2 Chronicles 32

We have seen King Hezekiah as an effective reformer who cleansed and consecrated the temple and restored the priestly ministry. But Hezekiah the negotiator capitulated to Assyria and paid tribute in order to avoid war. Then God sent a severe illness to Hezekiah to humble him and he cried out to God for mercy. Following that victory, Hezekiah stumbled again by welcoming the Babylonian envoys and showing them what they had no right to see. This was not a praiseworthy hour in Hezekiah’s life.

Hezekiah the boaster (20:12–19; 2 Chron 32:27–31; Isa. 39) Scripture pictures our adversary the Devil as a serpent and a lion (Gen. 3:1ff.; 2 Cor. 11:1–4; 1 Peter 5:8–9). Satan usually comes first as a serpent to deceive us, but if that doesn’t work, he returns as a lion to devour us. This was Hezekiah’s experience. First the Babylonian ambassadors came to Jerusalem to learn how wealthy and strong Judah was, and then the Assyrian army came to ravage the land, capture Jerusalem, and deport the Jewish people to Assyria. The ambassadors deceived Hezekiah because he didn’t seek God’s wisdom from Isaiah the prophet, but the king did seek the Lord when the Assyrians invaded the land, and the Lord gave him victory.

Hezekiah’s pride (20:12–13; 32:27–30; 39:1–2). We have already learned that Hezekiah had a problem with pride (2 Chron. 32:25–26). His near-fatal sickness did humble him, but the visit of the Babylonian envoys made it clear that the old sin was still very much alive. The envoys came to Judah with two purposes in mind: (1) to find out how strong the kingdom was, and (2) to try to influence Hezekiah to unite with Babylon in opposing Assyria. Because he didn’t fully grasp their true purpose, Hezekiah assumed that it was a great honor to be visited by officials from the king of Babylon. At that time in history, Assyria was the strongest empire and Babylon was an empire on the rise. Why should Hezekiah worry about Babylon? Because one day Assyria would move off the scene and Babylon would be the key nation in the Near East. From 606 to 586, Babylon would invade Judah, destroy Jerusalem and the temple, and take the nation into captivity. Babylon first came as the serpent, then she returned as the lion.

The envoys brought expensive gifts from the king of Babylon as well as personal letters expressing his pleasure that Hezekiah had recovered from his dangerous illness. Hezekiah should have realized that Merodach-Beladan had no personal interest in the health of the king of Judah but only wanted to obligate Hezekiah to become an ally of Babylon. It’s likely that the envoys helped to inflate Hezekiah’s ego by complimenting him on his military resources and personal wealth. (See 2 Chron. 32:27–30.) Foolishly, Hezekiah gave them the grand tour and showed them his treasures and weapons. It appears that Hezekiah was better at managing his scribes and writing his psalms than he was at overseeing the politics of the kingdom. All that Hezekiah possessed came from the hand of God and belonged to God, so why should Hezekiah boast about it? He may have made a good impression on the envoys but he grieved the Lord and endangered the kingdom and the city.

Pride is one of Satan’s chief weapons in his battle against the Lord and His people. Satan himself committed the sin of pride when he rebelled against God and sought the worship and obedience that God alone deserves (Isa. 14:12–15). Pride makes us rob God of the glory that belongs to Him alone. Pride gives us a feeling of false security and this leads us into sin and defeat. Charles Spurgeon said to his London congregation, “Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace.” Good advice! William Barclay wrote, “Pride is the ground in which all the other sins grow, and the parent from which all the other sins come.”

Isaiah’s prophecy (20:14–18; 29:3–8). Hezekiah should have conferred with Isaiah as soon as the diplomatic pouch arrived with news that the Babylonian envoys were coming to Jerusalem. When the prophet heard that a foreign entourage had come and gone, he went to the king and asked two important questions: “What did they say and where did they come from?” The king never did answer the first question, but he did admit that the men had come from Babylon. That envoys should come to Judah from “a far country” obviously pleased the king, and no doubt he was pleased to find an ally in the battle against Assyria.

As you read the book of Isaiah, you soon discover that the prophet already knew something about the future of Babylon (see 13—14 and 20:1–10). At that time in history, most people would have pointed to Assyria as the threatening world power, for Babylon was just starting to get recognition on the world scene. Assyria had defeated the kingdom of Israel, but it would be Babylon that would conquer the kingdom of Judah, and Isaiah 39:5–7 is Isaiah’s first clear prophecy of that event. A century after Hezekiah’s death, Babylon would destroy Jerusalem and the temple, and some of Hezekiah’s descendants would go into captivity and his wealth would be carried to Babylon.

The Lord’s patience (20:19). Hezekiah’s response wasn’t a sigh of relief that his generation had escaped judgment, but rather was an expression of his acceptance of the will of God. Hezekiah’s pride had been broken once again (2 Chron. 32:26), but for the sake of the nation and the throne of David, he was grateful there would be peace. The Lord had been longsuffering toward Hezekiah and the king didn’t realize that another great trial was about to begin—Assyria’s assault against Jerusalem. However, the king had learned some valuable lessons from his sickness and his mishandling of the affair of the Babylonian envoys. How gracious it is of the Lord to prepare us for what He has prepared for us!

Hezekiah the commander (18:17–37; 2 Chron 32:1–19; Isa. 36) “After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah” (2 Chron. 32: nkjv). The “deeds of faithfulness” were Hezekiah’s labors to cleanse and consecrate the temple, the priests, and the Levites, and to restore true worship in Judah. One would think that God would reward his service by giving him peace, but instead, the Lord allowed the Assyrians to return to Judah and threaten Jerusalem. Hezekiah was faithful to the Lord, but it seems as though the Lord wasn’t faithful to Hezekiah. After all, the king had done “that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God” (2 Chron. 31:20) and had done it “with all his heart” (v. 21). Why, then, didn’t the Lord protect Judah from another invasion?

“It is the standing puzzle of the Old Testament,” said Alexander Maclaren, “how good men come to be troubled, and how bad men come to be prosperous.” We have little trouble understanding why the Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel; after all, the nation was worshipping idols and rebelling against the law of God. But Judah had returned to the Lord under Hezekiah’s leadership, and though the king had made some mistakes, his heart was sincere before God. But God had His divine purposes to fulfill in Hezekiah’s life and in the life of the nation. It was an easy thing for God to send an angel to destroy 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, but it was much more difficult to work with King Hezekiah and transform him into a man of faith. When we allow God to have His way, the trials of life work for us and not against us, and they bring great glory to the Lord. The king needed to learn that he was second in command (see Josh. 5:13–15) and that the Lord alone was sovereign.

The preparation (2 Chron. 32:1–8). Hezekiah knew that the Assyrians were coming, so he met with his leaders and took steps to strengthen Jerusalem. By working with his leaders he united them in sympathy and strategy, an important factor for leadership in war. The Assyrian records state that their army took fortysix fortified cities in Judah before settling in Lachish and planning the siege of Jerusalem. By blocking up the water supply outside the city, Hezekiah prevented the invaders from having ample supplies of fresh water. Hezekiah had already dug the tunnel between the Gihon spring and the city of Jerusalem (2 Kings 20:20) so that the people in the city would not die of thirst. Even today, this tunnel is a popular place for visitors to the Holy Land.

Hezekiah also had the wall of Jerusalem repaired and strengthened, and he put extra towers on it. He even constructed a second outside wall and then strengthened the “Millo,” the terraces that butted up against the walls (see 11:8; 1 Kings 11:27). He organized the army, appointed officers, gave them weapons, and then encouraged them by making a speech. His address reflected the words of Moses to Israel and to Joshua (Deut. 31:1–8) and God’s words to Joshua (Josh. 1:1–9; see also 2 Kings 6:16). Hezekiah was wise to use God’s Word to encourage his soldiers and remind them of the past victories of God’s people because they had trusted the Lord.

The confrontation (18:17–18; 36:1–3). Hezekiah’s near-fatal illness occurred in 702 BC and so did the visit of the Babylonian envoys. This means that it was the very next year—701 BC—that the Assyrians invaded the land. Hezekiah had fourteen more years to live and he certainly didn’t want to do it in captivity. However, the prophet Isaiah had already told him that God would deliver Judah and defend Jerusalem for the sake of King David (20:6), so Hezekiah had a great promise to believe. God’s people don’t live on explanations; they live on promises.

The Assyrian army chose Lachish for their central camp, thirty miles southwest of Jerusalem, and brought “a great host” against Jerusalem. Three of the Assyrian officers told Hezekiah to send out three of his officers to arrange for the terms of surrender. These are titles and not personal names: Tartan = supreme commander, Rabsaris = chief officer, and Rabshakeh = field commander. Representing Hezekiah were Eliakim, the palace administrator, Shebna, the secretary, and Joah, the recorder (see Isa. 22:15–25; 36:3).

They met at the very place where Isaiah had confronted Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father, and told him not to make a treaty with the Assyrians (Isa. 7; 2 Kings 16:5–9). Treaty or no treaty, Isaiah had predicted that the Assyrians would return, and his words had now come true.

The six officers didn’t have a quiet conversation but stood far enough apart that the field commander had to raise his voice. Of course, the Assyrians wanted the people on the wall to hear what was going on, because they wanted to frighten them. The officers refused to speak in Aramaic, the trade language of that day, but used the familiar Hebrew (18:26–27; 32:18; 36:11–12). It’s significant that the Assyrian leaders learned the Hebrew language so they could better wage war. God’s servants today need to follow this example so they can proclaim the message of peace.

The proclamation (18:19–36; 32:9–19; 36:4–21). It’s important to identify three “speeches” if we want to understand the dynamics of this event. First, the field commander spoke to Hezekiah and the Jews and blasphemed their God (18:17–36). Then Hezekiah went to the temple and spoke to God about what the field commander had said (19:1–19). Finally, God spoke to Hezekiah (through Isaiah the prophet) about the judgment the Assyrians would receive at His hand (19:20–34). God always has the last word.

The field commander was a subtle man who knew how to weave words together and get his message across. Of course, he wasn’t too concerned about speaking the truth, for he knew that most people (including the Jews in Jerusalem) live on “seems” instead of “is” and think with their emotions instead of their minds. The basic theme of his address was faith (18:19–20; 32:10; 36:4–5), and he asked the people, “What are you really trusting? Can anybody deliver you?” Note the repetition of the words “deliver” and “my hand,” and note also how he tried to belittle Hezekiah by calling Sennacherib “the great king” (18:19, 28; Isa. 36:4, 13). What the Rabshekah didn’t realize was that Jehovah is the Great King and that He heard every word the field commander was saying. “For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth” (Ps. 47: nkjv). Jerusalem was “the city of the great King” (Ps. 48:2), and the Lord Himself has said, “I am a great King” (Mal. 1: nkjv).

The field commander began to name what Judah was trusting, all the while pointing out that each of them would fail. He began with Egypt (18:21, 24; Isa. 36:6, 9), and no doubt there were officials in Judah who thought Pharaoh could help them. There had always been a strong Egyptian party in Judah after the kingdom divided, and the prophet Isaiah had warned the leaders not to go to Egypt for help (Isa. 30:1–7; 31:1–3). But Egypt was nothing but a “splintered reed” that would pierce your hand if you leaned on it.

In 18: and 30 (32:12; Isa. 36:7, 10), the commander tried to convince them that they couldn’t trust the Lord their God to deliver them. How could they trust Jehovah when Hezekiah had removed the altars of the Lord from the city? Was the Lord pleased with what the king did? The commander knew that there were people in Jerusalem who were unhappy because they could no longer worship at different altars and in the high places but had to go to the temple. But the commander was so bold as to affirm that he and the Assyrian army had come to Jerusalem in obedience to the commandment of the Lord (18:25; 36:10; see 2 Chron. 35:21). After all, the Lord had used Assyria to chasten and destroy the kingdom of Israel, so why wouldn’t He use Assyria to conquer Judah?

If the people of Judah were trusting in their military resources, said the commander, they were really in trouble, for they didn’t have sufficient horses or enough cavalry men to put on them. If the king would “make a bargain” (enter into a treaty) with Sennacherib, the Assyrians would stop the siege and the people’s lives would be spared.

In reply to the interruption by Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah (18:26), the field commander gave a special message to the people on the wall. If they didn’t surrender, the day would come when they would be so hungry and thirsty that they would eat and drink their own excrement (18:27; 36:12). The report in 2 Chronicles 32: states that the field commander began his speech by warning the people of inevitable death by famine and thirst if they refused to surrender.

But the year before, the prophet Isaiah had told Hezekiah that God would defend Jerusalem and destroy the Assyrians (20:6; Isa. 38:4–6), and it was this promise that the king gave to the people (18:29–30). Once again, we marvel at how much the commander knew about the affairs of Hezekiah. The commander was doing everything he could to tear down the people’s confidence in their king. The Rabshakeh painted a glowing picture of what would happen if Judah surrendered. They would live at peace in their own land until they would be deported to Assyria, a land very much like Judah (18:31–32; 36:16–17). Whenever the enemy makes an offer, there is always that fatal “until” attached to it.

The commander’s final argument was purely pragmatic and very illogical: none of the gods of the nations already conquered could defeat Sennacherib, so Jehovah would fail as well (18:33–35; 36:18–20). But Jehovah isn’t like the dead powerless idols of the nations: He is the true and living God! In obedience to the king’s command, the people on the wall said nothing to the field commander, and that’s the best way to respond to ignorant people who blaspheme the Lord and know nothing of His truth and greatness.

The humiliation (18:37—19:13; 36:22—37:13). The three officials left the fuller’s field and returned to the city to tell Hezekiah what the field commander had said. In humility before the Lord and in acknowledgement of their own helplessness, the three men tore their garments and looked to the Lord for His help. They told their king what the field commander had said, and the report must have broken Hezekiah’s heart. How could anybody be so arrogant and so blaspheme the name of the Lord? The Rabshakeh had reproached the living God by daring to associate Him with the dead idols of the nations. Hezekiah also tore his clothes and humbled himself before the Lord.

The king knew that he needed a word from the Lord, so he sent his officers to Isaiah the prophet and asked him to pray and seek God’s help. (This is the first mention of Isaiah in 2 Kings.) The king’s metaphor about birth is a picture of extreme danger. The child has come to the time of birth, but the mother hasn’t strength enough to deliver it, so both mother and child are in danger of losing their lives. The king also knew that only a remnant of God’s people from Israel and Judah were faithful to Him (19:4, 30), but for their sake and the sake of David, the Lord would be willing to work.

Isaiah told Hezekiah not to be afraid (Ps. 46:1–3) because the Lord had heard the blasphemy of the Rabshakeh and would deal with Sennacherib. The Assyrian king would hear a report, and the Lord would give him such a fearful spirit that he would return home. The report was that Tirhakah, king of Egypt, was coming to Judah, which meant Sennacherib would have to wage war on two fronts (19:9; 37:9). He didn’t want to do that, so he temporarily abandoned the siege and went back to Lachish to prepare for war. However the field commander sent one last message to Hezekiah, this time a letter (19:8–13; 37:8–13) and simply repeated what he had already said.

Hezekiah the intercessor (19:14–19; 2 Chron 32:20; Isa. 37:14–20) When the outlook is bleak, try the uplook. That’s what King Hezekiah did when he received the blasphemous letter from the king of Assyria. Often in my own ministry I have had to spread letters before the Lord and trust Him to work matters out, and He always has.

Hezekiah looked beyond his own throne and the throne of the “great king” Sennacherib and focused his attention on the throne of God “who was enthroned between the cherubim” (19:15; 37: niv; see Ps. 80:1; 99:1). Since he was not a high priest, Hezekiah couldn’t enter the Holy of Holies where the mercy seat sat upon the ark of the covenant, but he could “enter” by faith even as believers can today (Heb. 10:19–25). At each end of the mercy seat was a cherub, and the mercy seat was the throne of God on earth (Ex. 25:10–22). Not only is the Lord the King of Israel and the King of all nations, but He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. Hezekiah was lost in worship as he realized the greatness of the Lord, the only true God. This is a good example to follow when we pray about life’s problems. When we focus on the Lord and see how great He is, it helps to put our problems in perspective.

The king had one great burden on his heart: that the God of Israel be glorified before the nations of the earth. Sennacherib had blasphemed the Lord and Hezekiah asked God to act on behalf of Judah so that His name would be honored. “Hallowed be thy name” is the first request in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9). Being a faithful Jew, the king knew that the gods of the defeated nations weren’t gods at all (Isa. 2:20; 40:19–20; 41:7; 44:9–20). He asked the Lord to save the people of Judah, not for their sake but for the glory of His great name.

Some people rush into the Lord’s presence whenever they face a problem, but the Lord never hears their voices at any other time. This wasn’t true of King Hezekiah. He was a man who at all times sought the blessing of the Lord on His people. He sought to know the Word of God and the will of God, and this gave him power in prayer. Blessed is that nation whose leaders know how to pray!

Hezekiah the victor (19:20–37; 2 Chron. 32:20–22; Isa. 37:21–38) The Lord told Isaiah to get His message to the king, and the prophet obeyed. The answer to Hezekiah’s prayer was threefold: (1) God would deliver Jerusalem, (2) God would defeat the Assyrian army and they would depart, and (3) God would care for the people and they would not starve. But God also had a message of rebuke to Sennacherib because of his pride and blasphemy. Hezekiah’s faith was rewarded and his prayer was answered.

Rebuke (19:20–28; 37:22–29). God had used Assyria to chasten the northern kingdom of Israel, and the Lord had given Sennacherib victory over other nations, but the Assyrian king had never given God the glory. In fact, his field commander had reproached the name of the Lord (19:4, 16, 22, 24; 37:4, 17, 23, 24) and blasphemed the God of Israel. But “the virgin, the daughter of Zion”—the city of Jerusalem—would toss her head in disdain and laugh at the defeat of Assyria. The Lord used the image of a virgin because the Assyrians would not be able to take the city and violate it the way pagan soldiers did to women taken captive. But the Lord would treat the Assyrians like cattle and put hooks in their noses and lead them.

The Lord quoted back to the Rabshakeh and to Sennacherib the very words they had used in boasting about their victories. Chariots are made primarily for the flat lands, but they boasted that their chariots had ascended the high mountains of Lebanon. The dry lands and deserts didn’t stop them, nor did the rivers. Other kings used barges to cross rivers, but they dried up the Nile and walked across on dry land. (Is this a reference to Israel at the Jordan, Joshua 4—5? There is no evidence that Assyria ever conquered Egypt.) They cut down cities and people the way a farmer mows the grass, and nothing stood in their way.

But it was the Lord who planned these conquests and enabled Assyria to succeed (37:26–27). The nation was His weapon to judge Israel and the other nations and to chasten Judah (Isa. 10:5–19). How foolish for the ax to boast against the woodsman, and how foolish for Sennacherib to take credit for what the Lord had done! Instead of honoring the Lord, Sennacherib raged against the Lord (19:27; 37:28–29) and exalted himself against the God of heaven. Whatever reasons or excuses world leaders may give for what they do, the basic cause is rebellion against God and His law (Ps. 2:1–6; Acts 4:23–31). But the Lord would treat the Assyrians like cattle, put hooks in their noses, and lead them away! The Assyrians were known for doing this to their prisoners of war, but now they would be the victims.

Provision (19:29; 37:30). The Assyrians had taken possession of Judah, pillaged the land and taken the fortified cities, and now they were besieging Jerusalem. How long could the food hold out? And even if Jerusalem did survive, how long would it take to restore the land, plant the crops, and get a harvest? The field commander warned that the people of Jerusalem would die of famine and thirst if they didn’t submit to Assyria (2 Chron. 32:11). But the Lord of the harvest was in control. September and October were the months devoted to sowing, and March and April were devoted to reaping the harvest. The orchards and vineyards produced their harvest from July to September. No doubt the Assyrians came in the harvest season and confiscated the food. With the Assyrians in the land and Jerusalem under siege, the people couldn’t work their farms, but God promised that when the Assyrians left, food would grow of itself until the men could work the fields, orchards, and vineyards. God would not permit His people to starve.

Some students have seen a relationship between this prophecy and Psalm 126, one of the “Songs of the ascents [degrees].” (See chapter 10, endnote 3.) The psalm speaks of a dramatic and sudden deliverance for Jerusalem, which certainly wasn’t the case at the end of the Babylonian captivity. Could this have been Jerusalem’s deliverance from the Assyrian army, when God killed 185,000 soldiers? If so, the prayer in Psalm 126: would certainly be applicable. As the men went out in the fields to sow, they would be weeping for joy that the land was delivered, but they might also weep because the seed they were sowing could have been made into bread for their children. Seed was scarce, yet God cared for His people.

Deliverance (19:28, 30–37; 32:21–22; 37:31–38). God promised that He would deliver His “remnant” from their enemies and they would “take root” and become fruitful again. Not only would Sennacherib never enter the city, but he wouldn’t even shoot an arrow at it, attack it, or build a siege mound next to it! In one night, God’s angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and that put an end to the siege of Jerusalem. The Rabshakeh had boasted that one of the Assyrian junior officers was stronger than 2,000 Jewish charioteers (36:8–9), but when the Lord wanted to wipe out 185,000 enemy soldiers, all He had to do was send one of His angels!

It was a humiliating defeat for the Assyrians, but the event brought great glory to the Lord and honor to Hezekiah (2 Chron. 32:23; see Ps. 126:2–3). Sennacherib left the scene and went home, and there one of his sons killed him. His gods were unable to give him victory in Judah and they couldn’t protect him from his own family in his own homeland. Why did God deliver His people? For the glory of His own name, of course, and for the sake of David whom He loved (19:34). Why does He bless His people today? For the sake of His own glory and because of His love for His own Son who died for us.

Death (2 Kings 20:20–21; 2 Chron. 32:27–33). “And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did,” states 2 Chronicles 32: (nasb). Because of the blessing of the Lord, he had immense wealth, huge flocks and herds, and large storage buildings for grain and wine. “He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel” (2 Kings 18: nasb). “And the Lord was with him; wherever he went he prospered” (2 Kings 18: nasb). He was a model of the “blessed man” in Psalm 1, the person who obeys the Word, meditates on it, and depends upon the power of God.

Hezekiah was not only in favor with God, but he was also beloved by his people. He was buried with the kings in Jerusalem, “and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death” (2 Chron. 32:33). Like all of us, Hezekiah had his lapses of faith and his failures, but was undoubtedly one of the greatest kings in Jewish history.