JCSLK #8 Jesus Helps Hezekiah 2 Kings 18-19

 

JCSLK #8 Jesus Helps Hezekiah

 Background

We covered a lot of Bible territory in this series on Jesus as Creator, Savior, Lord and King. As we studied the scriptures on the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament we’ve skipped a lot of history so lets take a moment to set the stage for our sermon today.

Timeline

Ruler’s Reform and Rebellion - 2 Kings 18:1–8 

1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. 3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did. 4 He removed the high places, and broke the images, and cut down the groves, and broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

Hezekiah the greatest King of the Southern Kingdom of Judah

Hezekiah’s story is told in the Old Testament books of 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles and Isaiah. He is also mentioned in Proverbs, Jeremiah, Hosea and Micah. During his reign, the prophets Isaiah and Micah ministered in Judah. Hezekiah began his reign at age 25 and ruled over the southern kingdom of Judah for twenty-nine years from c. 715 to 686 BC.

His father was Ahaz, one of the wickedest kings ever to rule the kingdom of Judah. This make is even more surprising to read in 2 Kings 19:5 “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. 6 For he cleaved to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him, and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 8 He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced cities.

Hezekiah began spiritual reforms in Judah destroying pagan altars, idols, and temples. Most importantly, He reopened the doors of the Temple which had been ordered shut up by Ahaz.

Not only did Hezekiah lead a spiritual revival, he also led a rebellion against the dominating power of the region, Assyria. He stopped paying tribute to Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. Sennacherib then launched a military campaign against Judah retaking all the outlying cities but when the army of Assyria came to Jerusalem, God had other plans. That is where our scripture occurs and the detail is astounding, especially the psychological warfare of Rabshakeh, the spokesman for Sennacherib.

The siege of Jerusalem by Assyria is one of the best-known military events from ancient history, leaving behind lots of archaeological evidence in both Israel and Jerusalem and more is being discovered every day. The latest discovery adds more insight into Assyria’s campaign against Judah and their failure to capture the city of Jerusalem.

Recently this battle was confirmed by Stephen Compton, an independent scholar specializing in Near Eastern archaeology, utilized a modern mapping technique to find the discovery of ancient Assyrian military camps, from 700 B.C. The discovery, which is also detailed in Assyrian texts, Greek histories and the Bible, could verify the biblical account of 2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37: 36-38 and 2 Chronicles, 32:21. – Fox News, New York Post, Newsweek

Rabshakeh’s Rant - 2 Kings 18:28 - 38

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: 29 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand: 30 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. 31 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: 32 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. 33 Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 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? 35 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?

Rabshakeh Representative of Sennacherib

Rabshakeh may have been his name or it may have been his title as spokesman for Sennacherib, we don’t know but what we do know is that his rant, his speech here is a powerful example of psychological warfare. He uses the carrot and stick method of persuasion perfectly.

Here is the carrot, “Come out, give up an give tribute to Sennacherib and we will relocated you to another land just as good as this. You will have your own garden, your own house and its all on us. What more could you want?”

Here is the stick, “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.”

The Assyrians were a raider nation, like the Vikings except they didn’t leave after they destroyed the cities they overwhelmed. Their power was in their military and in their reputation of utter cruelty. They tortured, burned, beheaded, impaled and threw their conquered victims off cliffs.

The Bible records babies taken from their mothers and dashed against rock, prisoners led away behind chariots with hook through their jaws and people laid in a field and then run over with a harrow, a plow of sharp spikes.

Rabshakeh knows what he is doing, come out and we’ll reward you or resist and we will make you and your families die under terrible torture.

Representatives of Satan

Today there are many spokesmen for the Sennacherib of this world, Satan. They begin with the promises of a good life but in the end the reality is just another form of torture.

One example of a spokesman for Satan is the wicked woman found in Proverbs 7:13-23 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves…..  21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

Proverbs 29:5-6 A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet. 6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare…

Beware Satan’s Spokesmen and women and do what Hezekiah did in 19:1. He doesn’t argue with Rabshakeh, no he goes straight to the Lord’s house and talk with the Lord.

​Hezekiah’s Hope – 2 Kings 19:1-13

1 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

Hezekiah Acts

He goes to the house of the Lord. He goes to the Temple there he presents his utter helplessness before the Lord. He has no kingly power to overcome this powerful nation seeking the destruction of his city and people, so he tears off his robes covers himself with rags of sackcloth and he prays to the Lord.

The second thing he does is send for the man of God, Isaiah, who will bring the Word of God.

Isaiah Speaks God’s Word

2 Kings 19:6 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. 7 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.

Our Plan of Action In times of Trouble

Can you find a better example for a plan of action when trouble comes into our lives. When we realize we are utterly helpless and that our best is never going to be enough, then like Hezekiah, go to the Lord. Go to the Lord’s house, go to the Lord’s people and go to the Lord’s word.

The Psalm of Asaph in time of trouble

Psalms 73 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. …
11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; 17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. …
24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. …
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
that I may declare all thy works.

God acts and he sends the Angle of the Lord, Jesus comes to help Hezekiah.

Sennacherib’s Slaughter – 2 Kings 19:14-37

15 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. 16 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. 17 Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, 18 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. 19 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.
20 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. 21 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.  22 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. 34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

35 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. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 37 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.

The Lord’s Punishment Against Assyria

God intervened because Assyria had denied God’s power and harmed His people. He sent His messenger, His Angel who we know is Jesus in the Old Testament. His wrath is devastating upon the army of Assyrian, an army of 185,000 soldiers is reduced to dead corpses in a single night.

Rabshakeh and Sennacherib had blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, they had ridiculed the power of the Creator of the Universe, they had attacked God’s people and now they were threatening God’s city of Jerusalem. God acts decisively and there is no room of doubt the next morning. God, the one true God, the one true ruler and King of the earth has unlimited power and that power when it turns to wrath is terrible upon those who threaten or hurt His people.

The Coming Punishment of the Lord Against Satan, The Beast and False Prophet

This scene will one day be reenacted on a much greater scale, but the reasons are the same. God will not suffer His own to be harmed without exacting a terrible price of judgment upon those who dare to touch His beloved people.

In the book of Revelation we read that the Lord will take vengeance upon those responsible for the killing of His saints, the persecution of His nation Israel and the rejection of His salvation.

Revelation 19:11-21 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 -- His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

The book of Joel adds this insight, Joel 3:14-17 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.  16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

How many are slaughtered on the Day of the Lord there in the valley of Decision, the valley of Armageddon? This is what it says in Revelation 9:16-21 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: (200 million) and I heard the number of them. In 2 Kings 19 185, 000 died in a single not but see the true wrath of God here in Revelation against the power of Satan and his army. Not 185,000 but a least 200 million are slain and this time by a single word, like a sword from the mouth of Him who rides the white horse leading the army of Heaven.

If that battle were to take place today? Which side would you be on? Would you be standing in defiance against the Lord in fully battle array, leading all the host of heaven coming as to take His rightful place as King of the Universe. Would you dare to raise your words of blasphemy or ridicule against the One coming as lightning from the east to the west? Would you raise your weapon against Him?

Or if that battle were today, would you be riding with the King of Glory and all the host of heaven, to finally see this world set right by the power and righteous holiness of Jesus Christ. Will you watch as he destroys the armies of the Anti-Christ that were gathered to destroy Israel and Jerusalem, just as Sennacherib tried to do? Will you see Him triumph and then enter once again into the City of David? Not this time meek and lowly but in full glory and power.

The Bible records prophetically that moment in Psalms 24:7-10 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.  9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

Conclusion:

Your decision won’t wait till the day of Battle.

The side you are on must be decided before eternity. It must be decided before death. It must be decided… perhaps today.

When you hear the Gospel, the story of Jesus coming, living, dying and being raised from the dead for you, then you are challenged to believe, to choose which side you are on.