Defeat of the Assyrians
(All Bible texts are in the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated)
Sabbath Afternoon
Memory Text: Isaiah 37:16
16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim,
You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made
heaven and earth.
Sunday – Strings Attached (Isa. 36:1)
Isaiah 36:1
Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord
1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that
Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of
Judah and took them.
2 Kings 18:13
13 And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria
came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
2 Chronicles 32:1
Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord
1 After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and
entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win
them over to himself.
2 Chronicles 28:16-21
Assyria Refuses to Help Judah
16 At the same time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him. 17
For again the Edomites had come, attacked Judah, and carried away captives.
18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the
South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with
its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and
they dwelt there. 19 For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of
Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been
continually unfaithful to the Lord. 20 Also Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria
came to him and distressed him, and did not assist him. 21 For Ahaz took
part of the treasures from the house of the Lord, from the house of the
king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria; but he
did not help him.
2 Kings 18:7
7 The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled
against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.
2 Chronicles 32:1-8
Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord
1 After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and
entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win
them over to himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and
that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his
leaders and commanders to stop the water from the springs which were outside
the city; and they helped him. 4 Thus many people gathered together who
stopped all the springs and the brook that ran through the land, saying,
“Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” 5 And he
strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to
the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired the Millo in
the City of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance. 6 Then he set
military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open
square of the city gate, and gave them encouragement, saying, 7 “Be strong
and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria,
nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us
than with him. 8 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 were strengthened
by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
2 Kings 20:20
Death of Hezekiah
20 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah—all his might, and how he made a
pool and a tunnel and brought water into the city—are they not written in
the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
2 Chronicles 32:30
30 This same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of Upper Gihon, and
brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah
prospered in all his works.
Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 349-354.
Chapter 30—Deliverance From Assyria
In a time of grave national peril, when the hosts of Assyria were invading
the land of Judah and it seemed as if nothing could save Jerusalem from
utter destruction, Hezekiah rallied the forces of his realm to resist with
unfailing courage their heathen oppressors and to trust in the power of
Jehovah to deliver. “Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed
for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him,”
Hezekiah exhorted the men of Judah; “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.” 2 Chronicles 32:7, 8. It was not without
reason that Hezekiah could speak with certainty of the outcome. The boastful
Assyrian, while used by God for a season as the rod of His anger for the
punishment of the nations, was not always to prevail. See Isaiah 10:5. “Be
not afraid of the Assyrian,” had been the message of the Lord through Isaiah
some years before to those that dwelt in Zion; “for yet a very little while,
... and the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the
slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as His rod was upon the sea, so
shall He lift it up after the manner of Egypt. And it shall come to pass in
that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his
yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the
anointing.” Verses 24-27. In another prophetic message, given “in the year
that King Ahaz died,” the prophet had declared: “The Lord of hosts hath
sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I
have purposed, so shall it stand: that I will break the Assyrian in My land,
and upon My mountains tread him underfoot: then shall his yoke depart from
off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. This is the
purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is
stretched out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and
who shall disannul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it
back?” Isaiah 14:28, 24-27. The power of the oppressor was to be broken. Yet
Hezekiah, in the earlier years of his reign, had continued to pay tribute to
Assyria, in harmony with the agreement entered into by Ahaz. Meanwhile the
king had taken “counsel with his princes and his mighty men,” and had done
everything possible for the defense of his kingdom. He had made sure of a
bountiful supply of water within the walls of Jerusalem, while without the
city there should be a scarcity. “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.” 2
Chronicles 32:3, 5, 6. Nothing had been left undone that could be done in
preparation for a siege. At the time of Hezekiah’s accession to the throne
of Judah, the Assyrians had already carried captive a large number of the
children of Israel from the northern kingdom; and a few years after he had
begun to reign, and while he was still strengthening the defenses of
Jerusalem, the Assyrians besieged and captured Samaria and scattered the ten
tribes among the many provinces of the Assyrian realm. The borders of Judah
were only a few miles distant, with Jerusalem less than fifty miles away;
and the rich spoils to be found within the temple would tempt the enemy to
return. But the king of Judah had determined to do his part in
preparing to resist the enemy; and, having accomplished all that human
ingenuity and energy could do, he had assembled his forces and had
exhorted them to be of good courage. “Great is the Holy
One of Israel in the midst of thee” had been the message of the prophet
Isaiah to Judah; and the king with unwavering faith now declared, “With us
is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles.” Isaiah 12:6; 2
Chronicles 32:8. Nothing more quickly inspires faith than the exercise of
faith. The king of Judah had prepared for the coming storm; and now,
confident that the prophecy against the Assyrians would be fulfilled, he
stayed his soul upon God. “And the people rested themselves upon the words
of Hezekiah.” 2 Chronicles 32:8. What though the armies of Assyria, fresh
from the conquest of the greatest nations of earth, and triumphant over
Samaria in Israel, should now turn their forces against Judah? What though
they should boast, “As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and
whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; shall I not,
as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her
idols?” Isaiah 10:10, 11. Judah had nothing to fear; for their trust was in
Jehovah. The long-expected crisis finally came. The forces of Assyria,
advancing from triumph to triumph, appeared in Judea. Confident of victory,
the leaders divided their forces into two armies, one of which was to meet
the Egyptian army to the southward, while the other was to besiege
Jerusalem. Judah’s only hope was now in God. All possible help from Egypt
had been cut off, and no other nations were near to lend a friendly hand.
The Assyrian officers, sure of the strength of their disciplined forces,
arranged for a conference with the chief men of Judah, during which they
insolently demanded the surrender of the city. This demand was accompanied
by blasphemous revilings against the God of the Hebrews. Because of the
weakness and apostasy of Israel and Judah, the name of God was no longer
feared among the nations, but had become a subject for continual reproach.
See Isaiah 52:5. “Speak ye now to Hezekiah,” said Rabshakeh, one of
Sennacherib’s chief officers, “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?” 2 Kings 18:19, 20.
The officers were conferring outside the gates of the city, but within the
hearing of the sentries on the wall; and as the representatives of the
Assyrian king loudly urged their proposals upon the chief men of Judah, they
were requested to speak in the Syrian rather than the Jewish language, in
order that those upon the wall might not have knowledge of the proceedings
of the conference. Rabshakeh, scorning this suggestion, lifted his voice
still higher, and, continuing to speak in the Jewish language, said: “Hear
ye the words 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.
Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will
surely deliver us: 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 eat
ye everyone of his vine, and everyone of his fig tree, and drink ye everyone
the waters of his own 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.
“Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The Lord will deliver us. Hath
any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the
king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods
of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who are they
among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my
hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?” Isaiah
36:13-20. To these taunts the children of Judah “answered him not a word.”
The conference was at an end. The Jewish representatives returned to
Hezekiah “with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.”
Verses 21, 22. The king, upon learning of the blasphemous challenge, “rent
his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of
the Lord.” 2 Kings 19:1. A messenger was dispatched to Isaiah to inform him
of the outcome of the conference. “This day is a day of trouble, and of
rebuke, and blasphemy,” was the word the king sent. “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.” Verses 3, 4. “For this cause Hezekiah the king, and
the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to Heaven.” 2
Chronicles 32:20. God answered the prayers of His servants. To Isaiah was
given the message for Hezekiah: “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 rumor, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by
the sword in his own land.” 2 Kings 19:6,7.
Philippians 2:12, 13
Light Bearers
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for
His good pleasure.
Monday - Propaganda (Isa. 36:2–20)
Isaiah 36:2-20
2 Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish
to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper
pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 3 And Eliakim the son of
Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of
Asaph, the recorder, came out to him. 4 Then the Rabshakeh said to them,
“Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What
confidence is this in which you trust? 5 I say you speak of having plans and
power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you
rebel against me? 6 Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed,
Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So
is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7 “But if you say to me,
‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose
altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall
worship before this altar’?" 8 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to
my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if
you are able on your part to put riders on them! 9 How then will you repel
one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in
Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 10 Have I now come up without the Lord
against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this
land, and destroy it." 11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the
Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it;
and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the
wall.” 12 But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to your master and
to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who
will eat and drink their own waste with you?” 13 Then the Rabshakeh stood
and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, “Hear the words of the
great king, the king of Assyria! 14 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah
deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15 nor let Hezekiah
make you trust in the Lord, saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us; this
city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 16 Do not
listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make peace with me
by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine
and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters
of his own cistern; 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your
own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18
Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us. Has
any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the
king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the
gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 20 Who
among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my
hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?"
Isaiah 10:13, 14
13 For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my
wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people,
And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a
valiant man. 14 My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people, And
as one gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered all the earth; And there
was no one who moved his wing, Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.”
2 Kings 18:17-35
Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord
17 Then the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh
from Lachish, with a great army against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And
they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they went and
stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, which was on the highway to the
Fuller’s Field. 18 And when they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of
Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of
Asaph, the recorder, came out to them. 19 Then the Rabshakeh said to them,
“Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What
confidence is this in which you trust? 20 You speak of having plans and
power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you
rebel against me? 21 Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken
reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce
it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22 But if you say
to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and
whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You
shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?" 23 Now therefore, I urge
you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two
thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 24 How
then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and
put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 Have 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." 26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in
Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the
hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27 But the Rabshakeh said to
them, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words,
and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own
waste with you?” 28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud
voice in Hebrew, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the
king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you,
for he shall not be able to deliver you from his hand; 30 nor let Hezekiah
make you trust in the Lord, saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us; this
city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 31 Do not
listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make peace with me
by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine
and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters
of his own cistern; 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your
own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a
land of olive groves and honey, that you may live and not die. But do not
listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver
us.” 33 Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from
the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?
Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Indeed, have they
delivered Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands have
delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver
Jerusalem from my hand?"
2 Chronicles 32:9-19
9 After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but
he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king
of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 “Thus says
Sennacherib king of Assyria: ‘In what do you trust, that you remain under
siege in Jerusalem? 11 Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves
over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, “The Lord our God will deliver
us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 Has not the same Hezekiah taken
away His high places and His altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem,
saying, “You shall worship before one altar and burn incense on it”? 13 Do
you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other
lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to
deliver their lands out of my hand? 14 Who was there among all the gods of
those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his
people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my
hand? 15 Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like
this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able
to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less
will your God deliver you from my hand?" 16 Furthermore, his servants spoke
against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah. 17 He also wrote
letters to revile 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
from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my
hand.” 18 Then they called out with a loud voice in Hebrew to the people of
Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, that they
might take the city. 19 And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as
against the gods of the people of the earth—the work of men’s hands.
2 Kings 18:9, 10
9 Now it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the
seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Shalmaneser
king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10 And at the end
of three years they took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, the
ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.
Isaiah 10:8-11
8 For he says, ‘Are not my princes altogether kings? 9 Is not Calno like
Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? 10 As my
hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, Whose carved images excelled those
of Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols, Shall
I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?"
2 Kings 18:4
4 He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the
wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for
until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it
Nehushtan.
2 Chronicles 31:1
The Reforms of Hezekiah
1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to
the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces, cut down the
wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars—from all Judah,
Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh—until they had utterly destroyed them all.
Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, every man to
his possession.
Tuesday – Shaken but Not Forsaken (Isa. 36:21–37:20)
Isaiah 36:21-37:20
21 But they held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s
commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph,
the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the
words of the Rabshakeh.
Isaiah 37:1 – 20
Isaiah Assures Deliverance
1 And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes,
covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 Then
he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the
elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the
son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day
of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth,
but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the Lord your
God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of
Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which
the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant
that is left." 5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And
Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the
Lord: “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the
servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send a
spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I
will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land." ”
Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer
8 Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against
Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 And the king heard
concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to make war with
you.” So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus
you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in
whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the
hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of
Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be
delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers
have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were
in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king
of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?" 14 And Hezekiah received the
letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to
the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 Then Hezekiah
prayed to the Lord, saying: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who
dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of
the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and
hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of
Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, Lord,
the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and
have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of
men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 Now therefore,
O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth
may know that You are the Lord, You alone.”
2 Kings 18:37-19:4
37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the
scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their
clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
2 Kings 19:1 – 4
Isaiah Assures Deliverance
1 And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes,
covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 Then
he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the
elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the
son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day
of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth,
but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the Lord your
God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of
Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which
the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant
that is left."
2 Chronicles 32:17
17 He also wrote letters to revile 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 from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver
His people from my hand.”
Wednesday - The Rest of the Story (Isa. 37:21–38)
Isaiah 37:21-38
The Word of the Lord Concerning Sennacherib
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord
God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of
Assyria, 22 this is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him: “The
virgin, the daughter of Zion, Has despised you, laughed you to scorn; The
daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head behind your back! 23 “Whom have
you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, And
lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. 24 By your
servants you have reproached the Lord, And said, ‘By the multitude of my
chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, To the limits of
Lebanon; I will cut down its tall cedars And its choice cypress trees; I
will enter its farthest height, To its fruitful forest. 25 I have dug and
drunk water, And with the soles of my feet I have dried up All the brooks of
defense.’ 26 “Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times
that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass, That you should be For
crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins. 27 Therefore their
inhabitants had little power; They were dismayed and confounded; They were
as the grass of the field And the green herb, As the grass on the housetops
And grain blighted before it is grown. 28 “But I know your dwelling place,
Your going out and your coming in, And your rage against Me. 29 Because your
rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will
put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you
back By the way which you came." 30 “This shall be a sign to you: You shall
eat this year such as grows of itself, And the second year what springs from
the same; Also in the third year sow and reap, Plant vineyards and eat the
fruit of them. 31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah
Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward. 32 For out of
Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal
of the Lord of hosts will do this. 33 “Therefore thus says 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 build a siege mound
against it. 34 By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he
shall not come into this city,’ Says the Lord. 35 ‘For I will defend this
city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake."
Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death
36 Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the
Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early
in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of
Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 38
Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god,
that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and
they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his
place.
2 Kings 19:35-37
Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death
35 And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went
out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five
thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the
corpses—all dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away,
returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 37 Now it came to pass, as he was
worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and
Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of
Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 32:21, 22
21 Then the Lord sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor,
leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned
shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god,
some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there. 22 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 others, and guided
them on every side.
Isaiah 37:7-38
7 Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return
to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."
Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer
8 Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against
Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 And the king heard
concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to make war with
you.” So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus
you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in
whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the
hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of
Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be
delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers
have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were
in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king
of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?" 14 And Hezekiah received the
letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to
the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 Then Hezekiah
prayed to the Lord, saying: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who
dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of
the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and
hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of
Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, Lord,
the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and
have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of
men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 Now therefore,
O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth
may know that You are the Lord, You alone.”
The Word of the Lord Concerning Sennacherib
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord
God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of
Assyria, 22 this is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him: “The
virgin, the daughter of Zion, Has despised you, laughed you to scorn; The
daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head behind your back! 23 “Whom have
you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, And
lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. 24 By your
servants you have reproached the Lord, And said, ‘By the multitude of my
chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, To the limits of
Lebanon; I will cut down its tall cedars And its choice cypress trees; I
will enter its farthest height, To its fruitful forest. 25 I have dug and
drunk water, And with the soles of my feet I have dried up All the brooks of
defense.’ 26 “Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times
that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass, That you should be For
crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins. 27 Therefore their
inhabitants had little power; They were dismayed and confounded; They were
as the grass of the field And the green herb, As the grass on the housetops
And grain blighted before it is grown. 28 “But I know your dwelling place,
Your going out and your coming in, And your rage against Me. 29 Because your
rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will
put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you
back By the way which you came." 30 “This shall be a sign to you: You shall
eat this year such as grows of itself, And the second year what springs from
the same; Also in the third year sow and reap, Plant vineyards and eat the
fruit of them. 31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah
Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward. 32 For out of
Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal
of the Lord of hosts will do this. 33 “Therefore thus says 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 build a siege mound
against it. 34 By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he
shall not come into this city," Says the Lord. 35 "For I will defend this
city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake."
Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death
36 Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the
Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early
in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of
Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 38
Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god,
that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and
they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his
place. “The God of the Hebrews had prevailed over the proud Assyrian. The
honor of Jehovah was vindicated in the eyes of the surrounding nations. In
Jerusalem the hearts of the people were filled with holy joy.”—
Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 359-365.
“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. “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 housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. “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.” 2 Kings 19:20-28. The
land of Judah had been laid waste by the army of occupation, but God had
promised to provide miraculously for the needs of the people. To Hezekiah
came the message: “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.”
Verses 29-34. That very night deliverance came. “The angel of the Lord went
out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five
thousand.” Verse 35. “All the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and
captains in the camp of the king of Assyria,” were slain. 2 Chronicles
32:21. Tidings of this terrible judgment upon the army that had been sent to
take Jerusalem, soon reached Sennacherib, who was still guarding the
approach to Judea from Egypt. Stricken with fear, the Assyrian king hasted
to depart and “returned with shame of face to his own land.” Verse 21. But
he had not long to reign. In harmony with the prophecy that had been uttered
concerning his sudden end, he was assassinated by those of his own home,
“and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.” Isaiah 37:38.
The God of the Hebrews had prevailed over the proud Assyrian. The honor of Jehovah was vindicated in the eyes of the surrounding nations. In Jerusalem the hearts of the people were filled with holy joy.
Their earnest entreaties for
deliverance had been mingled with confession of sin and with many tears. In
their great need they had trusted wholly in the power of God to save, and He
had not failed them. Now the temple courts resounded with songs of solemn
praise. “In Judah is God known: His name is great in Israel. In Salem also
is His tabernacle, And His dwelling place in Zion. There brake He the arrows
of the bow, The shield, and the sword, and the battle. “Thou art more
glorious and excellent Than the mountains of prey. The stouthearted are
spoiled, they have slept their sleep: And none of the men of might have
found their hands. At Thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both the chariot and horse
are cast into a dead sleep. “Thou, even Thou, art to be feared: And who may
stand in Thy sight when once Thou art angry? Thou didst cause judgment to be
heard from heaven; The earth feared, and was still, When God arose to
judgment, To save all the meek of the earth. “Surely the wrath of man shall
praise Thee: The remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain. Vow, and pay unto
the Lord your God: Let all that be round about Him bring presents unto Him
that ought to be feared. He shall cut off the spirit of princes: He is
terrible to the kings of the earth.” Psalm 76. The rise and fall of the
Assyrian Empire is rich in lessons for the nations of earth today.
Inspiration has likened the glory of Assyria at the height of her prosperity
to a noble tree in the garden of God, towering above the surrounding trees.
“The Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a
shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick
boughs.... Under his shadow dwelt all great nations. Thus was he fair in his
greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not
like his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his branches; nor any
tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.... All the trees
of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.” Ezekiel 31:3-9. But
the rulers of Assyria, instead of using their unusual blessings for the
benefit of mankind, became the scourge of many lands. Merciless, with no
thought of God or their fellow men, they pursued the fixed policy of causing
all nations to acknowledge the supremacy of the gods of Nineveh, whom they
exalted above the Most High. God had sent Jonah to them with a message of
warning, and for a season they humbled themselves before the Lord of hosts
and sought forgiveness. But soon they turned again to idol worship and to
the conquest of the world. The prophet Nahum, in his arraignment of the
evildoers in Nineveh, exclaimed: “Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of
lies and robbery; The prey departeth not; “The noise of a whip, and the
noise of the rattling of the wheels, And of the prancing horses, and of the
jumping chariots. The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the
glittering spear: And there is a multitude of slain.... “Behold, I am
against thee, Saith the Lord of hosts.” Nahum 3:1-5. With unerring accuracy
the Infinite One still keeps account with the nations. While His mercy is
tendered, with calls to repentance, this account remains open; but when the
figures reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His
wrath begins. The account is closed. Divine patience ceases. Mercy no longer
pleads in their behalf. “The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and
will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath His way in the whirlwind
and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebuketh the
sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth,
and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at
Him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence, yea, the
world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before His indignation? and
who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like
fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him.” Nahum 1:3-6. It was thus that
Nineveh, “the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart,
I am, and there is none beside me,” became a desolation, “empty, and void,
and waste,” “the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young
lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and
none made them afraid.” Zephaniah 2:15; Nahum 2:10, 11. Looking forward to
the time when the pride of Assyria should be brought low, Zephaniah
prophesied of Nineveh: “Flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the
beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the
upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall
be in the thresholds: for He shall uncover the cedar work.” Zephaniah 2:14.
Great was the glory of the Assyrian realm; great was its downfall. The
prophet Ezekiel, carrying farther the figure of a noble cedar tree, plainly
foretold the fall of Assyria because of its pride and cruelty. He declared:
Thursday – In Sickness and in Wealth (Isaiah 38, 39)
Read 2 Kings 20
Read Isaiah 37
Read 2 Kings 19
Isaiah 38:5, 6
5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father:
“I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your
days fifteen years. 6 I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the
king of Assyria, and I will defend this city."
2 Kings 20:6
6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this
city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for
My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David." ” “Satan was determined
to bring about both the death of Hezekiah and the fall of Jerusalem,
reasoning no doubt that if Hezekiah were out of the way, his efforts at
reform would cease and the fall of Jerusalem could be the more readily
accomplished.”—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 240.
2 Kings 20:8-11
8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that the Lord will heal me,
and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord the third day?” 9 Then
Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do
the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go
backward ten degrees?” 10 And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for
the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten
degrees.” 11 So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the Lord, and He brought the
shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of
Ahaz.
Isaiah 38:6-8
6 I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and
I will defend this city." 7 And this is the sign to you from the Lord, that
the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: 8 Behold, I will bring the
shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of
Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by
which it had gone down.
Read Isaiah 7
2 Kings 20:8
8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that the Lord will heal me,
and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord the third day?”
Friday: Further Thought
Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 340-347.
Chapter 29—The Ambassadors From Babylon
In the midst of his prosperous reign King Hezekiah was suddenly stricken
with a fatal malady. “Sick unto death,” his case was beyond the power of man
to help. And the last vestige of hope seemed removed when the prophet Isaiah
appeared before him with the message, “Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house
in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.” Isaiah 38:1. The outlook seemed
utterly dark; yet the king could still pray to the One who had hitherto been
his “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1. And
so “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.” 2 Kings 20:2, 3. Since the days of David there had
reigned no king who had wrought so mightily for the upbuilding of the
kingdom of God in a time of apostasy and discouragement as had Hezekiah. The
dying ruler had served his God faithfully, and had strengthened the
confidence of the people in Jehovah as their Supreme Ruler. And, like David,
he could now plead: “Let my prayer come before Thee: Incline Thine ear unto
my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: And my life draweth nigh unto the
grave.” Psalm 88:2, 3. “Thou art my hope, O Lord God: Thou art my trust from
my youth. By Thee have I been holden up.” “Forsake me not when my strength
faileth.” “O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.” “O
God, forsake me not; Until I have showed Thy strength unto this generation,
And Thy power to everyone that is to come.” Psalm 71:5, 6, 9, 12, 18. He
whose “compassions fail not,” heard the prayer of His servant. Lamentations
3:22. “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.” 2 Kings 20:4-6. Gladly the prophet
returned with the words of assurance and hope. Directing that a lump of figs
be laid upon the diseased part, Isaiah delivered to the king the message of
God’s mercy and protecting care. Like Moses in the land of Midian, like
Gideon in the presence of the heavenly messenger, like Elisha just before
the ascension of his master, Hezekiah pleaded for some sign that the message
was from heaven. “What shall be the sign,” he inquired of the prophet, “that
the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the
third day?” “This sign shalt thou have of the Lord,” the prophet answered,
“that the Lord will do the thing that He hath spoken: shall the shadow go
forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?” “It is a light thing,”
Hezekiah replied, “for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the
shadow return backward ten degrees.” Only by the direct
interposition of God could the shadow on the sundial be made to turn
back ten degrees; and this was to be the sign to Hezekiah that the Lord
had heard his prayer. Accordingly, “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.” Verses 8-11. Restored to his wonted
strength, the king of Judah acknowledged in words of song the mercies of
Jehovah, and vowed to spend his remaining days in willing service to the
King of kings. His grateful recognition of God’s compassionate dealing with
him is an inspiration to all who desire to spend their years to the glory of
their Maker. “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 cannot 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.”
Isaiah 38:10-20. In the fertile valleys of the Tigris and the Euphrates
there dwelt an ancient race which, though at that time subject to Assyria,
was destined to rule the world. Among its people were wise men who gave much
attention to the study of astronomy; and when they noticed that the shadow
on the sundial had been turned back ten degrees, they marveled greatly.
Their king, Merodachbaladan, upon learning that this miracle had been
wrought as a sign to the king of Judah that the God of heaven had granted
him a new lease of life, sent ambassadors to Hezekiah to congratulate him on
his recovery and to learn, if possible, more of the God who was able to
perform so great a wonder. The visit of these messengers from
the ruler of a far-away land gave Hezekiah an opportunity to extol the
living God. How easy it would have been for him to tell them of God, the
upholder of all created things, through whose favor his own life had
been spared when all other hope had fled! What momentous transformations
might have taken place had these seekers after truth from the plains of
Chaldea been led to acknowledge the supreme sovereignty of the living
God! But pride and vanity took possession of
Hezekiah’s heart, and in self-exaltation he laid open to covetous eyes
the treasures with which God had enriched His people. The king “showed
them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the
spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and
all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor
in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.” Isaiah 39:2. Not to
glorify God did he do this, but to exalt himself in the eyes of the
foreign princes. He did not stop to consider that these
men were representatives of a powerful nation that had not the fear nor the
love of God in their hearts, and that it was imprudent to make them his
confidants concerning the temporal riches of the nation. The visit of the
ambassadors to Hezekiah was a test of his gratitude and devotion. The record
says, “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.” 2
Chronicles 32:31. Had Hezekiah improved the opportunity given him to bear
witness to the power, the goodness, the compassion, of the God of Israel,
the report of the ambassadors would have been as light piercing darkness.
But he magnified himself above the Lord of hosts. He “rendered not again
according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up.” Verse
25. How disastrous the results which were to follow! To Isaiah it was
revealed that the returning ambassadors were carrying with them a report of
the riches they had seen, and that the king of Babylon and his counselors
would plan to enrich their own country with the treasures of Jerusalem.
Hezekiah had grievously sinned; “therefore there was wrath upon him, and
upon Judah and Jerusalem.” Verse 25. “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.” Isaiah 39:3-8.
Zechariah 3:1
Vision of the High Priest
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the
Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.
Zechariah 3:2-5
2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has
chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” 3
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the
Angel. 4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying,
“Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have
removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” 5
And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean
turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the
Lord stood by.
Romans 8:1
Free from Indwelling Sin
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Revelation 12:10
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the
accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has
been cast down.
Deuteronomy 19:16-21
16 If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of
wrongdoing, 17 then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord,
before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. 18 And the judges
shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness,
who has testified falsely against his brother, 19 then you shall do to him
as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil
from among you. 20 And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter
they shall not again commit such evil among you. 21 Your eye shall not pity:
life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot
for foot.