The godly king Hezekiah takes the throne. But all faith is tested to see whether it is genuine. For Hezekiah the testing came in the form of the Assyrians.
2 Kings 18: Hezekiah Reigns in Judah
1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.
2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.
3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.
4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).
5 He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.
6 For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses.
7 And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him.
8 He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.
9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it,
10 and at the end of three years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.
11 The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,
12 because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened nor obeyed.
Sennacherib Attacks Judah
13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, "I have done wrong; withdraw from me. Whatever you impose on me I will bear." And the king of Assyria required of 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 treasuries of the king's house.
16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD and from the doorposts that Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.
17 And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rab-saris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Washer's Field.
18 And when they called for the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder.
19 And the Rabshakeh said to them, "Say to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours?
20 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me?
21 Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
22 But if you say to me, "We trust in the LORD our God," is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem"?
23 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.
24 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
25 Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.'"
26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall."
27 But the Rabshakeh said to them, "Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?"
28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!
29 Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand.
30 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'
31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern,
32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, The LORD will deliver us.
33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'"
36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, "Do not answer him."
37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Things to think about…
1. Hezekiah was not like his father, Ahaz. Hezekiah undid all the evil work of his father and restored true worship in Judah by destroying the high places which took people away from true worship which should have been done at Jerusalem, 2Kings 18:1-8. He also destroyed traditional/cultural idols like the bronze serpent that Moses had made in the wilderness. People will exalt things that the Lord has done in the past and trust in old grace. The Lord wants us to receive His mercies which are new every morning, but this requires faith. Faith of course to be proven genuine needs to be tested. It begins with obedience.
2. The Assyrians had taken the 10 northern tribes captive to Assyria. Hezekiah who is king of the remaining southern tribe of Judah rebels against Assyria and before long they come after him. Hezekiah fears at first and takes the gold out of the temple and gives it to the Assyrians – but they keep marching towards Jerusalem, 2 Kings 18:14-17. Satan will not relent, he wants to take everything from you. We need to be stripped of every bit of human wisdom and strength before the Lord gets all the glory. Hezekiah had to be brought to that point. The Lord tests his heart to see whether his worship involves a relationship with Him as opposed to mere religion. How is your relationship with the Lord; rest assured it will be tested!
3. The Assyrians retreat for a while but then return in greater force against Jerusalem. Look at the proud words that mock the living Lord, 2 Kings 18:28-35. Satan is a discourager and a destroyer. His sole purpose is to destroy the faith and trust of the people of God in their Lord. The prophet Isaiah brings a word in season about the real Strength behind Assyria’s army, a fact they do not realise. The Lord is sovereign. The king of Assyria believes it was his own strength that saved him. Isaiah reminds him that he could do nothing outside the Lord’s will. Satan can go only as far as the Lord allows him to go. Take comfort in this.
4. The response in 2Kings 18:36 “Do not answer him” is what we need to speak with respect to Satan. Jesus remained silent before His accusers, but He rebuked them through the work of the cross. We have no need to dialogue with someone who has been defeated. “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot a vain thing …against the Lord and His anointed?...the Lord sits in heaven and laughs” Psalm 2:1,2. May we laugh with Him against all the vain attempts to overthrow His rule on the earth.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life group Wednesdays. Finished for the year. Sign up for weekly teaching and encouragement in 2025.
Prayer Points
1. Our Carols service this Sunday, the 22nd of Dec. Get FB invites out
2. Baptisms in the new year.
3. Conversions and more visitors this time of year.
4. Prayer for Israel, Gaza and Lebanon for peace to descend over the region.
5. Pray for the work we have going on with site development and TMR and the ways forward whether with our friends at the Drive-in or elsewhere.
6. Keep praying for PlayPatch on Fridays, pray for more families to be reached.
7. Pray for Chaplaincy and Kids Hope at Karalee State School.
8. Pray for Kids@Church, Life groups. Young Adults.
9. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Wednesday afternoons, 5:30pm at church. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
10. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
11. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Lord blessing our healing service. May we see more answers over the coming weeks
2. 2 more baptisms in the new year.
3. Café, music, sound and technical team every week
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. PlayPatch Friday mornings – 9:30am. Last one today. Contact Anna for details
2. Carols Sunday 22nd Dec starting from 4pm.
3. Christmas Day service 9:00am Wed 25th Dec.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for December...
Q. 27. What happened to our first parents when they had sinned? A. Instead of being holy and happy, they became sinful and miserable.
Bible References – Gen.3:14-24; James 1:14&15.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
