2 Kings 19
McGeeCHAPTER 19THEME: Hezekiah’s recourse to God and Isaiah’s prophecyAs we have seen, Hezekiah came to the throne at a troubled, disturbed, and uncertain time in the land. The northern kingdom had been taken into captivity by Assyria. Now the Assyrian army has come to the gates of Jerusalem. This is enough to frighten Hezekiah, but added to this, Rab-shakeh, who is the henchman of the king of Assyria, is outside the gate sending out taunts and insults. He is boasting about the great things Assyria is going to do to Jerusalem, and he ridicules the idea that God can deliver them. Poor Hezekiah wilts under all of this, which is natural because Hezekiah is just learning to turn to the Lord and trust him.
2 Kings 19:1
HEZEKIAH SEEKS HELP FROM GODTearing his clothes and wearing sackcloth indicate Hezekiah’s deep distress and heavy afflictions. Notice that he goes into the house of the Lord. That is a good place to go when you are in mental turmoil. It is time to turn to God.
2 Kings 19:2
I wonder if you have noted the parallel to the days in which we are living. We think of our nation as being Christian and sophisticated and of Hezekiah’s nation as being uncivilized and halfway pagan. Well, in our disturbed condition have you heard of any of our politicians, educators, leaders, or military men turning to God and appealing to Him for deliverance? No! Instead the nation looks to the “expert” and listens to the man who has a high I.Q. to give the best advice. We have listened to men like that, friend, since I was a young man, and that is a long span now.
We get farther and farther into the night. Our problems are mounting. Our difficulties are overwhelming today. Nowhere, not even in the church, do you hear anyone appeal to God. Our only chance is to turn to God in this dark and late hour in the history of our nation. We are a young nation, but we are already old and on the way out.
History tells us that the life of most nations is around two hundred years. Instead of turning to God, it is always, “Let’s get together. Let’s try a new approach. Let’s get a new method. Let’s work on this problem from a different angle. Let’s get an authority in psychology, or medicine, or government, or education, and they will show us the way out.” My friend, all of these experts have moved us farther into the night, and we are in trouble.
We need God. No nation ever needed God as this nation needs God right now. Thank God Hezekiah had enough sense to call upon God in his hour of need! He sent a delegation to God’s prophet, Isaiah.
2 Kings 19:3
Notice Hezekiah says, “It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh …” He does not say “our God,” he says “thy God.” Poor Hezekiahmaybe he is not very well acquainted with God, but he has enough sense to appeal to Him at a time like this. As a matter of fact, he has no other place to go at this moment.
2 Kings 19:6
This prophecy was fulfilled literally. Notice the encouragement that Isaiah gives to the king. He says, “Don’t worry about this man. He is not going to come to your city. He is just a blowhard. He is boasting and blaspheming, but God has heard him and will deal with him. There is no need for you to worry.” Oh, if we would only learn to let God deal with our enemies. The trouble is that we deal with them, and when we do that, we move ourselves from the place of faith and trust in God so that God does not move in our behalf. The result is that we come out on the short end of the deal. The Lord can handle enemies much better than we can, just as He did in this case.
2 Kings 19:8
THE THREATENING LETTERRab-shekah returned to his master and found him carrying on a war with Libnah. And a threatening move of the king of Ethiopia kept him from returning to attack Jerusalem immediately. So he sends this letter of warning to Hezekiah.
2 Kings 19:10
It was a disturbing message. The king of Assyria had swept aside everything in his path. How did Hezekiah think he could escape?
2 Kings 19:14
My friend, we need to spread our disturbing letters before the Lord just as Hezekiah did. Since my radio program has been on the air, I have received some wonderful letters, but I have received some of the other kind too. I learned a long time ago to turn them over to the Lord, and let Him work the problem out. He is a specialist at this sort of thing. Hezekiah did a wise thing when he spread the letter out before the Lord.
2 Kings 19:15
HEZEKIAH’S PRAYERNotice how Hezekiah approaches God. Martin Luther prayed like that. My how these men could lay hold of God! Luther would cry out to God, “Lord, are you hearing me? Lord, hear me. Lord, let your ear be open to my prayer.” Do you ever feel that God is not listening to you? This is the way Hezekiah felt.
2 Kings 19:17
What this man Rab-shakeh says is true. He is not boasting when he says that Assyria has swept everything before them and has cast each nation’s gods into the fire.
2 Kings 19:20
GOD’S ANSWERNow God will answer his prayer through Isaiah the prophet. God says, “I was listening when you were praying to Me.”
2 Kings 19:21
God intends to destroy the arm of Assyria.
2 Kings 19:23
God here repeats the boast of the king of Assyria that mountains do not stop him, deserts do not stop himhe digs wells for water. Rivers do not stop himhe will find ways of drying them up. Now God addresses the proud Assyrian king. He says that the rise and fall of nations is His doing. As Isaiah had written earlier, God calls Assyria the “rod of mine anger” and the “staff …mine indignation” (see Isa_10:5).
2 Kings 19:25
That is, Assyria’s victims were unable to make an effectual resistance because it was God who had put a fear in their hearts.
2 Kings 19:27
God says, “You have come into My land; you have made your boast. Now I am going to put My hook in your nose, pull you right out of My land, and send you home.”
2 Kings 19:29
The Lord now addresses Hezekiah. Apparently the presence of the Assyrian army had prevented the farmers around Jerusalem from sowing their land. God promised that there would be enough volunteer growth to feed them, and even in the third year they would be able to sow their crops and reap them in peace. Sennacherib and his army would not be around to destroy their crops.
2 Kings 19:30
Isaiah is making a very bold statement, but it is the Word of the Lord. I am sure the people of Jerusalem are wondering if Isaiah is a true prophet. When Isaiah had made the prophecy that “a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,” the people probably said, “My, that is a great prophecy. When will it take place?” Well, it wouldn’t take place for seven hundred years, and none of them would be around to see its fulfillment. But now Isaiah is making a prophecy in a local situation, and they will see its fulfillment within days. Here is the Assyrian army camped outside the gates of Jerusalem. This great army had swept everything before them. They were feared and dreaded in the ancient world. Now God says through Isaiah that they will not besiege the city of Jerusalem and that they will not even shoot an arrow into the city! Now, you think that over for a moment. There are 185,000 soldiers around the walls of Jerusalem. Out of that number you would certainly find some trigger-happy soldier with a bow and arrow who would shoot at least one arrow over the wall. My friend, if he does that, Isaiah is not a true prophet of God. God says that not an arrow is going to fall in that city, and He says it by the mouth of Isaiah. That is the way the people of his day would know that he is a true prophet of God. God says, “I’m going to save this city, and I will save it for two reasons.”
2 Kings 19:34
He will do it for His name’s sakeGod does many things for His name’s sakeand for David’s sake. You see, God loved David. He did many things for David’s sake. And, my friend, David had a greater Son, a virgin-born Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will save sinners who trust Himfor Christ’s sake. And when a believer prays to the Father in Jesus’ name, the Father answers for Christ’s sake.
2 Kings 19:35
I love the way this translation reads, “…and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.” Friend, the Assyrians did not wake in the morning. Why not? They were dead. Of course it means that when the folk inside the city awoke in the morning, they found about 185,000 dead bodies outside the city wall.
2 Kings 19:36
SENNACHERIB IS ASSASSINATED BY HIS SONSSennacherib was slain by his sons. It is interesting that the prophecy concerning Assyria was literally fulfilled in that day.