2 KINGS LESSON 18
II Kings 18:1 "Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea
son of Elah king of Israel, [that] Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of
Judah began to reign."
Hezekiah is called Ezekias, also. "Hezekiah" means the might of
Jehovah. Ahaz was a wicked king, but Hezekiah will be a king that does
right in the eyes of the LORD. He begins to reign in Judah, just
before Israel goes into captivity. It is because of kings like
Hezekiah, that Judah does not go into captivity as early as Israel
does.
II Kings 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."
His reign was for a relatively long time. He would reign, until
he was 54 years old. Abi, the mother's name, is Abijah in other
places. "Abi" means father. "Abijah" means Jehovah is my Father. We
can see from the name, that his mother was a believer in Jehovah. She,
possibly, was a good influence on her son. We are not sure what
Zachariah this is.
II Kings 18:3 "And he did [that which was] right in the sight of
the LORD, according to all that David his father did."
The only other two kings that this statement was made of, was
Josiah and Asa. This is a very good statement. It is interesting, that
all three of these kings had fathers, who did evil in the sight of the
Lord.
II Kings 18:4 "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."
The very first thing that Hezekiah did, when he took office, was
open the temple in Jerusalem back up for worship. II Chronicles 32:12
"Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars,
and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one
altar, and burn incense upon it?" We see that Hezekiah even stopped
the worship in the high places, which had greatly troubled the LORD.
It is interesting, that he would break the pole of the brazen serpent
raised in the wilderness to stop death from the serpent bites. It
appears, the people had begun to worship the brazen serpent on the
rod. "Nehushtan" means brazen. Brass symbolically speaks of judgement.
II Kings 18:5 "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."
Hezekiah had his trust in the only One you could trust, the LORD
God of Israel. He was a complete change from the kings that went
before him. Hezekiah was a great man of faith in the midst of a world
gone mad. His faith excelled others. Even with the dire circumstances
around him, he still had faith. He knew in his heart that God was his
very present help.
II Kings 18:6 "For he clave to the LORD, [and] departed not from
following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded
Moses."
This kind of faith and trust in the LORD brings blessings.
Hezekiah kept the faith, as long as he lived. He did not fall back
into idolatry, as others did. He stayed faithful to the LORD. He truly
loved the LORD with a pure heart, and kept His commandments in spirit,
as well as in deed. It was the desire of his heart to please God.
II Kings 18:7 "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."
Every Word that God had promised to do, He did. He had promised
to mightily bless those who kept His commandments, and he did. He was
with Hezekiah. God had promised to bless those who were faithful to
keep His commandments, and spoke them through Moses, and then Joshua.
The problem, up until now, was that they had not kept the
commandments. Hezekiah keeps them. He had no fear, because God was
with him. He broke free from the Assyrian oppression. Everything
Hezekiah attempted to do, God blessed.
II Kings 18:8 "He smote the Philistines, [even] unto Gaza, and
the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced
city."
The enemies of God were Hezekiah's enemies, as well. He smote the
enemies of the living God. Assyria had tried to take all of the
countries around Israel, as well as Israel. They wanted to take Judah,
but God was with Hezekiah, and they could not. Instead, Hezekiah
defeated the Philistines.
II Kings 18:9 "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."
Now the scene changes back to Israel. Israel's kings had been the
opposite of Hezekiah. They had displeased God at every juncture. We
know that this siege lasted two to three years.
II Kings 18:10 "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."
We had discussed that Hoshea would be the last king to rule over
the ten tribes as a nation. Israel goes into captivity to the
Assyrians. They will be scattered, and not become a nation again.
Some few will come back in the time of Ezra, but not as a nation.
II Kings 18:11 "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:"
This is repeating an earlier verse. It drives home the message of
the captivity and dispersing of Israel into many nations and cities.
II Kings 18:12 "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]."
This is showing the contrast between the disobedience to the
commandments of God, to Hezekiah keeping the commandments. Israel's
problems were brought upon themselves, because they disobeyed the
commandments of God. They had been warned over and over what would
happen if they became unfaithful and followed other gods. Now, they
are paying for their sins.
II Kings 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."
It appears, from this, that many of the fenced cities of Judah
did fall to the Assyrians. Sennacherib was the king of Assyria at the
time. Jerusalem did not fall.
II Kings 18:14 "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."
We see that Hezekiah realizes, that the Assyrians have a powerful
army, with battering rams and other war material, sufficient to take
the city. Hezekiah sends the king of Assyria word, that he will pay
whatever tribute is levied, but he wants the Assyrian king to leave
Judah. A talent weighs 125 pounds. The silver he required of Hezekiah
was 37,500 pounds and 3,750 pounds of gold.
II Kings 18:15 "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."
Ahaz had taken all of the silver and gold 30 years earlier, but
God had blessed them.
II Kings 18:16 "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."
Hezekiah had been blessed of God, and Hezekiah had tried to
restore the temple to its greatness. He had even covered the pillars
and doors with gold. Now, there is an emergency, and he will use it to
save Jerusalem. The Assyrian had asked for so much gold and silver, he
would have to deplete the land to have enough to pay them.
II Kings 18:17 "And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-
saris and Rab-shakeh 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."
It appears, that Sennacherib had returned home with his captives,
that he had taken from the cities he overran. He thinks Judah will be
such an easy mark, that he can send his subordinates to take care of
them. Tartan was commander in chief. Rabsaris was chief eunuch. Rab-
shakeh was chief cup-bearer. This field was in the direction of
Lachish from Jerusalem. It appears, they had brought a message to
Hezekiah.
II Kings 18:18 "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."
Hezekiah did not personally go out to meet them, but sent three
of his men of high esteem in his court to meet with them. Eliakim had
taken the place of Shebna as head of the household. Shebna was
qualified to draw up official documents. Asaph kept the records for
the king.
II Kings 18:19 "And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to
Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What
confidence [is] this wherein thou trustest?"
Rab-shakeh, third in command in this, is very insulting, speaking
of Hezekiah without his title. He was, possibly, trying to say with
this, that he would not be king long. We can assume from this, that
Hezekiah had rebelled against the Assyrians.
II Kings 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?"
The king of Assyria is assuming that Hezekiah had sent for help
from Egypt. He did not know that Hezekiah was speaking of the strength
of the LORD. Hezekiah would welcome help from Egypt, but if he did not
get it, he knew he could depend upon the LORD. The message the king of
Assyria had sent, was an insulting message. He said that Hezekiah was
talking big, but could not carry through.
II Kings 18:21 "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." II Kings 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?"
Sennacherib is telling Hezekiah, that to depend on Egypt, is
depending on someone who could not even defend themselves, much less
Judah. He, also, says that Judah's God would be angry with Hezekiah
for breaking down the high places and altars, except the temple. The
king of Assyria is in for a surprise. Hezekiah's God is pleased with
him, not angry.
II Kings 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."
These men are saying, that Hezekiah would not have 2,000 men to
fight, even if they had the horses. Assyria would furnish the horses,
if Hezekiah furnished the men.
II Kings 18:24 "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?" II Kings 18:25 "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."
The Assyrian says, it is a vain hope to expect Egypt to help
them. This Assyrian is trying to say, that his false god is the LORD.
He says, this false god, Asshur had told them to come against Judah.
Sennacherib claims that the LORD sent him against Judah. He does not
even know the LORD, or recognize Him as God.
II Kings 18:26 "Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna,
and Joah, unto Rab-shakeh, 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."
Rab-shakeh had tried to show his superiority, by speaking in the
Hebrew language. Besides making him feel important, he thought he
might influence the people standing around to surrender. Now, we see
the three men, that Hezekiah sent, show that they are educated men.
They tell him to speak in his own language, and they will understand.
They tell him, that the negotiations are not for the ears of the
people.
II Kings 18:27 "But Rab-shakeh 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?"
This is a threat to the people who are listening, so they might
influence Hezekiah to give up.
II Kings 18:28 "Then Rab-shakeh 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:" II Kings 18:29 "Thus saith the king, Let
not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out
of his hand:"
Notice, he is doing the opposite of what he was asked to do. He
still speaks in Hebrew, so all the people can understand him. He
speaks loudly, so they will be able to hear. He elevates Sennacherib
to great king, while not even calling Hezekiah king. This is an
extremely insulting thing to do. He is doing his best, to get the
people to turn against Hezekiah.
II Kings 18:30 "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."
Now, he is insulting God. This Assyrian, possibly, had heard,
that Hezekiah had been encouraging his people to trust in the LORD.
II Kings 18:31 "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:" II Kings
18:32 "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."
All of this is to get these people to voluntarily go into
captivity to Assyria. He does not tell them, that they will be in
bondage to Assyria. Assyria may have some of these things, that are
mentioned here, but they would not belong to these Hebrews, if they
give up their freedom to Assyria. Who would want to trade their
freedom for a few material things, anyway?
II Kings 18:33 "Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at
all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?" II Kings 18:34
"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?"
A good Hebrew would be able to quickly see, the people mentioned
had worshipped false gods. They had not depended on the LORD. The
Hebrew God is the LORD. He is the only True God. Those false gods had
no power, but the LORD is all powerful.
II Kings 18:35 "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?"
To compare the LORD to these false gods, is abominable. This
Assyrian sees no difference in the LORD and all of the local false
gods of these other countries.
II Kings 18:36 "But the people held their peace, and answered him
not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not."
Rab-shakeh's words of warning were not heeded by the people of
Israel. If they had thoughts of rebelling against Hezekiah, they are
not mentioned. A true Hebrew would understand that the LORD was not
like these local false gods, which had no power. They would have their
faith and trust in Hezekiah, because he was on the side of the LORD.
Hezekiah had said not to answer these men of Assyria, and they did not
answer.
II Kings 18:37 "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 Rab-shakeh."
These three men, that Hezekiah had sent to represent Judah in
front of the three men from Assyria, would not be tearing their
clothes for fear of the threats that were made. They were tearing
their clothes, because these men of Assyria had compared the LORD with
the false gods around them. These men, along with Hezekiah, were
offended for their LORD. They knew that the LORD was perfectly capable
of saving them and destroying Assyria. The next chapter continues on
with this same thing. We will see Hezekiah's reaction there.
2 Kings 18 Questions
1. What is another name for Hezekiah?
2. What does "Hezekiah" mean?
3. What kind of king was he?
4. How old was he, when he began to reign?
5. How many years did he reign?
6. What was his mother's name?
7. What is another name for her?
8. What does "Abi" mean?
9. What does "Abijah" mean?
10. Who, possibly, influenced Hezekiah to love the LORD?
11. His love for the LORD is compared to whose in verse 3?
12. Who were two other kings, who had the same thing said about them?
13. What kind of fathers did all three of these kings have?
14. What was the first thing Hezekiah did, when he took office as
king?
15. Quote 2 Chronicles chapter 32 verse 12.
16. What does verse 4 tell us he did, to stop the false worship?
17. What was named Nehushtan?
18. What does "Nehushtan" mean?
19. How was Hezekiah compared to the other kings?
20. What good is said about Hezekiah in verse 6?
21. Because of what Hezekiah did, what did the LORD do for him?
22. Who were Hezekiah's enemies?
23. What had happened to Samaria?
24. What caused Israel to go into captivity?
25. What king came against the fenced cities of Jerusalem?
26. What did Hezekiah give them to save Jerusalem?
27. Who did the king of Assyria send with a message for Hezekiah?
28. Who did Hezekiah send to receive the message?
29. Who talked for the Assyrians?
30. How did he insult Hezekiah, by what he called him?
31. Who did he tell Hezekiah not to depend on for help?
32. Who did the Assyrian try to turn against Hezekiah?
33. What effect did the message have on the three men, that Hezekiah
sent to receive it?
Home