Prophets And Kings, Day 118. Josiah King Of Judah, Part 1

Prophets And Kings

Day 118

Josiah King Of Judah

Part 1

INTRODUCTION BY BELINDA
We begin our study today of one of Judah's best kings, Josiah, a man whose rise a prophet predicted way back in 1 Kings 13.

2 KINGS 22:1-13, 2 CHRONICLES 34:3-7

King Josiah, son of Amon, grandson of Manasseh, ascends to the throne at only eight years of age. But he is the king an unnamed prophet predicted in 1 Kings 13:1-2, "By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: 'A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.'" The fulfillment of this prophecy took three hundred years, a long time to our mortal minds, but, "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) God could have struck Jeroboam down for making an offering to a golden calf and not to the living God. This is what Jeroboam was doing when the prophet made his pronouncement against the sinful altar. The Lord could have destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel for the idolatry they so quickly turned to during the reign of their first king. But instead He gave them three hundred years to absorb the dire prophecy and to turn from their sins. He did this because He was patient with them, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. They didn't do it, but they can never accuse Him of not extending His mercy during those three hundred years.

"Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left." (2 Kings 22:1-2) Josiah lost his father at a young age but this was a blessing on him and on the nation. If Amon had lived long enough to raise his son, Josiah might have fallen under his wicked influence. Instead he grew up in the fear of the Lord, faithful and unswerving, committed to his God. I love it that the author skips over all the generations between David and Josiah and refers to David as Josiah's father. What a precious way to speak of this fatherless little boy. 

We don't know what religious instruction Josiah received before the age of eight, if any, but something in his heart longed to know the Lord. The Chronicler tells us, "In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David." (2 Chronicles 34:3a) Josiah was sixteen, an age when we might expect a young man to sow some wild oats, but instead he earnestly sought Who he believed could satisfy every longing in his soul. It wasn't that he lacked gods to choose from; he could have chosen any from the pantheon of gods whose idols his father set up. He could have worshiped Baal like King Ahab and King Manasseh. He could have set up Asherah poles and turned the temple into a brothel as Manasseh did. He could have promised his firstborn son to the Canaanite god Molech as a couple of kings before him did. Or he could even have turned to the gods of the Assyrians and Babylonians, the gods the astrologers believed ruled every aspect of their lives. Josiah was a young man who could have anything he wanted and could have lived any way he wanted. But he found something lacking in every form of worship available except for the worship of the living God. His heart was open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Josiah had a heart like David's, a heart that said the same thing David's did, "My heart says of You, 'Seek His face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek." (Psalm 27:8) Josiah looked around him at all the pagan idols and felt no emotion. Nothing about them drew him to them because his heart said, "Seek the Lord's face!" And Josiah answered, "Yes, Lord! I will seek Your face!"

"In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols. Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them." (2 Chronicles 34:3b-4) Josiah was twenty when he began ridding the land of idols. He tore down what his father had built because his father built nothing but lies. It was a lie to believe there was any other God or help in any deity except the God who had brought them out of Egypt. 

"He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem. In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem." (2 Chronicles 34:4-7) The priests mentioned here were the pagan priests, likely already dead and buried, and he took their bones out and burned them on the altars to desecrate the altars. Josiah was able to tear down the altars even to the upper regions of the northern kingdom because Israel had been conquered by Assyria and taken into captivity. There was a remnant that remained in the land but they were either unable or uninterested in stopping Josiah. Their gods had not saved them from their enemy Assyria, why protect their gods from Judah? 

"In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: 'Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the Lord---the carpenters, the builders and the masons. And have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.'" (2 Kings 22:3-7) At the age of twenty-six he ordered the temple repaired and refurbished just as his precedessor King Jehoash did in 2 Kings 12. He knew and trusted the men in charge of the work. He was able to discern their godly character and had no fear of them misappropriating the money.

"Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, 'I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.' He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: 'Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.' Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, 'Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.' And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king." (2 Kings 22:8-10) The Law was not being read in Jerusalem and had been neglected during the reign of Manasseh and Amon and possibly during the reigns of even the godly kings. Up til now it had been neglected during the reign of Josiah, although he knew enough about the Lord and His word to have found his way to Him. The priests who served at the temple knew a fair amount of the word of God from memory but they weren't being obedient to the Law given in Deuteronomy concerning the book, that it was to be read aloud before all the people every seven years, that the king was to have his own personal copy to consult at all times. 

Some scholars believe the part Shaphan read was from Deuteronomy concerning the king having a copy of the law and concerning the rule that it be read aloud every seven years and the covenant with the Lord reaffirmed at its reading. Josiah has never heard this portion of Scripture before and it cuts him to the heart. "When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes." (2 Kings 22:11) I love this verse! When we hear a portion of the word of the Lord that pierces our consciences, there are only two reactions we can have. We either harden our hearts and refuse to repent or we are grief-stricken to the core like Josiah. The tearing of his robes in grief and humility symbolizes his sadness over his sins and over the sins of the nation. He is acknowledging guilt before Almighty God. And that's where healing begins. If we acknowledge our sins before a merciful God, He will not have to charge us with them at the judgment. We can have them taken care of right here and right now. 

Josiah isn't familiar enough with the word of the Lord to fully understand what he has heard, but he knows enough to recognize his sin. His heart is open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. What he has heard of the Law makes him want to know more. "He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: 'Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord's anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.'" (2 Kings 22:12-13) 

There were probably copies of the Law throughout the land but rabbinic literature indicates that Hilkiah found the actual book of the Law written by Moses, the copy that was to be kept with the Ark of the Covenant, and the fact that it was the original book of such antiquity caused Josiah to feel the whole weight of its importance. There is an ancient legend that some of the priests had hidden the book during the reigns of wicked kings so it would not be destroyed. Because the temple was undergoing repairs it came to light. If so, this was the very book Moses penned with his own hand, the very book he read aloud to the people when first affirming the covenant with the Lord. It would have been considered the most holy book in existence. It has a profound effect on the king, an effect of the word of God that the author of Hebrews wrote about, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) This sword pierced Josiah's heart, just as it pierces all the hearts of those willing to hear the truth of the Lord. It cuts all the way to the heart, revealing our sins to us, making us aware that we have offended a holy God. 

When we hear the word of the Lord, we must do something about it. We can choose to scoff at it and reject it as an ancient and useless volume or we can accept it in faith and receive new life. Josiah made the best choice, the right choice. God gave us His word not to beat us down with it and make us feel worthless but to bring us to Himself and to the joy of His fellowship. He wants to make us whole, not tear us apart. He wants to give us life, not death. The word reveals our hearts to us so we can bring to Him anything that doesn't line up with His law. 

Moses gave a warning to those who heard the words of the law and rejected them, "When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, 'I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,' they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as on the dry." (Deuteronomy 29:19) Josiah says, "No wonder the Lord is angry with us! We have neglected His word! We have failed to follow His law! We knew what our holy God required of us but we persisted in going our own way."

When Moses finished reading the Law to the people, he concluded with these words, "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) The time will come when Judah will so forsake her God that He will take her from the land He promised to her fathers. But that time won't come during the reign of Josiah because he chooses life. He chooses blessing. The Lord makes the same offer to us today: life or death, blessings or curses. Let's make the good choice Josiah made. Let's allow the word of God to minister to our hearts, revealing our sins to us so we can turn from them. His word will show us how to live in this dark world, how to walk in His light even on the gloomiest of days, how to live in hope even in the most perilous times. 

The song link below reminds me of the attitude of Josiah who decided to follow the Lord, no turning back.

No Turning Back

Prophets And Kings, Day 117. Amon King Of Judah

Prophets And Kings

Day 117

Amon King Of Judah

INTRODUCTION BY BELINDA
Today we meet Amon, the son of King Manasseh, who only reigned two years.

2 KINGS 21:19-26

"Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother's name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah." (2 Kings 21:19) Some scholars believe the idolatrous Manasseh named his son after the Egyptian diety Amon-Ra, but Amon is also a Hebrew name meaning something like "builder" or "master builder". If so, Amon failed to live up to his name, for he accomplished little during his reign except to cling to the idols his father previously rejected. 

"He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them." (2 Kings 21:20-21) After his conversion, Manasseh instituted religious reforms in Judah but I think it was a case of doing too little too late. We don't know what year Manasseh repented but it was probably somewhere within the last half or last third of his long reign, which could mean Amon was young and impressionable when his father was still worshiping idols. Even during the years of reform his heart must have clung to the gods of his youth, so that when he became king at twenty-two, he no longer had to pretend to follow his father's God. 

Amon completely rejected the God of Israel. "He forsook the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in obedience to Him." (2 Kings 21:22) The Chronicler adds this statement, "But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble himself before the Lord; Amon increased his guilt." (2 Chronicles 33:23) If Amon was guiltier than Manasseh, then we can only imagine how much sin he must have packed into his two short years as king. He must have been exceedingly wicked. He must have worked overtime undoing the reforms of his father.

Amon's brief reign comes to a violent end. "Amon's officials conspired against him and assassinated the king in his palace." (2 Kings 21:23) The palace is probably where Amon felt safest but he had mortal enemies there. There are no surviving historical records to indicate why this palace intrigue arose. Some scholars and historians believe he was assassinated because he was undoing the good his father had brought about in his later years, that the officials wanted to put his son Josiah on the throne. Josiah was only eight years old when he became king, and although he would be a very godly king, he was too young to have displayed this quality to the people. If those in high places wanted Josiah on the throne at eight years of age, it must have been so they could mold him into the leader they wanted, so they could influence all his beliefs and policies. Other commentators believe the conspiracy came about because Amon was very pro-Assyria in a time when nations around Judah were throwing off Assyria's shackles. At that time Egypt was actively working to expel all Assyrians from the nation and refusing to be subject to Assyria any longer. They were successful in doing so, becoming sovereign over their own country once again.

Whatever the reason, the author of Kings and Chronicles seems to indicate that the Lord allowed Amon to be assassinated because he was so evil and was so intent on undoing the changes his father had made. The Lord is going to give Judah another opportunity to turn from idols under the reign of Josiah, for he will institute more sweeping reforms than his grandfather Manasseh. Josiah will be so faithful to the Lord that the Bible will compare him to David. He will be one of the best kings Judah ever had, a king who does everything he can to turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord. Because of Josiah the people of Judah, when later taken into captivity, will never be able to say they didn't know the law of the Lord. They won't be able to claim they didn't know the right way to live. 

After Amon's officials assassinate him in his own home, they are brought to justice by being executed. "Then the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place." (2 Kings 21:24) This verse leads me to believe that the officials didn't kill Amon in order to put Josiah on the throne, as some scholars think, because Josiah is placed on the throne by those who bring the officials to justice. Perhaps the officials had some other man in mind for king. They may have intended to wrest the throne from the tribe of Judah and put a man not of the royal line on the throne. If so, we can understand why they had to be stopped. The Lord had promised David that the kings would come from his tribe of Judah, so as long as there was a throne, there had to be a man of David's line on it. There is no throne at Jerusalem today but when it is once again established, the Lord Jesus Christ of the royal tribe of Judah will sit on it and rule the world in righteousness. The Lord will not break His word to David. 

"As for the other events of Amon's reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king." (2 Kings 21:25-26) Amon is buried in the family tomb his father cut out. Neither of these men is buried with the kings of Judah. We don't know why Manasseh made a tomb near the palace but I wonder if maybe he did this in his younger years when he was living in opposition to God. Perhaps he didn't want to be identified with the kings of Judah who followed the Lord. He may have regretted this after he converted.

Tomorrow we begin our study of Josiah, a man who will plead with the hearts of the people to turn back to the living God. The Lord will appeal to His people through this king, displaying His grace and patience and mercy.

Prophets And Kings, Day 116. Manasseh King Of Judah, Part 2

Prophets And Kings

Day 116

Manasseh King Of Judah

Part 2

INTRODUCTION BY BELINDA
Yesterday we learned what a wicked king Manasseh was. Today the Lord allows the Assyrians to take him prisoner.

2 KINGS 21:10-18, 2 CHRONICLES 33:10-20

Manasseh leaped so far into idolatry that he took the whole nation with him. In yesterday's passage we were told that Judah became even more wicked than the nations around her, the nations the Lord had driven from the promised land. The Lord speaks to Manasseh and the people through His prophets but they will not listen. "The Lord said through His servants the prophets: 'Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols. Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; they have done evil in My eyes and have aroused My anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt.'" (2 Kings 21:10-15)

The Lord is going to judge Jerusalem, the capitol of Judah, by the same standards as He judged Samaria, the capitol of Israel. He is going to judge Manasseh just as He judged idolatrous Ahab. The Lord spared Judah during the reign of Hezekiah because the people turned back to Him. But the time is soon coming when Judah will be taken captive just like her sister Israel.

"Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end---besides the sin he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of their Lord." (2 Kings 21:16) Scholars believe Manasseh persecuted those who remained faithful to the God of Israel and especially the Lord's prophets. This explains why the Lord compared Manasseh to King Ahab, who also persecuted the prophets. The Jewish Talmud states that the prophet Isaiah was martyred for his faith during the reign of Manasseh, on Manasseh's orders. 

The author of 2nd Chronicles provides details of Manasseh's life that the author of 2nd Kings does not. The author of 2nd Kings simply points us to the book of Chronicles for the rest of Manasseh's deeds by saying, "As for the other events of Manasseh's reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the books of the annals of the kings of Judah?" (2 Kings 21:17) The Chronicles are at least two of the books of the annals of the kings of Judah, though there may have been more books which are lost to us now, but the author of 2nd Chronicles says, "The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon." (2 Chronicles 33:10-11) 

There are Assyrian records still existing which tell us that Manasseh was an ally of Sennacherib and later of Sennacherib's son Esarhaddon. Esarhaddon ascended to the throne when Manasseh would have been in his late teens, but Esarhaddon only reigned eleven years, so some scholars believe Manasseh was taken prisoner by Ashurbanipal, the successor to Esarhaddon. There are no known records of Assyria taking Manasseh captive so we don't know why it happened. Ashurbanipal invaded Egypt during Manasseh's reign due to a conspiracy against Assyria and it could be that Ashurbanipal thought Manasseh was allied with Egypt. He took Pharaoh Necho captive for a time and imprisoned him at Nineveh, later releasing him back to his own country, and it's possible he took Manasseh prisoner around the same time, later releasing him back to this own country. We simply don't know how or why this came about but what we do know is the Lord allowed this to happen to Manasseh because of his waywardness. It was a judgment upon him and upon Judah for idolatry. Manasseh and the people likely thought this was the fulfillment of the prophecy in today's passage that the Lord was going to bring disaster on Judah, that He was going to abandon her to her enemies. 

As happens with so many of us when we have fallen into sin, myself included, we often turn to the Lord for help after we have tried everything else. This is what Manasseh does. In his misery he remembers the God in whom his father Hezekiah trusted, the God in whom his ancestor David trusted. As Manasseh sits in prison in a foreign land, where is Baal when he needs him? Where are the gods of all the starry hosts when he needs them, the gods whose images he dared to set up in the courtyard of God? Where is Asherah when he needs her, whose symbol he placed in the temple of the Lord? Where is Molech when he needs him, the god to whom he sacrificed his own son? They are as useless as the gold- and silver-plated carved blocks of wood that represent them. As the author of Psalm 115 said, these idols are, "Silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats." (Psalm 115:4-7)

I wonder if Manasseh cried out to his gods from the darkness of his prison cell. I wonder if he called on his gods till he was hoarse and exhausted. I wonder how long he persisted until it finally dawned on him that they weren't real, that they couldn't come to his aid, that they couldn't save him. In some midnight hour of desperation, a name came to his lips, and it wasn't the name of a false god but the name of the God of Israel. "In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to Him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God." (2 Chronicles 33:12-13) 

Manasseh prayed to the Lord with his whole heart. The Lord wouldn't be moved to help him if Manasseh simply gave Him lip service, calling on Him after he already called out the name of every other god. The author says Manasseh humbled himself greatly. Imprisoned in a dark dungeon in a foreign land, Manasseh is as low as he can go, but he finds a way to lower himself still, by bowing on his knees to the one true God. His heart is broken. His heart is repentant. He knows there is no other god and that all his offerings and sacrifices to pagan deities were for nothing. His only hope and only help is in the Lord. 

I don't know what your conversion was like, but Manasseh's conversion reminds me of mine. I too was in deep distress. I too was helpless and afraid. I had imprisoned myself in a dungeon of sin, a dungeon of my own making, and from its depths I bowed on my knees and looked up to the only One who could pull me out. We may not have many golden idols in our times but we can still make gods of ourselves when we serve the flesh instead of serving the Creator. All our service at the altars of money or status or success or substance abuse or sex or anything else will lead us to chains of imprisonment. Only the Son can make us free, free to walk in the liberty of His light and grace. 

Because Manasseh repented, God allows him to return to Judah and do good things for the nation. The dire prophecy of the prophets is not for this time but for a later time, although if Manasseh had not repented it would most likely have happened during his reign. "Afterward he built the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah." (2 Chronicles 33:14) Manasseh now turns to the work of making his nation more secure against her enemies. Formerly he expended a great deal of energy and money on the making of altars and idols instead of seeing to the defense of Judah.

"He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city." (2 Chronicles 33:15) He can't get rid of these false and useless idols fast enough. Don't you bet his heart was breaking as he cast them out, knowing how much of his life had been wasted on them? Don't you bet he wept some bitter tears when he thought of the terrible waste of life he brought about in his own family by participating in child sacrifice? For the rest of his life he knew he was guilty of the blood of innocent children and of the innocent blood of the prophets of God. But like the Apostle Paul, who was guilty of the imprisonment and death of those faithful to Christ, all he could do was accept the Lord's forgiveness and keep moving ahead in the right direction. This doesn't belittle any of the crimes these two men committed but it does highlight the grace of our Lord. All we can do when we come to Christ is lay our past at His feet. We can't live in the past although we don't belittle our sins and crimes in any way. But instead of allowing them to hamper our walk forward, we can only move ahead in the grace of our Lord, knowing we never again want to be the people we once were, knowing that with His help we never have to be the people we once were.

"Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God." (2 Chronicles 33:16-17) Manasseh, like all who have been truly converted, tells the people about the Lord and urges them to turn to Him. He worships only at the temple but many of the people still worship at the high places, although they make their sacrifices to God and not to idols. Manasseh would have done well to tear the high places down as his father did. In both Israel and Judah, these high places were too much of a compromise. God had told the people a long time ago, as they wandered in the desert after the exodus, that He would choose a place for His name and that they were only to worship there. They are doing wrong in worshiping anywhere but at the temple. It's too close to idolatry to worship at the high places. It's too easy to slip back into sin.

"The other events of Manasseh's reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel. His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself---all these are written in the records of the seers. Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king." (2 Chronicles 33:18-20) The author of 2nd Kings ends with this, "Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king." (2 Kings 21:18) 

The dramatic conversion of Manasseh highlights the power of God in the life of one who is truly repentant. Manasseh was one of the most wicked kings Judah ever had but God completely turned his life around. The man who formerly brought in every type of idolatry possible now bows only to the living God. He condemns the life he once led and he tells the people that only the God of Israel can help them. His conversion is proven by the way he lived the rest of his life, ending it on a good note after many years of stability and prosperity in Judah. 

No matter what is in our past, Jesus Christ can give us a better future. We can't change what's behind us but we can't allow it to hold us back. Jesus never tells us to look back over our shoulder at the sins that are covered by His blood. He tells us to keep our eyes on Him, the author and finisher of our faith, and to follow in His footsteps. Manasseh's life proves that no matter what kind of failures we once were, in Christ we can be overcomers. We can finish strong.

Prophets And Kings, Day 115. Manasseh King Of Judah, Part 1

Prophets And Kings

Day 115

Manasseh King Of Judah

Part 1

INTRODUCTION BY BELINDA
Today we begin our look at Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, the son him fathered in the fifteen extra years the Lord gave him.

2 KINGS 21:1-9

"Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother's name was Hephzibah." (2 Kings 21:1) Manasseh must have been Hezekiah's only son, or at least his only living son at the time of his death. We learned earlier in the week that Hezekiah didn't walk as closely with the Lord during his last fifteen years and those years were crucial to Manasseh's character. It would appear Hezekiah didn't set a godly enough example for his son to follow. Had Manasseh seen the power of the Lord in his father's life, I think he might have felt inspired to follow the same God, but instead he rejects the God of his father and brings back the former idols.

"He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, 'In Jerusalem I will put My name.' In the two courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts." (2 Kings 21:2-5) Manasseh brings back Baal worship, the god of the Sidonians, a practice first introduced to Israel by King Ahab and his pagan wife Jezebel. He brings back the fertility goddess Asherah, the sex cult of the Canaanites. In addition he adds the occult practice of astrology which he adopts from the Babylonians. It seems Manasseh wants to worship anybody but the living God. Since the beginning of time, Satan has offered us everything but the Lord. In our own times he offers us anything but Jesus. If Satan cannot entice us to worship him, he doesn't care who we worship as long as it isn't the one and only God. 

We find that Manasseh also worshiped the Canaanite god Molech and practiced child sacrifice, "He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing His anger." (2 Kings 21:6) The author of 2nd Chronicles adds these details, "He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom." (2 Chronicles 6a) The author of 2nd Kings mentions only a son who was sacrificed, but the Canaanite followers of Molech tended to sacrifice both sons and daughters, so it could be that Manasseh sacrificed one son (as we find in  Kings) and possibly one or more daughters (because 2nd Chronicles uses the plural word "children"). This is the highest form of abomination, to place no value on human life. It should be a natural human desire to protect our offspring, to be willing to give our own lives to save our offspring. But Manasseh lacked this human compassion. His desire for power from his gods of choice outweighed any pity he might have felt for the lives of his children.

It's interesting that the word the Lord Jesus used for hell, gehenna, is derived from the name of the Valley of Ben Hinnom. This is the valley where child sacrifice was practiced. This is the valley that was used in previous times to cast the dead bodies of enemies. This is the valley that later became something like a landfill or dump. The valley was considered unclean and cursed, a place of destruction and decay, a place of despair. When the Lord used the word gehenna He intended to paint a graphic picture in the minds of His listeners. The crowds knew exactly what He meant when He compared hell to the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He wanted them to understand just how desperate their situation was if they didn't know the one and only God. He wanted them to realize what a place of despair and horror hell would be, a place without the light of the Lord, a place without hope, a place without the help of the Holy Spirit, a place without natural compassion and human kindness. Gehenna, as He called it, will be full of those who committed the most abominable sins, people who brought pain and misery on others, people who caused death and destruction. Who would want to spend eternity with the likes of these? No one Jesus was speaking to would want to live in the Valley of Ben Hinnom; they wouldn't even want to spend one night there. How much more should they strive to keep from spending eternity in hell?

Manasseh desecrates the temple of the Lord. "He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, 'In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever. I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that My servant Moses gave them.' But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites." (2 Kings 21:7-9) The worship of Asherah included orgies and the use of temple prostitutes, so we see just how little Manasseh thinks of the temple of the Lord. By setting the pole up in the temple he is turning it into a house of ill repute. 

We could find excuses to make for Manasseh's waywardness in that he was only twelve when he became king, immature and easily influenced, and that he probably lacked proper spiritual guidance from his father whose own relationship with the Lord had slipped. But it's harder to make excuses for the people of Judah who had experienced such a great revival during the reign of Hezekiah. They had seen how Hezekiah cast all the idols out of the land and how the Lord blessed the nation for this. They had seen how the Lord miraculously delivered them from the king of Assyria. They had seen how the Lord miraculously healed their king from a terminal illness. What made them turn so quickly from the Lord? Did they fear their neighboring nations now that a boy-king sat on the throne, so much so that they joined in with the religious practices of their allies? Whatever their motivation, it indicates they feared someone or something far more than they feared God. They must have seen some advantage in adopting the gods of the nations, perhaps trusting in their allies instead of trusting in the Lord, the Lord who (without the help of any allies) delivered them from Assyria.

The Lord is going to have to bring Manasseh to rock bottom before he will look up and call out for Him. In tomorrow's study we find that Manasseh ignores the word of the Lord for so long, and the people ignore the word of the Lord for so long, that nothing short of disaster is able to show them the error of their ways. Our Father in heaven doesn't enjoy disciplining us any more than we enjoy disciplining our children. Just like an earthly parent, He scolds us through His word usually a number of times before He applies any discipline. Human parents tend to scold a child verbally at least once before giving a time-out or a spanking. The Lord is the same way. Human parents will usually resort to discipline only after their words fail to have any effect. The Lord is the same way. He speaks to Manasseh and the people of Judah for a long time through the prophets and His words are repeatedly rejected. The king and the people stop their ears to His voice and close the doors of their hearts to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. So God is going to have to give Manasseh a time out. And as Manasseh sits miserably as a prisoner in a foreign land he will remember the God of his father and will cry out to Him.

Prophets And Kings, Day 114. King Hezekiah Of Judah, Part 12

Prophets And Kings

Day 114

King Hezekiah Of Judah

Part 12

INTRODUCTION BY BELINDA
Yesterday King Hezekiah was healed of a deadly illness and promised fifteen more years of life by the Lord. Today we learn that he became prideful during those fifteen years.

2 KINGS 20:12-21, 2 CHRONICLES 32:27-31

"At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah's illness." (2 Kings 20:12) Babylon knew what it felt like to be troubled by Assyria and the king probably felt friendship and sympathy toward Hezekiah after his ordeal with the Assyrians. King Sennacherib's father, King Shalmaneser of Assyria, had led a campaign against Marduk-Baladan in the past and temporarily took control of the region. He didn't put Marduk-Baladan to death but allowed him to return to his hometown. Later, Marduk-Baladan came back against Assyria with an army made up of men from his own tribe along with many allies from the Elamites. He was able to defeat Shalmaneser and reclaim the throne. After Shalmaneser's death his son Sennacherib tried to reclaim Babylon for Assyria but wasn't able to do so. During this time Marduk-Baladan encouraged the nations around him, including Judah, to rebel against paying tribute to Assyria. We know that King Hezekiah of Judah joined in this rebellion which is why Sennacherib sent his troops with the intent to destroy Jerusalem, a thing they were prevented from doing by divine intervention. It would appear Marduk-Baladan considered King Hezekiah his ally and friend.

"Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his storehouses---the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine olive oil---his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them." (2 Kings 20:13) Hezekiah was pleased to have the powerful Babylonian king show him so much attention by sending men with letters and gifts. A number of Bible scholars believe this was a political move on the part of Marduk-Baladan. He was impressed that the Assyrian army had to turn back from Jerusalem without firing a single arrow. He had heard of the strange illness that overtook the Assyrian troops. He had heard that this miracle was credited to Hezekiah's God. Having Judah on his side against Assyria seemed advantageous to Marduk-Baladan. 

In his desire to impress these envoys and their king, Hezekiah failed to give God the credit for all his blessings. He was lifted up in pride because of all his possessions and accomplishments. The author of 2nd Chronicles tells us, "Hezekiah had very great wealth and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuables. He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine and olive oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for the flocks. He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches." (2 Chronicles 32:27-29) God blessed the reign of Hezekiah because of his faithfulness. This was how, in Old Testament times, God showed favor. The person who did what was right in God's eyes was blessed materially to show all those around him/her that God rewards those loyal to Him. It was especially needful to materially bless a godly king so that all the nation could see God was with the man who was faithful to Him. In our times we are promised the riches of spiritual blessings more so than material blessings. God may endow us with both but He doesn't promise us that. He promises to supply our needs (Philippians 4:19) and He promises to pour out the Holy Spirit on those who seek Him (Luke 11:13). 

The author of 2nd Chronicles goes on to say, "It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart." (2 Chronicles 32:30-31) We learn here why God is going to be displeased that Hezekiah shows all his worldly goods to the Babylonians. They came to find out about his healing and the miraculous sign of the sun which accompanied it. The Babylonians had a sun-god and were naturally interested in knowing whether their own god had a hand in Hezekiah's healing. This was an opportunity for Hezekiah to witness to them about the one true God, the God who had so prospered him, the God who had defended him against a powerful army, the God who had healed him of a deadly disease. But instead of lifting up and glorifying the name of the Lord, Hezekiah lifted up and glorified his own name. He bragged about his accomplishments and displayed his wealth to these men. 

The Lord sends a message to Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah. "Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, 'What did those men say, and where did they come from?' 'From a distant land,' Hezekiah replied. 'They came from Babylon.'" (2 Kings 20:14) I've always pictured Hezekiah saying this with a smile, proud that men would come from a distant land to see him, pleased that men from the powerful nation of Babylon brought him gifts.

"The prophet said, 'What did they see in your palace?' 'They saw everything in my palace,' Hezekiah said. 'There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.'" (2 Kings 20:15) He is still basking in the glory of having impressed the men from Babylon. 

Isaiah already knew exactly what had happened but wanted Hezekiah to admit it. He is giving Hezekiah an opportunity to speak the words aloud and realize he has been behaving in the wrong spirit, but it isn't working. Hezekiah is hugely pleased with himself. "Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, 'Hear the word of the Lord: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'" (2 Kings 20:16-18) This prophecy will come true during the time of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, when he will overthrow and take captive the people of Judah.

It was foolish of Hezekiah to have shown the Babylonians his wealth. All this told them was that Judah was worth plundering. He should instead have shown them the word of God and the temple of God. He should have witnessed to them about the great revival that took place in Judah and how the nation did away with all the pagan idols and turned back to the Lord. He should have explained that the illness which came upon the Assyrian troops was the divine hand of God. He should have described how he was healed by the word of the Lord and that the sign of the sun going backwards was given to him as proof he would recover. But Hezekiah did none of these things. He glorified himself. Who knows what effect a real testimony might have had on these men? They would have gone back to Babylon to tell stories about the God of Judah. But now all they can tell their king is how wealthy Judah is. 

Hezekiah doesn't seem troubled by Isaiah's dire prophecy. "'The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,' Hezekiah replied. For he thought, 'Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?'" (2 Kings 20:19) Because Isaiah said the Babylonian captivity would take place in the days of Hezekiah's descendants, he is unconcerned. He knows it won't happen in his lifetime and he's satisfied with that. We ought to care about leaving a better world for following generations. We ought to care about whether animal species go extinct and whether we pollute the air and the water. We may not reap the consequences in our lifetime but our descendants will have to deal with these problems.

"As for the other events of Hezekiah's reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? Hezekiah rested with his ancestors. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king." (2 Kings 20:20-21) Manasseh is only twelve when he becomes king, so we know he was born after the Lord healed Hezekiah. Manasseh will be one of the most wicked kings Judah ever had and I think a clue to his wickedness can be found in Hezekiah's attitude during his last fifteen years of life. He was not the father he could have been prior to his illness. He had fallen away from the Lord and thought too highly of himself, as if he had gotten all this wealth without the help of the Lord. He set a bad example for his young son. Manasseh learned to honor the creature more than the Creator. 

I once heard a preacher say Hezekiah, and Judah by extension, would have been better off if he had perished from his illness. He wouldn't have fallen from grace. He wouldn't have fathered the wicked Manasseh. I think Hezekiah allowed God's miraculous healing to make him believe he was something really special. He believed God rescued him because God needed him or because God thought more highly of him than others. God healed Hezekiah because God is good, not because Hezekiah was a better man than all other men. God healed Hezekiah to show His power on behalf of Judah, not because He favored Hezekiah above other men. God healed Hezekiah as a sign to the people that He was also going to deliver them from Assyria. 

The Lord has done great things for me. He has delivered me from many evils and sad circumstances. But that's not because I'm anything; it's because He's good. It's because He's a good Father and faithful to His children. God blesses us because it's His nature to bless those who love Him. He even blesses those who don't love Him in order to lead them to repentance with kindness. (Romans 2:4) But every blessing of my life is to His glory alone. I'm nothing and He is everything. He doesn't owe me a thing. All my righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), unable to save me or impress a holy God. I owe Him the honor for my salvation and for every blessing He's given me.

Prophets And Kings, Day 113. King Hezekiah Of Judah, Part 11

Prophets And Kings

Day 113

King Hezekiah Of Judah

Part 11

INTRODUCTION BY BELINDA
Hezekiah is stricken with a serious illness in today's passage.

2 KINGS 20:1-11

The events in Chapter 20 took place during the time that Jerusalem was under threat of Assyrian invasion, according to verse 6. The author didn't tell us until now that Hezekiah dealt with a deadly illness at the same time he was dealing with the king of Assyria. Hezekiah had trouble on top of trouble, just as we sometimes have trouble on top of trouble. Have you ever been through a season in life when it seemed like one thing after another was going wrong? That must have been how Hezekiah felt when faced with the threat of national defeat and the threat of death at the same time.

"In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, 'This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.'" (2 Kings 20:1) Hezekiah was only about thirty-nine years old when he fell ill and this was devastating news.

In the face of such dreadful words from the Lord, we might expect Hezekiah to give up and wait for death, but instead he appeals to a merciful God. He knows God might relent and let him live because he has been faithful to Him. He knows God might relent for the sake of Judah so she doesn't lose her king during troubled times. "Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 'Remember, Lord, how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in Your eyes.' And Hezekiah wept bitterly." (2 Kings 20:2-3) When trouble comes on us because we've been living wrong, it isn't pleasant but at least we understand the connection between our actions and their consequences. But sometimes trouble comes even when we're living in the will of God. Hezekiah accomplished great things in Judah. He rid the land of idols and pagan altars. His faith encouraged a revival in the nation. Judah is walking closer with God during Hezekiah's reign than she has in a long time. Of course he wept bitterly, knowing he had been faithful to God and still was afflicted.

But it will turn out that his illness is not for the purpose of death. "Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 'Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of My people, 'This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David.'" (2 Kings 20:4-6) The illness and the threat of Assyria appear to be linked together somehow. Maybe Hezekiah needed the discipline of the illness and the faith-strengthening divine healing in order to face down King Sennacherib. 

"Then Isaiah said, 'Prepare a poultice of figs.' They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered." (2 Kings 20:7) Isaiah uses medicine but likely does so at the direction of the Lord, with the Lord advising him on the type of treatment. The text indicates that Hezekiah would have died had he not prayed to the Lord, for it's only after he prays that the Lord says, "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears." It's only after he prays that the Lord sends Isaiah back with the proper cure. 

Some Bible scholars and physicians believe Hezekiah may have contracted bubonic plague and that this could be what wiped out over one hundred thousand soldiers of the Assyrian army in yesterday's passage. The boils produced by the plague could be softened and reduced in size by a poultice of figs but figs were unlikely to cure the disease. If figs could cure the plague then millions of people wouldn't have died of it over the centuries. The poultice Isaiah uses reminds me of the way the prophet Elisha used ordinary things to produce miracles. The miracle wasn't in the poultice or in the ordinary things. The miracle came from the Lord. Hezekiah's prayer of faith was heard and the Lord healed him.

Hezekiah understands his healing is from the Lord and not from the poultice. "Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, 'What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?' Isaiah, answered, 'This is the Lord's sign to you that the Lord will do what He has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?'" (2 Kings 20:8-9) Hezekiah's illness has rendered him bedfast. In his pain he desires a sign from the Lord. He feels so terrible that it's hard to imagine feeling well enough to go to the temple three days from now. 

Don't we long for a sign from the Lord when we are in dreadful circumstances? We feel like we can make it through if He will just assure us everything will turn out alright. Sometimes the Lord gives us these assurances and sometimes He doesn't. During one of the most awful periods of my life I repeatedly asked for a sign that things were going to work out the way I wanted them to work out. The Lord didn't grant my wish. Instead He very clearly pointed out that He wanted me to trust in Him no matter how things turned out. Up til then I trusted in other things more than I trusted in Him. I found my security in other things. He taught me a valuable lesson, a greater lesson than I would have learned if He had given me the sign I asked for. I had to trust Him step by step and day by day, not knowing what the end result of my troubles would be, and I learned more about my Savior than I would have otherwise.

The Lord asks Isaiah if he would like the shadow from the sun to go forward or backward as a sign he will be made well. Hezekiah knows the growth of his faith depends on his answer. He chooses the sign that seems most difficult to him so he will never doubt that the Lord personally healed him. "'It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,' said Hezekiah. 'Rather, have it go back ten steps.'" (2 Kings 20:10) It was natural for the shadow to move forward as the day progressed. But it was not natural to see it go backward. Hezekiah knows that, over the next fifteen years the Lord is giving him, his human tendency might be to doubt his healing came from God and not from the poultice. If the sun goes in its natural direction, even though it makes a sudden ten degree leap forward, over time he may doubt what his eyes have seen. 

"Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz." (2 Kings 20:11) We don't know how the Lord did this but it's a small thing for the Creator to make a shadow go backward. He graciously heard the prayer of Hezekiah and promised him healing, then provided a sign so that for the rest of his life Hezekiah will know his healing came from the Lord. 

We can't be certain why the Lord allowed Hezekiah to be afflicted with a deadly illness but I tend to suspect it was for the purpose of strengthening his faith. There are things I've gone through that I wouldn't ever want to go through again. But I wouldn't trade what I learned about the Lord during those times for anything in this world. I bet my readers know what I'm talking about. There are things we learn about the Shepherd of our souls in the valley of affliction that we can never learn on the mountaintop of joy. This is why David wrote Psalm 23, for he had learned that the Lord was as able to shepherd him through the hard times as He was to shepherd him through the good times. Psalm 23 is probably the most well known of the psalms and it was written about the valley of affliction. We wouldn't have that psalm if David had never experienced hardship. We wouldn't have the testimony that we have if we had never experienced hardship. Because the Lord has allowed affliction in our lives, we can say in faith along with David, "The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing...Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me."

Prophets And Kings, Day 112. King Hezekiah Of Judah, Part 10

Prophets And Kings

Day 112

King Hezekiah Of Judah

Part 10

INTRODUCTION BY BELINDA
When we left off Tuesday, King Hezekiah had taken the letter from King Sennacherib to the temple of the Lord. It was a threatening letter full of blasphemy and Hezekiah prayed over it for the Lord's help. Today the Lord answers through the prophet Isaiah.

2 KINGS 19:20-37

Hezekiah has just finished praying to the Lord over the terrifying letter from King Sennacherib of Assyria. He has been asking the Lord to see the blasphemies in the letter and to act against the wicked king. The Lord has seen the letter and intends to act. "Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria." (2 Kings 19:20) What welcome words! Does anything make us feel more like rejoicing than knowing God has heard our prayers? 

"This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him: 'Virgin Daughter Zion despises you and mocks you. Daughter Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee.'" (2 Kings 19:21) It seems apparent that the Lord intends these words to be insulting to King Sennacherib and to Assyria. King Sennacherib believes he has Jerusalem in his grasp, trapped and easily plundered like a young maiden backed into a corner. Up til this time Judah has never been taken captive and so the Lord refers to her as Virgin Daughter Zion. No one has spoiled her because of His protective grace. Furthermore, this trapped virgin laughs at Assyria instead of cowering in fear, knowing her mighty Father won't allow her virtue to be besmirched by the pagan blasphemer known as the king of Assyria. 

"Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!" (2 Kings 19:22) King Sennacherib's scornful words weren't spoken against flesh and blood but against the living God. Whenever an enemy contends with a child of God, that enemy is contending with God Himself. The Lord said through the prophet Zechariah that whoever dared lay a hand on one of His people was touching the apple of His eye. (Zechariah 2:8) The apple of the eye would be the pupil, so God is saying that when someone hurts one of His children, it's the same as if that person poked their finger into His own eye. He won't ignore it. 

"By your messengers you have ridiculed the Lord. And you have said, 'With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its junipers. I have reached its remotest parts, the finest of its forests. I have dug wells in foreign lands and drunk the water there. I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.'" (2 Kings 19:23-24) I believe the Lord is using the references to trees and streams as metaphors for all the nations Assyria has conquered. King Sennacherib is prideful, boasting in his conquests, bragging about plundering his foes. It's true that the king of Assyria has accomplished many military victories. He's been so victorious that he's allowed it to go to his head. Now he dares to try and stand before God Himself, thinking he is bigger than the God of Judah, believing this God is like all the others that he cast into the fire. 

The Lord points out the fact that King Sennacherib could do nothing unless He allowed it. "Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone. Their people, drained of power, are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, scorched before it grows up." (2 Kings 19:25-26) Sennacherib couldn't even take the next breath unless God allowed it, much less conquer a nation. It was God's will to use Assyria as an instrument of discipline against wicked pagan nations. It was even God's will for Assyria to conquer the ten northern tribes of Israel. But Assyria's day is coming, just as Sennacherib's day is coming.

"But I know where you are and when you come and go and how you rage against Me." (2 Kings 19:27) This is the same as God saying, "I know where you live. I know your daily routines. I can strike you down anytime I please."

"Because you rage against Me and because your insolence has reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came." (2 Kings 19:28) God will destroy King Sennacherib because he rages against Him. Sennacherib has no respect for God and seems to actually delight in blaspheming His name. Sennacherib hates the Lord. 

God uses some particularly important imagery when He refers to putting a hook in the king's nose. There are still ancient Assyrian sculptures which show captives being brought before the king. Prisoners had large hooks, like a ring, driven through their noses or sometimes their upper lips. Then a chain or cord would be passed through the ring of each prisoner, essentially tying a long line of prisoners together. The only way to break loose would be to suffer the loss of your nose or lip, by tearing hook and flesh away, so this was an effective method of keeping prisoners bound together. The Lord intends to put His own hook in King Sennacherib's nose and drag him back to Assyria.

"This will be the sign for you, Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." (2 Kings 19:29-31) This prophecy is both good news and bad news. It promises that, even though Jerusalem is surrounded by the enemy, crops will spring up on their own. These are the type of crops we called "volunteer plants" when I was growing up in rural Virginia. God is going to sustain His people even under the current threat, even though they have not been able to bring seeds or plants into the land in time for the growing season. In addition, Judah will prosper and will remain in the land for over one hundred more years. The bad part is that God indicates trouble in Judah's future, that she will fall just as Israel fell, and that what will be left is a remnant of the nation's former glory. Even in this there is grace, for God could have wiped His chosen people out for their idolatry, but He chose instead to extend mercy. He would be within His rights to wipe us all out for our sins, but He has chosen instead to extend mercy to us through His Son.

"Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria: 'He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the Lord. I will defend this city and save it, for My sake and for the sake of David My servant.'" (2 Kings 19:32-34) Sennacherib can boast all he wants but God will have the last word.

"That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning---there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there." (2 Kings 19:35-36) We don't know what method was used to kill these soldiers, whether natural or supernatural. God may have struck them down supernaturally or He may have allowed some plague or virus or even poisoning by food or water to come into the camp. Whatever struck these men, it was swift and deadly, killing them during the overnight hours. When the people of Jerusalem woke up in the morning they found their enemies lying dead. Sennacherib, whom we last saw fighting in the nearby regions of Lachish and Libnah, immediately abandons his plans for Jerusalem and returns to his capitol city of Nineveh, probably fearing contagion. 

Ancient Assyrian records contain details about Sennacherib's former subjugation of Judah, when he required Hezekiah to pay him tribute, but the records do not contain any claims that Sennacherib ever conquered Jerusalem. Sennacherib kept a record of forty-six cities which he conquered, but the name of Jerusalem is conspicuously absent from the list. The Assyrians make no mention of their defeat by either plague or supernatural means, but ancient kings weren't in the habit of describing their defeats. Ancient kings tended to drone on and on about their mighty victories, embellishing the stories to paint themselves in the best possible light, but defeats were generally passed over.

Sennacherib lives on for about twenty years but he doesn't trouble Judah again during those years. God had already said through the prophet Isaiah that Sennacherib would be cut down by the sword in his own country and although two decades will pass before this takes place, I believe those two decades were decades of grace. God gave the wicked blasphemous Assyrian king twenty years to repent. God gave him twenty years to think about his inability to defeat the people of Judah. God gave him twenty years to think about why he was unable to defeat Judah. During that time Sennacherib could have had his heart and life changed by the realization that God was fighting for Judah. He could have come to the knowledge that Judah's God is the living God, the only God. But Sennacherib never repented and so the dire prophecy about him came true, "One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king." (2 Kings 19:37)

We know Sennacherib never turned to the living God because he was struck down while worshiping a pagan idol. There is an ancient legend that Sennacherib intended to sacrifice these two sons to his god in thanks for allowing him to return safely to Nineveh. Whether this particular story is true or not, we find that these two sons harbored an intense hatred for their father, so much so that they conspired together to kill him. Sennacherib was likely as cruel as a father as he was as a king.

Hezekiah's faith in God was not misplaced. When trouble came, he went directly to the only One who could rescue him, and God heard his prayer. The divine deliverance of Jerusalem strengthened the faith of Hezekiah and the people. It may even have had some effect on the Assyrian people, at least a few, for now they know that the God of Judah is a God mighty to save. If the people had not returned to Him during the reign of Hezekiah, I think things would have turned out differently. I think God would have allowed Judah to be conquered and taken captive, just as He allowed Israel to be conquered and taken captive. But God is so gracious! We fail time and time again but, like a good Father, God accepts our repentant hearts and our desire to do better. He knows He made us from the dust of the ground. (Psalm 103:14) He knows we are weak and tempted and tried. He knows we have an enemy whose main weapon is discouragement. But God is faithful to His children. When we fall and reach a hand up for help, He gently gathers us to our feet again.

Below is our worship song link for today.
What A Savior