When Hezekiah Heard It
One of the greatest stories of deliverance in the Old Testament is recounted in three different books. 2 Kings 18-19, Isaiah 36-36, and 2 Chronicles 32 all tell of how Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, threatened to destroy Jerusalem. Hezekiah was the king of Judah when the Assyrians came to take the city. Rabshakeh came to the city walls to taunt them and make the Israelites fear the Assyrians. “Then Rab-shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria: Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand: Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria” (2 Kings 18:28-30). He spoke in Hebrew to make sure all the people of Jerusalem understood and were frightened. The Assyrians had taken captive the northern tribes and had conquered...