered about him. 

While he was a fairly good king during most of his reign, he did not have a great impact on the nation, and was buried in a private garden rather than with the other great kings, accorcing to II Kings 21:18.   “And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.”

Manasseh Destroys Hezekiah’s Legacy

Hezekiah had set out to serve the Lord in the first year of his reign, and had faithfully continued for twenty nine years.  After God caused the death of a so many of the Assyrian army half way through his reign, there had been no major challenges.  His son Manasseh was born after this, and had never experienced a time when God wasn’t blessing Judah.  As a result, like many who,ve grown up in he had no idea how blessed he was, and saw no reason for serving God, as II Chronicles 33:1-5describes.  “Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.  Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.  And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.  And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.  And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.”

One of the first things Hezekiah had done was to reopen the Temple, and clean out all the altars and high places and the idols, including the ones that had been built in the temple grounds.  Manasseh undid everything his father had done, rebuilding the altars and high places, and encouraging the worship of false gods, even encouraging worship of other gods in the Temple itself. 

Manasseh went even further into sin, sacrificing his own children to Molech and getting involved with witchcraft,  astrology and the horoscope, and with psychics, as II Chronicles 33:6 tells us.  “And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.”  In all these things, he was in direct violation of God’s command, in Deuteronomy 18:9-12.  “When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”

While Ahaz had closed up the Temple so they couldn’t use it, Manasseh placed an idol inside it and began using it to practice other religions, in direct defiance of God’s commands, as we see in II Chronicles 33:7-9.  “And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers; so that they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.  So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

God sent various prophets to warn them of the Judgement that would result, in II Kings 21:10-15.  “And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.  And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.  And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.”

All of these things were a direct result of what Manasseh had done and encouraged the people to do.  As II Chronicles 33:10 tells us, “…the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.”  Rather than listening to God, Manasseh had thousands who opposed him killed as II Kings 21:16 tells us.  “Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.”

Like Manasseh, many times those who have grown up in the best homes are the ones who most resent their parents and the society around them.  It is crucial they learn to appreciate how blessed they are.  When they accept those blessings as normal, they begin to resent the very principles that caused the blessings.    

Godly Men Still Make Mistakes

Although he was one of Judah’s greatest kings, and dedicated to following the Lord, Hezekiah was still a human being, and messed up, as II Chronicles 32:25-26 tells us.  “But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.  Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.”

God had blessed Hezekiah in many different ways, and as so often happens, Hezekiah became proud of the way God blessed him.   II Chronicles 32:27-30 describes his blessings.  “And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels; Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks.  Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance: for God had given him substance very much.  This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.”

As so often happens, Hezekiah’s pride in how he had been blessed became a problem, as II Chronicles 32:31 tells us.  “Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.” At the time, Babylon was a minor part of the Assyrian Empire, and Hezekiah was flattered when they sent ambassadors enquiring about his health.  II Kings 20:12-13 tells what happened.  “At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.  And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.” 

God sent Isaiah to warn Hezekiah that flaunting his wealth would lead to the Babylonians invading Judah when they became strong enough, in Isaiah 39:3-8.  “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.

Then said he, What have they seen in thine house?

And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them.

Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.  And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.”

While God expects us to enjoy the things he blesses us with, we need to be careful not to flaunt then or make other people feel that God doesn’t love them as much because he hasn’t blessed them in the same way even though they have done the same things.  Sometimes we discourage other Christians by bragging about how much we are blessed, and other times we tempt ungodly people by flaunting what we have.   Nobody is perfect, and even the most Godly men can mess up. 

Hezekiah was very highly respected by his people, as was demonstrated when he died, in II Chronicles 32:33.  “And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.”

The people refused to allow some of the kings to even be buried in the same cemetary as David. But Hezekiah was buried in an area reserved for their greatest leaders. 

God Answers Hezekiah’s Prayer

Hezekiah had served the Lord wholeheartedly, for many years, and seen God’s power repeatedly.  After God defeated the Assyrians, Hezekiah got sick and Isaiah warned him he was going to die.  Hezekiah prayed asking God to spare his life, in II Kings 20:1-4.  “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.  Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.”

God responded to Hezekiah’s prayer immediately, as II Kings 20:4-7 tells us.  “And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.  And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.  And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.”

God had said in Deuteronomy 18:22 that they would know a prophecy was true if the prophet gave them somme immediate sign and it happened.  While Hezekiah felt better immediately, he wanted assurance he would really be healed and wasn’t just experiencing a temporary remission.  As a sign God gave him a choice of having the sundial jump ahead forty minutes or go backward forty minutes, in II Kings 20:8-9.  “And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?

And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?”

Since the sun always moves forward, Hezekiah thought it would not have much effect for the shadow to move forward forty minutes on the sundial, but to move backward forty minutes would be a significant sign.  God gave the sign, as II Kings 20:10-11 tells us.  “And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.  And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.”

In Isaiah 38:9-20, Hezekiah describes how blessed and thankful he was for God’s having saved his life.  “The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.  I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.  Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.  I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.  Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.  What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.  Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.  For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.  The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.  The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.”

God Destroys The Assyrian Threat

Hezekiah was praying, not only that God would deliver Judah from the Assyrians, but also that they might recognize God as the only real God.  God responded by sending Isaiah to assure him that he had heard his prayer, and that he was offended by the Assyrian’s casual assumption that he would be powerless to stop them, in II Kings 19:20-24.  “Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.  This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.  Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.  By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.  I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.”

They had ignored the historical records, and failed to understand God is the creator of the world.   Their victories had been against people who had turned against God, and they had won because he gave them victory, not because of their great power, as he explains in II Kings 19:25-26.  “Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.  Therefore 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 house tops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.”

God knew exactly where they lived and what their attitudes were.  He would use their pride ad hatred for him against them. as we see in II Kings 19:27-28.  “But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.  Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will 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.” 

As proof of his intention to save Judah, despite their in ability to plant due to the threats of war, they would be able to live on the things that grew voluntarily for the remainder of that year, and the next, and then things would get back to normal, with Judah again growing in strength.  The Assyrians would never set foot in Jerusalem, according to II Kings 19:29-34.  “And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, 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 fruits thereof.  And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.  By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.  For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.”

God had chosen Jerusalem to be his holy city, and for the sake of his own reputation, as well as his promises to David, he would defend the city.  The people would not even have to fight to protect it.  II Kings 19:35-37 describes what happened.  “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.  So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.  And 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 Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.”

A hundred eighty five thousand Assyrian soldiers died that night.  Shocked by such a loss, Sennacherib withdrew, returning to Nineveh, the capital to regroup.  Two of his sons murdered him while he was worshipping his gods, escaping into Armenia, and another of his sons seized the throne.  Sennacherib’s death precipitated a gradual decline of the Assyrian Empire which continued about a hundred years, until they were defeated by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar.  They never again threatened Judah. 

The Assyrians Are Forced To Withdraw Temporarily

After hearing Rabshakeh out and observing his efforts to demoralize the Jews, Hezekiah’s representatives were really worried that people might turn away, when they reported to the king.  Hezekiah sought the Lord’s guidance in dealing with the threats, in II Kings 18:37-19:4.  “Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.  And 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 the LORD.  And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.  It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.”

Isaiah told them that they didn’t need to worry, That God would take care of the Assyrian threat because of their blasphemy against him, in II Kings 19:5-7.  “So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.  And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.  Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”

Learning that Sennacherib had taken Lachish and was besieging Libnah, Tabshakeh reported back to him.  Learning that the Ethiopians , who had control of Northern Africa were threatening to invade Assyria, Sennacherib sent messages to Hezekiah warning he would be back and defeat them as soon as the Ethiopian threat was resolved, in II Kings 19:8-14.  “So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.  And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.  Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?  Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar?  Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?”

When Hezekiah got the message, he took it to the temple and spread it before God, asking that he would save Judah from the Assyrians. In II Kings 19:14-19.  “And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.  And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.  LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.  Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And 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.  Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.”

The Assyrians had conquered every group they invaded, despite the people’s prayers to their gods.  Hezekiah prayed that God would defeat them, showing he was the only true God.   God had already promised that Sennacherib would be forced to return home.where he would be killed, but this letter stille troubled Hezekiah, and he sought reassurance of God’s power.  Even when we believe God’s promises, sometimes our faith is tested by the thing we see around us. 

The Assyrians Attempt To Demoralise The Jews

Hezekiah had tried to negotiate a treaty with the Assyrians, but they refused to negotiate.  Realizing they intended to attack, he prepared to defend Jerusalem and Judah.  At the time, the Assyrian army engaged in a siege against Lachish, but the Assyrian king sent representatives to Jerusalem in an effort to destroy Judah’s morale as II kings 18:17-25 describes.  “And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.

And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.  And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?  Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words), I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.  But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.  How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?  Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.”

The Assyrian delegation reminded the leader that Judah was pretty small compare to the Assyrian Empire, which had taken Israel several years before, as well as Syria.   If they were counting on Egypt to come to their rescue they better think again because the Egyptians would see it as an opportunity to take Judah for themselves, and if they thought God would come to their rescue, they needed to realize Hezekiah had destroyed all the high places and altars.   Like many people today, Rabshakeh had no understanding of the difference between being religious and obeying God.   They think all the various religions should get together because after all, they are all trying to accomplish the same thing.  They don’t understand that many of those religious behaviors are in fact opposed to what God wants. 

To further demoralize them, he offered to provide a thousand war horses if they could find enough qualified riders to use them, pointing out that if he could spare that many, they had no hope of defeating him.  Finally, he claimed that God had sent the Assyrians to destroy Judah and rezsistance would be going against God. 

Rabshakeh had deliberately spoken in Hebrew to demoralize the people, as is apparent from his response when the jewish leaders asked him to speak in the Syrian language.  He was hoping to convince the people to turn against Hezekiah, as II Kings 18:26-35 describes.  “Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?  Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria: Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand: Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.  

Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern: Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.  Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?  Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?  Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?

II Chronicles 32:11-19 goes into detail about the attacks on Hezekiah and the mockery of God.  “ Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?  Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it?  Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand?  Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?  Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?

And his servants spake yet more against the LORD God, and against his servant Hezekiah.  He wrote also letters to rail on the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand.  Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.  And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man.”

Ungodly people do not see any difference betweem God and the deities of other religions, and as a result they assume all religions are pretty much the same other than some outward trappings.  They think it ridiculous that people would think what God said really matters, or that he has any power to stop them from getting their way.  They try to discourage your trusting him, even making fun of your beliefs and insisting you change.    

Dealing With A Threat

Under Ahaz, there had been continual war with the Philistines, with Israel and with Syria. When Hezekiah turned the people back to God, God blessed, giving Hesekiah victory over them,  About the same time, the Assyrians conquered Israel and Syria, eliminating those threats, as II Kings 18:8-12 describes.  “He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.  And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.  And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.  And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes: Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.”

Ten years after they first invaded Israel, the Assyrians invaded Judah, attacking and capturing several cities alo0ng the border.  In an effort to avoid war with such a powerful opponent, Hezekiah apologized and offered great financial rewards, as II Kings 18:13-16 describes.  “Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.  And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.  And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house.  At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.” 

Though the Assyrians agreed on a set amount that Hezekiah agreed to pay, they had no intention of settling for the money, wanting to control the entire area.  Efforts to appease agressors seldom work, and realizing his efforts had failed, Hezekiah prepared for war, in II Chronicles 32:2-8.  “And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?  Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance.

And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”

In an effort to hinder the Assyrian attack, Hezekiah and the people blocked the water sources around the city, while excavating a tunnel or conduit to bring water into the city so that they would have an adequate supply, feeding it into the upper pool.  He spent considerable effort repairing and strengthening their fortifications and building additional weapons, and spent some time training and organizing the army for a prolonged battle.  He reminded the people that as powerful as the Assyrian army might be, God was still greater.  By this time, Hezekiah had so earned their trust that the people believed him.