II Kings 19:20-37a, II Chronicles 32:21-23
“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.” (II Kings 19:20)
Forced to turn his attention to stopping the invading Ethiopian army, Sennacherib had to break off his attempt to conquer Judah. In an effort to maintain psychological pressure, he sent a message to Hezekiah warning him that he’d be back as soon as he’d whipped the Ethiopians. Troubled by his comments, Hezekiah had prayed about it. God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah he had heard his prayer against Sennacherib.
“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.” (II Kings 19:21-24)
Sennacherib had approached Judah like some gang leader who has decided to take a girl for himself. He thinks she ought to want him just for his power, but if she doesn’t, she will submit because she is afraid not to. After all, he’s made a point that her boyfriend can’t do anything to save her and will hurt if she resists, and he’s always got his way before. The only real difference between most gang wars and wars between countries is the size of the gangs involved.
“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.” (II Kings 19:25-26)
In his pride, Sennacherib has ignored who God is and that he created the world. He had enabled Assyria to conquer Israel and the other countries because they would not do what was right and God had taken away their strength. Assyria’s success wasn’t the result of their superiority, in spite of what they thought.
“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.” (II Kings 19:27-28)
God knows who they are and where they live, and exactly what it will take to get them where he wants them. Because of their blasphemy and hatred, he’s going to do things tha will make them go bacto where they came from.
“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.” (II Kings 19:29-31)
Assyria had prevented their planting and caring for their crops, and they had eaten their stored grain. As a sign, God would cause enough to grow wild, to feed them throughout the remainder of that year. The following year enough would come up voluntarily to feed them and give seed for the third year. They would not have to stay in the cities for protection while Assyria fought the Ethiopians, but could resume their normal lives.
“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.” (II Kings 19:32-34)
God himself would defend Jerusalem, and the Assyrian army would never attack. They wouldn’t build any fortifications, or shoot an arrow over the wall. God was going to do things to force Sennacherib to return to Nineveh to his capitol.
"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.” (II Kings 19:35)
“And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria.” (II Chronicles 32:21a)
That same night, a hundred eighty five thousand of the officers and elite Assyrian troops died of unknown causes. With his best troops and officers gone and no explanation of their death, Sennacherib was forced to break off his engagement with the Ethiopians.
“So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.” (II Kings 19:36)
“…So he returned with shame of face to his own land…” (II Chronicles 32:21b)
Think what an embarrassment it must have been for greatest army in the world to have to break off their fight with the Ethiopians in their own territory and withdraw to Nineveh, near present day Mosul in Iraq to rebuild their army.
“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.” (II Kings 19:37a)
Sennacherib had boasted that God could not save Judah from him and his gods. His own god, Nisroch was unable to save his life from God. As Isaiah had prophesied, he was murdered by his own children in the city where he should have been the safest. The sons that murdered him escaped northward into Armenia and his son Esarhaddon took the throne.
“Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side. And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.” (II Chronicles 32:22-23)
This left Judah as the only country in the region which had not been conquered by Assyria. Hezekiah was highly respected and his friendship sought as an alternative to Assyrian domination.
“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.” (II Kings 19:20)
Forced to turn his attention to stopping the invading Ethiopian army, Sennacherib had to break off his attempt to conquer Judah. In an effort to maintain psychological pressure, he sent a message to Hezekiah warning him that he’d be back as soon as he’d whipped the Ethiopians. Troubled by his comments, Hezekiah had prayed about it. God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah he had heard his prayer against Sennacherib.
“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.” (II Kings 19:21-24)
Sennacherib had approached Judah like some gang leader who has decided to take a girl for himself. He thinks she ought to want him just for his power, but if she doesn’t, she will submit because she is afraid not to. After all, he’s made a point that her boyfriend can’t do anything to save her and will hurt if she resists, and he’s always got his way before. The only real difference between most gang wars and wars between countries is the size of the gangs involved.
“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.” (II Kings 19:25-26)
In his pride, Sennacherib has ignored who God is and that he created the world. He had enabled Assyria to conquer Israel and the other countries because they would not do what was right and God had taken away their strength. Assyria’s success wasn’t the result of their superiority, in spite of what they thought.
“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.” (II Kings 19:27-28)
God knows who they are and where they live, and exactly what it will take to get them where he wants them. Because of their blasphemy and hatred, he’s going to do things tha will make them go bacto where they came from.
“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.” (II Kings 19:29-31)
Assyria had prevented their planting and caring for their crops, and they had eaten their stored grain. As a sign, God would cause enough to grow wild, to feed them throughout the remainder of that year. The following year enough would come up voluntarily to feed them and give seed for the third year. They would not have to stay in the cities for protection while Assyria fought the Ethiopians, but could resume their normal lives.
“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.” (II Kings 19:32-34)
God himself would defend Jerusalem, and the Assyrian army would never attack. They wouldn’t build any fortifications, or shoot an arrow over the wall. God was going to do things to force Sennacherib to return to Nineveh to his capitol.
"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.” (II Kings 19:35)
“And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria.” (II Chronicles 32:21a)
That same night, a hundred eighty five thousand of the officers and elite Assyrian troops died of unknown causes. With his best troops and officers gone and no explanation of their death, Sennacherib was forced to break off his engagement with the Ethiopians.
“So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.” (II Kings 19:36)
“…So he returned with shame of face to his own land…” (II Chronicles 32:21b)
Think what an embarrassment it must have been for greatest army in the world to have to break off their fight with the Ethiopians in their own territory and withdraw to Nineveh, near present day Mosul in Iraq to rebuild their army.
“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.” (II Kings 19:37a)
Sennacherib had boasted that God could not save Judah from him and his gods. His own god, Nisroch was unable to save his life from God. As Isaiah had prophesied, he was murdered by his own children in the city where he should have been the safest. The sons that murdered him escaped northward into Armenia and his son Esarhaddon took the throne.
“Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side. And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.” (II Chronicles 32:22-23)
This left Judah as the only country in the region which had not been conquered by Assyria. Hezekiah was highly respected and his friendship sought as an alternative to Assyrian domination.
When will men realize that all their power and strength come from God alone? To boast of our own might is not only prideful but foolish, for without Him, we can do nothing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
God bless.
Thanks, Laurie.
ReplyDeletePride sure blinds a lot of people.