Scroll to the bottom for thoughts/discussion questions!
One-sentence summary: The Lord fights for Judah against the Assyrians after their king blasphemes him, Hezekiah is not completely faithful after the Lord extends his life; his son Manasseh humbles himself and returns to the Lord, although Judah does not follow wholeheartedly.
Sennacherib the King of Assyria enters Judah and encamps against the fortified cities, hoping to win them over to himself. When Hezekiah sees this and that his purpose is war, he asks his leaders and people to stop up all the springs and brooks in the land so that they are not able to find water. He builds up the broken walls and builds another wall outside. He makes weapons and shields in abundance and sets military captains over the people, then gathers them in the open square of the city gate and encourages them, telling them to be strong and courageous and not to be afraid or dismayed, "for there are more with us than with him." He says Assyria has only an arm of flesh, but the Lord is with them to fight their battles. And the people are strengthened by his words. Sennacherib sends messengers to Hezekiah and all Judah in Jerusalem, and they speak blasphemously against the Lord and try to turn the people against Hezekiah. He says their God cannot deliver them and not to listen to Hezekiah, saying no other nation's god has been able to deliver from his hand. He also writes letters to revile the Lord, repeating the words. The messengers call out in Hebrew to the people in Jerusalem on the wall "to trouble and frighten them" so they can take the city. Hezekiah and Isaiah pray and cry out to heaven, and the Lord sends an angel to cut down every might men of valor, leader, and captain in the king's camp, and he returns "shamefaced" to his own land. Then, his own offspring kill him in the temple of his god. After that, many bring gifts to the Lord and Hezekiah in Jerusalem, and he is exalted in the sight of all nations. The story of Hezekiah's sickness is retold briefly, but with an emphasis on how he did not repay God as he should have for the mercy shown to him, because "his heart was lifted up." Because of this, God's wrath looms over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. However, he humbles himself with the people so that the wrath of the Lord doesn't come upon them in his days. He has much riches because God had blessed him, and he prospers in all his works. However, the Lord withdraws from him in order to test him so that He "might know all that was in his heart," and he fails the test (in showing the king of Babylon all his riches.) Then, he dies, and Judah and Jerusalem honor him at his death. His son Manasseh reigns in his place.
The story of Manasseh's reign is retold (see yesterday's blog.) Manasseh does, however, humble himself before the Lord and pray to Him after he is carried off to Babylon, and the Lord brings him back to Jerusalem. Then, it says that Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. After that, he builds a wall outside the city of David. He puts captains in all the fortified cities of Judah and takes away all the idols and altars he had built, and he repairs the altar of the Lord and commands Judah to serve Him. However, the people still sacrifice on the high places, albeit to the Lord. Then, he dies and is buried in his own house. His son, Amon, reigns in his place and does evil but does not humble himself as his father had done. He is killed by conspirators in his own house, and then the people kill them and make his son, Josiah, king in his place.
Thoughts/discussion questions:
The Lord withdrew from Hezekiah "to test all that was in his heart." Perhaps under the New Covenant, the Lord already knows what is in our heart, but tests us so that we may know.
The Lord can use our enemies to discipline us.
In reading this, at first I wondered why Manasseh lived so long as he did evil, until I read the part where he repented. Most of the kings who did evil did not live a long life. Thank God for mercy and grace and the gift of repentance. God is loooong-suffering!
There are often still long-term consequences to sin after repentance. Manasseh had already lead the people astray, and also, his son forsook the Lord and was killed.