2 Chronicles chapter 32

Sennacherib invades Judah. He threatens Jerusalem. The LORD God rescues Jerusalem. Hezekiah’s final years.

 


 

SENNACHERIB INVADES JUDAH

 

VERSE 1. After these things and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, entered into Judah, encamped against the fortified cities, and intended to win them for himself.

Sennacherib king of Assyria declares war against Judah.

 

VERSE 2. When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that he was planning to fight against Jerusalem,

 

VERSE 3. he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the springs which were outside of the city, and they helped him.

to stop the waters of the springs. They conceal the city’s outside water supply.

 

VERSE 4. Then many people gathered together and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the middle of the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find abundant water?”

 

VERSE 5. He took courage, built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised it up to the towers, with the other wall outside, and strengthened Millo in David’s city, and made weapons and shields in abundance.

built up all the wall that was broken down. Hezekiah rebuilds the walls of the city of Jerusalem.

He builds proper boundaries.

In our own lives, many of us do not have healthy boundaries. To build them takes courage and hard work.

with the other wall outside. Hezekiah constructs an outer wall.

 

VERSE 6. He set captains of war over the people, gathered them together to him in the wide place at the gate of the city, and spoke encouragingly to them, saying,

captains of war. That is, army officers.

 

VERSE 7. “Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or dismayed because of the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude who is with him; for there is a greater one with us than with him.

there is a greater one with us. For a child of God, the victory is supernatural. The real work is done by the LORD God. We make plans and do our best, but the LORD God makes us fruitful. Read more »

 

VERSE 8. An arm of flesh is with him, but the LORD our God is with us to help us and to fight our battles.” The people rested themselves on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

the LORD our God is with us. For a child of God, the victory is supernatural. The real work is done by the LORD God. We make plans and do our best, but the LORD God makes us fruitful. Read more »

The people rested themselves on the words of Hezekiah. That is, the people found confidence, thanks to the words of Hezekiah.

He had told them that “the LORD our God is with us to help us and to fight our battles.”

In our role as spiritual people, others will listen to our words to give them confidence. Let us therefore speak with confidence about what we have come to know.

 

SENNACHERIB THREATENS JERUSALEM

 

VERSE 9. After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was attacking Lachish, and all his forces were with him), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying,

sent his servants to Jerusalem. Sennacherib sends an ambassadors from Lachish.

 

VERSE 10. Sennacherib king of Assyria says, “In whom do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem?

 

VERSE 11. Doesn’t Hezekiah persuade you to give you over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, ‘The LORD our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?’

 

VERSE 12. Hasn’t the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You shall worship before one altar, and you shall burn incense on it?’

 

VERSE 13. Don’t you know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their land out of my hand?

the gods of the nations. Sennacherib boasts that no other god could protect his people from the Assyrians.

 

VERSE 14. Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand?

 

VERSE 15. Now therefore don’t let Hezekiah deceive you nor persuade you in this way. Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand?”

don’t let Hezekiah deceive you. Sennacherib casts doubt on the moral integrity of Hezekiah.

 

VERSE 16. His servants spoke yet more against the LORD God and against his servant Hezekiah.

spoke yet more against the LORD. When a foreign nation does this, things do not go well for them.

 

VERSE 17. He also wrote letters insulting the LORD, the God of Israel, and speaking against him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall the God of Hezekiah not deliver his people out of my hand.”

 

VERSE 18. They called out with a loud voice in the Jews’ language to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and to trouble them, that they might take the city.

in the Jews’ language. That is, in Hebrew.

 

VERSE 19. They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men’s hands.

 

THE LORD GOD RESCUES JERUSALEM

 

VERSE 20. Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to heaven.

Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet. These two heroes are united in prayer. They know where the victory will come from.

Hezekiah said it in verse 8 above: “the LORD our God is with us to help us and to fight our battles.”

 

VERSE 21. The LORD sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, the leaders, and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. When he had come into the house of his god, those who came out of his own body killed him there with the sword.

The LORD sent an angel. The number of angels is one. Just one.

who cut off all the mighty men of valor. This one single angel (just one!) mows down the entire Assyrian army!

those who came out of his own body. That is, his own sons.

 

VERSE 22. Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.

 

VERSE 23. Many brought gifts to the LORD to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from then on.

 

HEZEKIAH’S FINAL YEARS

 

VERSE 24. In those days Hezekiah was terminally ill, and he prayed to the LORD; and he spoke to him, and gave him a sign.

 

VERSE 25. But Hezekiah didn’t reciprocate appropriate to the benefit done for him, because his heart was lifted up. Therefore there was wrath on him, Judah, and Jerusalem.

his heart was lifted up. That is, he was prideful.

 

VERSE 26. However, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the LORD’s wrath didn’t come on them in the days of Hezekiah.

 

VERSE 27. Hezekiah had exceedingly great riches and honor. He provided himself with treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of valuable vessels;

 

VERSE 28. also storehouses for the increase of grain, new wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of animals, and flocks in folds.

 

VERSE 29. Moreover he provided for himself cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him abundant possessions.

 

VERSE 30. This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and brought them straight down on the west side of David’s city. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

 

VERSE 31. However, concerning the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

 

VERSE 32. Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

 

VERSE 33. Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent to the tombs of the sons of David. All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

Hezekiah slept with his fathers. That is, he died.

 


next chapter »

« previous chapter


2 CHRONICLES

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, Mount Moriah, The Cloud of Glory

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.