2 Chronicles 32:1-33

2 Chronicles: God desires loyal people

The *Kingdom called Judah

2 Chronicles Chapter s 10 to 36

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 32

Sennacherib comes to attack Jerusalem – 2 Chronicles 32:1-23

v1 Hezekiah did all these things. He was loyal as he served the *LORD. After all this, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria came and he attacked Judah. He and his armies surrounded the cities that had strong walls. He intended to *capture them for himself. v2 Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come to fight against Jerusalem. v3 So, Hezekiah spoke with his officials and with his army officers. They decided to stop the water that came from the ground outside the city. The officials and the officers helped him to do this. v4 Many people came and they stopped the water from the fountains and the streams. They said, ‘The kings of Assyria will not find plenty of water here.’ v5 Then Hezekiah worked hard. He built again all the parts of the wall that enemies had broken. And he put *towers on it. He built another wall outside the first one. He made the area called Millo in the city of David stronger. Also, he made many *weapons and *shields.

v6 Hezekiah put army officers over the people. He met with them in the large area near the city gate. And he encouraged them. v7 He said, ‘Be strong and brave. Do not be afraid or worried because of the king of Assyria or his large army. There is a greater power with us than there is with him. v8 With him is an army of men. But with us is the *LORD our God. And the *LORD will help us and he will fight our battles.’ And what Hezekiah the king of Judah said encouraged the people.

v9 After this, King Sennacherib of Assyria and all his army surrounded Lachish and they attacked it. Then he sent his officers to Jerusalem. They came with a message for King Hezekiah and for all the people from Judah who were there. They said, v10 ‘This is what Sennacherib, king of Assyria says to you. “You have nothing to depend on for help. There is no reason for you to stay in Jerusalem under attack. v11 Hezekiah says to you, ‘The *LORD our God will save us from the king of Assyria.’ However, he is lying to you. He knows that you will die as a result of hunger and lack of water. v12 Hezekiah himself removed your God’s high places for *worship and his *altars. And he told the people in Judah and in Jerusalem that you shall *worship in front of one *altar. And there you shall burn *incense.

v13 You know what my *ancestors and I have done to all the people in other nations. The gods of those nations could not save their people from my power. v14 My *ancestors destroyed those nations. None of their gods could save them from my *ancestors or from me. Therefore, your god cannot save you from my power. v15 Do not let Hezekiah lie to you. Do not let him persuade you. Do not believe him. No god of any nation or *kingdom has been able to save his people from my *ancestors or from me. Therefore, your god will not be able to save you from me.” ’

v16 Sennacherib’s officers said worse things against the *LORD God and against his servant, Hezekiah. v17 King Sennacherib also wrote letters and he insulted the *LORD, the God of *Israel in those letters. He wrote, ‘The gods of the other nations could not save their people from me. So, the god of Hezekiah will not be able to save his people from me.’ v18 Then the officers shouted in *Hebrew. They called out to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall. They tried to frighten the people and they tried to make them afraid. They did that so that they might *capture the city. v19 They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as if he were like the gods of the other nations. But men had made those gods with their own hands.

v20 King Hezekiah and the *prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz prayed to heaven about this. v21 Then the *LORD sent an *angel. He killed all the soldiers, leaders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So, the king went back to his own country, ashamed. He went into the *temple of his god. Then some of his own sons killed him with a sword.

v22 So, the *LORD saved Hezekiah and the people in Jerusalem. He saved them from Sennacherib, king of Assyria and from all other people. The *LORD looked after them on every side. v23 Many people brought gifts for the *LORD to Jerusalem. And they brought valuable gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah. From then on all the nations respected Hezekiah.

Verses 1-5 The kings of Assyria had control over the whole region of *Israel and Judah. They achieved this after Ahaz had asked for help from Assyria (28:20-21). That was in about 734 *BC. Hezekiah paid taxes to Sargon II, the king of Assyria. But when Sargon died in 705 *BC, Hezekiah stopped the payment of these taxes.

In 701 *BC, Sennacherib, son of Sargon attacked Judah. He *captured many of the strong cities of Judah. And he intended to attack Jerusalem. Hezekiah offered to pay what Sennacherib would ask. Hezekiah paid 300 *talents of silver and 30 *talents of gold (2 Kings 18:13-16). But this did not satisfy Sennacherib.

That was in the 14th year of Hezekiah’s rule. Hezekiah had repaired the *temple and he had organised the priests. He had *turned the people back to *worship the *LORD their God. Now he received news of the approach of Sennacherib and his army. So, he prepared Jerusalem for the attack by the army from Assyria.

Hezekiah made sure that there was a good supply of water in the city. The water supply of the city depended on two fountains. They were the Gihon fountain in the Kidron Valley and the En-Rogel fountain about two miles further south. It may be at this time that he closed the upper channel of the Gihon fountain (32:30). But this task would have taken a fairly long time. So, perhaps he did it at an earlier date.

He made sure that there would not be a good supply of water for the people from Assyria. He and his people covered all the fountains and they changed the stream. This stream was probably the one that flowed into the Gihon valley. They dug a *tunnel to bring the water from the stream into the city.

He repaired the walls and he built more walls round the city. Then he made more *weapons for the defence of Jerusalem.

Verses 6-8 Hezekiah put army officers in control of the people. He tried to prepare the people to defend the city. The officers would train the people and they would lead the people in the fight. Near the city gate there was a large open area. Here the king met with his officers. And he spoke to them to encourage them. He said to them, ‘Sennacherib has a large army. His army consists of mere men. But the *LORD God is greater than the army of Assyria. The *LORD is on our side and he will fight for us. Therefore, there is no cause to be afraid of them.’

Here is something that is always true. The power of the *LORD with us is greater than any power that is with the enemy.

Verses 9-15 Sennacherib surrounded Lachish. Lachish was a town about 25 miles (40 kilometres) to the south and west of Jerusalem. He sent his chief officers to Jerusalem to speak to Hezekiah and to the people (2 Kings 18:17). The purpose was to make the people afraid. Sennacherib and his officers wanted the people to give in to them without a fight. He tried to destroy their trust in the *LORD their God.

Sennacherib said that God would not save them.

He said, ‘Your God is no better than the gods of other nations. What Hezekiah says is not true. And Hezekiah offended God when he took away the high places for *worship. Therefore, the people from Assyria will win. Not even the *LORD God is as strong as I am. The *LORD cannot save them from my army.’

It was not true that Hezekiah had offended God. But Sennacherib knew that there was not enough food. The people would die as a result of hunger and lack of water. So, he was confident that he would win.

Verses 16-19 Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the *LORD. And he wrote letters to Hezekiah and he insulted the *LORD in those letters. In effect, he said that the *LORD was like the false gods of other nations.

But those gods had no power and they could not help their people. Men had made those false gods.

Also, Sennacherib’s officers shouted the same insults in *Hebrew to the people on the city walls. Their purpose was to make the people afraid.

Verses 20-21 Sennacherib’s army had probably come to a camp near Jerusalem. Hezekiah went to the *LORD’s *temple. He sent to Isaiah the *prophet to pray to the *LORD. They cried out to the *LORD for help. The *LORD answered them and he gave a *prophecy to Isaiah (2 Kings 19:21-34). That night, an *angel from the *LORD killed 185 000 men in the camp of the people from Assyria. So, Sennacherib could not attack Jerusalem. He returned to his own country, ashamed.

When he got home, Sennacherib went to the *temple of his god. The name of his god was Nisroch. About 20 years later, while he was *worshipping his god, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him (Isaiah 37:38). He died in 681 *BC.

Verses 22-23 So, the *LORD saved Hezekiah and Jerusalem from Sennacherib. This had a good effect on all the nations round Judah. They saw that the *LORD was with Hezekiah. They did not want the king of Judah to be their enemy. And so they brought many gifts to the *LORD and to Hezekiah.

Hezekiah’s death – 2 Chronicles 32:24-33

v24 In those days, Hezekiah became so sick that he almost died. He prayed to the *LORD. The *LORD answered him. The *LORD showed him that he would cure him. v25 But Hezekiah was proud. He was not grateful because of the kindness of the *LORD. So, the *LORD was angry with him. Also, the *LORD was angry with the people in Judah and in Jerusalem. v26 Then Hezekiah and the people in Jerusalem were sorry and they stopped being proud. So, the *LORD did not punish them while Hezekiah was alive.

v27 Hezekiah became rich and famous. He made *storerooms for his silver, gold, precious stones, *spices, *shields and other valuable things. v28 Also, he made buildings to store harvests of grain, new wine and oil. He made buildings for his *cattle and places for his sheep and goats. v29 He made towns for himself and he had many sheep and *cattle. God had given much wealth to him.

v30 Hezekiah stopped the water so that it did not flow from the upper channel of the Gihon fountain. Instead, he directed the water down to the west side of the city of David. He succeeded in all that he did. v31 But the leaders of Babylon sent some officials to Hezekiah. They asked him about the strange things that had happened in his country. God left Hezekiah alone to test him. So, the *LORD could know all that was in Hezekiah’s heart.

v32 The *prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, wrote about a *vision. He wrote down the rest of Hezekiah’s acts and good deeds. This record is in the book of the kings of Judah and *Israel. v33 Hezekiah died and they buried him with his *ancestors. His grave was among the higher graves of David’s *descendants. All the people in Judah and in Jerusalem gave honour to him when he died. And his son Manasseh replaced him as king.

Verses 24-26 Hezekiah became sick and he almost died. But he prayed to the *LORD. The *LORD sent Isaiah to him. Isaiah told him that the *LORD would cure him after three days. Also, the *LORD promised to give to him another 15 years. Hezekiah asked for something to show that the *LORD would do it. Then the *LORD caused the shadows to go back 10 steps (2 Kings 20:1-10).

The *LORD had saved Judah and Jerusalem. He had cured Hezekiah. But Hezekiah and the people became proud. They had not defeated the people from Assyria and there was no reason to be proud. Because he was proud, Hezekiah had shown all his wealth to the men from Babylon (2 Kings 20:12-18). Therefore, God was angry with Hezekiah and with the people. They *repented of their *sin. So, the *LORD did not punish them while Hezekiah was alive.

Verses 27-29 After the defeat of Sennacherib, Hezekiah became famous among the nations. Also, he became wealthy. He made special buildings to store all his wealth. Much of his wealth came as gifts from the nations and probably from trade with them. Also, he achieved wealth by his farms. He had many animals and he had a lot of food from his farms. He became wealthy because God was good to him.

Verse 30 Much of the water supply for Jerusalem came from two fountains, the En-Rogel fountain and the Gihon fountain. The En-Rogel fountain was about two miles to the south of the city. But the Gihon fountain was in the Kidron Valley.

Hezekiah dug a long *tunnel to bring the water from the Gihon fountain into the west side of the city. The workers dug from both ends to meet in the middle. They dug through the rock beneath Jerusalem. The *tunnel was about 1700 feet (520 metres) long. They put a stone in the *tunnel and they wrote about it on that stone. People who dug there in 1880 *AD found that stone.

Verse 31 It seems that Hezekiah was proud for several reasons. He was proud because of the defeat of Sennacherib. He may have been proud that the *LORD had cured him. And he was proud because he had become rich. Merodach-Baladan, king of Babylon heard that Hezekiah had been ill. So, he sent men to visit him. These men came with letters and gifts for Hezekiah. Because he was so proud, Hezekiah showed all of his wealth to these men. Then the *LORD told him that in the future the people from Babylon would come. They would take away all these things. And the people in Judah would go into *exile in Babylon (Isaiah 39:5-7).

Verses 32-33 Isaiah wrote about Hezekiah’s life and about his good deeds. This record was in the book of the kings of *Israel and Judah.

Hezekiah died in about 687 *BC. He had been a good king and the people respected him. They buried him in a place of honour.

His son Manasseh became king.

kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules; or, the people that a king rules over.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. It means that God has always been.
lord ~ someone with authority such as the king.
capture ~ to fight for something and to make it yours as a result; or, to make somebody a prisoner.
tower ~ a tall narrow building.
weapon ~ a tool of war; people use it in attack or in defence when in a fight (like a sword or a gun).
shield ~ soldiers carried shields in their hands for protection in battle; they were like covers to protect the body from swords or from other weapons. Solomon’s shields of gold were probably not for use in war.
weapon ~ a tool of war; people use it in attack or in defence when in a fight (like a sword or a gun).
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God and to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
altar ~ the special table that someone made out of stone or wood or metal; on it they burnt animals or they offered other gifts to God or to false gods.
incense ~ something that gives a sweet smell when it burns. The priests burned it when they praised God in the temple.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or of other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God and to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
Jews ~ another name for the *Israelites.
ancestors ~ people in history that your family has come from.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules; or, the people that a king rules over.
Hebrew ~ the language of *Israel. They wrote most of the Old Testament in Hebrew.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.
prophet ~ person who speaks on behalf of God. He or she can sometimes say what will happen in the future. Some prophets worshipped false gods. So, not all prophets spoke words from God.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God and to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
angel ~ a messenger. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or of other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God and to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
Jews ~ another name for the *Israelites.
BC ~ years before Christ was born.
talent ~ weight equal to 75 pounds or 34 kilos.
turn ~ to decide to support someone. Or, to decide to oppose someone. If a person ‘turns away from God’, that person decides not to be loyal to God. If a person ‘turns to God’, that person decides to be loyal to God.
tunnel ~ a passage that people dig under the surface of the ground.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit. But sometimes false prophets tried to speak a prophecy.
prophet ~ person who speaks on behalf of God. He or she can sometimes say what will happen in the future. Some prophets worshipped false gods. So, not all prophets spoke words from God.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God and to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
storeroom ~ a room that people keep stores in.
spice ~ a vegetable substance with a sweet flavour or a strong smell, that they used in food or in incense.
incense ~ something that gives a sweet smell when it burns. The priests burned it when they praised God in the temple.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or of other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God and to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
Jews ~ another name for the *Israelites.
cattle ~ bulls and cows.
bull ~ the male animal that mates with a cow.
vision ~ a dream that God gives.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or of a nation.
repent ~ to change the mind; to turn away from sin and to turn to God.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are sinners.
turn ~ to decide to support someone. Or, to decide to oppose someone. If a person ‘turns away from God’, that person decides not to be loyal to God. If a person ‘turns to God’, that person decides to be loyal to God.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are sinners.
AD ~ years after Christ was born.
exile ~ people who have to live in a foreign country are in exile. Such a person is an exile. The exile means the time when the Jews were in exile.
Jews ~ another name for the *Israelites.