II Kings 18:37-19:19, II Chronicles 32:20
“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. So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.” (II Kings 18:37-19:5)
Rabshakeh’s threats were very disheartening, especially since he had the most powerful army in the world to enforce them. His contempt for God was troubling, even to Hezekiah and his representatives. If they felt there was no hope the people might not try very hard and if they became discouraged enough, they might well turn on Hezekiah in an effort to save themselves, which was exactly what Sennacherib was hoping for.
Knowing he couldn’t solve the problem himself, Hezekiah sent to Isaiah to find out what God would want him to do. He was hoping God would resent the implication that even he wasn’t strong enough to stop the Assyrians, and asked Isaiah to pray about it.
“And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.” (II Chronicles 32:20)
“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.” (II Kings 19:6-7)
When they prayed about it, God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that God had heard the blasphemy and that the had nothing to worry about. God would cause something to happen that would force him to return to Assyria where he would be killed.
“So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.” (II Kings 19:8)
When Rabshakeh rejoined Sennacherib after spreading his propaganda, he found that the Assyrian army had given up on conquering Lachish and was attacking the Philistine city of Libnah instead. At the time, Assyria had conquered most of the Mideast, including northern Arabia. And was encroaching on Egyptian territory. At the same time, Ethiopia was trying to extend their empire, and prevent Assyria from invading them.
“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?” (II Kings 19:9-13)
Hearing that a huge Ethiopian army was coming to fight him, Sennacherib was forced to postpone his conquest of Judah. He sent a message to Hezekiah advising him no to listen to god, because it would be just a temporary respite. None of the other countries’ gods had been able to protect them and those countries governments no longer existed because the Assyrians totally destroyed them, even repopulating the cities.
“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.” (II Kings 19:14-19)
When Hezekiah read the message, he laid it all out before the Lord, and acknowledged that the Assyrians had been able to destroy those other gods and their land because they were not really gods at all, but things people had made. God, on the otherhand is the creator of the world, and made the men who made those other gods. He prayed that Judah could be delivered out of Sennacherib’s hand, not for their own sake, but that the world could know that God was the only real god.
“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. So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.” (II Kings 18:37-19:5)
Rabshakeh’s threats were very disheartening, especially since he had the most powerful army in the world to enforce them. His contempt for God was troubling, even to Hezekiah and his representatives. If they felt there was no hope the people might not try very hard and if they became discouraged enough, they might well turn on Hezekiah in an effort to save themselves, which was exactly what Sennacherib was hoping for.
Knowing he couldn’t solve the problem himself, Hezekiah sent to Isaiah to find out what God would want him to do. He was hoping God would resent the implication that even he wasn’t strong enough to stop the Assyrians, and asked Isaiah to pray about it.
“And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.” (II Chronicles 32:20)
“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.” (II Kings 19:6-7)
When they prayed about it, God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that God had heard the blasphemy and that the had nothing to worry about. God would cause something to happen that would force him to return to Assyria where he would be killed.
“So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.” (II Kings 19:8)
When Rabshakeh rejoined Sennacherib after spreading his propaganda, he found that the Assyrian army had given up on conquering Lachish and was attacking the Philistine city of Libnah instead. At the time, Assyria had conquered most of the Mideast, including northern Arabia. And was encroaching on Egyptian territory. At the same time, Ethiopia was trying to extend their empire, and prevent Assyria from invading them.
“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?” (II Kings 19:9-13)
Hearing that a huge Ethiopian army was coming to fight him, Sennacherib was forced to postpone his conquest of Judah. He sent a message to Hezekiah advising him no to listen to god, because it would be just a temporary respite. None of the other countries’ gods had been able to protect them and those countries governments no longer existed because the Assyrians totally destroyed them, even repopulating the cities.
“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.” (II Kings 19:14-19)
When Hezekiah read the message, he laid it all out before the Lord, and acknowledged that the Assyrians had been able to destroy those other gods and their land because they were not really gods at all, but things people had made. God, on the otherhand is the creator of the world, and made the men who made those other gods. He prayed that Judah could be delivered out of Sennacherib’s hand, not for their own sake, but that the world could know that God was the only real god.
No comments:
Post a Comment