2 Kings 19

Introduction

Chapter 18, which we studied last week, ended with a cliff-hanger.

Many of you were away because of the Bank Holiday and marathon, so let me explain that last week’s chapter was all about Hezekiah who was the king of the southern kingdom of Judah. And he was a good and godly king, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord as David had done before him. And he succeeded in cleansing Judah of the corrupting influence of his father Ahaz by removing the high places and smashing the sacred stones and cutting down the Asherah poles and by cleansing the temple of all the signs of his father’s idolatry. And our narrator told us that Hezekiah trusted in the Lord and there was no-one like him among all the kings of Judah, because he held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him. In all these ways he foreshadowed Christ our King, who was devoted to doing his Father’s will with all of his heart and soul and mind and strength.

But then we read how the king of Assyria sent his army into Judah to attack and capture all the fortified towns. Such was the threat from Assyria, that Hezekiah’s faith weakened temporarily. It wobbled. Instead of turning to the Lord to deliver him, Hezekiah offered to send the king of Assyria all the silver and gold he wanted so that he would withdraw from Judah and leave them alone.

But even though he paid the Assyrian king to leave them alone, the Assyrian king kept coming and he sent his army to Jerusalem and they camped outside it. And the king sent one of his commanding officer to speak to Hezekiah’s officials and to all the men who were stationed on the walls of Jerusalem in order to frighten them so that they would surrender to Assyria. And the commanding officer mocked Hezekiah and his men for trusting in the Lord. And he offered them a better life in the land of Assyria if only they will give up and surrender.

And that’s how the chapter ended. As I said, it was a cliff-hanger, because we were left wondering what was going to happen next. Will Hezekiah and his men surrender to the Assyrian king? Will the Assyrians attack and destroy Jerusalem? What’s going to happen next?

And what happened next is the subject of chapter 19 which we’re studying today.

Verses 1 to 13

Hezekiah’s officials went back to Hezekiah and told him what the field commander had said. And in verse 1 we read that when Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. That’s what people did in those days to express their sorrow and anguish to God. And he went into the temple of the Lord. Why did he go into the temple? We have to wait to find out, because our narrator tells us first that Hezekiah sent his officials, all wearing sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet with a message from the king.

And our narrator tells us what the king’s message was. He said to Isaiah that this is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace. It’s a day of distress, because they are all distressed because of the Assyrian threat. And it’s a day of rebuke, because it seems that the Lord, who rules over all, has sent the Assyrians to chastise them for their shortcomings and sins. And it’s a day of disgrace, because their enemies are treating them with contempt and they are ashamed because of it. And he says they’re like children who have come to the point of birth, but there’s no strength to deliver them. So, we’re to think of an exhausted mother, who is done in after a long labour and who hasn’t the strength for that one last push to deliver her baby. He means that all their strength has gone and they’re not able by themselves to stand up to the Assyrians and to deliver themselves from out of his hands.

However, although Hezekiah is feeling helpless, he’s not hopeless. He’s not hopeless, because — verse 4 — it may be that the Lord will hear all the mocking words of the field commander; and it may be that the Lord will rebuke him for what he has said. And notice that Hezekiah refers to God by his special covenant name, which appears in our English Bibles as LORD in capital letters. Every time we see LORD in capital letters it speaks to us of God’s commitment to his people. It speaks of his unfailing, never-ending love. It’s a name that reminds us that God has bound himself to his people with a promise to be our God always and to deliver us from our sin and misery by his Son. In other words, it’s a name that reminds us that God is on the side of his people. And that’s why Hezekiah is still hopeful even though he’s helpless. And he asks the prophet to pray for them.

And when his officials came to Isaiah, the prophet told them to say to Hezekiah the words which appear in verses 6 and 7. And it’s a message from the Lord to re-assure the king. So, this is what the Lord says. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid of what you’ve heard. And it’s clear from what the Lord says that he too has heard what the Assyrian commander has said. because the Lord refers to his blasphemous words. The Lord heard how he mocked the Lord. And now the Lord announces to Hezekiah what he’s going to do. The king of Assyria will hear a report that will make him return to his own country. When the Lord refers to a spirit in verse 7, we’re not to think of an evil spirit or of the Holy Spirit. In this context, the word ‘spirit’ simply means something like disposition or inclination. The Assyrian king will be inclined to return to his own country whenever he hears this report. And there in his own country, the Lord will have him cut down and killed with the sword.

So, there’s no need to worry about the king of Assyria, because God the Lord will take care of him for Hezekiah. Whenever we’re out of our depth, it’s a relief when someone comes along and says to us: ‘Leave it with me.’ And that’s what the Lord was saying to Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Leave it with me. I’ll sort this out for you.’

The narrator then turns the focus away from Isaiah and Hezekiah back to the Assyrians. What are they doing? According to verse 8, the commander heard that the Assyrian king had left Lachish, a town in Judah which he has presumably captured. And so, the commander withdrew from Jerusalem to go and help the king who was now attacking Libnah, another town in Judah. And according to verse 9, the Assyrian king received a report that the Egyptians were marching out to fight against him. It’s unlikely that this is the report which the Lord was referring to in his message to Hezekiah through Isaiah, because this report about the Egyptians didn’t cause the Assyrian king to return home. It simply distracted him temporarily for his campaign against Jerusalem. But he didn’t want Hezekiah to think that this temporary distraction would become permanent. And so, according to verse 9 he sent messengers to Hezekiah to say to him: Don’t let your god deceive you. Don’t let him deceive you when he says that Jerusalem will not fall to the Assyrians. And then he reminds Hezekiah of all that he — the king of Assyria — has accomplished, because hasn’t he destroyed completely all the countries he has invaded? No other country has been able to stand up to his might. No one has been able to stop him. And, of course, that’s true. He was a great and mighty and conquering king. ‘And will you be delivered?’ the king asks at the end of verse 11. Will your god deliver you from my mighty hand?

And he says to Hezekiah that all the other nations trusted in their gods, but their gods could not deliver them. And he refers to some of the nations that the Assyrians have conquered over the years. Were their gods able to save them? And, of course, the answer is no. No, the gods of the nations could not save them. But we would say to him, if we had the chance to talk to him, that the gods of the nations are not real. They’re idols, made of wood or metal and they’re not alive. They’re not living. They can’t see or speak or do anything, because they’re nothing. But the Lord is different, because he’s the one, true and living God who made all things and who rules over all things. The difference between the other nations which the Assyrians conquered and Judah is that Judah worships the true God. And while anyone can conquer a fake god, no one can conquer the true God.

Verses 14 to 19

That’s what we would say to the Assyrian king if we had the opportunity. And I’m sure that Hezekiah would have said the same thing if he had the opportunity, because he certainly believed that the Lord is the true God. We know that, because look what he says in his prayer which is recorded for us in verses 14 to 19.

Once he received this letter from the Assyrian king, he went up to the temple again. You’ll remember that he went up to the temple in verse 1 as well. However, in verse 1 we weren’t told what he did in the temple. But now we’re told. What did he do when he went into the temple? He spread the letter he had received before the Lord and he began to pray. In other words, he cast his cares on the Lord.

And look how he begins his prayer, because he begins by naming the Lord as the Lord, the God of Israel, who is enthroned between the cherubim. The cherubim are the angels. And so, we’re to think about heaven, where the angels are. And that’s where the Lord is as well: he’s enthroned between the cherubim. That is to say, the angels are surrounding his heavenly throne. They are his attendants, his servants, who are ready to do his bidding. He’s the great king who commands the angels of heaven. The commander of the Assyrian king may have regarded his king as ‘the great king’, but the Assyrian king is nothing compared to the Lord who is enthroned, not on earth, but in heaven; and he’s surrounded, not by human servants, but by angelic servants; and he rules, not over an earthly empire, but he rules over the heavens above as well as the earth beneath. He is the great king over all.

And remarkably, this great king, who is enthroned in heaven over all, is also the Lord, the God of Israel. He has bound himself to the people of Israel. He has committed himself to them. He has chosen them to be his people and he has promised to be their God and to deliver them from their sin and misery by his Son.

And so, he’s the great, transcendent God, who lives in a high and holy place, far above all that he has made. But he’s also near his people. He’s with them. He came down to them and he chose them and he’s promised never to leave or forsake them, but to be with them always.

And look: Hezekiah confesses that the Lord alone is God. In other words, the gods of the nations are not real. They are not true gods. There’s only one true God; and it’s the Lord, the God of Israel. And he’s God over all the kingdoms of the earth, including Assyria. He may have chosen Israel as his people, but his authority extends beyond Israel and embraces all the earth.

And look at the end of verse 15: he made the heavens and the earth. The gods of the nations are man-made. Someone took a block of wood and carved it into the shape of a god. Someone took gold and moulded it into the shape of a god. They are man-made idols. But the Lord, the God of Israel, is not man-made. On the contrary, he made the heavens and the earth and everything else.

What a way to start a prayer! Everything he says about God is true. And by saying these true things about God, he’s reminding himself of why he doesn’t need to be anxious or afraid. He doesn’t need to be anxious or afraid, because remember who my God is! Remember how great and awesome and majestic he is! And remember that he’s on my side!

And having addressed God like this, he turns to him in verse 16 and asks him to give ear and hear and open your eyes and see. Take it all in, God. Take it all in, what the Assyrians have been saying about you. Listen to the way the Assyrian king has insulted you! He has mocked and dishonoured the one true and living God. And Hezekiah wants the Lord to do something about it.

And in verse 17, he acknowledges that the Assyrian kings have been powerful. They have laid waste the other nations. They have conquered many peoples. They are powerful and mighty kings. There’s no question about that. And they have thrown the gods of the nations into the fire. However, Hezekiah knows that those gods were not real gods. They were only idols made of wood and stone. But you’re the true God. You’re the one, true and living God. You’re not an idol. You’re real. And so, come now and deliver us from his hand.

And why does Hezekiah want the Lord to deliver them? So that they’ll be safe? So that they’ll be happy? Yes, so that they’re be safe and happy. But more than that: so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone are God. He wants the Lord to rescue them so that everyone will know that the Lord, the God of Israel, is different from the other gods. He wants them to know that the Lord, the God of Israel, is real. He wants the kingdoms on earth to know that the Lord is real so that they will worship him.

And isn’t that our prayer too? We want people around the world to know that the Lord our God is real: that he’s the one, true and living God so that they will turn to him through faith in his Son and worship him.

Verses 20 to 34

That’s Hezekiah’s prayer. And in verses 20 to 34 we have the Lord’s answer which the Lord sent to the king through the prophet Isaiah.

And first, the Lord says that he has heard Hezekiah’s prayer concerning the king of Assyria. Second, he says something about the Virgin Daughter of Zion. Who is the Virgin Daughter of Zion? He’s referring to Jerusalem. He’s depicting the city — and the people who live there — as a young girl. And whereas young girls are often timid and shy, this one will despise and mock Assyria’s great king. She’ll toss or wag her head at the king and his men as they flee from Jerusalem. And the Assyrians will flee because they have insulted and blasphemed the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. The Assyrians have been proud and arrogant and have insulted the Lord.

The Lord says they boasted about their past successes and how they ascended the heights of mountains and cut down the tallest trees and so on. In other words, they’ve conquered other nations. The nations built their fortified cities on tops of mountains so that they would be safe and secure. But the Assyrians were able to climb those mountains and breach their defences and take over their cities. They were unstoppable.

And so, the Assyrians boasted about their past successes. However — verse 25 — ‘Have you not heard?’ Have you not heard what? Have you not heard that the Lord, the God of Israel, ordained it long ago. In other words, he planned all of this. He planned that Assyria would do these things. And God has now brought his plans to pass. So, the message of the Lord to Hezekiah is that he, the Lord, has been directing the steps of the Assyrians; and he has been giving them their successes. As our Shorter Catechism teaches us, the Lord controls all his creatures and all their actions. So, God directs. He steers them in the way he wants them to take. God uses the nations to fulfil his own plans and he directs all things according to his most holy and perfect will.

This is our God. And when we switch on the news and hear about what’s happening in different parts of the world, and when we see people worrying because they wonder what the future holds, we can tell them that the Lord our God is in control of all things, including the nations; and he’s working out his plans and purposes for the world, which are good, because God is good. And while he’s not responsible for the evil things people do, he’s able to use the sins of people for his own good purposes. And you can tell them that in the end God will destroy all the nations of the world and there will only be one kingdom left standing. And it’s the kingdom of his Son, Jesus Christ, who came into the world as one of us and who suffered and died on the cross to pay for all that his people have done wrong and to make peace for us with God. And whoever believes in Christ the King for forgiveness is added to his kingdom and receives the hope of everlasting life in the new and better world to come, where everything will be perfect and there will be no evil kings or nations to worry us. And since this is true, then everyone in every nation should yield their lives to Christ the King and trust in him for peace with God and for the hope of everlasting life.

The Lord tells Hezekiah in verse 25 that he has been bringing his plans for Assyria to pass. And so, God enabled the Assyrians to turn fortified cities into piles of stones. But since God was behind their victories, the Assyrians had no reason for boasting, because any success they enjoyed has been given to them by God.

And take a look at verses 27 and 28 now. The Lord says that he knows where they live and he knows when they come and go. He knows everything about them. And he knows how they have raged against the Lord. Instead of honouring him, they have insulted and blasphemed him. And so, since the Lord rules over Assyria, he’s going to hook them like an animal and lead them back by the way they have come. Once he drove them forward to success. But now he’s going to lead them backwards to failure.

So, the threat of Assyria will be removed. And the Lord promises Hezekiah in verses 29 and 31 that for the next two years, they will eat what grows in the wild. But in the third year, things will go back to normal and they’ll be able to plant seed in their fields and harvest their crops again. The Assyrians will be taken away and the land will recover. And Jerusalem will survive.

And how will this come to pass? The zeal of the Lord will accomplish it. That is to say, God will do it. God will do it. Hezekiah won’t have to do anything, but sit still and watch while the Lord does everything to save them. The Assyrian king will not enter the city, but will return to his own land.

Verses 35 to 37

And sure enough, according to verses 35 to 37, that night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrian soldiers. And the king broke camp and returned to Nineveh and stayed there. And one day — and the historians tells us this happened twenty years later — two of his sons murdered him and another son succeeded him.

Conclusion

What can we learn from this chapter? That our God is great! And he rules the nations. That is obvious from this chapter and it is a comfort for us to know that our God reigns.

But let’s think of how Hezekiah the king went into the temple to pray to God and to ask him to deliver his people from out of the hands of their enemy. By praying for his people in the temple, Hezekiah foreshadowed Christ our King who, after his death and resurrection, entered God’s heavenly temple, where he’s now interceding for his people.

That’s what the writer of Hebrews tells us. He tells us that the Lord Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. That is to say, he’s able to save his people fully and for ever. And he’s able to save his people fully and for ever, because not only did he give up his life on the cross to pay for all that we have done wrong, but now he intercedes for us. He stands before his Father in God’s heavenly temple and he prays for his people.

And what does he pray for? Remember the time in Luke’s gospel, when the Lord said to Peter that the devil wanted to sift Peter like wheat. In other words, the devil wanted to crush Peter so that he would give up his faith. But then the Lord said that he had prayed for Peter that his faith may not fail. So, just as the Assyrians wanted to crush the people of Jerusalem, so the devil wanted to crush Peter and his faith. And just as Hezekiah prayed for the people, so the Lord Jesus prayed for Peter. And he not only prays for Peter, but he prays for all of his people. Right now, he’s standing in heaven, before the throne of his Father, and — if you’re a believer; if you’re trusting in him as your Saviour — then he’s praying for you. He’s praying that your faith will not fail. And because the Lord prayed for Peter, Peter did not fall away. And because he’s praying for you, you will not fall away.

And so, this is our comfort as we go out into the world and face all the wicked schemes of the devil and all the troubles and trials of life which can crush our faith. This is our comfort: that Christ our King, who loved us and who died for us, is alive and is interceding for us always to keep us from falling away from salvation.