John Appelt

The account of Hezekiah and Sennacherib is quite instructive. After Hezekiah’s “deeds of faithfulness,” II Chronicles 30-31, Sennacherib, King of Assyria, came into Judah and took fortified cities, II Kings 18:13, II Chronicles 32:1. Hezekiah knew Jerusalem was next and paid off Sennacherib, but Sennacherib had plans to take it anyways.

When Hezekiah realized Sennacherib intended to take Jerusalem, he enacted means to stop the springs outside the city to prevent the Assyrian army from having a ready supply of water, II Chronicles 32:2-4. This may be when he had the tunnel, known as 'Hezekiah’s tunnel,' chiseled through the bedrock to bring water to the west side of the city, II Kings 20:20 and II Chronicles 32:30. He also built up the wall, prepared the armies, and encouraged the officers, II Chronicles 32:5-8. He did what he could to slow the enemy down.

Through one of his chief officers, Rabshakeh, Sennacherib challenged Judah’s confidence in the Lord their God, II Kings 18:19-25, 28-35. For this reason, Hezekiah put on sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord, II Kings 19:1. Sennacherib mistakenly thought that Hezekiah’s God was like the gods of nations he had conquered. 

Sennacherib’s campaign of propaganda to demoralize the people included letters “to revile the Lord God of Israel.” II Chronicles 32:17-19. Hezekiah spread out the letter before the Lord in the house of God and prayed that God would save them “that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone,” II Kings 19:14-19.

Also at that time, the servants of King Hezekiah heard the word of God from Isaiah the prophet that Sennacherib would not even enter Jerusalem but return to his own land and fall by the sword in his own land, II Kings 19:7, 33.

Sennacherib’s army was decimated by a plague and Sennacherib returned home humiliated, II Kings 19:35, II Chronicles 32:21. However, Sennacherib recorded it differently on the ‘Taylor Prism’ making himself look victorious, saying he laid siege to and conquered 46 cities. He wrote he made Hezekiah a prisoner in his palace, and he received treasures, a booty, from him. 

At some later time, Sennacherib’s own sons assassinated him in the temple of his god, II Kings 19:35, II Chronicles 32:20-21, but the Lord protected Hezekiah and Jerusalem, II Chronicles 32:22-23.

Three lessons to glean from this:

There are some things we can do. God expects us to use our skills and our imaginations that He has endowed us with. We can take preventive measures to slow the enemy down. This is important in our Christian walk.

We have to recognize our limitations when trials are beyond our control. There are times when we must humble ourselves and spread out our problems before the Lord God and trust Him. The Lord will fight these battles for us.

One cannot fight God as Sennacherib learned the hard way. One must make peace with God by believing on His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

April 19 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report