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2 Kings 18 (Part 2) Bible Study (Sennacherib Attacks Judah) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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I'm eager to come to this chapter with you in Second
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Kings, so if you have a copy of God's Word in your hands, please
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meet me in Second Kings chapter 18.
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Apart from David and Solomon, Hezekiah receives more
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attention, more recognition than any other king in Judas history.
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Really, all the kings in Israel's history and students of
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the Old Testament will recall that there is more than just
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three extensive chapters dedicated to Hezekiah's
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administration. We also have things about him in
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Second Chronicles and even in the prophetic book of Isaiah,
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which means at least one thing. It is so obvious that the Holy
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Spirit of God longs for us to learn much from this one man's
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story. That is why we should be
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excited. Because three weeks ago we only
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began to uncover the wisdom and the inspiration attached to
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Hezekiah's leadership and his walk with the living God.
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And thankfully, the Lord has given us another opportunity
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tonight to continue with this account.
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And I must say, I am excited. I don't know how many times I'm
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going to say it, but I'm so excited.
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Not just because we were united, but because we're going to learn
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a lot about spiritual warfare. If you endure this study until
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near the end, you will see what I mean.
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We're actually going to discover several insights of how Satan
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conquers people's minds. There's much to learn even
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before that. And in case we forgot, we only
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touched on the 1st 12 verses of Hezekiah's achievements.
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And this evening, if the Lord wills, we're going to complete
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this chapter together. So we're going to read now
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beginning at verse 13. Actually, before we read, I
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think it would be good for us to refresh our memories, at least
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to recall the main take away from our last study in this
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book. The one thing that we were
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impressed with concerning Hezekiah is that he was
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exceptional in his obedience to the Lord, especially when you
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compare him with his predecessors.
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We learn earlier in Second Kings 18 that he spearheaded a
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wonderful revival, A reformation to Judah in confronting issues,
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compromising issues that were widely neglected by former
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kings, even good kings. And so we were refreshed by this
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man's wholehearted devotion to the Lord.
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That is what we left with in our last study.
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Now we pick up where we left off.
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And this is important to keep in mind as we crack open this study
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beginning in verse 13. Now we're going to read, let's
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read verse 13 down to verse 16. In the 14th year of King
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Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria, came up against all the
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fortified cities of Judah and took them.
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And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at
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Lachish, saying, I have done wrong, withdraw from me.
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Whatever you impose on me I will bear.
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And the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah, 300
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talents of silver and 30 talents of gold.
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And Hezekiah gave them all the silver that was found in the
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House of the Lord and in the treasuries of the King's house.
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At that time. Hezekiah stripped the gold from
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the doors of the temple of the Lord and from the doorpost that
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Hezekiah, king of Judah, had overlaid, and he gave it to the
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king of Assyria. We have seen in our study of the
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Old Testament many invasions, many threats from foreign
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enemies, Have we not? Concerning the people of God?
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Absolutely. But the common trend in
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Scripture is that these rage and these sieges followed prolonged
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disobedience on the part of God's covenant people.
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That's the trend. That's what makes this
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particular passage so striking to us because as we just heard,
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Hezekiah stood out for his bright and strong allegiance to
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the true God. He was one of the few that held
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fast to the Lord. And so the question that should
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come to our minds is how can it be that Assyria encroaches upon
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Judah and actually gains partial victory?
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How is this possible? And in case there might be any
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suspect that there is some hidden rebellion or compromise
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in Hezekiah, there is a neighboring account that affirms
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his fidelity to the Lord. This is going to be worth it.
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You need to turn to the the parallel account in Second
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Chronicles 32, just one verse. I'll wait for you.
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Second Chronicles 32, verse one. Notice how the chronicler
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depicts the same event by the Spirit.
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He says in verse one, After these things and these acts of
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faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria, came and invaded
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Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to
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win them for himself. Read slowly.
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Notice that Sennacherib did not a camp against the cities of
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Judah after acts of faithlessness, but after
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Hezekiah's faithfulness. I thought faithfulness led to
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prosperity, not problems, to blessings, not burdens, to a
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smooth path forward, not surprise attacks.
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That's what many Christians believe.
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It's not that simple. Understand this, the blessings
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of God are often packaged in ways that we would not expect.
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And that is true here. And you might be wondering,
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well, what kind of advantage is there to a vicious superpower of
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a nation harassing the people of God?
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This is the best answer I can give you.
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Pay attention to this, that as much as Hezekiah did for the
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glory of God, there was still so much that God wanted to do and
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needed to do in Hezekiah, and it would require this big test in
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order to achieve it. I'm reminded of the words of
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Jesus in John 15, Two, when he speaks about every branch in him
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that does not bear fruit is taken away, whereas every branch
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that does bear fruit he prunes so that it can bear more fruit.
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Pruning is painful. There is a cutting process.
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There is a removing, there is a stripping.
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It is uncomfortable. And I believe that is what's
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happening here with Hezekiah. Faithful, righteous Hezekiah is
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being pruned. And this is something that you
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and I have to understand, especially when it comes to
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interpreting the trials in our lives.
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If you're not careful, you can be quick to see things that are
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uncomfortable or painful as expressions of divine
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displeasure or punishments. Always keep in mind that as you
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are walking obediently, as you are faithfully serving the Lord
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Jesus Christ, your Lord your Savior is always ready to prune
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you always, as you're bearing fruit.
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So pain isn't always our portion because we veer off or because
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we're being disciplined for unrepentant sin.
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Now, even while you are flourishing in your faith, God
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might allow some pain always with a redemptive goal in mind.
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And that is precisely what is before us today.
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Because as much again as Hezekiah obeyed the Lord in
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remarkable fashion, there was still things that needed to be
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done in him. What what can be done in
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Hezekiah? We heard in our last study a few
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weeks ago that he, he trusted in the Lord.
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He clung to the Lord, he he feared the Lord.
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And if you look back at verse 5 again, I just mentioned that
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yes, he did trust the Lord, but based on what we just read, it
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wasn't a complete trust. That's what I think the Lord is
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after here. I believe what the Lord is doing
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in Hezekiah is trying to strengthen his faith in a
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particular area, what area facing his enemies, facing his
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enemies. And so he allows an enemy to
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come to his front doorstep. And based on what we just read,
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Hezekiah initially failed the test.
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Didn't we see that he failed the test since his immediate
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reaction was driven by fear and human wisdom?
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Instead of crying out to the Lord, instead of coming before
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the presence of God, he attempts to appease Assyria and he takes
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the glory, some of the glories of the temple and he places it
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at the feet of this Pagan king. That is not what David did when
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he was threatened by his enemies.
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And this man who supposedly mirrored David's faith in many
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ways had a lapse of faith right here.
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So I believe God exposed something and Hezekiah
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particular weakness. And so he tries to make a deal
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with the enemy. We read it that he says, OK,
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look, I'm sorry that I withdrew from you because we read that
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earlier in second Kings 18 that he sees I'm I'm no longer going
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to be a vassal nation. I'm going to separate myself
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from Assyria. We're called to independence.
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We're called to be governed by God.
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And then once a threat comes, he goes, oh, I changed my mind.
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I'm sorry I stepped on your toes here.
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What's the price tag? What do you want from me?
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And a demand is made. He coughs it up, and what we're
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going to see right here is that the enemy is never satisfied
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with just some of who you are. He doesn't just want some of
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what you have. He wants everything.
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In the same way God wants everything, Satan wants
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everything, even if he has to accomplish it step by step.
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And that's what we're going to see here.
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Can I mention something to you? This is just another testimony,
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the validation of the accuracy and the historicity of our
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Bibles. If you were to go to the British
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Museum today, you would discover a large carving, a narration of
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Senecreb and his achievements in this very chapter.
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It's huge and it's remarkably detailed.
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It's fascinating because what you'll find there again is
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exactly what the Bible testifies in this place.
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The campaign that we discover here is echoed in history.
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It's confirmed, and this piece is massive.
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It's about 12 meters wide, 5 meters long, and it was
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discovered around or over 2000 years from its original
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compilation. This was a wall relief that
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Seneca ordered to be made in order to display his success.
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And so it was in his palace, and obviously his Kingdom fell.
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He passed on and history has preserved this record to our
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encouragement, I believe. And the reason why historians
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know that what's on those wall reliefs, and it's known as the
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Lahish wall reliefs, is because there's this small Acadian
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inscription above the chiseled Senekreb.
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And here's what it reads. This is fascinating.
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Again, Senekreb, king of the world, king of Assyria, sits on
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a throne, and the spoils of Lahish are before him.
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Lehish, as we just read, is the second most important and
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prominent city in the Kingdom of Judah, not many miles far from
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Jerusalem. And if you were to look this up,
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you will find something of the Bible preserved for all the
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world to see, to testify that this book is indeed true.
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We're studying history here. We're not starting just, we're
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not starting just moral lessons. This is true and it's before us.
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So let's read on. What happens?
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Verse 17, Are you with me? Verse 17?
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And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the rap series, and the
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rap shake with a great army from Lakish to King Hezekiah at
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Jerusalem. And they went up and came to
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Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and
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stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the
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highway to the washers field. And when they called for the
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king, there came out to them a like him, the son of Hilkaya,
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who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah
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the son of Asaph the recorder. So Seneca the king of Assyria
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smelled weakness. Hezekiah was willing to
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surrender his treasure. And he goes, I'm after the whole
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thing. And so he sends 3 delegates.
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Now listen, these are not names what we just read in verse 17.
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They're more likely titles. These are different roles.
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These are different individuals who fulfilled different parts of
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the Kingdom. And they approach, right?
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And we know that the Rapshech, as we're going to read the rest
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of the chapter, is the main spokesman.
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And in response to this, Hezekiah sends his own
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representative, three of them, to deal with this confrontation.
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Now, when you read these names, you think, OK, OK, let me just
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move on. Let me find something more
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exciting. But you have to understand that
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these names are not insignificant, especially the
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names of the ones that we read of in verse 18, because they
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reappear in our Bibles. Fact, two of the three names in
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verse 18 show up in one of Isaiah's prophecies.
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Before we turn there, let's read it again.
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You need to highlight in your mind a couple of details that
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will enrich your understanding of this passage.
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Look back at verse 18 of Second Kings 18.
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And when they called for the king, there came out to them a
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like him, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household.
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Highlight that and Shebna the secretary, highlight that and
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Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.
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Did you highlight it in your mind?
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Good. Now go to Isaiah chapter 22
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verse 15 and see this wonderful connection.
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In Isaiah 22, the Lord rebukes the complacency and the
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misplaced trust of His people in their military strength.
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But just over halfway through the prophecy, the Spirit of God
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shifts His focus and addresses one of the leaders in Jerusalem.
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Tell me if this sounds familiar. Are you in Isaiah 22, verse 15
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with me? Let's read it.
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We're going to read a few verses.
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Pay attention. Give yourself to this.
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Thus says the Lord God of hosts, come go to this steward, to
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Shebna who is over the household.
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Pause. Based on 2nd Kings 18.
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Was Shebna over the household? No, he was the secretary here.
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We learned that He was over the household, and say to him, verse
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16, What have you to do here? And whom have you here that you
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have cut out here a tomb for yourself?
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You who cut out a tomb on the height and a carve A dwelling
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and carve A dwelling for yourself in the rock, behold,
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the Lord will hurl you away violently.
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O you strongman, He will seize firm hold on you, and whirl you
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around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land.
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There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious Chariots.
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You shame of your master's house, I will thrust you from
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your office, and you will be pulled down from your station.
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Pause. Apparently the Lord's not very
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happy with Shebna. There's something here about the
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way this man dealt with his position, utilized his
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authority, that made God angry. But it doesn't end there.
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Let's continue. Verse 20 In that day I will call
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my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah.
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Did we read of him in Second Kings 18 Now what's going to
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happen with him? Verse 21 And I will clothe him
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with your robe, and we'll bind your sash on him, and we'll
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commit your authority to his hand, and he shall be a father
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to the inhabitants of Jerusalem into the House of Judah.
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And I will place on his shoulder the key of the House of David.
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He shall open and none shall shut.
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He shall shut and none shall open.
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So let's put some of this together.
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Based on this prophecy, we learned that Shebna was once
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over the household. That's a very powerful position
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in the Kingdom. But evidently this man Shebna
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abused his position. He was so self absorbed and
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that's indicated by some of the things that he did.
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Notice the language here. He says, you who cut out a tomb
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on the height and carve A dwelling for yourself on the
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rock. So this man Shebna created
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monuments for himself, and more than that, he also purchased and
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acquired Chariots. Notice what the Lord says.
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He says, I'm going to cast you away and you're going to take
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your glorious Chariots with you. It could very well be that this
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man even dipped his hand in the treasury in order to purchase
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these things and acquire these things.
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One thing is for certain, one thing is clear that what we
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learned from this prophecy, please pay attention to this, is
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that the way someone operates in their position of authority
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really matters to God. And when somebody abuses their
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authority, especially in God's Kingdom, it brings great
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displeasure to Him. This is a good place to pause as
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we serve the Lord in different ways and ask ourselves this, Why
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do I do what I do for the Lord? Am I motivated for and by self?
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If so, take note of this prophecy.
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God observes our motives and He sees what we do with the
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opportunities that have been given to us.
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And especially for leaders, they have a greater accountability to
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God because He will see if your service will be for His glory
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and to the good of the people, or if you will manipulate it in
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order to achieve more for yourself.
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Now in contrast to Him, we read that the Lord exalts Eliakim and
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that should serve stir us. You know why?
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Because Eliakim and God promoting him shows us that the
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Lord raises up someone who serves God for God.
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Serving God for God and serving in the name of God for the sake
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of the good of other people. In fact, did you catch how the
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Lord speaks about Shebna in comparison to Eliakim?
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Scroll back to verse 15. How does he start this prophecy?
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He says. Thus says the Lord God of hosts,
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come to this steward. Come to this steward now Scroll
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down to verse 20, and when he speaks about like and notice how
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there's a different approach in that day, I will call my
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servant. So when it comes to shepherd, he
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goes, let's deal with this steward, but with a like and he
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goes, let me talk to you now about my servant.
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More than that. Look what he says at the end of
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verse 21, the second part, and he shall be a father to the
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inhabitants of Jerusalem into the House of Judah.
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Father, true father. A good father is selfless.
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He is motivated for the good of his children.
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He wants to prosper them, protect them, provide for them.
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And what he says about like him is this.
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He will be a true leader for my people.
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And so again, let's ask ourselves this, am I motivated
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in my service to God for God? Am I simply privileged to be
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able to be an extension of His love to others, or are their
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mixed desires? God takes note of it, and if you
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want to be promoted in God's economy, He looks for those who
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serve Him for Him. Now there's more.
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Would you be shocked if I told you that Eli Kim points to Jesus
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Christ? Not because I said so.
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You know why Jesus said it? Oh, I love when faces look up.
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What are you talking about? Do you remember where Jesus
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quotes a part of this prophecy in the New Testament?
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Think I'll wait. Very, very good.
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The Book of Revelation turned there in chapter 3 who would
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have thought that our studying second kings would connect with
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our Sunday series in revelation such as the beauty and the
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harmony of the Bible. Revelation 37 when Jesus
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addresses the church in Philadelphia, notice his
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introduction. And to the Angel of the church
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in Philadelphia, right? The words of the Holy One, the
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true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will
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shut, who shuts and no one opens.
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That's a direct quotation from Isaiah 22.
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Now here's what my question was. How does this man, Eliakam in
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his brief appearance in the Bible, foreshadow Jesus?
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And I believe there are many answers, many directions we can
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take this, but let me leave you with just one thought.
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Eliakam means God rises or God raises.
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I think that's significant because the love and the care
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that alike him showed to God's people pointed to a greater
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servant, the greatest servant of all, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
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And God raised up Jesus Christ of Nazareth, not just with the
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authority of one Kingdom, but with all authority in heaven and
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on earth, not just to serve and to save a particular nation, but
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the world. Christ with his maximum
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unparalleled authority, demonstrates servitude and
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humility. I like him, is just a flash in
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the pan of a greater servant, a greater leader, a greater savior
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who possesses greater authority. When we come to Revelation 37,
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we're going to learn more about this, but for now, let's come
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back to our study in Second Kings.
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For the rest of the study, it's going to look different.
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I hope that's OK with you, because the rest of Second Kings
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18 is a monologue. More specifically, it's a
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demoralizing speech. The Rap Shaka, the spokesperson,
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is going to give a lecture. He is going to say many, many
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things to Hezekiah, his leaders, and the citizens of Jerusalem in
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order to break down their morale, ultimately break down
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their faith. In essence, what we're going to
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discover with the rest of this chapter is an exhibition of
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psychological warfare. And when I was looking at this
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the other day, I thought to myself, why is there so much
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dedicated to this man's speech? Why can there have been a, you
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know, summary? Instead?
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There's around 16 verses of this one man speaking to intimidate
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and threaten this people. And before he shoots an arrow,
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before he climbs a wall, before he does anything physical, he
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goes for the mind. And here I believe is the wisdom
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of God concerning our walk with Christ and how this relates.
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Because if you really dissect what the rapture has says, you
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will discover that it mirrors what Satan often says to God's
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children. In fact, I want to look at 7
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things. Seven things that the enemy does
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in order to build a stronghold in your mind and mind.
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For what purpose? To discourage you, to disorient
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you, and to eventually conquer you so that you would give up,
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surrender, and step outside of the will of God.
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I suggest that you take notes because this will equip us and
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make us aware of the schemes of the evil 17 things, and they're
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not limited to these things, but let's not be overwhelmed
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tonight. 7 main observations with the rest of this chapter
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that relates to how Satan whispers notions into our minds,
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which is the main arena of spiritual warfare.
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By the way, where's the main battle between the forces of
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evil and the forces of righteousness take place?
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Here, here, here, here. This is where it happens.
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And we have a wonderful look into how it takes place for many
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of us #1 the enemy will make you question God's trustworthiness.
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Let's look at verse 19 and the rapture Case said to him, Say to
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Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria.
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Pause there. Notice that he doesn't call
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Hezekiah king Hezekiah, and he boasts in arrogance of the
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greatness of the king of Assyria.
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Did you see that? Say to Hezekiah, Thus says the
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great king, the king of Assyria. And what do you rest this trust
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of yours? Do you think that mere words are
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strategy and power for war? And whom do you now trust that
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you have rebelled against me? Behold, you are trusting now in
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Egypt that broken Reed of his staff, which will Pierce the
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hand of any man who leans on it, such as Pharaoh king of Egypt,
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to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, we trust
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in the Lord our God, is it not he whose high places and altars
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Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, You
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shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?
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The essence of this tactic is to undermine the foundation of
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Hezekiah's confidence, and this is a primary ambition of Satan's
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he he wants you to doubt your trust in God.
28:45
And at first, the Rapture kid begins by highlighting the
28:48
futility of forming an alliance with Egypt.
28:50
But his main point is attacking Hezekiah's trust in God, and
28:56
he's going to come back to this thing with Egypt in a moment.
28:58
We're going to look at that. But notice how the power of this
29:02
persuasion hinges completely on Hezekiah is supposed limited
29:09
understanding. Here's what I mean.
29:13
Look back at verse 22. Consider the argumentation.
29:17
But if you say to me, we trust in the Lord our God, is it not
29:21
he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to
29:24
Judah and to Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar
29:27
in Jerusalem? What is he trying to say here?
29:31
In essence, what he wants to show is that Hezekiah was in the
29:35
wrong by removing the high places, that in his reform, in
29:40
his desire to clean the Kingdom of Judah, he actually displeased
29:47
God. So who's misinformed here?
29:51
The rapture. He thought that Hezekiah was
29:53
actually in the wrong by doing this.
29:58
And if Hezekiah was ignorant of what God actually desired, he
30:02
might have believed it. Was it wrong for Hezekiah to
30:06
remove the high places? No, it was good.
30:08
It's actually, it was actually in accordance with God's will.
30:11
But notice that if Hezekiah was in the dark about this
30:14
particular facet of his faith, he could have gotten himself in
30:18
a lot of trouble. And so I want you to see right
30:21
away how the enemy capitalizes on our ignorance of the truth.
30:28
Please, I say this in love. The less you know the Bible, the
30:31
more vulnerable you are to Satan's lies.
30:37
The less you know, the more susceptible you are of not just
30:43
being confronted with deception, but digesting it, poisoning you.
30:47
And so Hezekiah was able to dismiss this because he
30:53
understood wholeheartedly that God asked this of me.
30:57
God put this in his word. But what the enemy is doing here
31:04
is essentially misrepresenting the character of God.
31:06
You did something that God did not like, and in fact, it was
31:14
something that the Lord totally wanted.
31:18
There's something else here though, that we also find that
31:21
the enemy loves to discourage us about our own obedience.
31:27
Right? Hezekiah gave his heart totally
31:33
to the Lord. He did what most kings would not
31:35
do. They would not even entertain
31:37
removing the high places. And yet this man did just that.
31:42
And the enemy loves to loves to point out how our obedience is
31:49
sometimes misplaced or maybe not enough or ineffective.
32:01
And so he loves to make us second guess what we did for the
32:06
Lord. Oh, you pray.
32:09
But come on, did you read about this revivalist, How much he
32:14
prays? Look at you.
32:16
What are you doing? Oh, you serve in the church.
32:19
Nobody cares. Nobody would even notice if you
32:23
left. Oh, you preach.
32:25
You preach week after week after week after week.
32:29
Nothing's happening, though. When people fall asleep, people
32:33
are distracted. People are familiar.
32:36
You've lost your edge. Satan loves to whisper and to
32:42
discourage us about what we do for God, and we see more.
32:49
As much as he wants us to question the value and whether
32:52
or not what we do brings the light to God's heart #2 He will
32:57
intimidate you by highlighting your weaknesses.
33:00
He will intimidate you by highlighting your weaknesses.
33:03
Look at verse 23. Now come now, make a wager with
33:08
my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2000 horses, if
33:13
you were able on your part to set riders on them.
33:16
How then can you repulse a single captain among the least
33:20
of my master servants when you trust in Egypt for Chariots and
33:25
for horsemen? So as you and I wait for the
33:28
Lord for anything, Satan loves to highlight how impossible it
33:33
seems. And the one way he does is by
33:37
reminding us of what we're not and what we lack.
33:44
Look at these taunts once again. Hey, you want to go to war?
33:48
You think you actually have a chance?
33:49
I'll do you a favor. I'll give you 2000 horses.
33:54
Oh, but I don't even think you have enough trained men to ride
33:56
them. Actually, now that I think about
34:00
it, I don't think you can even put up a challenge against one
34:03
of my weakest captains of the lowest of the ranks in my army.
34:09
So what is he doing here? He is trying to under score and
34:12
try to point out where Hezekiah is deficient, where he is weak
34:18
and the enemy does does this with many of God's servants.
34:23
You're not smart enough, you're not attractive enough.
34:28
You don't have the personality or he might highlight your lack
34:36
of resources. You're not able to do anything.
34:40
A great effectiveness, a great reach.
34:43
You don't have enough. Where's your spiritual support?
34:47
Who? Who are the people with you that
34:49
are backing your vision, your ministry, who appreciate you,
34:51
who partner with you? Where are they?
34:54
You're insignificant. You always come short.
34:59
You do nothing of worth for God's Kingdom.
35:03
You're no threat to the Kingdom of darkness.
35:08
Speaking of weakness, notice how He brings up Egypt again.
35:15
Now, we can't pinpoint the extent of Hezekiah's willingness
35:19
to partner with Egypt. Was it just a thought?
35:24
Was there actually talks of it? Either way, it was wrong for
35:30
Hezekiah to even consider partnering with Egypt.
35:33
We've seen this throughout our study of the Old Testament.
35:36
God always wanted to be the primary and exclusive help to
35:39
His people, and it was a constant temptation for the
35:43
Israelites to reach down to Egypt and ask for some aid.
35:48
It could be the Hezekiah actually opened up the
35:52
possibility and how humiliating would it have been for him to
35:56
hear from another enemy that he placed his trust and something
36:00
or someone apart from God. If we go with that Hezekiah
36:04
actually did this, then this was another mistake on his part.
36:09
This is where he fell short in his faith.
36:12
But here's what we have to understand in the context of the
36:14
enemy approaching Hezekiah with this, it teaches us that Satan
36:18
loves to bring to your attention your past failures.
36:22
He enjoys it to rub it in your face as a constant reminder, not
36:29
just for you to remember it, but but to bring it to your
36:32
attention and showing how it affects how God will relate to
36:35
you. You failed.
36:40
You're stained. This is a blemish on your
36:43
reputation forever. God doesn't want to deal with
36:47
you. God will never forget what
36:50
you've done, what you said. And so don't expect him to come.
36:55
Don't expect him to intervene. Don't expect him to show you the
36:57
same strength of love. You blew it.
37:01
It's over. So he keeps bringing up Egypt,
37:06
Egypt, Egypt. And the way I see it is he
37:08
always, the enemy, loves to rub in your face something that
37:12
you've done wrong. And that weakens us, that
37:16
paralyzes us, that discourages us from trusting God and having
37:20
the boldness to serve God. So many people are tormented by
37:24
their past and we see it being played here.
37:30
Let me say one more thing. The enemy enjoys coming to us
37:37
and not just highlighting our weaknesses, but when we are
37:41
weak, we're going to do some very basic math.
37:45
Now is that OK? Go back to Second Kings 18 verse
37:49
2. We read about Hezekiah.
37:55
He was 25 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
37:59
29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abby, the
38:04
daughter of Zechariah. So how long did he reign?
38:07
For? A total of 29 years, right?
38:12
When did Assyria invade Judah? Scroll down to verse 13 again.
38:17
This is what we opened up our study with.
38:19
In the 14th year of King Hezekiah, Seneca, king of
38:21
Assyria, came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and
38:24
took them. Now, I believe most of us in
38:28
here are familiar enough with Hezekiah's story to remember
38:32
that at some point in his account, we learned that he
38:36
became deathly ill. Remember this, right?
38:38
And in great desperation, he turns.
38:41
He faces the wall while he's laying in bed.
38:43
He cries out to God. God graciously responds to his
38:46
plea and grants him what? 15 years more of life?
38:53
15 years more of life. So are we making the connection
38:57
here? So we know thou that if the
39:00
total of years of his reign was 29 years and the 14th years when
39:06
Syria invaded and when he was sick God promised him 15 more
39:11
years, then what year was Hezekiah deathly sick?
39:16
What year? The 14th year that Hezekiah was
39:23
terminally ill, the same time Assyria came to invade him.
39:29
And in case you doubt that conclusion, go to chapter 22nd
39:33
Kings. This is the chapter that we will
39:36
look at together in a few weeks that unveils this testimony of
39:41
his healing. But look at what he is told in
39:43
Second Kings 20, verse 6. And I will add 15 years to your
39:49
life. I will deliver you and the city
39:52
out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend the
39:56
city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.
40:01
So while this man is in bed, not knowing if he's going to live
40:05
another day, God also promises that he's going to see victory
40:10
over the Assyrians who are surrounding Jerusalem.
40:15
Was Hezekiah in the early stages of his sickness?
40:19
Here in Second Kings 18, perhaps we don't know what phase, but I
40:25
wouldn't be surprised that if this man was dealing with his
40:29
sickness when Assyria came to threaten him.
40:33
Because the enemy is vicious, he is merciless.
40:39
He will bring his greatest force when you are at your lowest,
40:47
even if your weakness is physical, he will take advantage
40:50
of that to assault your mind, to discourage your spirit, to beat
40:57
you up. So this man is dealing with a
41:00
lot and it makes us aware of how the enemy works.
41:06
We only dealt with two. We still have 5 more.
41:08
I hope you're OK with that. Let's come back to Second Kings
41:10
18, verse 25. Moreover, is it without the Lord
41:18
that I have come up against this place to destroy it?
41:22
The Lord said to me, go up against this land and destroy
41:27
it. Here's point #3 the enemy will
41:32
make it seem that God is the one turning against you.
41:39
And this tactic is much more common in the Christian
41:42
experience than most realize. Notice that he's not just
41:46
persuading Hezekiah that his success in overtaking these
41:52
fortified cities was permitted by the Lord.
41:56
He goes further and says, I've been commissioned by the Lord.
42:00
God told me to do this. Are you going to fight against
42:03
God? Are you going to resist the
42:05
Lord? Well, you know, I just surrender
42:07
and realize that this is a court in accordance to His sovereign
42:10
will. And in like manner, the lesson
42:14
here is that Satan loves to confuse us by making it seem
42:20
that his ways are God's ways. More specifically, this is how
42:24
it's going to resonate now that his voice is God's voice.
42:31
I can't tell you the amount of people that I've talked with who
42:36
have allowed Satan's condemnation to be understood as
42:42
God's conviction. What's the difference between
42:47
the two, by the way? Because both remind you of your
42:51
sin. Both touch on some area in your
42:55
life that is not in accordance with God's will.
42:58
But one offers hope in the other doesn't.
43:01
One offers reconciliation, the other doesn't.
43:04
One offers relief in the other doesn't.
43:07
So if there's any guilt that I feel, let me just use this for
43:10
an example. If there's any guilt I feel of a
43:11
particular sin in my life, and though I have confessed and
43:16
though I've repented of it, I am still feeling that guilt, You
43:20
can be sure that that's not God pressing that on your chest.
43:24
That's not the Holy One keeping you awake at night.
43:30
And what we love, what Satan loves to do here by way of
43:33
demonstration, Demonstration. An example, an illustration is
43:36
that he loves to make his voice seem like it's gods.
43:42
For you to be more ready to accept it and to deal with it
43:44
and to live with it, burdened and bothered for the rest of
43:49
your pilgrimage on earth, suffocating you, stealing your
43:54
song, disorienting you and how you understand His pleasure and
43:59
His delight. Now you're serving God to try to
44:01
win His approval instead of from the place of approval #4 He will
44:09
instill fear in you with a range of threats.
44:12
Look at verse 26. Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah
44:16
and Shebna and Joah, said to the rapture, K, please speak to your
44:20
servants in Aramaic, for we understand it.
44:22
Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the
44:25
hearing of the people who are on the wall.
44:27
So now they interrupt this man's monologue.
44:30
The leaders there who were sent out by Hezekiah stop him.
44:33
They've had enough. They realize that what he is
44:35
saying is detrimental to the faith of the people.
44:39
And so they say, listen, can you do us a favor?
44:42
Were were those who deal with international conversations and
44:48
trade and politics? We know how to speak Aramaic.
44:52
Can you speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrews so that these
44:55
people don't have to endure this?
44:58
Can you have some grace? Or how wrong they were to think
45:02
that they can get some mercy from the enemy.
45:06
And so they make that request and it's quickly shut down by
45:10
what we read in verse 27. But the Rapture has said to
45:13
them, has my Master sent me to speak these words to your master
45:17
and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall who are
45:20
doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own
45:24
urine? Is he being vulgar here?
45:28
I think it's more than that. He's actually telling them
45:33
what's going to take place if they don't surrender.
45:34
Because if you are under a siege, you tend to do desperate
45:40
things in order to survive. In many cases, when a city is
45:43
surrounded for such a long time, people will even eat their own
45:47
filth. We've even seen how the people
45:52
got even come down to the point of eating their own children.
45:56
So this is not so extreme. And so he says this is what is
46:02
going to happen. I'm actually here to speak to
46:05
all of them. In fact.
46:06
He raises his voice. He speaks in their presence in
46:10
verse 28. Then the rapture gets stood and
46:11
called out in a loud voice. Oh, you don't want me to talk to
46:14
them? Let me, let me.
46:16
Let me do you a favor, OK? Hey, I'm here for you all.
46:22
Merciless, vicious, cruel. Let me remind you what this
46:27
point is. Number 4.
46:29
The enemy loves to instill fear in us with a range of threats in
46:34
an effort to keep us from honoring God and staying on the
46:36
path of faithfulness. Satan will often direct his
46:40
intimidation toward what we care about the most.
46:45
I remember how hearing the testimony of a minister who
46:48
planted a church in a very difficult area and it was
46:51
thriving. It was growing.
46:53
So many testimonies of people being delivered from the most
46:57
incredible things. And at some point, as this
47:01
ministry was climbing in success, this man's child, one
47:07
of their children went off into the world and lived in deep grow
47:13
sin. And there were so many fears and
47:18
frustrations that developed because of that, to the point
47:21
where this minister's wife began to try to persuade the husband,
47:26
let's just quit the ministry. Why continue in this?
47:33
And she was primarily afraid of of her other children following
47:36
in the same direction that Satan would grab a hold of them.
47:40
And so in her rationale, she thought the best way to do this
47:44
is just to remove ourselves from the front lines and just move on
47:47
and protect our family. And this is what this man was
47:51
dealing with. And even his own spouse was
47:55
already captivated by a lie. You keep serving God and watch
48:02
what I'm going to do to your family.
48:03
Watch what I'm going to do to your spouse.
48:06
Watch what I'm going to do to your kids.
48:09
I'll destroy them. I'll destroy you.
48:11
And Satan loves to threaten us by bringing to mind what we,
48:18
what we love, what we cherish, the people that we feel so
48:22
strongly about. You want to trust God.
48:27
You'll never have enough money to support your family.
48:31
Oh, oh, you want to, You want to serve the Lord?
48:35
Watch how your spouse will be deprived of a meaningful
48:38
marriage. Watch.
48:42
Oh, you really want to honor God?
48:46
You, you, you. You don't just want to make
48:47
money. You actually want to be in the
48:48
church and do things for the Kingdom of God.
48:51
You know your health is going to decline, right?
48:54
And so on and so on and so on. He's so clever.
48:59
He is so insightful that he will bring to your mind things that
49:03
you care about the most and threaten you in that area.
49:09
That's what he does here. The, the leaders, these are good
49:12
leaders. They were worried about the
49:14
people. And they said, just just deal
49:17
with us. Said no, no, no, I'm after them.
49:19
Oh, you, you care about them. Watch #5 Let's read verse 28
49:26
down to verse 30. Then the rapture has stood and
49:30
called out on a loud voice in the language of Judah.
49:32
Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.
49:34
Thus says the king, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he
49:38
will not be able to deliver you out of my hand.
49:40
Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The
49:43
Lord will surely deliver us, and the city will not be given into
49:46
the hand of the king of Assyria. Do not listen to Hezekiah, for
49:49
thus says the king of Assyria, make your peace with me and come
49:53
out to me. Then each one of you will eat
49:55
his own vine, and each one his own fig tree, and each one of
49:58
you will drink the water of his own cistern #5 #5 #5 The enemy
50:05
will try to divide God's people with false assumptions and
50:09
accusations. Now this is warfare.
50:12
We've been dealing with personal warfare, but we are now looking
50:15
at an insight of warfare on a corporate level.
50:19
And this is still just as important to understand because
50:22
God has called us to live this faith with the body of Christ.
50:27
We're not called to do this in isolation.
50:29
In fact, to be in isolation is a tactic of Satan himself.
50:32
We're called to do this as a unit, as a family, as an army.
50:37
So what is he doing here? Notice three times in a row he
50:40
says what? Do not let Hezekiah in rapid
50:44
fire succession. Do not let Hezekiah, do not let
50:46
Hezekiah. Do not let Hezekiah convince
50:49
you, lead you, promise you, comfort you.
50:54
What is he doing here? He's trying to divide the people
50:57
from their leadership division. Division is one of Satan's
51:04
favorite weapons, but it doesn't just happen like that.
51:09
I argue that this teaches us at least one way comes about before
51:14
division even begins. Satan fosters tension.
51:23
Tension and the way tension emerges is sowing doubt about
51:29
one another without any substantial evidence.
51:34
The same thing happened with the Corinthians and the Apostle Paul
51:37
when these false teachers were trying to pull the Corinthian
51:40
church away from the leadership of Paul.
51:44
And by doing so, they did so rather by mocking his
51:49
credentials, belittling him, but more viciously putting into
51:55
question his motives for ministry.
51:57
And one of the things that they tried to tell the Corinthians
52:01
was, you know, Paul, he's actually doing all this for
52:04
money. He actually just wants to make a
52:08
buck off of you. Paul had to defend himself in
52:13
the 1st letter to the Corinthians in that specific
52:16
regard. And so the enemy loves to pin US
52:20
against one another. And one of the ways he does that
52:23
is especially when there's a lack of communication and loving
52:26
confrontation. So and so.
52:30
See the way they looked at you, Oh so and so they didn't answer
52:37
your message. They don't really care about
52:38
you. Oh, Pastor so and so.
52:43
Oh, yeah, yeah. That he's really all about this.
52:48
Oh, oh, the people that you serve, they, they don't really
52:51
want true faith. They don't really want the word
52:54
of God. They're, they're they're
52:55
actually in your church For these reasons.
52:57
And so he wants to do exactly what we see here, make enemies
53:03
from within, divide and conquer. And in this way he could weaken
53:09
them. If he can get the people to not
53:12
listen to Hezekiah, then they would try to persuade him to
53:15
surrender. Come on, let's just give up.
53:18
Do you know what the Assyrians do to their victims?
53:24
He is so clever and unfortunately, he has succeeded.
53:27
And many churches just with this lie, just by using slander and
53:33
gossip and backbiting and trying to assess people's motives.
53:39
And here's a person who might be going through hell at home.
53:42
And the way you're interpreting is that person's rude.
53:47
Be discerning church. Be careful, church.
53:53
Be loving church. Love hopes all things love,
53:57
believes all things. Love is not quick to make
54:01
conclusions about people's characters.
54:04
Love investigates and is patient.
54:08
This is why knowing God's word is important.
54:10
We're we're looking at Satan's playbook.
54:16
We're not done yet. Number six, let's read verse 31
54:22
again down to verse 32. Do not listen to Hezekiah for
54:26
thus says the king of Assyria, make your peace with me and come
54:29
out to me. Then each one of you will eat of
54:32
his own vine, and each one of you will eat of his own fig
54:35
tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own
54:37
cistern. Until I come and take you away
54:40
to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land
54:43
of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that
54:47
you may live and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah
54:51
when he misleads you by saying, the Lord will deliver us number
54:55
six. If the enemy can't get you to
54:58
surrender with fear, he will persuade you with exaggerated
55:02
and deceptive promises. There's two phases to this
55:08
appeal, and it's an attractive one.
55:11
Did you hear the catalog? Did you hear of the way of life
55:15
that was made possible for these citizens of Jerusalem?
55:20
Notice in verse 31 he says, come out to me.
55:23
That's the first step. Come out to me and make your
55:26
peace. And then the verse 32 until I
55:29
come and take you away to a land like your own land.
55:34
So just just start with one step, just one compromise.
55:38
Entertain this one thing that you know is wrong.
55:40
And I'm going to give you something if you do that.
55:44
And more than that, I'm going to give you so much, so much more.
55:48
It only gets better and better the more you believe me, the
55:51
more you step away from God's will, God's word, you indulge
55:54
the flesh. You believe the things that God
55:56
says don't believe. I'm going to make this better
55:59
and better for you. And cloaked in this, He says,
56:01
I'm going to take you away from your land.
56:05
But it's sandwiched between all these promises and all these
56:08
rewards and all these blessings. Here's what I discovered when I
56:12
looked at especially verse 31, the first step, he brings up two
56:16
specific things that are echoed and other places in the Bible.
56:20
Here's the difference that God promised them.
56:24
Here's an example. In Micah there's a prophecy of
56:27
what's going to take place when Messiah comes to take over the
56:31
throne of David successfully and eternally.
56:34
And here's how he describes this reign.
56:36
It's what we know to be the millennial reign.
56:37
And Micah 4, three to four. He, being the Messiah, shall
56:42
judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong
56:47
nations far away. And they shall beat their swords
56:50
and the plowshares and their Spears into pruning hooks.
56:53
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation either.
56:55
Shall they learn war anymore? Verse four, Look at this.
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But they shall sit, every man under his vine and under his fig
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tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the
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Lord of hosts has spoken. So this picture really describes
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a time of unusual peace and prosperity.
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You actually find a similar description when Solomon was
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ruling and reigning in Israel. And this prophecy says the one
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greater than David, the one greater than any other king, is
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going to bring an unusual peace and prosperity again that will
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outshine any other era. What were the two things?
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They will each have their own vine and sit under their own fig
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tree. Look again at verse 31 of Second
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Kings 18. What did the enemy promise?
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He said, OK, come to me then each one of you will eat of his
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own vine and each one of his own fig tree.
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But he doesn't stop there. And each one of you will drink
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the water of his own cistern. What is he saying here?
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Oh, God will give you this. I'll give you more.
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Oh, your God is all about joy and peace.
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Yeah, I'll give you real ecstasy.
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I'll give you real purpose. I'll give you a real sense of
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desire and delight. And that's what people are
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believing about temptation this very hour.
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They believe that if they step away from the Lord that they're
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going to gain, that whatever they are looking for is going to
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be far greater than what God offers.
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This is how the enemy lies. Don't wait for marriage.
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Just let yourself loose. You're, you're an animal.
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You have instincts. Just have as many partners as
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you want. Fulfill your fantasies.
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And we're all familiar about the different temptations that he
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brings to us. Lastly, you've been so patient.
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Verse 33 down to verse 35, the rapture case says, Has any of
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the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the
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hand of the king of Assyria? Where the gods of Hameth and
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Arpad, where the gods of Sephar, Vayim, Hina, and IVA, have they
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delivered Samaria out of my hand?
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Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands
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out of my hand? That the Lord should deliver
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Jerusalem out of my hand #7 Finally, the enemy will
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frequently return to his favorite lie, make you doubt,
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and question the trustworthiness of God again and again.
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This time it looks a little different.
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First, he dares to put the God, the true God, the Lord, on the
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same level as other deities. This is where he really crossed
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the line. He's going to get himself in a
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lot of trouble for doing this, but that's what Satan is telling
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many people today. But there's something more
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strategic than that, because these Israelites could have
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easily just that. Those are fake gods.
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They're false deities. They have no power.
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They can't compare to the true God.
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But this spokesman brings it closer to home.
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What does he say? Look again at verse 34.
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The last question, have they delivered Samaria out of my
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hand? Samario is the neighbor up North
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Samaria at one point. Was attached to the Kingdom of
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Judah. They were once one nation with
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the same God. And though yes, they did give
1:00:28
themselves over to idolatry and false gods, If this people were
1:00:33
so overwhelmed by these lies, if they were not informed, if they
1:00:36
were not aware, they could have began to rationalize in the
1:00:39
following way. Well, yes, Samaria, essentially
1:00:43
their histories in the truth. Their history is in the covenant
1:00:47
keeping God. Why?
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Why didn't the Lord deliver them from Assyria?
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How did God allow them to be taken captive and removed from
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the land? If it happened with the northern
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Kingdom of Israel? What makes us think that it
1:01:04
can't happen to us? I'm going to tell you how slimy
1:01:12
Satan is that he will even at times.
1:01:17
Look at you. Look at me, turn your attention
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to others who supposedly bear the name of Christ, who might
1:01:25
even genuinely bear the name of Christ, and say if God couldn't
1:01:32
do it for them, what makes you think he'll do it for you?
1:01:36
Look at so and so in the church. Look what happened to their
1:01:38
children. What makes you think it won't
1:01:40
happen to yours? Look at so, so struggling with
1:01:43
this disease and this sickness and here you are believing God
1:01:47
to do something in your body. Did he do it for them?
1:01:50
What makes you think that God's going to answer your prayer?
1:01:53
If God was a successful for that church, what makes you think
1:01:56
he'll make your church prosperous spiritually?
1:02:01
He loves to compare. He he loves to do these things.
1:02:05
So by bringing up Samaria, I think he wanted to really make
1:02:09
it seem as though we're hopeless and again, to doubt the
1:02:14
trustworthiness of God. How does this story end?
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Let's look at the last two verses, verse 36.
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But the people were silent and answered him.
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Not a word for the King's command was do not answer him.
1:02:28
Then Ally came, the son of Helkaya, who was over the
1:02:30
household and Shovement, the secretary, and Joe, the son of
1:02:33
ASAP the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn
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and told him the words of the rap shaky.
1:02:40
If you have the King James, the new King James, you know how
1:02:42
verse 36 would read. But the people held their peace
1:02:48
either way. This is what it means that not
1:02:50
one soul inside those walls made any decision based on what they
1:02:57
were being told by the enemy. They stood firm, they were
1:03:02
careful. They were slow.
1:03:06
Did it impact them? Clearly they ripped their
1:03:08
clothes. But this is just the beginning
1:03:13
of how Hezekiah and his people will respond to these threats
1:03:17
and how they will overcome. You have to come next week to
1:03:21
see it though. Let's pray,
1:03:35
Lord, if there is even one of these lies that resonate with
1:03:39
any of us in this place, we pray that today it would lose its
1:03:43
clutch, it would lose its power. We pray today for freedom, that
1:03:50
we would be totally liberated from any lie, any deception, any
1:03:56
trick of the evil 1 And Lord, help us be reminded, help us be
1:04:02
able to call to our own attention these truths when we
1:04:06
are engaged with warfare, when we are confronted with with
1:04:12
things that we know are not from you.
1:04:14
So Lord, we give you glory and thanks for how you have equipped
1:04:17
us tonight, and we pray that we would never forget it.
1:04:20
We pray that these things would be etched on our hearts for the
1:04:23
rest of our warfare with the Evil 1.
1:04:27
And Lord, tonight as your church, we stand in victory and
1:04:31
we choose to rejoice in Thanksgiving for how You have
1:04:33
spoken to our hearts. Lord, you are good, and we do
1:04:37
trust in You. We've sang so much of it before
1:04:40
the study, and Lord, we want to say it in prayer.
1:04:43
We trust in You, we trust in your forgiveness, we trust in
1:04:47
Your provision, we trust in Your promises, We trust in everything
1:04:51
that Your word has to say, and we pray that we would never
1:04:55
lapse in our faith. We want to be always pleasing to
1:04:58
You in every season, trusting You in every sphere of our
1:05:01
lives. And we believe Lord, that you've
1:05:04
spoken to us for this goal, for this end in mind, that we would
1:05:07
be complete in our reliance on you.
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In Jesus name we pray these things, Amen and Amen and Amen.
1:05:15
Let's stand and worship the Lord and give him glory.