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A Gentle Yet Terrifying Slaughter - The Book of 2 Chronicles · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And for this cause Hezekiah the king
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  Speaker 1: and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amos prayed and
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  Speaker 1: cried to heaven, and the Lord sent an angel which
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  Speaker 1: cut off all the mighty men of valor. 2 Chronicles
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  Speaker 1: 32 20 and 21. Be strong and courageous. These are
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  Speaker 1: the words that I chose to speak over myself today.
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  Speaker 1: As I continue to grow and expand in life, I
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  Speaker 1: will praise you for being the same God that gave
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  Speaker 1: King Hezekiah and Josiah continual victories in their quest to
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  Speaker 1: take hold of the promises you laid up for them.
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  Speaker 1: I choose to praise you because that same hand of
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  Speaker 1: protection and power rests on my life as well. May
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  Speaker 1: your supernatural hand give me victory over circumstances where my
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  Speaker 1: opposition seems to outnumber and outpower me. Although they may
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  Speaker 1: fight with their strength and connection, I fight by trusting
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  Speaker 1: in the Lord and by knowing that victory is only
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  Speaker 1: one prayer away. When you move, I will be careful
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  Speaker 1: not to expect you to come through for me in
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  Speaker 1: the same way every time. Instead, I will watch where
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  Speaker 1: you're going and then move in step with your plan.
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  Speaker 1: I will be strong and courageous. for victory is in
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  Speaker 1: your hands. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for making
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  Speaker 1: prayer a priority in your day. To learn more about
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  Speaker 1: the Bible, stay tuned for today's story, brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: A gentle yet terrifying slaughter. In our last story, we
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  Speaker 2: were introduced to King Hezekiah, the most righteous King Judah
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  Speaker 2: has ever known. Hezekiah clung to God's wisdom and established
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  Speaker 2: a kingdom that honored him. The people were beginning to
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  Speaker 2: heal once again, and joy filled the land. However, a
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  Speaker 2: dark beast still dwelled in the distance. The all-consuming nation
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  Speaker 2: of Assyria lay in wait for Judah. In this story,
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  Speaker 2: we learn about the battle between God and the Assyrian
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  Speaker 2: king Sennacherib, inspired by the book of 2 Chronicles.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham, once again with today's episode
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  Speaker 3: of the Bible in a Year. In our prior reading,
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  Speaker 3: we were introduced to Hezekiah, Judah's most righteous king, the
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  Speaker 3: one that held fast to God. He broke the patterns
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  Speaker 3: of idolatry and unfaithfulness of those before him, and restored
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  Speaker 3: the temple and turned the people's hearts to God. Though
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  Speaker 3: he was not a perfect person, no one is, he
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  Speaker 3: did believe and trust in God all the days of
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  Speaker 3: his life and obey him. Today, we'll see how even
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  Speaker 3: in the midst of a bright time for Judah, evil
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  Speaker 3: and darkness still lurk nearby. The Assyrians eye the kingdom
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  Speaker 3: of Judah, but God is faithful to Hezekiah and his
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  Speaker 3: people and shows he will fiercely protect his own. Let's
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  Speaker 3: hear now from the Word of God.
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  Speaker 2: The kingdom of Assyria was like ravenous lions seeking more prey.
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  Speaker 2: It had devoured the entire nation of Israel in a
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  Speaker 2: matter of days. Now it sought to satisfy its hunger
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  Speaker 2: with Judah. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, gathered an entire
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  Speaker 2: army at the border of Judah. They overtook a small
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  Speaker 2: fortified city and made camp there. They waited for Hezekiah
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  Speaker 2: and his armies to mount an attack against them. Most
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  Speaker 2: kings would have been quick to rally their troops and
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  Speaker 2: march straight into battle, but not Hezekiah. He knew that
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  Speaker 2: there must be some way to defeat them without recklessly
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  Speaker 2: running into battle. Hezekiah gathered his mighty men and commanders
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  Speaker 2: to brainstorm. Together they looked at the maps of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: They spent hours looking for ways to cut through the
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  Speaker 2: fortified city where the Assyrians waited. There was no way
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  Speaker 2: in besides the front gates. However, there was something else
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  Speaker 2: that Hezekiah spotted. On the map was a river that
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  Speaker 2: ran from the top of the hills down into the
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  Speaker 2: fortified city. That river was the only source of water
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  Speaker 2: for Sennacherib and his troops. Hezekiah's face lit up, and
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  Speaker 2: he banged on the table with joy. Immediately, he sent
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  Speaker 2: his troops to make a dam to stop the flow
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  Speaker 2: of water into the city. The brook that flowed into
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  Speaker 2: the enemy camp was completely dried up in a matter
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  Speaker 2: of days. The streams were stopped, and the brook that
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  Speaker 2: flowed down into the outer country was dry. While the
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  Speaker 2: Assyrians began to deteriorate from lack of water, Hezekiah had
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  Speaker 2: his blacksmiths forge more shields and spears for his troops.
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  Speaker 2: If he was going to storm the city, he wanted
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  Speaker 2: every detail done right. Hezekiah marched with his men on
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  Speaker 2: the hillside and made camp. He looked down upon the
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  Speaker 2: city where the Assyrians camped and turned back to his men.'
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  Speaker 2: Be strong and courageous!' Hezekiah yelled. His armor glimmered in
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  Speaker 2: the sun. The strength and courage of Joshua was upon him.'
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  Speaker 2: Do not fear the horde below you. We outnumber them!'
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  Speaker 2: The king paused for a moment.' Yes, they had the numbers,
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  Speaker 2: and the Assyrians were weak from lack of water,' But
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  Speaker 2: that is not why they should be brave. No, it
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  Speaker 2: was because the Lord was with them. Hezekiah held his
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  Speaker 2: sword up high and shouted, Assyria has the arm of man,
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  Speaker 2: but we fight with the power of the Lord. He
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  Speaker 2: is the one who fights our battles. The armies of
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  Speaker 2: Judah erupted in praise. Hezekiah smiled towards heaven, and God's
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  Speaker 2: people prepared for the coming battle. They would wait a
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  Speaker 2: few more days for the Assyrians to weaken. Then they
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  Speaker 2: would mount their attack. While Judah prepared for their ambush,
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  Speaker 2: the king of Assyria sent messengers to Judah. He sowed
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  Speaker 2: seeds of doubt and fear into their minds. His intention
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  Speaker 2: was to divide them. As Hezekiah cut off their water supply,
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  Speaker 2: Sennacherib would cut off their trust. His message was compelling.
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  Speaker 2: With deception, the king said, Are you really going to
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  Speaker 2: put your trust in Hezekiah and his god? Isn't he
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  Speaker 2: the one who took away your gods and forced you
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  Speaker 2: to worship his God? He could not save Israel from
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  Speaker 2: our hand. We took them easily, as we did many
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  Speaker 2: other nations. Their gods did not save them. No god
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  Speaker 2: of any nation has been able to defeat me. I
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  Speaker 2: am inevitably victorious. This message was sent to many leaders.
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  Speaker 2: He also had his servants pretend to be Judeans and
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  Speaker 2: yell it in the city streets. Sennacherib's desire was to
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  Speaker 2: sow chaos and doubt. He had no idea what type
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  Speaker 2: of God he was challenging. Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah
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  Speaker 2: prayed silently in the cool of the night. The gentle
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  Speaker 2: evening breeze caressed the backs of their heads as they
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  Speaker 2: bowed in prayer. The wind whistled down the hills and
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  Speaker 2: through the camp down below. With the breeze came a
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  Speaker 2: terrifyingly silent presence. An angel of the Lord stepped foot
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  Speaker 2: into the Assyrian camp. He walked its alleys unseen. He
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  Speaker 2: passed by tents and fires without casting a shadow. As
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  Speaker 2: a silent thief, the angel of God stole the life
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  Speaker 2: away from Sennacherib's warriors. One by one, their spirits were
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  Speaker 2: taken from them. It was a gentle yet terrifying slaughter.
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  Speaker 2: And as quickly as the angel came... He left with
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  Speaker 2: the wind. Darkness was still covering the sky, and the
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  Speaker 2: sun was moments away from peeking its head over the hills.
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  Speaker 2: Hezekiah and his men arose early to prepare for battle,
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  Speaker 2: but as they looked down at the city below, the
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  Speaker 2: Assyrians were departing. Yet only a few remained. Hezekiah could
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  Speaker 2: barely see because of the dim morning. However, he could
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  Speaker 2: see that at the front of the line exiting the camp,
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  Speaker 2: Sennacherib rode with his head held low. The tyrant warlord
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  Speaker 2: was shamed by the might of God. King Sennacherib returned
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  Speaker 2: to his homeland in embarrassment. He had lost most of
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  Speaker 2: his men, his best men. The servants who remained were
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  Speaker 2: dehydrated and worthless. The warlord entered into the temple of
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  Speaker 2: his God to pray. He could not fathom such a defeat.
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  Speaker 2: It had happened right under his nose while he was sleeping.
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  Speaker 2: There was no battle, no fighting, and not even a whisper.
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  Speaker 2: As Sennacherib bowed his head at the altar, a few
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  Speaker 2: shadows loomed over him. He looked up to see his
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  Speaker 2: sons looking down at him. Before he could say a word,
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  Speaker 2: his sons drove their blades into his heart and throat.
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  Speaker 2: So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: Although Hezekiah was an imperfect man, he was faithful to
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  Speaker 2: cling to God and seek Him continually. Hezekiah would struggle
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  Speaker 2: with pride just like any other king, but he was
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  Speaker 2: quick to repent and slow to argue the Lord. God
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  Speaker 2: restored riches, livestock, and health to the people of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: Any rumors once sowed by the Assyrians were forgotten. People
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  Speaker 2: rejoiced over their king, and they rejoiced over God.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin today's reading, we find the emboldened Assyrian
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  Speaker 3: king and his army hungry for more power and control.
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  Speaker 3: Their swift defeat of Israel was easy, and now they've
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  Speaker 3: set their eyes on the south. In their minds, Judah
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  Speaker 3: was there for the taking. So they took over a
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  Speaker 3: small border town and waited for Judah to respond and attack.
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  Speaker 3: But as we've seen, Hezekiah is not like the other kings.
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  Speaker 3: He's not quick to rush to judgment or to war.
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  Speaker 3: He waits on God's instructions. And God then granted him
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  Speaker 3: wisdom to lead Judah with courage and discernment. Hezekiah takes
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  Speaker 3: his time to plan, strategize, and seek the counsel of
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  Speaker 3: the brave and mighty warriors of his army. They realize
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  Speaker 3: that the town where the Assyrian army is camped has
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  Speaker 3: a major weakness they can exploit. By damming the only
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  Speaker 3: river running into the city, they cut off the soldiers' water.
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  Speaker 3: And no matter how strong an army may be without water,
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  Speaker 3: strength will falter and fade. Then Hezekiah and his men
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  Speaker 3: waited for the Assyrians to weaken, and their plan worked.
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  Speaker 3: For days the enemy went without water. Hezekiah took this
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  Speaker 3: time to make more shields for his army and fortify
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  Speaker 3: his defenses. Finally, he knew it was time to attack.
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  Speaker 3: He gave a very powerful speech to rally the troops,
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  Speaker 3: and he said this in 2 Chronicles 32 verse 7,
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  Speaker 3: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and dismayed
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  Speaker 3: before the king of Assyria, and all the horde that
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  Speaker 3: is with him. For there are more with us than
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  Speaker 3: with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but
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  Speaker 3: with us, the Lord our God, to help us and
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  Speaker 3: to fight our battles. What a tremendous verse of scripture.
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  Speaker 3: When he said there are more with us than with him,
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  Speaker 3: Hezekiah was not speaking of human strength or more battlements.
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  Speaker 3: He was telling his men that it didn't matter what
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  Speaker 3: Assyria sent their way, that God would overcome them all.
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  Speaker 3: His angel armies were on alert. The words of Hezekiah
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  Speaker 3: remind us of the words of David as he spoke
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  Speaker 3: to Goliath before slaying him. Though the giants in our
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  Speaker 3: life may come to us with sword and spear, we
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  Speaker 3: rely on the Lord in our spiritual battles. We know
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  Speaker 3: that our God is greater. Greater is he that is
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  Speaker 3: in you than he that is in the world, says
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  Speaker 3: the scripture. So the battle is the Lord and we
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  Speaker 3: can trust him always for his power and his strength
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  Speaker 3: and ultimately the victory. These were just the words the
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  Speaker 3: army needed to hear. They were filled with confidence and faith,
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  Speaker 3: not in themselves, but in Almighty God. The king of
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  Speaker 3: Assyria knew he needed to gain the upper hand and
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  Speaker 3: weaken the resolve of Judah. So, he sent messengers to
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  Speaker 3: spread lies and cast doubt upon the Word of God.
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  Speaker 3: Isn't that the oldest trick in the enemy's book? We
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  Speaker 3: saw it back in the Garden of Eden when the
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  Speaker 3: tempter questioned the Word of God by saying, Has God said?
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  Speaker 3: Yet even today, those words can be effective. The enemy says,
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  Speaker 3: God didn't say this. You can't believe the Bible. Can
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  Speaker 3: you really trust God? But God wasn't going to let
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  Speaker 3: the enemy win. He sent his angels into the Assyrian camp,
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  Speaker 3: and they quietly cut down the commanders and officers leading
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  Speaker 3: the army. The enemy was vanquished without Hezekiah or his
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  Speaker 3: men even raising a sword against them. Sennacherib, the defeated
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  Speaker 3: king of Assyria, ran and returned home. put to shame
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  Speaker 3: by the great God, the King of Angel Armies. Hezekiah
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  Speaker 3: gives us a tremendous example of what it is to
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  Speaker 3: fight for the Lord, to remain in faith as we
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  Speaker 3: face our own personal battles. Though Hezekiah was not perfect,
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  Speaker 3: he was counted on as righteousness because he trusted in God,
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  Speaker 3: and he was always willing to confess his sin and
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  Speaker 3: to repent from wrongdoing in his life and for the nations.
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  Speaker 3: And because he led with righteousness and faith, the people followed.
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  Speaker 3: The people followed him and they followed the Lord, praising
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  Speaker 3: the one true God and rejoicing in his provision and protection.
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  Speaker 3: Dear God, we know that we do not fight our
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  Speaker 3: battles alone, that you are fighting our battles for us.
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  Speaker 3: And because we know Christ in our lives, we have
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  Speaker 3: eternal victory. We also know that we are to always
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  Speaker 3: be vigilant, in preparing to face enemies that come against us.
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  Speaker 3: So Lord, we do stay alert and we stand strong
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  Speaker 3: in you and we trust and pray and call on
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  Speaker 3: your name. Thank you for your strength, for being our
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  Speaker 3: shield and our salvation in Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: This is Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 3: app and make prayer a priority along with Bible study
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  Speaker 3: in your life. And if you enjoy this podcast, share
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  Speaker 3: it with someone you love. If you want more resources
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: as to how you can live the Christian life in
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: fullness and in victory, be sure to visit jackgram.org. Once again,
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  Speaker 3: for free resources as to how you can begin living
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  Speaker 3: the Christian life, go to jackgram.org. God bless you.