2 Kings 19

2 Kings 19:1

19:1-7 Hezekiah was greatly distressed when he heard of the Rabshakeh’s taunt. He sent messengers to Isaiah the prophet, saying that Judah was powerless when it needed strength the most. Further, he asked Isaiah to pray for the remnant of Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah sent word back to Hezekiah that he didn’t need to fear the Assyrian king, that God would put a spirit of fear upon him and cause him to hear a rumor and to return to his own land, where he would be slain. 19:8-13 When the Rabshakeh returned to Lachish, he found that Sennacherib had transferred his assault to the neighboring fortress of Libnah. Sennacherib heard that Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia in upper (i.e., southern) Egypt, was advancing to attack him. He immediately tried to frighten Jerusalem into quick surrender by sending a blasphemous letter. Some scholars think that the rumor mentioned in verse 7 is explained in verse 9namely, the rumor of the approach of the Egyptians. Others say that it was a report that the Babylonians were rebelling. 19:14-20 Hezekiah wisely took the letter . . . to the temple and spread it before the LORD. His prayer was a revelation of his deep trust in Jehovah. In reply, God sent Hezekiah a twofold answer by way of Isaiah. 19:21-28 Verses 21-28 are addressed to Sennacherib. Verses 29-34 are addressed to Hezekiah. The prophecy of Isaiah is a taunt song against . . . Assyria. It pictures Jerusalem, the virgin, the daughter of Zion, as laughing at Assyria’s threats. It denounces Sennacherib for blaspheming God’s holy name, and for boasting that he would invade Judah (Lebanon), destroy her rulers and great men (tall cedars and. . . cypress trees), and enter the palaces of Mount Zion (lodging place and forest).

Sennacherib also boasted of other foreign conquests, including his victory over Egypt. What he didn’t realize was that all he had done was what God had already determined to be done. God knew him inside and out and would break his towering arrogance, sending back to Assyria the remnants of his shattered army. 19:29-34 Then, turning to Hezekiah, the Lord gave a sign that the Assyrian would not conquer Jerusalem. For two years the people of Judah would not be able to raise normal crops because of the Assyrian presence, but would eat things that grew without cultivation. Then, in the third year, they would be safe enough from the threat of assault that they could carry on their normal activities. Not only would the people of Jerusalem survive, but the king of Assyria would not even be allowed to come into the city or to shoot an arrow there.

2 Kings 19:35

5. Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death (19:35-37)That night . . . the angel of the Lord visited the encampment of Assyria and killed . . . one hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers. When men arose early in the morning, the Assyrians were corpses. Sennacherib returned to his capital, Nineveh, where he was slain twenty years later (681 B.C.). (He actually outlived Hezekiah by five years.) Isaiah’s prophecy (v. 7) was fulfilled when two of Sennacherib’s own sons murdered him and a third, Esarhaddon, reigned in his place.