Participants: Kelly Mowrer
Series Code: HWAL
Program Code: HWAL000559
00:15 Hi, and welcome to His Words are Life.
00:17 I'm Kelly Mowrer, and today we're going to be reading 00:19 together from 2nd Kings. As we've read these stories of the 00:23 different kings and Israel and Judah, we're marked before how 00:27 there will be those kings who followed what the Lord said. 00:31 The Bible notes that they did not take down the high places. 00:35 They continued to offer sacrifices where they were not 00:39 supposed to, and in ways and to God that were not of 00:44 the God of heaven. And so even when the kings were following 00:47 the true God, they did not remove the high places. 00:51 Today, we're going to read a story of one of the kings who 00:54 did tear down the high places. But before we start, 00:56 let's pray together. Dear God thank you so much for 01:01 the stories that you have given to us as instruction for us to 01:06 learn from today. Please open our hearts now as we read of 01:10 king Hezekiah. And may we yield every high place of our heart 01:15 and our life completely to you. We love you so much 01:19 and thank you for loving us. We're reading in 2nd Kings, 01:23 chapter 18 and we're just beginning the story of 01:26 King Hezekiah. This is the King James Version 01:29 and we're starting with verse 4. He removed the high places, 01:34 and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake 01:38 in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: 01:41 for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it 01:45 and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the Lord God of 01:50 Israel; so that after him was none like him among all 01:54 the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave 01:59 to the Lord, and departed not from following him, 02:02 but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. 02:06 and the Lord was with him; and he prospered whithersoever 02:11 he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, 02:14 and served him not. He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, 02:19 and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen 02:22 to the fenced city. And it came to pass in the 4th year of king 02:26 Hezekiah, which was the 7th year of Hoshea son of Elah king of 02:30 Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, 02:35 and besieged it. And at the end of three years they took it: 02:38 even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth 02:41 year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. And the king 02:46 of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in 02:50 Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of 02:53 the Medes: Because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their 02:57 God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses 03:00 the servant of the Lord commanded, and would not hear 03:03 them, nor do them. Now in the 14th year of king Hezekiah 03:08 did Senacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced 03:12 cities of Judah, and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah, 03:17 sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended 03:22 return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. 03:26 And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah 03:29 king of Judah 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold. 03:34 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the 03:37 house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house. 03:40 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors 03:45 of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah 03:48 king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. 03:52 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris 03:56 and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host 04:01 against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem and 04:04 when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of 04:08 the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field. 04:11 And when they had called to the king, there came out to them 04:14 Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, 04:18 and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph 04:22 the recorder. And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now 04:27 to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, 04:31 What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? 04:34 Thou sayest - but they are vain words - I have counsel and 04:39 strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, 04:42 that thou rebellest against me? Now, behold, thou trustest upon 04:48 the staff of this bruised reed, upon Egypt, on which if a man 04:52 lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh 04:56 king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. 04:58 But if ye say unto me, We trust in the Lord our God: 05:01 is not that he, whose high places and whose altars 05:06 Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem 05:10 Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? 05:13 Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of 05:17 Assyria, and I will deliver thee 2,000 horses, if thou be able 05:22 on thy part to set riders upon them. How then wilt thou turn 05:26 away the face of one captain of the least of my master's 05:30 servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots 05:32 and for horsemen? Am I now come up without the Lord against 05:36 this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against 05:40 this land, and destroy it. Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 05:46 and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, 05:51 to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: 05:56 and talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ears of 06:00 the people that are on the wall. But Ragshakeh said unto them, 06:05 Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak 06:09 these words? Hath he not sent me to the men which sit on 06:12 the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink 06:16 their own piss with you? Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with 06:20 a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, 06:23 Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria: Thus saith 06:27 the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not 06:31 be able to deliver you out of his hand: Neither let Hezekiah 06:36 make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely 06:39 deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand 06:42 of the king of Assyria, Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith 06:47 the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present 06:51 and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine 06:56 and everyone of his fig tree, and drink ye everyone the waters 07:01 of his cistern: Until I come and take you away to a land like 07:06 your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and 07:10 vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, 07:14 and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah when he persuadeth 07:19 you, saying, The Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods 07:23 of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the 07:26 king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? 07:30 where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? 07:34 have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand? Who are they among 07:39 all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their 07:41 country out of mine hand, that the Lord should deliver 07:43 Jerusalem out of mine hand? But the people held their peace, 07:48 and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, 07:52 saying, Answer him not. Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 07:58 which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah 08:03 the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes 08:08 rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh. 08:12 We're continuing in 2nd Kings, chapter 19, 08:17 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent 08:23 his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into 08:27 the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, which was over the 08:31 household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the 08:34 priests, covered with sackcloth to Isaiah the prophet 08:39 the son of Amoz. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, 08:44 This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: 08:48 for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength 08:52 to bring forth. It may be the Lord thy God will hear all 08:56 the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master 09:00 hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words 09:05 which the Lord thy God hath heard: 09:06 wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left. 09:10 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said 09:15 unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, 09:19 Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou 09:23 hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria 09:27 have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, 09:32 and he shall hear a rumor, and shall return to his own land; 09:36 and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. 09:40 So Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring 09:45 against Libnah: for he heard that he was departed from 09:48 Lachish. And when he hear say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, 09:53 Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers 09:57 again unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah 10:01 king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trusteth 10:04 deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the 10:07 hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard 10:11 what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying 10:15 them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered? Have the gods of the 10:19 nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed; 10:22 as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which 10:27 were in Thelasar? Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of 10:31 Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena and Ivah? 10:35 And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, 10:40 and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, 10:45 and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before 10:49 the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel which dwellest between 10:54 the cherubims, thou art the God even thou alone, of all 10:58 the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. 11:02 Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, 11:09 and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him 11:14 to reproach the living God. Of a truth Lord, the kings of Assyria 11:19 have destroyed the nations and their lands, and have cast their 11:23 gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of 11:28 men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed 11:32 them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou 11:38 us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know 11:44 that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. Then Isaiah the son 11:50 of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God 11:54 of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib 11:58 king of Assyria I have heard. This is the word that the Lord 12:03 hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath 12:07 despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of 12:11 Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. Whom hast thou 12:15 reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted 12:19 thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against 12:23 the Holy One of Israel. By thy messengers thou hast reproached 12:27 the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots 12:30 I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of 12:32 Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedars thereof, 12:35 and the choice fir trees thereof and I will enter into the 12:37 lodgings of his borders and into the forest of his Carmel. 12:41 I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my 12:46 feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places. 12:49 Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient 12:54 times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, 12:58 that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous 13:03 heaps. Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, 13:07 they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the 13:11 grass of the field and as the green herb, as the grass on the 13:14 house tops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. 13:17 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, 13:22 and thy rage against me. Because thy rage against me and thy 13:27 tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my 13:30 hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn 13:35 thee back by the way by which thou camest. And this shall be 13:39 a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow 13:43 of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the 13:46 same; and in the 3rd year sow ye and reap, and plant vineyards, 13:51 and eat the fruits thereof. And the remnant that is escaped 13:55 of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, 13:59 and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go forth 14:03 a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: 14:06 the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this. Therefore 14:12 thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, 14:14 He shall not come into this city nor shoot an arrow there, 14:18 nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. 14:22 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall 14:26 not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend 14:31 this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant 14:35 David's sake. - Thank you for joining with me today. 14:39 Please join me again next time. Goodbye. |
Revised 2014-12-17