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Texts -- 2 Chronicles 32:6-33 (NET)

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32:6 He appointed military officers over the army and assembled them in the square at the city gate . He encouraged them, saying , 32:7 “Be strong and brave ! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic because of the king of Assyria and this huge army that is with him! We have with us one who is stronger than those who are with him. 32:8 He has with him mere human strength , but the Lord our God is with us to help us and fight our battles !” The army was encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah . 32:9 Afterward King Sennacherib of Assyria , while attacking Lachish with all his military might, sent his messengers to Jerusalem . The message was for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem . It read: 32:10 “This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says : ‘Why are you so confident that you remain in Jerusalem while it is under siege ? 32:11 Hezekiah says, “The Lord our God will rescue us from the power of the king of Assyria .” But he is misleading you and you will die of hunger and thirst ! 32:12 Hezekiah is the one who eliminated the Lord’s high places and altars and then told Judah and Jerusalem , “At one altar you must worship and offer sacrifices .” 32:13 Are you not aware of what I and my predecessors have done to all the nations of the surrounding lands ? Have the gods of the surrounding lands actually been able to rescue their lands from my power ? 32:14 Who among all the gods of these nations whom my predecessors annihilated was able to rescue his people from my power ? 32:15 Now don’t let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this . Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my power or the power of my predecessors . So how can your gods rescue you from my power ?’” 32:16 Sennacherib’s servants further insulted the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah . 32:17 He wrote letters mocking the Lord God of Israel and insulting him with these words : “The gods of the surrounding nations could not rescue their people from my power . Neither can Hezekiah’s god rescue his people from my power .” 32:18 They called out loudly in the Judahite dialect to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall , trying to scare and terrify them so they could seize the city . 32:19 They talked about the God of Jerusalem as if he were one of the man-made gods of the nations of the earth . 32:20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven . 32:21 The Lord sent a messenger and he wiped out all the soldiers , princes , and officers in the army of the king of Assyria . So Sennacherib returned home humiliated . When he entered the temple of his god , some of his own sons sons struck him down with the sword . 32:22 The Lord delivered Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem from the power of King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the other nations. He made them secure on every side . 32:23 Many were bringing presents to the Lord in Jerusalem and precious gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah . From that time on he was respected by all the nations .
Hezekiah’s Shortcomings and Accomplishments
32:24 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness . He prayed to the Lord , who answered him and gave him a sign confirming that he would be healed. 32:25 But Hezekiah was ungrateful ; he had a proud attitude , provoking God to be angry at him, as well as Judah and Jerusalem . 32:26 But then Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves and abandoned their pride , and the Lord was not angry with them for the rest of Hezekiah’s reign . 32:27 Hezekiah was very wealthy and greatly respected . He made storehouses for his silver , gold , precious stones , spices , and all his other valuable possessions . 32:28 He made storerooms for the harvest of grain , wine , and olive oil , and stalls for all his various kinds of livestock and his flocks . 32:29 He built royal cities and owned a large number of sheep and cattle , for God gave him a huge amount of possessions . 32:30 Hezekiah dammed up the source of the waters of the Upper Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the City of David . Hezekiah succeeded in all that he did . 32:31 So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and inquire about the sign that occurred in the land , God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives . 32:32 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign, including his faithful deeds, are recorded in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz , included in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel . 32:33 Hezekiah passed away and was buried on the ascent of the tombs of the descendants of David . All the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem buried him with great honor . His son Manasseh replaced him as king .

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  • 2Ch 32:24-33 -- Hezekiah's Shortcomings and Accomplishments

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Merodach-baladan ruled as king of Babylon for two terms, 721-710 and 703-702 B.C. The event recorded in these verses evidently took place in 702 B.C.124Hezekiah appears to have let his visitors know the extent of Judah's fina...
  • Chronicles covers a broader period of history than any other Old Testament book. It begins with Adam and ends with Anani who lived eight generations after King Jehoiachin (1 Chron. 3:24). If we allow 25 years for each generat...
  • Even though 1 and 2 Chronicles give one continuous story the emphasis in 2 Chronicles is different from that in 1 Chronicles. In 1 Chronicles the emphasis is the importance of the temple in national life. However in 2 Chronic...
  • (Continued from notes on 1 Chronicles)III. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-9A. Solomon's wisdom and prosperity ch. 1B. The building of the temple 2:1-5:11. Preparations for building the temple ch. 22. The temple proper 3:1-93. Th...
  • In a few details this account differs from the one in 2 Kings 18-20 and Isaiah 36-37. It was after Hezekiah's acts of faithfulness that God tested his trust (v. 1). Many of Judah's other good kings had followed God faithfully...
  • Hezekiah fell short to being the perfect Son of David just like all the rest of Judah's monarchs. Yet when his heart did become proud because of God's blessings, he humbled himself (vv. 25-26). Consequently God postponed his ...
  • The texts of the individual psalms do not usually indicate who wrote them.1However some of the titles of the individual psalms do contain information about the writers.2This is the only really reliable information we have as ...
  • Chapters 36-39 conclude the section of the book dealing with the issue of trust by giving historical proof that Yahweh will protect those who trust in Him. In these chapters, King Hezekiah represents the people of Judah.344Th...
  • 38:1 The phrase "In those days"identifies the reign of Hezekiah, the Judean king mentioned in the preceding chapters. Since the Lord added 15 years to Hezekiah's life (v. 5), and since Hezekiah died about 686 B.C.,373the time...
  • 39:1 The phrase "At that time"(cf. 38:1) anticipates a specially significant event and ties it to what preceded in chapter 38. As this verse explains, the events that follow happened after Hezekiah had recovered from his illn...
  • Emphasis now shifts from Assyria to Judah.1:12 Yahweh declared that even though the Assyrians were powerful and numerous, He would cut them off and they would pass off the stage of history. This must have been hard for many I...
  • Luke stressed how the Spirit who had come upon Jesus at His baptism guided and empowered Him in His temptation and how Jesus, God's approved Son, pleased His Father by His obedience. Jesus overcame the devil who opposed God's...
  • 9:20 These three severe judgments (fire, smoke, and brimstone, vv. 17-18) will not move the remaining unbelievers as a whole to repent (cf. Exod. 7:13, 23; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 35; 10:20; 11:10)."In all cases in the apocaly...
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