2 Kings 18-20
What I Noticed Today (2 Kings 18-20)
2 Kings 18-25
These seven chapters recount the history of the remaining kings of Judah and conclude with the Babylonian captivity (586 B.C.).
2 Kings 18
In verses 1-8, Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, began to rule in Judah in the third year of Hoshea king of Israel.
- Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king and reigned in Jerusalem for 29 years (729-686 B.C.).
Note: Hezekiah ruled as co-regent with his father, Ahaz, for 14 years (729-715 B.C.), then ruled alone for 18 years (715-686 B.C.)
- Hezekiah was a good king, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He removed the high places and cut down the Asherah. Because of his faithfulness, God blessed him, and he prospered.
Note: Only four kings of Judah were described as doing right in the eyes of the Lord; Asa (1 Kings 15;11), Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:3), Josiah (2 Kings 22:2), and Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:3).
In verses 8-12, in Hezekiah’s fourth year, the seventh year of Israel’s King Hoshea, Shalmaneser king of Assyria besieged Samaria for three years and captured it. Shalmaneser deported the Israelites. This occurred because the Israelites did not obey God.
Note: This is the second recounting of the fall and deportation of the Israelites in Samaria (2 Kings 17:3-6).
In verses 13-18, in the 14th year of Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria came up against Judah and captured many of the fortified cities.
- Hezekiah attempted to pay a tribute of 300 talents (11 tons) of silver and 30 talents (1 ton) of gold to the Assyrians to get them to leave Jerusalem alone. They stripped the gold and silver from the house of the Lord and the house of the king.
- Despite receiving the tribute, Sennacherib sent a large army to Jerusalem demanding surrender.
In verses 19-37, Rabshakeh, the commander of the Assyrian army challenged the people of Jerusalem saying, do you trust Egypt to come and save you, or do you trust your God to save you?
- Rabshakeh even claimed God had commanded the Assyrians to attack and destroy Jerusalem.
2 Kings 19
In verses 1-7, Hezekiah seeks counsel from Isaiah:
- When Hezekiah received the message from Rabshakeh, Hezekiah tore his clothes and went into the temple to pray.
- Isaiah, son of Amoz, reassured the king saying that God would protect them and that Rabshakeh would return home where he would be killed.
In verses 8-13, Sennacherib issues a final threat to Hezekiah:
- Sennacherib said no other nations’ gods had protected them from the Assyrians, and no one would come to rescue the people of Judah.
In verses 14-19 when Hezekiah received the letter from Sennacherib he went to the temple of the Lord:
- Hezekiah returned to the house of the Lord weeping and praying to God.
In verses 20-34 the Lord answers Hezekiah’s prayer:
- God heard Hezekiah’s prayer and through Isaiah again reassured Hezekiah that God would protect the remnant in Jerusalem.
In verses 35-37, that night, an angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 Assyrians. The Assyrians left Judah and returned to Nineveh.
- Years later (681 B.C.) while Sennacherib was worshipping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adram-melech and Sharezer killed him and escaped to Ararat. Then Sennacherib’s son Esar-haddon became king in his place.
Note: Ararat is about 300 miles north of Nineveh.
2 Kings 20
In verses 1-11, Hezekiah became sick and was near death.
Note: The phrase “in those days” in verse 1 refers to the time when Sennacherib had invaded Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:13-19:36).
- Once again Hezekiah prayed to God and wept.
- God heard his prayer and through Isaiah healed Hezekiah and promised him 15 more years of life.
- The Lord also promised to deliver Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem from the Assyrians.
In verses 12-19, during that time (shortly after Hezekiah’s illness) the Merodach-baladan, king of Babylon came to Judah.
- Hezekiah showed him everything in the treasure house and all the storehouses.
- When Isaiah confronted Hezekiah, Hezekiah referred to what he had shown the king of Babylon as my house and my treasures.
- Isaiah told Hezekiah there would come a day when everything in his palace would be carried away by the king of Babylon.
- Hezekiah considered this as good news thinking there would be peace during his reign.
In verses 20-21, Hezekiah died and his son, Manasseh, reigned in his place.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- Hezekiah was the first good king of Judah to remove the high places and the altars. With his example, he began the process of bringing the people back to God. A mini revival. He was also a praying king. He reached out to God through prayer, earnestly seeking God's will and wisdom.
- Despite all these admirable traits, Hezekiah eventually came to think of the treasures of Judah as his, when he described them as 'mine.' Even the thought of the country being conquered at some time in the future didn't bother him as long as he had peace in 'his' days.
- Leaders would do well today to model Hezekiah's faithfulness to God, his willingness to humble himself in prayer, and his trust in God to fulfill His promises. That said, we must be careful lest the sin of pride enter in and make us think that success is our doing, or that these are our treasures. It is all the Lord's. We are just here for a short period of time to shepherd that which the Lord entrusts to us.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.