Overview
Through the record of Hezekiah and Sennacherib, this teaching contrasts the intimidating words of the Assyrian campaign with the trustworthy words of God. Hezekiah prepares, encourages the people, refuses to engage destructive speech, spreads the threat before God in prayer, and trusts the quiet but certain provision pictured by the waters of Shiloah.
Transcript
Words of Rest in a Noisy World
Please turn to 2 Chronicles 32. Words of rest, words that we can trust. You know, sometimes we deal with propaganda and marketing and advertising and publicity, and they’re all part of spreading ideas and information or rumors for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.
On the negative side of things, and spiritually speaking, words are often used to break down barriers or boundaries or borders, culturally and even individually. And those boundaries and their borders are to keep evil out. Throughout all that noise, though, there’s a steady source of life for us that is both sure and uncontaminated.
It’s the life of God through his Word, which we can trust. Sometimes we feel like we’re surrounded with this propaganda and marketing, advertising, publicity, and it’s endeavoring to mold us to this world or this age. Those that oppose the things of God at times seem to have the upper hand.
They attempt to intimidate while blaspheming God and slandering his character. It is against God, first and foremost, either directly or indirectly, that they stand. And sometimes they present their case through hypocrisy and lying.
So there’s nothing new under the sun. Over 2,600 years ago, the king of Assyria, Sennacherib, laid siege to Jerusalem. He wanted it for his prize.
Jerusalem, at that time, represented where God’s people could dwell in safety and worship God. And it was in this city that God chose to build the temple, the seat of this worship. And that temple represented access to God’s presence on the earth.
Hezekiah Speaks Courage to the People
And we’re going to read about this record in 2 Chronicles 32, because the king, Hezekiah, at the time, who had made great preparations to protect his people after the army of Sennacherib had begun to surround Jerusalem, says in 2 Chronicles 32, verse 6, And he set captains of war over the people and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city and spoke comfortably to them. So he didn’t ignore it. He spoke to the people.
And he said, verse 7, Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him. For there be more with us than with him. That’s a great truth.
There’s more with us than with him. With him is an arm of the flesh. And that’s many times what we contend with, worldly forces.
But with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people rested. They leaned on these words.
They rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah. They rested. What a great situation for us to learn from.
Again, there’s nothing new under the sun. Because this army that was laying siege to Jerusalem attacked with words. When you read the record, not one arrow was fired.
Sennacherib Attacks Through Words
It was done with words. Look at the same chapter in verse 15. They were speaking against the messenger and against God.
They were shouting things to the people that were on the wall. In verse 15, Now therefore, let not Hezekiah, the king, deceive you nor persuade you on this manner. Neither yet believe him, for no God of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand and out of the hand of my father’s.
How much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand? What an accusation. What blasphemy against the Lord God Elohim, Yehovah, which we know to be our father. What an insult and assault on the character of God that anybody would think to say such things.
But people do. Verse 16, And his servants spake yet more against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. Oftentimes, the attack is really at God, but you have to attack the messenger.
And people had to be convinced of the words that Hezekiah was speaking. They saw the character of his life. He was the king, but they saw quality there.
They saw righteousness in his rulership. They didn’t stop with words. Look what it says here.
Verse 17, He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel. Now they’re writing letters, words, words. And to speak against him saying as the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand.
That’s a lie. That’s not true. God absolutely will deliver.
And he will deliver you and me in all situations. Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ speech unto the people of Jerusalem. Watch this.
They were on the wall. Why were they doing this? To affright them and to trouble them that they might take the city. The first thing is you have to demoralize people.
You have to intimidate people. You have to get people afraid. And the way you do it is with words, with words.
And we can learn from this record, even though it happened over 2,600 years ago. There’s nothing new under the sun. And they spake against the God of Jerusalem as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of men.
For this cause Hezekiah the king and the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah was a contemporary, the son of Amos, prayed and cried to heaven. That’s their response. Look at 2 Kings.
Refusing Foolish and Fearful Arguments
This record can be found in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles and in Isaiah. Very interesting. 2 Kings 18, please.
See, it works the same way with people. You’ve got to break them down with words, and then their protection is gone. Once they get afraid, that’s when the enemy moves.
But first you’ve got to get people afraid and intimidated. And in so many ways, the responsibility and the privilege of a minister is to help people not be afraid. Take a stand like Hezekiah did.
And it seemed like there were insurmountable obstacles because the success of the king of Assyria to overtake all these kingdoms and the northern kingdom of Israel. Now he wants Judah and Jerusalem. He was successful, but he made a mistake.
He went against the Lord God of Israel. Here in 2 Kings 18, it says in verse 36, again, it’s the same account. We’re just looking at different records.
Verse 36, but the people held their peace when these individuals were speaking and answered him not a word for the king’s commandment was saying, answer him not. Do not engage in a conversation like this. Sometimes we need to be really wise and withdraw ourselves graciously or turn off the information that’s filling our head with that propaganda, that advertising.
It says in 2 Timothy 2 23, but foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strife. Another translation says, foolish and stupid arguments produce quarrels. Another translation says, foolish ignorant controversies breed quarrels.
Hezekiah Spreads the Matter Before God
Sometimes we just have to step aside. Look at chapter 19 and not engage in those conversations like Hezekiah that was blaspheming God and besmirching the character of Hezekiah at the hand of the messengers and read it. And Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord and spread before the Lord.
I love this. If you’re being attacked by this or you’re being tempted to succumb to some of this stuff, tell God about it. Tell him this is what’s bugging me.
This is what is gnawing at me. Tell him about it. I love it.
He’s heard everything. And nothing surprises him anyway. Verse 15, and Hezekiah prayed.
That was his response. He shows God the letter. God already knew what was in the letter, but it must have helped Hezekiah to do so.
And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwelleth between the cherubims, that’s above the Ark of the Covenant, the mercy seat where the high priest met with God, where God would appear above the mercy seat once a year. Thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth.
He must have had it in his heart. Lord, bow down thine ear and hear. Open, Lord, thine eyes and see and hear the words of Sennacherib, which has sent him to reproach the living God.
Look at how he’s taking it. He’s not just talking about himself. He’s saying they’re blaspheming you.
They’re reproaching you. It’s not really about you and me, really. It’s really about God.
It’s an insult and an attack on God himself. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed their nations and their lands. He’s recognizing that they’ve had great success in their political and military campaigns.
He recognizes this. He’s not a fool. And have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone.
Therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save us out of his hand. Love that prayer.
That all the kingdoms of the earth, and look at the reason, may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. What a great recognition and awareness in a prayer. Lord, turn this thing around so people can recognize there is a God in heaven, and he is for his people.
Then Isaiah, the son of Amos, sent to Hezekiah saying, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, that which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib, king of Assyria, I have heard. Wow. Look at Isaiah.
Isaiah. Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah. They were praying because they were not going to allow the unbelievers to blaspheme God’s character.
When all the noise and negativity and doubt or fear seems to surround us on all sides, we remember that God is always at work behind the scenes, bringing his purposes and will to pass. He may not strike a star-spangled band. He may not do something miraculous in the heavens, but God doesn’t sleep.
The Waters of Shiloah That Go Softly
He doesn’t rest. He fights for his people. He’s at work all the time restoring his people, restoring the heavens and the earth, and maintaining it for our benefit.
Here in Isaiah chapter 8 is a great record. Verse 6, it says, for as much as this people refuse it the waters of Shiloah that go softly and rejoice in Rezin and Remeliah’s son. What that’s talking about is some of God’s people, specifically the nation of Israel that had already been overrun by Assyria, Sennacherib, they refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly.
They were looking to other places for their protection. You don’t need to go anywhere else. You got God.
We have the Lord our God. If God be for us, who can be against us? There’s an interesting insight into this reference of the waters of Shiloah. When Hezekiah knew that they were going to besiege Jerusalem, there was a spring, Gehan, that led out water into the irrigation fields, and they stopped up that water and dug a tunnel underneath through the solid rock, and it ended up in the Pool of Siloam, which is a reference to another way of saying Shiloah.
And this subterranean source of life represented God’s silent care. We don’t need to go to other places. We’ve got God, even though sometimes it’s silent.
Well, compared to the roaring army against the secret purposes of God, they’ve got no chance. This tunnel is so fantastic. Archaeologists have unearthed it starting in the 1800s.
This tunnel was built through solid rock. It’s about 1,700 feet long, over a third of a mile, and it’s almost perfectly level. The height difference between the entrance and the exit is just about above a foot.
It is still unknown how the workers had enough oxygen in solid rock deep within the tunnel to breathe and have lanterns so they could see. It’s still unknown. They had two groups of workers coming towards the middle.
So these two groups of workers approaching from opposite sides, they met in the middle perfectly. It’s still unknown how they were able to do that through solid rock. Amazing.
God Is Our Refuge and Strength
Perhaps God was involved, but you can see the preparation and the heart that people had. Look at Psalm 46. When God’s people refuse the waters of Shiloah that go softly, they go to other sources for their trust.
They trusted in other things. We can’t do that. Even though at times God moves very gently, he’s still moving.
He is still providing life to us, like when they built Hezekiah’s tunnel and there was water for them and not the enemy on the outside. This Psalm 46 is associated with this record in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah. Listen to how it reads.
Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength, a very pleasant present help in trouble. Therefore, will we not fear? We’re not going to be afraid.
That’s the key. We can’t allow ourselves to be afraid. Though the earth be removed and though mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, and that’s a reference, if you will, to the Assyrian army that were blaspheming and roaring outside.
The whole time, though, the waters of Shiloah were moving softly underneath, and that’s the way God works. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with swelling thereof, Selah, consider this, there is a river, that’s the streams, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. Beautiful.
What an illustration and a mind picture for us that the life-giving waters of God continue to flow softly in our lives, despite all the noise, despite all the roaring, despite all the saber rattling that people do and all the claims that they make in their lying and hypocrisy. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved.
God shall help her and right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved, he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge, Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth.
He breaketh the bow and cutteth the spear and sunder. He burneth the chariots in the fire. Be still.
Remain unoccupied in your heart and know, experientially know, that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge, Selah. Amazing record, amazing truth in Psalm 46.
Prayer for a Quiet and Peaceable Life
And let’s close in 1 Timothy. Despite all the noise that people make and try to intimidate us, the waters of Shiloah are gently moving, softly underneath. And God is bringing the life that he has for us through his word to his children.
And in 1 Timothy chapter 2, like Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed, we can pray too. Chapter 2 of 1 Timothy. I exhort therefore that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and for all that are in authority.
Why? That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty or dignity. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. Amazing.
The propaganda is not going to stop. The marketing, the advertising, the publicity for all sorts of ideas, rumors, and so forth are not going to stop. And sometimes they can be negative.
And spiritually speaking, these words are designed to break people down in order to get them in fear. But under all that noise is the steady source of life for us that is both sure and uncontaminated. The life of God through his Son Jesus Christ, through his written word, which we can absolutely trust.
Key Takeaways
- Hezekiah did not ignore the threat; he prepared and then spoke words that directed the people toward God’s help and power.
- The Assyrian campaign attempted to gain control through intimidation, blasphemy, accusation, and repeated words before any physical attack.
- The people obeyed the command not to answer, illustrating the wisdom of refusing foolish arguments that only produce strife.
- Hezekiah took the threatening letter into God’s presence and prayed, identifying the attack as a reproach against the living God.
- The waters of Shiloah picture God’s quiet, steady, life-giving care beneath the noise of threatening circumstances.
- Prayer and confidence in God’s Word enable believers to live quietly, peaceably, and without being controlled by propaganda or fear.
Frequently Asked Questions
What words gave the people rest during Sennacherib’s siege?
Hezekiah told them to be strong and courageous, not to fear the Assyrian king or his multitude, because the enemy had only an arm of flesh while the Lord their God was with them to help and fight their battles.
How did Hezekiah respond to intimidation and propaganda?
He instructed the people not to answer the attackers, took the written threat into the house of the Lord, spread it before God, and prayed for deliverance so the kingdoms of the earth would know the Lord.
What do the waters of Shiloah represent in the teaching?
They represent God’s quiet and dependable care. While the enemy’s words roared outside Jerusalem, the life-giving water continued to move softly beneath the city, illustrating that God remains at work behind the noise.
Scripture References
2 Chronicles 32:6–20; 2 Kings 18:36; 2 Kings 19:14–20; 2 Timothy 2:23; Isaiah 8:6–8; Psalm 46; 1 Timothy 2:1–3
Verification Note
This WordPress pack was prepared from the complete source transcript. Topical headings were added for navigation, while the transcript paragraphs were retained in their original order. Scripture references, names, and transcription wording should be checked against the original audio or video before final publication.
