2 Kings 18

Hezekiah Rules in Judah

1Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel. 2He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah,* the daughter of Zechariah. He did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done. 4He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan.* 6Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. SHe remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. 7So The past is an important part of today’s actions and tomorrow's plans. The people and kings of Judah had a rich past, filled with God’s action, guidance, and commands. But with each passing generation, they also had a growing list of tragedies that occurred when the people forgot that their God, who had cared for them in the past, also cared about the present and the future—and demanded their continued obedience. Hezekiah was one of the few kings of Judah who was constantly aware of God's acts in the past and his interest in the events of every day. The Bible describes him as a king who had a close relationship with God. As a reformer, Hezekiah was most concerned with present obedience. Judah was filled with visual reminders of the people’s lack of trust in God, and Hezekiah boldly cleaned house. Altars, idols, and pagan temples were destroyed. Even the bronze serpent Moses had made in the wilderness was not spared because it had ceased to point the people to God and had also become an idol. The Temple in Jerusalem, whose doors had been nailed shut by Hezekiah’s own father, was cleaned out and reopened. The Passover was reinstituted as a national holiday, and there was revival in Judah. Although he had a natural inclination to respond to present problems, Hezekiah’s life shows little evidence of concern about the future. He took few actions to preserve the effects of his sweeping reforms. His successful efforts made him proud. His unwise display of wealth to the Babylonian delegation got Judah included on Babylon’s “Nations to Conquer” list. When isaiah informed Hezekiah of the foolishness of his act, the king’s answer displayed his persistent lack of foresight—he was thankful that any evil consequences would be delayed until after he died. And the lives of three kings who followed him—Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah—were deeply affected by both Hezekiah’s accomplishments and his weaknesses. The past affects your decisions and actions today, and these, in turn, affect the future. There are lessons to learn and errors to avoid repeating. Remember that part of the success of your past will be measured by what you do with it now and how well you use it to prepare for the future. Strengths and accomplishments Key verses “Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses” (2 Kings 18:5, 6). Hezekiah’s story is told in 2 Kings 16:20—-20:21; 9Chronicles 28:27—32:33; Isaiah 36:1— 39:8. He is also mentioned in Proverbs 25:1; Isaiah 1:1; Jeremiah 15:4; 26:18, 19; Hosea 1:1; Micah 1:1. 9During the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of King Hoshea’s 1 Lae 2, 73:7 reign in Israel, King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked the city of Samaria and began a siege against it. 10Three years later, during the sixth year of King Hezekiah’s reign and the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel, Samaria fell. 11At that time the king of Assyria exiled the Israelites to Assyria and placed them in colonies in Halah, along the banks of the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. '?For they refused to listen to the LORD their 18:12 God and obey him. Instead, they violated his covenant—all the laws that Moses the LORD’s }K952¢ servant had commanded them to obey.

Assyria Invades Judah

13{n the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign,* King Sennacherib of Assyriacametoat- 3 ats 3 30:1 tack the fortified towns of Judah and conquered them. 14King Hezekiah sent this message {sa 36:1 to the king of Assyria at Lachish: “I have done wrong. I will pay whatever tribute money you demand if you will only withdraw.” The king of Assyria then demanded a settlement of more than eleven tons of silver and one ton of gold.* To gather this amount, King Hezeki- 18:15: ah used all the silver stored in the Temple of the LORD and in the palace treasury. 16Hezeki- 5 Kgs Be ah even stripped the gold from the doors of the LORD’s Temple and from the doorposts he had overlaid with gold, and he gave it all to the Assyrian king. 17Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent his commander in chief, his field commander, 1 8:4 787 aig and his chief of staff* from Lachish with a huge army to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusa- “Isa 36.122 lem. The Assyrians took up a position beside the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.* 18They summoned King 18:18 Hezekiah, but the king sent these officials to meet with them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the 2X95 E76, 20 palace administrator; Shebna the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian.

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

1919Then the Assyrian king’s chief of staff told them to give this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident? 20Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Who are you counting on, that you have rebelled against me? 21On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is completely unreliable! 22"But perhaps you will say to me, ‘We are trusting in the LORD our God!’ But isn’t he the one who was insulted by Hezekiah? Didn't Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem? 23’ tell you what! Strike a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses if you can find that many men to ride on them! 24With your tiny army, how can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my master’s troops, even with the help of Egypt's chariots and charioteers? 25What's more, do you think we have invaded your land without the LORD’s direction? The LORD himself told us, ‘Attack this land and destroy it!” 26Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the Assyrian chief of staff, 18:26, zra 4: “Please speak to us in Aramaic, for we understand it well. Don’t speak in Hebrew,* for the pan 2:4 people on the wall will hear.” 27But Sennacherib’s chief of staff replied, “Do you think my master sent this message only to you and your master? He wants all the people to hear it, for when we put this city under siege, they will suffer along with you. They will be so hungry and thirsty that they will eat their own dung and drink their own urine.”.

destroyed (722 B.C.). Knowing Israel's fate probably causedHezekiah to reform his own nation. (For more on Hezekiah,see 2 Chronicles 29-32 and Isaiah 36-39.)

28Then the chief of staff stood and shouted in Hebrew to the people on the wall, “Listen to this message from the great king of Assyria! 29This is what the king says: Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you from my power. 2°Don'’t let him fool you into trusting in the LORD by saying, ‘The LORD will surely rescue us. This city will never fall into the hands of the Assyrian king!’ 31“Don't listen to Hezekiah! These are the terms the king of Assyria is offering: Make peace with me—open the gates and come.out. Then each of you can continue eating from your own grapevine and fig tree and drinking from your own well. 32Then I will arrange to take you to another land like this one—a land of grain and new wine, bread and vineyards, olive groves and honey. Choose life instead of death! “Don't listen to Hezekiah when he tries to mislead you by saying, ‘The LORD will rescue us!’ 33Have the gods of any other nations ever saved their people from the king of Assyria? 34What happened to the gods of Hamath and Arpad? And what about the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Iwah? Did any god rescue Samaria from my power? 35What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the LORD can rescue Jerusalem from me?” 36But the people were silent and did not utter a word because Hezekiah had commanded them, “Do not answer him.” 37Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator; Shebna the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian, went back to Hezekiah. They tore their clothes in despair, and they went in to see the king and tald him what the Assyrian chief of staff had said.