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1 Kings Chapter 18
Hezekiah Reigns in Judah
In this chapter we read about the
history of the kingdom of Judah six years before the ten tribes
called Israel were taken into captivity by Assyria. It starts with
Hoshea being the king of Israel and Hezekiah being king of Judah.
- 2Kings 18:2 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 brake the images, and cut down the groves, and
brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto
those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he
called it Nehushtan.
- 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 clave 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.
Oh how refreshing it is to read of a
king that was faithful to God, even removing the high places,
breaking down the idols and images. How beautiful to read of a king
that kept the Lord's commandments, and didn't depart from serving
the Lord all the time he was king. Awesome to see after reading
about so many that departed from God.
- 2Kings 18:8 He smote
the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from
the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
- 9 And it came to
pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh
year of Hoshea 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: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah,
that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was
taken.
- 11 And the king of
Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in
Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of
the Medes:
- 12 Because they
obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his
covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded,
and would not hear them, nor do them.
Displacing and scattering people taken
into captivity was a common way to keep them from uniting and
rebelling against the kings that took over their land. Here we see
the northern 10 tribes were taken captive by Assyria. Assyyria
wouldn't have been able to do this if the northern tribes would have
stayed faithful to God.
We need to "Get this". Without God's
hand of protection, no nation is safe from being taken into
captivity by another nation. If God wouldn't have used the United
States and England to stop Hitler, he would have taken over the
entire world and destroyed all who got in his way. We need to stay
with God and keep His word.
No matter how great an army, navy, FBI,
local police may be; without God they are weak and powerless. We
need God, we need Jesus, the Son of God. We need the Holy Spirit. We
need to keep His word and forsake all this garbage and trash that
our country has embraced the last few years.
Happy are those the embrace the
presence of the Lord and depart from the ways of evil.
Sennacherib Attacks Judah
- 2Kings 18:13 Now in
the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of
Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took
them.
- 14 And Hezekiah king
of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have
offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I
bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of
Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of
gold.
- 15 And Hezekiah gave
him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and
in the treasures of the king's house.
- 16 At that time did
Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the
LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had
overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
- 17 And the king of
Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to
king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went
up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came
and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the
highway of the fuller's field.
- 18 And when they had
called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of
Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe,
and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.
- 19 And Rabshakeh
said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great
king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou
trustest?
Since the Assyrians took over Israel
they assumed it would be easy to take Judah as well. This event in
verses 13 through 19 was 8 years after they overtook the 10 tribes
of Israel and it not yet time for the Lord to allow Judah to be
taken. Hezekiah's faith is what saves Judah from being taken at this
time. That time was to come because of the kings that came later
that lead the people back into sin against God but that doesn't
happen under Hezekiah's reign. He probably wouldn't have had to give
the Assyrian king any silver or gold but like all of us at times, we
have faith but we also struggle and have our weak moments. At least
Hezekiah didn't turn from the Lord in any of this. Judah was not
taken until 125 years later but by Babylon not Assyria.
- 2Kings 18:20 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?
- 21 Now, behold, thou
trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt,
on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it:
so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
Hezekiah tried to enlist the help of
Egypt but the Assyrian king taunted him about that saying Egypt
cannot help and warned Hezekiah not to rebel and resist them but
yield and allow them to take over all of Judah.
-
2Kings 18:22 But if ye say
unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose
high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath
said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar
in Jerusalem?
Now the king of Assyria even challenges
Hezekiah's faith and trust in the Lord. However, if the Lord stands
with Judah there will be no victory of any nation that comes against
them. This is how powerful the Lord our God is. For nations to
forsake God is like cutting off their survival. No amount of weapons
or power can stand against any that the Lord protects.
- 2Kings 18:23 Now
therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of
Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be
able on thy part to set riders upon them.
- 24 How then wilt
thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my
master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and
for horsemen?
- 25 Am 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.
Looks as if they claimed the Lord sent
them to destroy Judah. Perhaps using it to scare the people into
submitting and not listening to Hezekiah.
-
2Kings 18:26 Then said
Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto
Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian
language; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the
Jews' language in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
They were speaking loud enough for the
people of Judah to hear in their own language and it made them
afraid so Eliakim tried to get them to speak Syrian so the people
would not be discouraged.
- 2Kings 18:27 But
Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master,
and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the
men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and
drink their own piss with you?
- 28 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:
It didn't work. They spoke even louder
to purposely frighten those that were in hearing distance.
- 2Kings 18:29 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?
The kings of Assryia promises them good
things if they would submit to him and not rebel. Thankfully king
Hezekiah did not succomb to his treats or promises.
The false gods of other nations were
powerless against Assyria and those in power used their defeat to
cause the people of Judah to submit and rebel instead of believing
in the real God that Hezekiah was trusting in. They figured they
would come in and defeat them, not knowing the power of the real
God. He is not powerless like as idol would be. They actually were
challenging God. This is why to stay with God is so important for
any nation. To trust in anything else is so stupid. Yet we see that
even today. God will not stay where He is not wanted. By faith are
we saved, not by departing from God and living how we want to live
whether it is against God's word or not.
Without God's protecting hand, we are
not safe from anything. However, eternal life and having our names
written in the book of life is greater than millitary strength even
if our country as a whole does things to cause our defeat as a
nation. As individuals we can make a decision to serve our Lord
whether or not the leaders of our country do the same. It is awesome
to get to the place in our faith that we serve God because we love
Him, not because of what He can give us.
We can get to the place where we love
God, we love Jesus, we love what He teaches, We love His word and we
love being in His presence whether we be rich or poor, weak or
strong, young or old. To make up our minds that God is our God and
there is no other, is to have an eternity with Him, a new body that
cannot die, suffer or be sick. Just to desire to be in His presence
is the best choice we can ever make. Even if we die in our old
bodies, we live forever.
- 2Kings 18:36 But the
people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the
king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
- 37 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.
Instead of giving into the words of those
that are issuing threats, the people stay silent and the others go
before Hezekiah in agony and fear. More to come. -DC
2 Kings Chapter 19
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