2 CHRONICLES 32

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

King Hezekiah's Miraculous Victory and Recovery

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Trusting in the Lord does not exclude training.

  2. Trusting in the Lord does not exclude threatening.

  3. Trusting in the Lord does not exclude testing.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Set your sights on an honorable discharge!

QUESTIONS

  1. Describe the setting and occasion for the great miracle of 2 Chronicles 32.

  2. What is one benefit mentioned of studying the Old Testament history and battles?

  3. In what ways did Hezekiah prepare for the upcoming siege of Jerusalem (verses 2-8)?

  4. What were the "high places"?

  5. Is this miraculous destruction of the Assyrian army recorded anywhere besides 2 Chronicles?

  6. What was the cause of Hezekiah's pride in verse 25?

ANSWERS

  1. The northern kingdom of Israel with its capital of Samaria had fallen to the Assyrians in 722 BC. Now the Assyrian army under Sennacherib turned its attention toward the southern kingdom of Judah with its capital of Jerusalem. Sennacherib wanted total surrender. But with the encouragement of the prophet Isaiah, Hezekiah did not surrender, but trusted in the Lord and continued to fortify Jerusalem.

  2. All the battles of the Lord's people in the Old Testament contain lessons and principles for the Lord's people today concerning spiritual warfare.

  3. He fortified and repaired the walls of Jerusalem and made weapons. He also ordered a water tunnel dug to bring the waters outside the city to the Pool of Siloam inside the city.

  4. On the high places, incense was burned to the Lord, but it was not at the Temple of Jerusalem as the Law required. These high places were rightly removed during Hezekiah's revival.

  5. Yes, we also see accounts of this great miracle in the biblical books of 2 Kings and Isaiah and in the secular records of Sennacherib which we have today on clay prisms.

  6. In the face of sickness and death, God healed Hezekiah and gave him 15 more years to live. Hezekiah did not honor the Lord for his healing, but instead he became proud. (See Isaiah 38 and 2 Kings 20.)

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Sennacherib's threats of Hezekiah portray the threats that Satan brings against God's people. Hezekiah did not allow Sennacherib's threats to sway him from trusting in the Lord. Read Revelation 12:10 and John 8:44. Have you experienced threats and accusations from the Father of lies? How did this affect your trust in the Lord?

  2. At the end of his life, Hezekiah was honored by the people of Judah (2 Chronicles 32:33). Paul desired an "honorable discharge" as well, as we read in 2 Timothy 4:7-8. If you were to die today, what would be the evaluation of your service to the Lord?

CHALLENGE

  1. While Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, he worked hard to fortify Jerusalem against attack. In spiritual warfare the same is true. We trust in the Lord while training ourselves in the Word of God on how to defend our faith.

KEY VERSES

  • "They spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth--the work of men's hands." 2 Chronicles 32:19

  • "Thus the LORD 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." 2 Chronicles 32:22

2 Chronicles, Old Testament, TalksRon Reid2 Chronicles 32