The Kings Of Israel And Judah. Day 196, Hezekiah King Of Judah, Part Thirteen

In yesterday's study we learned that Hezekiah, as well as the kings of several other nations, rebelled against paying tribute to Assyria in return for not being attacked by Assyria. The Assyrian army, now under the leadership of the new king, Sennacherib, invaded Judah and took over several cities. Hezekiah seemed shocked and unprepared for such an event. We talked about how he may have thought the Lord wouldn't allow the enemy forces to enter Judah at all. Hezekiah and the people have been striving to do what is godly and right; therefore, he and the people may have expected to remain untroubled by any enemies.

Godly living doesn't always exempt us from trouble in this fallen world. Naturally, when we live according to the word of God and according to the laws of the land, we can avoid some very unpleasant situations. For example, if we don't steal we can avoid the penalty assessed for being convicted of theft. If we do not commit adultery we can avoid breaking up our marriages with our own unfaithfulness. If we do not dabble recreationally with drugs and alcohol we can avoid becoming addicted, thus saving ourselves from the physical, mental, financial, and relational hardships that arise from being ruled by addiction. But we can't avoid all hardships through godly living. For example, we can be a good employee and still get passed over for promotions or even get laid off if our company has to cut back or shut down altogether. We can be a good spouse and still our husband or wife may be unfaithful or decide to leave us for other reasons. We can be good parents and still might have a child who grows up to have no regard for the Lord. We can take care of our health but still fall victim to an accident or illness, for in a world polluted by sin we find bad things happening to the wicked and to the godly both.

If godly living guaranteed a life free of trouble, the Lord Jesus Christ would have had the easiest life that anyone has ever experienced on earth. If godly living guaranteed a life free of trouble, the men and women of the Bible who loved the Lord would never have been attacked by enemies. But although godly living doesn't necessarily mean our lives will consist of nothing but peace and prosperity, we should not adopt the attitude that it's not worth trying to do what's right. If we have to live in a world polluted by sin, I'd rather have the Lord as my helper than not have Him. If the Lord makes the sun rise on the evil and the good, and if He sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45), then everyone on the face of the earth is going to experience hardships and I'd rather go through them with the Lord than without Him. Life on this earth would have completely broken me long before now if the I did not have the Lord's love and comfort and strength. I don't know how anybody manages to keep putting one foot in front of the other without Him to lean on. 

Hezekiah and the people of Judah are going to face some hardships even though they've been doing their best to honor the Lord. But they are going to be far better off with Him than without Him. The outcome of their present crisis is going to be victory because they have given their hearts to the Lord. This is in sharp contrast to the fate of the northern kingdom, which was defeated by the enemy because the people of the northern kingdom had rejected the Lord and turned away from Him.

In yesterday's study we found Hezekiah being so discombobulated by the unexpected invasion of Assyria that he apologized to King Sennacherib and sent him a great deal of gold and silver so he would leave off attacking the cities of Judah. This did not assuage the king's wrath or dampen his desire to teach the king of Judah a lesson. While Sennacherib and his forces are still laying siege to Lachish, the Assyrian king sends a dreadful message to the king of Judah. We will study the opening sentence of this message today. 

"The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field. They called for the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them. The field commander said to them, 'On what are you basing this confidence of yours?'" (2 Kings 18:17-19) 

It may be that King Sennacherib has offered King Hezekiah terms of surrender, which have been refused thus far. That would explain why Sennacherib asks where Hezekiah's confidence is coming from. He wants to know why Hezekiah is still holding out against surrendering. The book of Isaiah indicates that Hezekiah was hoping the king of Egypt would come to his aid, but Isaiah warned Hezekiah not to put any trust in Egypt, and we will find the king of Assyria saying the same thing---but for a different reason. Isaiah urged Hezekiah to put all his confidence in the Lord, for ever since the day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He has cautioned them never to return to Egypt or to make an alliance with Egypt. If Hezekiah and the people look to the Lord for help from Assyria, He will be all they need. King Sennacherib mocks the wisdom of relying on Egypt for another reason: Egypt was no help to the northern kingdom of Israel in its rebellion against Assyrian domination. From a political and military viewpoint, it is not wise for Hezekiah to put all his eggs in Egypt's basket, so to speak. But more importantly it is not wise, from a spiritual standpoint, for Hezekiah to depend on help from a nation the Lord has forbidden him to depend on. His dependence must be on the Lord alone if he expects to see a victory.