Resurrection Life of Jesus Church

PUTTING GOD FIRST
After the Kabbalistic high places in Judah were destroyed, Hezekiah started to organize the worship of God by setting up a schedule for the priests from the tribe of Levi and the Levites who were to assist the priests. 2 Chronicles 31:2

He made sure that the palace staff brought what was required by the king to the temple.  verse 3

Hezekiah revived the law of tithing set up by Moses. Deuteronomy 14:22-29

The people responded so generously that the storage places in the temple complex had to be enlarged. 2 Chronicles 31:5-12

Hezekiah made sure that the priests, Levites and their families were cared for in all the cities of Judah. verses 13-20

The king was not putting on a show; he had a genuine desire to please God and fulfill His commandments. As a result, God blessed Hezekiah abundantly. verse 21

THE ASSYRIANS ARE COMING
It had been 8 years since the fall of Samaria and the northern kingdom. The Assyrian king that carried them into captivity was Shalmaneser. He was deposed by Sargon II and three years later he in turn was deposed by Sennacherib, who would go on to reign for 24 years. He was a proud and vain ruler who regarded people in other nations as animals to be slaughtered or used as slaves.

Hezekiah’s father had agreed to be a vassal of Assyria. 2 Chronicles 28:20-21

One of the first things Hezekiah did was to rebel against Assyria and declare that Judah would no longer pay tribute. 2 Kings 18:5-7

This did not sit well with King Sennacherib of Assyria and he laid siege to the fortified cities of Judah. 2 Chronicles 32:1

Hezekiah became concerned that Assyria would do to Judah what they had done to Israel, and instead of calling on God, he sent a letter to Sennacherib, seeking clemency for the tribute not paid.

Sennacherib told Hezekiah that he wanted 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold.  2 Kings 18:13-14

In order to come up with such an enormous amount, Hezekiah raided his palace and the temple of silver, going so far as to strip the temple doors and pillars of gold to satisfy this pagan king. verses 15-16

MOCKING GOD AND HEZEKIAH
Appeasement never works. Sennacherib was possessed by demons, who in turn were controlled by an archon. Once he received the silver and the gold, Sennacherib wanted total submission from Judah. verses 17-18

Hezekiah refused to meet with the men from Assyria and sent out three men from his cabinet to hear what the Assyrians had to say. The Assyrian delegation could not tell the difference between the pagan gods of the high places to that of the living God.

Hezekiah was offered 2,000 horses if he became a vassal king and agreed to pay tribute to Assyria. The Assyrians invoked the name of God and stated they had been commissioned to destroy Jerusalem. verses 19-25

The chief spokesman for Hezekiah did not like the fact that the Assyrians spoke Hebrew since hundreds of Jewish soldiers on the wall could understand the conversation. verse 26

Rabshakeh – the head of the Assyrian delegation – became angry and tried to intimidate the soldiers on the wall by mocking Hezekiah and God. verses 27-35

But the people of Judah rejected the mocking and the offer to surrender. verse 36

Eliakim and the rest of the Jewish delegation left the wall and told Hezekiah what they had heard. verse 37

SEEKING GOD
Hezekiah realized that he should have sought God’s help instead of paying tribute to the Assyrians. He could not win militarily against the Assyrians and sent a group to the prophet Isaiah. 2 Kings 19:1-5

A WORD FROM GOD
The words spoken by Rabshakeh reached heaven and a decree was set forth that Jesus would send an angel to handle the situation. verses 6-7

Lucifer was not finished with Hezekiah and Rabshakeh returned to the Assyrian army. Sennacherib sent a letter to Hezekiah with more threats and intimidation. verses 8-13

Hezekiah turned to the Lord with an earnest prayer. verses 14-19

Jesus responded through the prophet Isaiah with a powerful message to encourage Hezekiah and the people of Judah. verses 20-34

JUDGMENT FALLS
Sennacherib was a pagan worshipper and did not know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The same night that Jesus responded to Hezekiah, a holy angel was dispatched to the Assyrian camp and 185,000 soldiers were killed in their sleep so that Sennacherib was surrounded by corpses when he awoke the next morning. verse 35

He quickly left the camp with the remaining soldiers and returned to Nineveh. verse 36

Once he returned to the capitol, Sennacherib visited the building which housed the idol he worshiped. While he bowed to the demon god, two of his sons slipped in and slew him. verse 37

SUMMARY
Here’s what we can learn about Hezekiah:

1. Hezekiah started out in faith as a fledgling king by rejecting Assyria and refusing to pay tribute.

2. However, when the Assyrian army arrived in Judah, his faith collapsed and he tried to bribe the Assyrians to go away.

3. Sennacherib took the silver and the gold and then demanded that Hezekiah become a vassal king.

4. Hezekiah woke up from Lucifer’s stupor and called upon the Lord.

5. Jesus was merciful and forgave his unbelief and saved the nation of Judah.
You are going to face all kinds of challenges in your life. There will be sickness, loss of jobs, death of a loved one, etc. Here’s the important question. Are you willing to trust God in all situations?

God has stated that He will never leave you. Deuteronomy 31:6

Faith is the key and it is prayer that unlocks the door. Hebrews 11:1-6

Sometimes God will deliver you from a situation and sometimes He will take you home.  Daniel 3:14-18