Read 2 Chronicles 32
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
32 After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. 4 They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. 5 Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields.
6 He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words:7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.
9 Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:
10 “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? 11 When Hezekiah says, ‘The Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. 12 Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it’?
13 “Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand? 14 Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? 15 Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”
16 Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. 17 The king also wrote letters ridiculing the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.” 18 Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. 19 They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—the work of human hands.
20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. 21 And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.
22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side. 23 Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lordand valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations.
Hezekiah’s Pride, Success and Death
24 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign.25 But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.
27 Hezekiah had very great wealth and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuables. 28 He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine and olive oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for the flocks. 29 He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches.
30 It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. 31 But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.
32 The other events of Hezekiah’s reign and his acts of devotion are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors and was buried on the hill where the tombs of David’s descendants are. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem honored him when he died. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.
Go Deeper
King Hezekiah was one of the few kings of Judah who was constantly aware of God’s goodness, and he put God first in everything he did. Second Chronicles 32 opens with an attack from an enemy nation, Assyria. At this point, Hezekiah is a wise king –his downfall hasn’t yet begun. The Bible describes Hezekiah as a king who had a close relationship with God, one who did “what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God” (v. 20).
Then Assyria and its king, Sennacherib, decided to attack Jerusalem. However, Hezekiah outsmarts them. He cuts off their water supply, builds up the wall around the city, secures towers, stocks up on weapons, and organizes his army and encourages them. He reminds them that God is on their side. He doesn’t boast about all the work he has done–he centers his encouragement on the fact that God is with them. This is very important in Scripture! In a world where everything teaches us to “Believe! Have faith in yourself! You’ve got this!”, Scripture teaches us to believe in God and trust that He’s at work in our lives. King Hezekiah didn’t focus on his abilities or the army of Jerusalem. Instead, he put focus on God’s abilities and reminded them that that is where their hope should lie.
After Hezekiah encourages his army, Sennacherib comes to intimidate the people of Judah. While he is busy taunting and terrifying them, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah cry out to God. Assyria thinks they are going to fight a physical battle, but Hezekiah knows better. Isaiah 37:36 says, “Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!”
Then the people celebrated–God had saved them from Assyria! Second Chronicles 32:23 says, “Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah.” It states that King Hezekiah was exalted in the sight of all nations from that time onward. This is probably the downfall of King Hezekiah. Although people brought offerings to the Lord, it was King Hezekiah that was exalted among the nations. And soon, his pride takes over and leads to his demise. All of the wealth, gifts, and treasures he showed off all came to him from winning a battle that King Hezekiah didn’t even fight. When someone is being prideful, they forget their Source. This is what takes down kings and it’s what took down Satan.
However, Hezekiah’s life is (for the most part) a model of faithfulness. Hezekiah’s trust in the Lord was rewarded with answered prayers, successful endeavors, and miraculous victory. When he was faced with an impossible situation, Hezekiah did exactly what we are called to do: he prayed. And God answered.
Questions
- Most believers have no problem believing God can do great things but wrestle immensely when it comes to asking God for personal things in their own lives. Is this something that you struggle with?
- It is good for us to know ourselves and our own weaknesses. King Hezekiah’s weakness was pride. What is a weakness of yours that you struggle with? How can your Life Group be praying for you?
- When faced with a difficult situation, is it hard for you to remember the first thing you should do is pray? Why or why not?
A Quote
“It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you.”
Tim Keller
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3 thoughts on “2 Chronicles 32”
King Hezekiah’s story proves what has been true in many other narratives in scripture, we are most vulnerable to the enemy of our souls after great victories in our lives. The enemy subtly slides into our thoughts and strokes our pride shifting our eyes away from Christ and onto ourselves. It’s puzzling how Hezekiah sought and saw the hand of the Lord deliver his people from an Assyrian invasion yet later let pride steal God’s glory. It’s shameful, yet we are no different when we elevate our efforts or abilities above God’s. We must carefully give credit where it is due, otherwise we idolize ourselves and treasures above him. May we chose to humble ourselves in his sight.
Recently I heard a “teaching” on being a doer of the word. How do we do the word today? Reading it, praying about it so that it helps to illuminate our situations or direct our paths in life. Submitting ourselves to God to allow Him to work things out in our lives after we have prayed about it. King Hezekiah did what he knew to do to get ready for battle worldly wise, then it was a spiritual battle. The battle belongs to God. I ask Him to help me fight some of these battles and He gives me answers, such as be still and be quite, but I also must not get ahead of what He is doing and trust Him in the outcome. I have to submit myself and let God direct my paths. Psalm 37 is a great chapter of trust, commit, be still, refrain. Stand firm. Tell God your discouragements, pray for wisdom and knowledge, let Him help us fight these battles.
God the battle belongs to You. I will continue to give You this battle and I know that I know You have a victory in mind. God help me to practice what I know in head knowledge to be in heart/soul/spiritual knowledge. I commit this battle to You. Direct my path if there is anything or way I can be of service or if I need to just keep praying and be still/quite. God I want desire to go to a so much deeper level of relationship with You. Show me, guide me in steps to that deeper relationship in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!
In all situations, trust God for the outcome. Take all steps you possibly can to solve the problem or improve the situation, but first, commit the situation to God in prayer. This is my struggle; I try to fix before taking it to the all-knowing God. In the song by Shane & Shane, “You’ve Already Won” I’m reminded of how God provides all my needs, always.
Heavenly Gracious Father, forgive me when I let my pride interfere with Your will for my life. I pray that my obedience increases as I seek intimate relationship and dependence on You alone. In Jesus name, Amen.