A Study of King Hezekiah

The Story of King Hezekiah

THEME

Trust God and submit to his kingdom and no matter what your circumstance are He will fight for your

CONTEXT

I. HISTORICAL

a. Abraham

b. Egypt

c. Covenant with God

d. Judges

e. Kings

II. LITERARY

a. The book is about Israel’s relationship with God and vice verse

b. Kings do Evil

c. The people break the covenant

d. Built altars to other gods

i. There was no justice

ii. They did evil things like the Gods they served

e. Prophets calls them to repentance but they don’t

f. ISRAEL

i. ISRAEL:

ii. 15:20 - Menahem:

1. Conflicts with Assyria

2. Pays his way into peace with Assyria

iii. Pekahiah: SKIP

iv. 15:29 - Pekah:

1. Tiglath Pileaser attacks Israel and deports its inhabitants

2. Joins Syria against Judah (during Jotham and Ahaz) but could not conquer

g. JUDAH

i. 15: 35 - Jotham – SKIP

ii. 16: Ahaz - Very evil king of Judah

1. Sacrificed his own son

2. Asked help from the Assyrians to fight Syria (who were enemies of Israel)

a. Submits to Assyria

b. Pay Assyria with the treasures of the Temple

c. Fights against Syria

d. Builds a Syrian altar in Jerusalem with temple materials

h. ISRAEL:

i. Hoshea:

1. Betrays covenant with Assyria (Sought help from Egypt)

2. Assyria conquers Israel (after 3 year siege of Samaria)

a. EXILE

b. READ 17:18

STUDY

I. CIRCUMSTANCES

a. War time

i. Israel is destroyed and in Exile

ii. Judah has just fought a war against Syria and Israel

iii. Assyria had destroyed most of Israel city fortresses

iv. Idolatry in Judah

v. Evil Father

vi. Judah is mostly destroyed by the Assyrians

vii. The book of the Law was no where to be found (Josiah find it in Ch 22)

viii. Assyria was very cruel

II. READ AND DISCUSS

COMCLUSION/APPLICATION

I. Circumstances does not dictate who God is.

a. He can do the impossible

II. Trust God and submit to his kingdom and no matter what your circumstance are He will fight for your

III. Our new Covenant is to love one another

a. : "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

b. God’s promises are set on our relationship with Him.

i. “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

ARCHAEOLOGY (Prism, Josephus,

Sennacherib Prism (British Museum)

'As for Hezekiah the Judahite who had not sub- mitted to my yoke, I surrounded 46 of his strong walled towns, and innumerable small places around them, and conquered them by means of earth ramps and siege engines, attack by infantrymen, mining, breaching, and scaling. 200,150 people of all ranks, men and women, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, cattle and sheep without number I brought out and counted as spoil. He himself I shut up in Jerusalem, his royal city, like a bird in a cage. I put watch-posts around him, and made it impossible for anyone to go out of his city. The cities which I had despoiled I cut off from his territory and gave to Mitinti king of Ashdod, Padi king of Ekron, and Sil-Bel king of Gaza, so reducing his realm. I added to their pre- vious annual tax a tribute befitting my lord- ship, and imposed it on them. Now the fear of my lordly splendour overwhelmed that Hezekiah. The warriors and select troops he had brought in to strengthen his royal city, Jerusalem, did not fight. He had brought after me to Nineveh, my royal city, 30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, best antimony, great blocks of red stone, ivory-decorated beds, ivory-decorated chairs, elephant hide, tusks, ebony, box-wood, valuable treasures of every sort, and his daughters, women of his palace, men and women singers. He sent his messenger to pay tribute and do obeisance.'

HERODOTUS

Sethon begged the gods for help, and was told in a dream that no harm would befall him if he went to face the Assyrian army, so he gathered a group of trusty citizens (artisans, craftsmen and shop-keepers) and they went out to meet the Assryians without the help of their own army. Meanwhile Ptah sent the mice of the fields to destroy the army´s weapons, causing them to run from the tiny band of Egyptians. In gratitude Sethos had a statue constructed of himself carrying a small mouse in his hand and inscribed on the pedestal "Let him who looks upon me learn to fear the gods".