2 Chron 32 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 2 Chron 32:1-23

1 After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. 4 They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. ‘Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?’ they said. 5 Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields.

6 He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: 7 ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.’ And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

9 Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

10 ‘This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: on what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? 11 When Hezekiah says, “The Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,” he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. 12 Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it”?

13 ‘Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand? 14 Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? 15 Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!’

16 Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. 17 The king also wrote letters ridiculing the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: ‘Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.’ 18 Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. 19 They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world – the work of human hands.

20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. 21 And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.

22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side. 23 Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations.

A. Find Out:

1. Who came and did what, when? v.1
2. What preparations did Hezekiah make? v.2-8
3. How did Sennacherib seek to undermine morale? v.9-19
4. How did the Lord deal with him? v.20-22
5. Read Isa 36:4-10. How further did they try to undermine morale?

B. Think:

1. How did Hezekiah show his trust in the Lord?
2. What do Sennacherib’s tactics teach us?

C. Comment:

      For a fuller view of all that happened read Isa 36-39. What is intriguing about this episode is that it seems to go against the general trend for Judah . When Judah went away from the Lord, He used surrounding nations to chastise them. When they sought Him they had peace. Hezekiah has been faithful and the enemy comes. Is it that the Lord allows this to test Hezekiah and show His glory?

      The king of Assyria comes, bent on subduing Judah . Hezekiah sees that this will end up on his doorstep in Jerusalem , so makes preparation to repulse them. The most significant thing is his words to his leaders. Basically it is, don’t worry God is on our side. In the face of this large invading army that is a mighty statement of faith. Excellent!

     Then Sennacherib eventually comes and, as all invaders do, tries first to win a war of words. See the strategy of the enemy here and understand that’s how Satan works with us. He sows seeds of doubt (v.10,11) and uses half truths (v.12). He uses the example of the failure of godless nations (v.13-15), he speaks lies (Isa 36:6) and makes you feel inferior (Isa 36:8). In all of these ways he is trying to do two things: first get you to lose your trust in God, and second, to make you feel so weak you just give in. However, the truth is that we are children of the Most High King and He will look after us and He will deal with the enemy and He will deliver us! THAT is the truth! It was the truth for Hezekiah and it is the truth for us today!

D. Application:

1. Satan seeks to pull us down. Resist him!
2. The Lord is there as our protection. Trust Him.

Passage: 2 Chron 32:24-33

24 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. 25 But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.

27 Hezekiah had very great wealth and honour, and he made treasuries for his silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuables. 28 He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine and olive oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for the flocks. 29 He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches.

30 It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channelled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. 31 But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.

32 The other events of Hezekiah’s reign and his acts of devotion are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors and was buried on the hill where the tombs of David’s descendants are. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem honoured him when he died. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

A. Find Out:

1. What happened to Hezekiah? v.24-26. Read also Isa 38:1-8.
2. How had God blessed him? v.27-30
3. Yet what happened? v.31 Read also Isa 39:1-8.

B. Think:

1. What signs were there that God was with Hezekiah?
2. Yet in what ways did Hezekiah struggle?

C. Comment:

      It is said, to whom much is given, much is required. Hezekiah, as he followed the Lord, received the Lord’s blessing, perhaps not as much as Solomon but in ways that remind us of that king (v.27-30). It may be for that reason that Hezekiah seems to have been tested in his latter years.

     First of all he suffers a life-threatening illness which appears to have come to humble him because of his pride (v.25). There had been previous kings who had had illnesses but not cried out to the Lord, but Hezekiah does – and is healed. More than that he asks for (2 Kings 20:8) and gets a miraculous sign from the Lord. How such a thing can possibly happen we don’t know but somehow the sun seemed to shine on an area of the courtyard that it had already left. This is quite an amazing sign of the Lord’s grace to Hezekiah. The word of this gets out (did God intend that as a further test?) and the rulers of Babylon visit him to hear about this and see the wealth of this small kingdom. Hezekiah rashly shows them all his riches (pride is still there). For this he receives a stinging rebuke from Isaiah – all these riches will eventually be carried to Babylon . Of course, years later it was as other kings failed God.

      So we come to the end of the life of Hezekiah who seems to have died of old age having been given a further fifteen years of life by the Lord. Very largely he followed the Lord and when the Lord blessed him with great abundance, he struggled with pride.

D. Application:

1. When God blesses you with affluence, beware the temptation to think YOU achieved all this. Beware pride.
2. Those the Lord loves, He disciplines (Heb 12:6) to purify and confirm in  His ways. Rest in that sign of His love.