Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
February 5, 2003
Introduction
We have started into the reign of one of the best kings, a man named
Hezekiah. After he became king, he set
about to bring the nation back to God. He
cleaned up the temple. He reinstituted
proper worship. Then the people
celebrated the Passover, inviting even their neighbors in the northern kingdom
of Israel.
2Chronicles 31
:1 Cleaning up
:1 threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin,
in Ephraim also and Manasseh
This takes place after Hezekiah leads the people in a wonderful time of
celebrating the Passover. Though some people had mocked the invitation, there
were some people from the northern kingdom
of Israel who showed up for the
Passover. As they all go home, things start changing.
Lesson
Clean house
When a person comes into a right relationship with the Lord, the Lord will
start a work in their lives that will lead to change.
Stuff gets thrown out.
Illustration
I remember as a young teenager in the late 60’s and early
70’s being pretty “privileged” to have my own magazine subscription to Playboy.
Some members of my family had thought that the sexual revolution ought to
include a little brother being allowed to be exposed to such things. As a young
teenage boy, it wasn’t something I complained about.
But I remember coming to the time when I began to realize
that the Lord wanted me to clean out my stash of magazines. I even wrote Hugh
Hefner a letter telling him that I had decided to follow Jesus rather than him.
I don’t imagine that he read the letter.
Don’t let the world tell you that some of that old “stuff” from your old
life is valuable. Tear down the altars.
:2-10 Abundant Giving to God’s Work
Next, Hezekiah works to reestablish a regular system for the priests and
Levites to take their turns in coming to Jerusalem
to serve at the Temple. (vs.2)
Hezekiah also reestablishes the regular sacrifices that were to take place
every morning and evening, weekly at the Sabbath, and monthly at the “new
moon”. (vs. 3)
He also reminded the people that they were to be supporting the work of the
priests and Levites by bringing in their tithes and offerings. When he gave
this command, the people totally surprised Hezekiah and the priests by bringing
in their offerings and piling them up in huge heaps. (vs. 4-8)
When Hezekiah asked the chief priests about the heaps,
:10 Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the
LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty
The Lord used the giving of the people and took care of the needs of the Temple.
God has a system in place for taking care of the needs of the church. It’s
called giving. It’s supposed to be done by all of us.
Illustration
The day the church treasurer resigned the church asked the local grain
elevator manager to take the position. He agreed under two conditions.
That no treasurer's report would be given for the first year.
That no questions be asked about finances during that year.
The people were surprised but finally agreed since most of them did
business with him and he was a trusted man.
At the end of the year he gave his report:
* The church indebtedness of $228,000 has been paid.
* The minister's salary had been increased by 8%.
* The Cooperative Program gifts has been paid 200%.
* There were no outstanding bills.
* And there was a cash balance of $11,252!
Immediately the shocked congregation asked, “How did you do it? Where did
the money come from?”
He quietly answered: “Most of you bring your grain to my elevator.
Throughout the year I simply withheld ten percent on your behalf and gave it to
the church in your name. You didn’t even miss it!”
“Do you see what we could do for the Lord if we were all willing to give at
least the tithe to God, who really owns it?”
And so the new treasurer had made his point.
-- Adapted from A Sourcebook for
Stewardship Sermons, by James E. Carter
:11-21 Offerings Distributed
:11-19 Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the
LORD; and they prepared them,
Hezekiah then organizes the finances of the Temple
and sets up a group of men who oversee all the gifts. The gifts are then
distributed to the priests and Levites throughout the land. (vs. 12-19)
This was not something new. This was how God had designed for the priests
and Levites to support their families besides having their regular jobs. They
were to be paid for the time that they took off of work to come to the Temple
and serve.
The tribe of Levi (which included the priests) did not have the same type
of property given to them when they came to the Promised Land as the other
tribes. Instead, they were told that the Lord would be their “inheritance”. One
of the ways God would provide for them would be through the tithes and offerings
of the people who came to worship the Lord.
:20-21 …in every work that he began …he did it with all his heart, and
prospered.
he began – chalal –
(Hiphil) to let be profaned; to begin
he did – ‘asah – to do,
fashion, accomplish, make
all his heart – lebab –
inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding
prospered – tsalach –
(Hiphil) to make prosperous, bring to successful issue, cause to prosper; to
show or experience prosperity, prosper
Lesson
Full Commitment
Hezekiah did all these things “with all his heart”. It seems that this was
the thing that led to his being “prosperous” in all these things.
God wants us to learn to live our lives fully committed. With a whole
heart.
Lesson
Finish what you start
It seems to me that some people are dreamers and others are doers.
The dreamers tend to be the folks that come up with new ideas, things we
can do, places we can go.
Dreamers sometimes are the people that start things, but
don’t often finish them.
The doers tend to be the ones that end up doing things, but sometimes don’t
spend too much time wondering where they are going.
Doers are the ones that are finishing things, but
sometimes could use a new point of view.
What would be really neat is if Dreamers could spend more time finishing
what they start, and if Doers could spend more time asking questions about what
they are doing.
I think that some things are better left unfinished.
Illustration
A carpet layer had just finished installing carpet for a
lady. He stepped out for a smoke, only to realize he’d lost his cigarettes. In
the middle of the room, under the carpet, was a bump. “No sense pulling up the
entire floor for one pack of smokes,” he said to himself. He proceeded to get
out his hammer and flattened the hump. As he was cleaning up, the lady came in.
“Here,” she said, handing him his pack of cigarettes. “I found them in the
hallway.” “Now,” she said, “if only I could find my parakeet.”
But I think we ought to be careful that our lives aren’t just one
unfinished things after another. There’s great value in seeing something
through to the end.
I know of a family where the husband is very skilled in carpentry and all
sorts of construction skills. They moved into a house that was a fixer-upper
and have done all sorts of things to it from putting in an entire new kitchen,
putting on a new roof, putting up stone and siding on the house, landscaping
the yard, redoing bathrooms, all kinds of stuff. But I’ve noticed one little
pattern emerging – nothing seems to be finished. One project after another is
started, but I’m not sure I’ve seen anything finished.
I should talk. I have a few unfinished projects around the house myself.
I think God would have us think about not just starting new things, but
learning to finish as well. Even learning to finish well.
Paul could say at the end of his life:
(2 Tim 4:7 KJV) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith:
2Chronicles 32
:1-8 Preparing for War
This is the section we did Sunday morning
:1 After these things…Sennacherib king of Assyria
came
When Hezekiah became king, one of the first things he did was to break the
ties with Assyria that his father had made.
(2 Ki 18:7 KJV) And the LORD was with him; and he prospered
whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.
This was probably done during the reign of Sargon II (722-705 BC), who was
busy handling various rebellions in the Babylonian provinces.
It wasn’t until Sennacherib became king that the Assyrians decided to deal
with the kingdom of Judah,
in Hezekiah’s 14th year.
(2 Ki 18:13 KJV) Now in the fourteenth year of king
Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria
come up against all the fenced cities of Judah,
and took them.
During this campaign, Sennacherib (705-681) invaded Judah
and destroyed 46 Judean towns and cities.[1]
Lesson
Hard Times will come, even to good
guys
Hezekiah was a really good guy. In fact, the passage just before this
chapter says,
(2 Chr 31:20-21 KJV) And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah,
and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God.
{21} And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in
the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his
heart, and prospered.
He has just finished a period of cleaning things up in the
nation. He’s gotten rid of all idolatry. He’s had the Temple
repaired. He’s reorganized and restarted the priests and Levites in their daily
sacrifices and worship.
And now he’s attacked.
Sometimes we get the incorrect notion that bad things only happen to bad
people who really deserve them.
Then a tough time hits us and we start wondering, “what did I do to deserve
that?”
Sometimes something bad happens to a friend, and we respond like Job’s
friends and say or at least think stuff like, “You must have done something
pretty bad!”
Why did the Columbia disaster occur? Was is God’s judgment
on our nation? Maybe yes, maybe no. It might have simply been one more tough
thing that we will continue to face as we go through life.
The truth is, bad things happen all the time. Sometimes they happen to bad
people as a way to wake them up. Sometimes they happen to good people and we
don’t always know why they happen. Peter wrote,
(1 Pet 4:12 KJV) Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing
happened unto you:
Jesus told a parable:
(Mat 7:24-27 KJV) Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto
a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: {25} And the rain descended, and
the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not:
for it was founded upon a rock. {26} And every one that heareth these sayings
of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built
his house upon the sand: {27} And the rain descended, and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall
of it.
There were two kinds of people in Jesus’ story. Both heard
the things that Jesus said. One obeyed what Jesus said, the other didn’t.
Bad things happened to both of them.
The point of the story is not about how to avoid bad
things. The point is how to survive them.
The way to survive is not just to hear what Jesus says,
but do it.
:2 he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem
purposed – paniym – face
Initially, Hezekiah tried to see if giving the Assyrians money would send
them away.
(2 Ki 18:14-16 KJV) And Hezekiah king of Judah
sent to the king of Assyria
to Lachish,
saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I
bear. And the king of Assyria
appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah
three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. {15} And Hezekiah
gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the
treasures of the king's house. {16} At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold
from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah
king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
But Hezekiah learned that Assyria still wanted to
conquer his kingdom. They responded to Hezekiah’s gift by sending their
ambassadors who told Hezekiah to surrender or else.
Not everyone will listen to reason. Some people are bent on deception and
causing harm.
:3 He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men
his mighty men – gibbowr –
strong man, brave man, mighty man
I did a quick study of this word and its usage. I was thinking that I
hadn’t seen this phrase (“mighty men”) lately in connection with some of the
kings. It’s translated “mighty man” (or “men”) in the King James 68 times. About
95% of the time it’s used for the “good guys”. The king most known for his
“mighty men” was David.
My Conclusion: Wimpy kings don’t
have “mighty men”. Strong kings tend to surround themselves with “mighty men”.
:4 who stopped all the fountains
Apparently there had been an open channel dug from the Gihon Spring to the
Siloam Pool. Hezekiah and his people engineer a tunnel instead, dug through
solid rock, to replace the open channel. The workmen dug two tunnels, one from
each end, tunneling through 1777 feet of rock. It was an amazing engineering
feet for the day, considering that the two tunnels actually connected to each
other and the water flowed from the spring to the pool as it was supposed to. There
were also several “windows” cut into the tunnel where water could be let out of
the tunnel to water the fields in the Kidron
Valley.
:4 Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find
much water?
An army needs food and water to keep its troops alive. If Hezekiah can
remove easy access to water, then his enemy’s army becomes that much weaker.
Lesson
Don’t strengthen the enemy
The Bible teaches that we face an army with three types of forces.
The flesh – sometimes the word
“flesh” means the kind of stuff you can touch. But here I’m talking about that
invisible part of you, also called a “sin nature”. That’s the part that loves
to do what’s wrong.
The world – that invisible
system that we live within that teaches us to hate God and be rebellious. It’s
the stuff around us that appeals to our sin nature.
The devil – a powerful,
invisible created being who leads other fallen angels. Satan is the mastermind
behind the forces we face.
Though all three are horrible, fearful enemies, one part is a little closer
than the others, our “flesh”.
It’s like Satan’s beachhead. And it’s a part of us.
We need to be careful that we don’t make it any easier for the enemy than
we have to. Here’s some helpful verses:
(Gal 6:7-9 KJV) Be not
deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap. {8} For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;
but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. {9}
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we
faint not.
Illustration
There’s an old Eskimo proverb: There are two dogs fighting
inside of you. The one that wins is the one that you feed.
There can be things that we expose ourselves to that
“feed” our flesh. The more we feed our flesh, the stronger it becomes. The more
we sow to the Spirit, the stronger His work in our lives.
(Eph 4:26-27 KJV) Be ye
angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: {27} Neither give
place to the devil.
Sometimes one of the ways that Satan gets his toehold in
our flesh is through anger. It becomes a beachhead.
(John 6:35
KJV) And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he
that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
The flesh is a place of appetites. Our sin nature has a
“hunger” for things that are forbidden and wrong. Jesus wants to be the one who
fills those “appetites”. He wants to satisfy our “hunger”. Lately when I find
myself being attracted by something bad, I make it my prayer to ask Jesus to
satisfy my appetites.
:5 built up …another wall without, and repaired Millo
another wall without – Besides the wall that was there, Hezekiah
build a second wall around the city.
Millo – millow’ – Some
think these were terraces that were built outside the walls, forming a
foundation for the outer walls.
Lesson
Repair what’s weak
There is a battle coming whether you like it or not. If you want to be
ready, then take inventory of your defenses. Strengthen what’s weak.
I think two of the walls we need around our city are named “Prayer” and
“the Word”.
I do not think there is a wall named “being busy”.
(Luke 10:38-42 KJV) Now
it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a
certain woman named Martha received him into her house. {39} And she had a
sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. {40} But
Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost
thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore
that she help me. {41} And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha,
thou art careful and troubled about many things: {42} But one thing is needful:
and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
The important thing is taking time to spend sitting at Jesus’ feet.
How are the “walls” of the Word and Prayer around your
city?
Do you spend time with Jesus every morning?
:6 spake comfortably to them
comfortably – lebab –
inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding
A similar phrase is found in:
(2 Chr 30:22 KJV) And Hezekiah spake
comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the LORD
(2 Chr 30:22 NASB) Then Hezekiah spoke encouragingly …
The phrase “spake comfortably” is only found two times in the Bible, both
regarding Hezekiah. It seems that Hezekiah was a guy with a heart to encourage
others.
:7 Be strong and courageous,
Lesson
Encourage others
Troops need encouraging.
After hearing President Bush’s state of the Union Address, speechwriter
Peggy Noonan wrote for the Wall Street Journal:
I felt at the end of
the speech not roused but moved, and it took me a while to figure out why. It
was gratitude.
This, truly, is a
good man. And that is a rare thing. Agree with Mr. Bush's stands or disagree,
there can be no doubting the depth of his seriousness and the degree to which
he attempts to do what he is convinced is right, and to lead his country toward
that vision of rightness. We have had many unusual men as president and some
seemed like a gift and some didn't. Mr. Bush seems uniquely resolved to be as
courageous as the times require and as helpful as they allow. There is a
profound authenticity to him, and a fearlessness too.
A steady hand on the
helm in high seas, a knowledge of where we must go and why, a resolve to
achieve safe harbor. More and more this presidency is feeling like a gift.
After watching President Bush’s address to the nation
after yesterday’s shuttle disaster, I was feeling much the same way.
We too need encouragement.
(Heb 10:23-25 KJV) Let us hold fast the profession of our faith
without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) {24} And let us consider
one another to provoke unto love and to good works: {25} Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the
more, as ye see the day approaching.
Part of being prepared for the battle is being encouraged. We need people
in our lives who will encourage us to follow the Lord.
:7 be not afraid …for all the multitude that is with him:
multitude – hamown – (Qal)
murmur, roar, crowd, abundance, tumult, sound
Life can be pretty scary at times.
For the Jewish people trapped inside the city of Jerusalem,
hearing about the reports of how the Assyrian army has wiped out everyone in
their path, this must have been a pretty terrifying time.
Listen to what kind of people the Assyrians were:
Regarding one captured leader, Ashurnaṣirpal
II (883-859) boasted, “I flayed [him], his skin I spread upon the wall of the
city . . .” ((Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia,
1:146). He also wrote of mutilating the bodies of live captives and stacking
their corpses in piles.
Shalmaneser II (859-824) boasted of his cruelties after one of his
campaigns: “A pyramid of heads I reared in front of his city. Their youths and
their maidens I burnt up in the flames” (ibid, 1:213). Sennacherib (705-681) wrote of his enemies, “I cut their throats
like lambs. I cut off their precious lives [as one cuts] a string. Like the
many waters of a storm I made [the contents of] their gullets and entrails run
down upon the wide earth. . . . Their hands I cut off” (ibid, 2:127).[2]
How do your problems measure up?
:7 for there be more with us than with him:
Lesson
Our side is bigger
Elisha knew it.
(2 Ki 6:8-17 KJV) Then
the king of Syria
warred against Israel,
and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be
my camp. {9} And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel,
saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are
come down. {10} And the king of Israel
sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved
himself there, not once nor twice. {11} Therefore the heart of the king of
Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said
unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? {12} And
one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that
is in Israel,
telleth the king of Israel
the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. {13} And he said, Go and spy
where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying,
Behold, he is in Dothan.
Elisha was getting quite a reputation. The Syrians didn’t
like him.
{14} Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great
host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. {15} And when the
servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host
compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto
him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? {16} And he answered, Fear not: for they
that be with us are more than they that be with them. {17} And Elisha prayed,
and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD
opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about
Elisha.
For Elisha, these angelic warriors were there to protect
him.
:8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God
Lesson
Flesh vs. Spirit
The idea of “flesh” here is not the sin nature but the idea of human
strength, muscles you can touch.
How are you going to fight your battles? With the flesh or with the Spirit?
If you are not spending time every day in prayer and with the Word, I have
a hard time thinking you’re fighting God’s way. If you don’t have people that
you regularly pray with, or people who will individually make a point of encouraging
you in the Lord, I have the same concern.
Paul had a concern for the Galatian church.
(Gal 3:3 KJV) Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye
now made perfect by the flesh?
:8 the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah
rested – camak – to lean,
lay, rest, support, put, uphold, lean upon
Lesson
Resting in Jesus’ words
Our king Jesus said,
(John 14:1 KJV) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God,
believe also in me.
(John 16:33 KJV) These things I have spoken unto you,
that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be
of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Can you find rest in those words?
:9-23 Enemy taunts; God’s deliverance
:11 Doth not Hezekiah persuade you …saying, The LORD our God shall deliver
us
Lesson
The enemy doesn’t want you trusting
the Lord.
:12 Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars …
Rabshakeh is saying that Yahweh must be pretty upset because Hezekiah has
torn down all the extra altars in the high places. And that means that Yahweh
isn’t going to help the people.
It is true that Hezekiah has torn down the high places. But this is exactly
what God had wanted Hezekiah to do (Deut. 12).
Hezekiah is the first king to come along since the building of the temple
to actually do the very thing that God had wanted, to remove all the extra
stuff and keep the worship pure and directed by God.
Yet for those people who weren’t grounded in God’s Word, and didn’t realize
that instead of being disobedient, Hezekiah was actually pleasing God, this
could sound like a good argument.
Lesson
The enemy wants you to stop the good
The very thing that the enemy is making the people question is probably the
very thing that makes Hezekiah and the people dear and precious to the Lord.
:15 for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out
of mine hand
Lesson
The enemy tells you it’s hopeless
Hope that it will work out is one of the things that keeps us going.
Illustration
Norwegian wharf rats
I remember hearing about tests done with laboratory wharf
rats. These are the rats that live under
the piers along the waterfront. One
group of rats was placed in a large container of water, in the dark, with no
place to stand on, they had to keep swimming.
They all drowned within fifteen minutes. The second group was placed in
a similar container, yet every ten minutes the lab technician would open the
container, take the rats out, stroke them a few seconds, and put them back in
the water. They didn't have time to
rest, they just got a little encouragement.
These rats went on swimming for over 12 hours (or something like
that...).
Solomon wrote,
(Prov 13:12 NASB)
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of
life.
Our hope is not in what we wish would happen to our circumstances.
Our hope is in the Lord.
We trust the He will do what is best for us.
:18 to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.
affright – yare’ – to
fear, revere, be afraid; (Piel) to make afraid, terrify
to trouble – bahal – (Piel) to make haste, act hastily,
be hurried, be hastened; to dismay, terrify
Lesson
The enemy’s biggest weapon is fear
His greatest tactic to keep us from doing the right thing is to make us
afraid.
That’s why the Scripture says:
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (AV)
A lion roars and terrorizes its prey into freezing.
Illustration
Carl Wallenda was one of the greatest tightrope aerialists who ever lived.
He once wrote, “For me, to live is being on a tightrope. All the rest is
waiting.” In 1968, he commented that the most important thing about walking a
tightrope is to be confident you can do it and never to think about failure.
In 1978, Wallenda fell to his death from a tightrope that was seventy-five
feet up in the air above the city of San Juan,
Puerto Rico. His wife, who is also an aerialist,
reported that, for three months prior to attempting the most dangerous feat he’d
ever tried, all he talked about was falling. She said that never before in all
their career together had Carl ever given a thought to falling. She noted
further that he spent all of his time prior to that fatal walk putting up the
wire (which he had never bothered with before). He worried about the guide
wires and spent endless hours calculating the wind, which he had also never
done before. After his death, she said, “I believe the reason Carl fell was
because he spent all of his time preparing not to fall, instead of spending
time preparing to walk the rope.”
-- H. Edwin Young,
"Building Blocks," Southern Baptist Preaching Today, ed. Allen and
Gregory, p. 457.
:20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of
Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.
When we look at Hezekiah, we ought to be careful not to get the impression
that he was some kind of superman who wasn’t afraid of anything. Hezekiah was
plenty shook up over all these things.
(Isa 37:1-4 KJV) And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it,
that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the
house of the LORD. {2} And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and
Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah
the prophet the son of Amoz. {3} And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah,
This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children
are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. {4} It may be
the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent
to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God
hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.
Lesson
Desperate to pray
Hezekiah was a desperate man. He ran to the Temple
to seek the Lord.
But this wasn’t a Temple that
was dirty and closed. Hezekiah had cleaned the Temple.
He had it in full working order.
Prayer wasn’t some last resort for Hezekiah, it was his way of handling
things.
Look at what he prayed:
(Isa 37:15-20 KJV) And
Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying, {16} O LORD of hosts, God of Israel,
that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all
the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.
Hezekiah reminded himself of God’s greatness. This is God
the Creator.
{17} Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD,
and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the
living God. {18} Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all
the nations, and their countries. {19} And have cast their gods into the fire:
for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore
they have destroyed them. {20} Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his
hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even
thou only.
:21 And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men
(Isa 37:36 KJV) Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in
the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when
they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
Lesson
God can do anything
Absolutely anything.
:24-26 Illness, Pride, Humility
:24 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the LORD:
and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign.
(Isa 38:1 KJV) In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And
Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith
the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
When Hezekiah heard this, he lay on his bed weeping and praying.
(Isa 38:4-5 KJV) Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,
{5} Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father,
I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy
days fifteen years.
Because this was an unusual promise, God asked Hezekiah to pick something
for God to do as a sign. Hezekiah had a staircase outside his window and asked
that the shadow move the opposite way it normally moved. It did.
(Isa 38:8 KJV) Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the
degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So
the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.
:25 …his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah
and Jerusalem.
News of Hezekiah’s health problems and miracle seemed to get around. The
news got as far as Babylon, and the
Babylonian king Merodach sent ambassadors to wish Hezekiah well. When the
ambassadors arrived, Hezekiah was so impressed with these men that he showed
them everything in his kingdom. He showed them all his secrets, all his wealth,
he simply was showing off.
When Isaiah the prophet heard about the ambassadors from Babylon,
he became worried, then God gave him a word:
(Isa 39:6-7 KJV) Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine
house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall
be carried to Babylon:
nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. {7} And of thy sons that shall issue
from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be
eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
The seeds of the Babylonian invasion that was coming in a few years were
sown with this indiscretion of Hezekiah.
:27-31 Miscellaneous deeds
:27-30 And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches …
We have another summary of Hezekiah’s wealth and some of his great
accomplishments.
:31 God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.
Lesson
Alone for testing
I think one of the true tests of our character is to examine the things we
do when we’re alone.
Though I do not believe that God created us to be “loners”, I think there
are going to be times when we are going to be alone. It’s possible that some of
these times may also be tests for us.
Illustration
All Alone
Sandy began a job as an
elementary school counselor and she was eager to help. One day during recess
she noticed a girl standing by herself on one side of a playing field while the
rest of the kids enjoyed a game of soccer at the other. Sandy
approached and asked if she was all right. The girl said she was. A little
while later, however, Sandy noticed
the girl was in the same spot, still by herself. Approaching again, Sandy
offered, “Would you like me to be your friend?” The girl hesitated, then said,
“Okay,” looking at the woman suspiciously. Feeling she was making progress, Sandy
then asked, “Why are you standing here all alone?” “Because,” the little girl
said with great exasperation, “I’m the goalie!”
Sometimes we’re supposed to “alone”.
Sometimes we have a job to do when we’re alone. Sometimes we have an important function like
a goalie has – and it means learning to be alone.
:32-33 Hezekiah’s death
Hezekiah dies and is buried. One of
Ezra’s bibliographical references is to the writing of Isaiah the prophet.
2Chronicles 33
1-9 Manasseh’s wickedness
:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
fifty and five years in Jerusalem:
Manasseh – M@nashsheh – “causing
to forget”
It seems that Manasseh might have been conceived after Hezekiah’s brush with death and God allows him fifteen more
years. Some have suggested that Hezekiah asking God to extend his life was a
mistake since Manasseh was born after this.
He is the wickedest of the southern kings and has the longest reign – being
good doesn’t always mean you live longer.
2Kings 21:1 tells us that his mother’s name was Hephzibah. The Jews have a tradition that she was the daughter
of Isaiah, whose name, they say, is not mentioned, because so wicked a king was
unworthy of such a grandfather.
:2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD
He is going to be known as the worst of the worst.
Yet his dad was one of the best kings. If Hephzibah was really Isaiah’s
daughter, then this means that Manasseh had some other really good influences
in his life.
Lesson:
Sometimes bad kids come from good parents.
I think it’s wrong when we look at people who have “gone bad” and wonder
what kind of parents they must have had to turn out so bad.
Yes, good parenting has a tendency to turn out good kids, but it's not a
guarantee.
Look at Franklin Graham, the son of Billy and Ruth.
If it weren't for his turning to the Lord, he would have become one
rebellious son, most likely with no fault to his parents.
You might say to me, "But Hezekiah had his problems too, he was a
proud man, and Billy Graham was probably never around when his son needed him
..."
If you're thinking that bad children are products of dysfunctional
families, the problem is there is no such thing as a "perfect" or
"functional" family.
All of us have sin.
All of us make mistakes.
Each person will grow up and have to face God with the consequences of
their own actions, and not give excuses like blaming it on their parents.
De 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the
children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man
shall be put to death for his own sin. (AV)
:3-8 For he built again the high
places …
We have one of the most horrible lists of sins that any king has ever
committed. Everything good that his
father Hezekiah had done was reversed.
As good as Hezekiah was, Manasseh was evil.
He even put an Asherah pole in the Temple
of God (vs.7; also 2Ki. 21:7).
We’re also told:
(2 Ki 21:16 NLT)
Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until Jerusalem was filled from
one end to the other with innocent blood.
Tradition has it that Manasseh had Isaiah the prophet put to death.
:9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
to err
Lesson
Leading others into sin
One of the difficult things to being a leader is that others will follow
your example.
I believe that God will hold leaders accountable for those they’ve lead
astray. That’s a pretty scary thing.
I think this is why James writes,
(James 3:1 NKJV) My brethren, let not many of you become teachers,
knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
:10-13 Manasseh’s repentance
:10 And the LORD spake to Manasseh
God sent prophets to warn Manasseh about what he was doing.
(2 Ki 21:10-15 NLT) Then the
LORD said through his servants the prophets: {11} "King Manasseh of Judah
has done many detestable things. He is even more wicked than the Amorites, who
lived in this land before Israel.
He has led the people of Judah
into idolatry. {12} So this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will
bring such disaster on Jerusalem
and Judah
that the ears of those who hear about it will tingle with horror. {13} I will
judge Jerusalem
by the same standard I used for Samaria and by the same
measure I used for the family of Ahab. I will wipe away the people of Jerusalem as one wipes a
dish and turns it upside down. {14} Then I will reject even those few of my
people who are left, and I will hand them over as plunder for their enemies.
{15} For they have done great evil in my sight and have angered me ever since
their ancestors came out of Egypt."
:11 the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh
Assyrian annals indicate that Esarhaddon (681-669 B.C.) assembled at Nineveh
all the kings of the "westland"
to secure Ashurbanipal's succession. Manasseh is listed among the 22 kings of
the "Hatti-country" who were in vassalage to Esarhaddon.
:13 And prayed unto him
The “Prayer of Manasseh” is one of the 14 books of the O.T. Apocrypha. It
has not been considered “inspired” by the church, and though it might have
interesting historical value.
:13 he was entreated of him, and
heard his supplication
Lesson
No sin is too great
This is the worst king that ever ruled in the southern kingdom.
Yet when he repented, God forgave him.
(1 John 1:9 KJV) If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Keep in mind – there will still be consequences to Manasseh’s sins. His sins have started a huge avalanche that
will end with the destruction of the southern kingdom. Don’t think that you can just sin, then
repent, and no one is worse for the wear.
It’s better NOT to sin.!
:14-17 Manasseh rebuilds
:16 And he repaired the altar of the LORD
Lesson
After repentance, rebuild
It’s good to turn from sin and receive God’s forgiveness.
We also need to build up good things in our lives as well.
Some people finally get off drugs and start to get away from their old
life. But you need to get involved in church, read your Bible, pray, share your
faith, etc.
:17 Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet
unto the LORD their God only.
High places were wrong. But here the people are not sacrificing to idols,
just to the Lord.
:18-20 Manasseh’s death
:21-25 Amon’s short reign
:21 Amon was two and twenty years old when he began to reign
Amon = “skilled workman” or “master workman”
:23 Amon trespassed more and more.
Lesson
The bad example
Our kids seem to pick up all our bad habits.
They don’t always pick up on the good ones.