(9) "AFTER this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem (now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him), unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, (10) Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide the siege in Jerusalem? (11) Doth not Hezekiah persuade you, to give you over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, Jehovah our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? (12) Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and upon it shall ye burn incense? (13) Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands in any wise able to deliver their land out of my hand? (14) Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers
utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand? (15) Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you after this manner, neither believe ye him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my fathers; how much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand?
(16) "And his servants spake yet more against Jehovah God, and against His servant Hezekiah. (17) He wrote also letters, to rail on Jehovah, the God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver His people out of my hand. (18) And they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city. (19) And they spake of the God of Jerusalem, as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men's hands.
(20) "And Hezekiah the king, and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to Heaven. (21) And Jehovah sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth from his own bowels slew him there with the sword. (22) Thus Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. (23) And many brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah; so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from thenceforth."
Golden Text.—"With us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles." 2 Chron. 32:8.
## SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) To whom did the king of Assyria send messengers? From what place were these messengers sent? What was Sennacherib doing at Lachish? Verse 9. Note 1. (2) What question was asked of Hezekiah? Verse 10. (3) What appeal was made to the people? Verse 11. (4) What effort was made to discredit the religion of the Jews? Verse 12. Note 2. (5) What boast did Sennacherib send concerning the successes of the Assyrians? Verse 13. (6) What reflection did he cast upon the God of the Jews? Verse 14. Note 3. (7) How did Sennacherib endeavor to discredit Hezekiah before his people? And how did he aim to further belittle the God of the Jews? Verse 15. Note 4. (8) How did Sennacherib's servants emphasize the insults of their master? Verse 16. (9) Then what further effort did Sennacherib make to turn the Jews against Jehovah? Verse 17. Note 5. (10) What extraordinary effort did the Assyrian officers make to influence the people of Jerusalem? Verse 18. Note 6. (11) What further blasphemy was spoken against the God of Jerusalem? Verse 19. (12) Because of this continued blasphemy, what did Hezekiah and Isaiah do? Verse 20. Note 7. (13) What was the result? Verse 21. Note 8. (14) And what blessing came to Hezekiah and his people? Verse 22. (15) What was the effect upon surrounding nations? Verse 23. Note 9.
For fuller details of this event read chapters 18 and 19 of 2 Kings and chapters 36 and 37 of Isaiah.
## NOTES.
1. In the reign of Sargon, Assyria had become the greatest power in the world. But his successor, Sennacherib, was soon confronted by a rebellion in the province of Babylon. Hezekiah, king of Judah, and several other tributary kings, thought this an opportune time to withhold their tribute, and declare their independence. But Sennacherib overcame Babylon, and then took his armies westward. Sidon soon surrendered; Syria submitted, and her Egyptian allies were defeated; Ekron was taken, and her chief men impaled on stakes. Then, turning upon Judah, the victorious Assyrians had taken forty-six cities, and were approaching Jerusalem. Becoming much alarmed, Hezekiah sent a large tribute to Sennacherib as he besieged Lachish, which was about thirty-four miles southwest of Jerusalem. But this did not pacify the invaders; they deemed Hezekiah's action a confession of weakness. Then followed the events recorded in this lesson.
2. Hezekiah had broken down the high places throughout the country, which, under his father's wicked reign, had been devoted to idol worship. This reducing the people's worship and the national dependence to "one altar," or to one God, was deemed very foolish by the heathen, who acknowledged, and therefore depended upon, many gods.
3. Sennacherib depended upon the gods of the
Assyrians, under whose supposed help his father had gained such great success. Sennacherib himself had thus far been victorious.
4. So self-confident and presumptuous had Sennacherib become that he became especially blasphemous against the God of Hezekiah. He knew that Judah acknowledged the same God that Israel had professed to serve, and who did not prevent that people from being taken captive by the Assyrians. The withdrawal of His protection from the northern kingdom by Jehovah was construed as weakness by the Assyrians. Hence Sennacherib was emboldened to make the God of Jacob appear even more insignificant than the gods of the other nations that were made tribute to Assyria. "How much less," he says, "shall your God deliver you out of my hand."
5. "Wrote Letters."—When the Assyrian ambassadors failed to induce Hezekiah to surrender, Sennacherib wrote insulting letters emphasizing his contempt for the God of Hezekiah.
6. The appeal direct to the people of Judah instead of the king or his appointed representatives was most discourteous and unusual, either in military or state circles. The purpose was, of course, to frighten and discourage them. But the ruse did not succeed.
7. Hezekiah, because of the blasphemy of the Assyrians against Jehovah, counseled with the prophet Isaiah, and they took the matter before the Lord, that He might vindicate his own name and cause. And the Lord did not fail to do it.
8. The number of the Assyrians slain was 185,000, as stated in 2 Kings 19: 35 and in Isa. 37: 36.
9. Hezekiah humbled himself before the Lord, and sought counsel through the Lord's prophet, whose advice Hezekiah's father Ahaz had ignored. Then the Lord gave relief from the enemies of His people, whose oppression was the result of rejecting the prophet's words; and Hezekiah was highly exalted before all the world. And these things were written for our learning. See Rom. 15: 4; 1 Cor. 10: 11.
