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Speaker 1: I'm John Stanghi, and today we're in Second King's Chapter eighteen,
Speaker 1: and we're reading from the English Standard version. In the
Speaker 1: third year of Hoshea, son of Ela, king of Israel,
Speaker 1: Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.
Speaker 1: He was twenty five years old when he began to reign,
Speaker 1: and he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's
Speaker 1: name was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did
Speaker 1: what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according
Speaker 1: to all that David his father had done. He removed
Speaker 1: the high places and broke the pillars, and cut down
Speaker 1: the eshira. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent
Speaker 1: that Moses had made, for until those days the people
Speaker 1: of Israel had made offerings to it. It was called Nahushtan.
Speaker 1: He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so
Speaker 1: that there was none like him among all the kings
Speaker 1: of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.
Speaker 1: For he held fast to the Lord. He did not
Speaker 1: depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the
Speaker 1: Lord commanded Moses, and the Lord was with him wherever
Speaker 1: he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the King
Speaker 1: of Assyria and would not serve him. He struck down
Speaker 1: the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory from
Speaker 1: watchtower to fortified city. In the fourth year of King Hezekiah,
Speaker 1: which was the seventh year of Hoshea, son of Ela,
Speaker 1: King of Israel, Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came up against
Speaker 1: Samaria and besieged it, and at the end of three
Speaker 1: years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah,
Speaker 1: which was the ninth year of Hosheia, King of Israel,
Speaker 1: Samaria was taken. The King of Assyria carried the Israelites
Speaker 1: away to Assyria and put them in Halla and on
Speaker 1: the Habor, the river of Gozen, and in the cities
Speaker 1: of the Medes. Because they did not obey the voice
Speaker 1: of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant. Even
Speaker 1: all that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded, they
Speaker 1: neither listened nor obeyed. In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah,
Speaker 1: Sanakarib King of Assyria came up against all the fortified
Speaker 1: cities of Judah and took them. And Hezekiah, king of Judah,
Speaker 1: sent to the King of Assyria at Lakish, saying, I
Speaker 1: have done wrong withdraw from me whatever you impose on me,
Speaker 1: I will bear. And the King of Assyria required of Hezekiah,
Speaker 1: King of Judah, three hundred talents of silver and thirty
Speaker 1: talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver
Speaker 1: that was found in the House of the Lord and
Speaker 1: in the treasure of the King's house at that time.
Speaker 1: Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the Temple
Speaker 1: of the Lord and from the door posts that Hezekiah,
Speaker 1: King of Judah, had overlaid, and gave it to the
Speaker 1: King of Assyria. And the King of Assyria sent the Tartan,
Speaker 1: the rab Cerrees, and the Rabshika with a great army
Speaker 1: from Lakish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And they went
Speaker 1: up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came
Speaker 1: and stood by the conduit of the Upper Pool, which
Speaker 1: is on the highway to the Washersfield. And when they
Speaker 1: called for the king there came out to them Eliakim,
Speaker 1: son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah
Speaker 1: the secretary, and Joah the son of Asath the recorder,
Speaker 1: and the Rabshaka said to them, Say to Hezekiah, thus
Speaker 1: says the great King, the King of Assyria, on, what
Speaker 1: do you rest this trust of yours? Do you think
Speaker 1: that mere words are strategy and power for war? In
Speaker 1: whom do you now trust that you have rebelled against me? Behold,
Speaker 1: you are trusting now in Egypt that broken reed of
Speaker 1: a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man
Speaker 1: who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh, King of Egypt,
Speaker 1: to all who trust in him. But if you say
Speaker 1: to me, we trust in the Lord our God, is
Speaker 1: it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed,
Speaker 1: saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, you shall worship before
Speaker 1: this altar in Jerusalem. Come now, make a wager with
Speaker 1: my master, the King of Assyria. I will give you
Speaker 1: two thousand horses if you are able on your part
Speaker 1: to set riders on them. How then can you repulse
Speaker 1: a single captain among the least of my master's servants.
Speaker 1: When you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen. Moreover,
Speaker 1: is it without the Lord that I have come up
Speaker 1: against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me,
Speaker 1: go up against this land and destroy it. Then Eliakim,
Speaker 1: the son of Hilkiah and Shebnah and Joah said to
Speaker 1: the Rabshakah, please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for
Speaker 1: we understand it. Do not speak to us in the
Speaker 1: language of Judah within the hearing of the people who
Speaker 1: are on the wall. But the Rabshaka said to them,
Speaker 1: has my master sent me to speak these words to
Speaker 1: your master and to you, and not to the men
Speaker 1: sitting on the wall who are doomed with you, to
Speaker 1: eat their own dungu and to drink their own urine.
Speaker 1: Then the Rabshaka stood and called out in a loud
Speaker 1: voice in the language of Judah. Hear the word of
Speaker 1: the great King, the King of Assyria. Thus says the King,
Speaker 1: do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not
Speaker 1: be able to deliver you out of my life hand.
Speaker 1: Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord
Speaker 1: by saying the Lord will surely deliver us, and this
Speaker 1: city will not be given into the hand of the
Speaker 1: King of Assyria. Do not listen to Hezekiah, For thus
Speaker 1: says the King of Assyria, make your peace with me,
Speaker 1: and come out to me. Then each one of you
Speaker 1: will eat of his own vine, and each one of
Speaker 1: his own fig tree, and each one of you will
Speaker 1: drink the water of his own cistern, until I come
Speaker 1: and take you away to a land like your own land,
Speaker 1: a land of grain and wine, a land of bread
Speaker 1: and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that
Speaker 1: you may live and not die. And do not listen
Speaker 1: to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, the Lord
Speaker 1: will deliver us. Has any of the gods of the
Speaker 1: nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of
Speaker 1: the King of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath
Speaker 1: and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hennah, and Eva?
Speaker 1: Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among
Speaker 1: all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands
Speaker 1: out of my hand? That the Lord should deliver Jerusalem
Speaker 1: out of my hand? But the people were silent and
Speaker 1: answered him not a word, For the King's command was
Speaker 1: do not answer him. Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah,
Speaker 1: who was over the household, and Shebnah the secretary, and Joah,
Speaker 1: the son of Asaf the recorder, came to Hezekiah with
Speaker 1: their clothes torn and told him the words of the Rabshakah.
Speaker 1: Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word, and
Speaker 1: we thank you for the fact that, after reading many
Speaker 1: chapters of people who did not honor you with their lives,
Speaker 1: we come to this chapter that speaks of Hezekiah, who
Speaker 1: loved you and who worshiped you as Lord, and who
Speaker 1: put you as first in his life. And Lord, as
Speaker 1: we look at this portion of scripture, we can see
Speaker 1: that Hezekiah's faith was tested and the faith of the
Speaker 1: people was tested as they were threatened by the king
Speaker 1: of Assyria. Lord, we know that likewise, throughout the course
Speaker 1: of our lives, our faith will be tested. There will
Speaker 1: be times when we'll be tempted to look to false
Speaker 1: messiahs instead of trusting in your son, Jesus Christ. There'll
Speaker 1: be times when we're tempted to feel overcome by our trials,
Speaker 1: and instead of looking to you for help, we may
Speaker 1: be tempted to express anger toward you for the adversity
Speaker 1: that we experience. But Lord, we know that you make
Speaker 1: great use of our adversity. You use the adversities that
Speaker 1: come into our lives as tools to strengthen our faith
Speaker 1: in you. So, Lord, we pray that, as men and
Speaker 1: women who trust in your son Jesus Christ, that we
Speaker 1: would walk by faith in you today, that we would
Speaker 1: put you first in all things, and that we would
Speaker 1: be confident of your power and your presence in our lives.
Speaker 1: We love you, Lord, and we thank you for all
Speaker 1: these things, and we commit this day to your care
Speaker 1: and pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen,