See Ya Later, Sennacherib
From II Kings 18-19
Hezekiah is described as a good king.. (18:3-7)
A. He sought to remove every influence of idolatry and sin and to turn the people’s heart back to God.
Important Application-- What are you doing to remove sin’s influence from your life? Your home?
What are you doing to turn people’s hearts towards God?
Important Application # 2: -- Hezekiah is described as a great king because the Lord was with Him.
People need to see that the Lord is with you, but they will never see it if you don’t follow God.
One of Hezekiah’s great reforms was to stop paying tribute to the King of Assyria. This was during a period of time that many others were also rebelling against this evil Empire that had arisen.
I want you to see a Spiritual application to this story. Hezekiah moved into power and said “We’re not cooperating with this evil ruler anymore. We’re going to find a way to be free from his bondage.”
Every once in awhile we come to a place in our lives where we tell God, “God, I’m not going to be in bondage to Satan anymore. I’m not going his direction! I’m not listening to his advice. I’m going to follow you.”
THE FIRST RESPONSE WE SEE TO THIS IS VICTORY!
The Scripture tells us “and the Lord was with him and he was succesful in whatever he undertook.”
Whenever we have a renewed zeal for living for God we will experience a measure of success as we walk with God.
Hezekiah was smart enough to know, however, that just because he was winning some important victories and accomplishing great things with the help of God, the battle wasn’t over. So he began preparing for the day when he would have to stand against Sennacherib. During this time he fortified watchtowers and cities. History also tells us that he dug a huge tunnel through over 1700 feet of solid rock.. No dynamite.. This tunnel brought water into the city so they could stand under a siege. That tunnel brings water into Jerusalem, even today.
YET... despite all of his hard labor and preparations, when Sennacherib started towards Jerusalem, he caved in.. he compromised... Look what he did--
II Kings 18:15-16 He compromised... He hoped the problem would go away. He tried to pay the evil King off. And he did it with the silver and gold from the temple.
Important Application # 3--Whenever we compromise with Satan, we are giving to Satan what belongs to God.
Illustrations: When we fail to spend time in prayer, we are giving time we committed to God to Satan.
When we indulge in sexual immorality we take our bodies that we have given to God and give control over to Satan.
When we take that temper which we have given to God and use it to hurt or
humiliate others we have given it to Satan.
Every compromise we make to do evil gives Satan something that we committed to God when we gave Him our heart and life.
But I want you to note something else here... Sennacherib didn’t go home. Instead he marched on Jerusalem and surrounded the city. He demanded the immediate surrender. He sent His messenger to the gates and there they met Hezekiah’s representatives.
Now as they make their demands, the representative of Hezekiah made a request.. (18:26)
He didn’t want the soldiers to hear the threat they were facing.
This is just like a lot of Christians. Satan comes against us and makes demands us of threatens us and we begin to fear what will happen if people find out.
We wonder-- What will happen if people find out the church is having a tough time financially?
What will happen if people find out the church is facing some sort of
opposition?
What happens if people are attacking the church leadership.
So we quickly try to minimize the problems.. hush them up from the common members of the church... In our fear, we cower and fear that the workers of the church will desert because of the odds against them.
When Peter and John were warned about preaching in Jesus’ name they didn’t hush it up. They came back to the church and reported the opposition. In their prayer, they pointed out to God the power that the officials had... They were honest with each other and God about the threats that they faced.
We cannot run and hide from Satan’s threats.
BUT-- The representative of the Assyrian King got louder.. he turned and spoke in Hebrew to the men on the wall and told them just what a rough time they were going to have. He told them how they would have to do without, and that they would have little to eat. (He got very graphic and crude with them)... He did his best to frighten these people.. and to some extent it worked.
SATAN operates like this-- He tells FOUR MAJOR lies about your relationship with God.
1) He says you are already defeated.
The Assyrian claimed that the armies of Judah was already surrounded.
Satan points out the areas you have already failed in. He tells you that you can never live pure enough to be effective as a Christian. He points out and accuses you in areas you
have already been defeated in.
2) He calls for MORE compromise. (“Come make a bargain with my king”!)
Hezekiah had already compromised when he removed the silver and gold from the temple. He had already given in. The Assyrian King wasn’t satisfied with the comrpromise.
SATAN is never fully satisfied with our compromise. Satan will not stop until he has broken your relationship with God, robbed you of your dignity, crumpled your effectiveness, intimidates, harrasses and even then he wants to continue to torment you.
Look at the Demoniac of Gadarra who had a legion of demons. Satan wasn’t satisfied in breaking the man. He wasn’t satisfied controlling the man’s temper and emotions. He wasn’t satisfied taking the man away from friends and family who cared about him. He wasn’t satistifed with keeping the man from being able to hold a job. He wasn’t satisfied with taking the guy out to live in the graveyard among the death and decay that existed there. No, Satan wasn’t satisfied, because the Word tells us that the man cried out night and day in torment.
WE SHOULD NEVER THINK THAT IF WE COMPROMISE IT WILL MAKE SATAN GO AWAY AND LEAVE US ALONE! SATAN IS A GREEDY THIEF AND HE WANTS TO ROB US OF ALL WE HAVE, HUMILIATE US AND DESTROY US.
Satan is a like a schoolyard bully, who needs to be put in his place.
3) He points out howdifficult is to do the right thing.
The Assyrian points out the food shortages. He points out the might of the Assyrian army. He even offers to provide horses for the Jews to use to fight against the Syrians. The Assyrian is standing outside the city walls, talking some SMACK like the wrestlers on television. He is shouting into the microphone.. “CAN YOU SMELL WHAT SENACHERIB IS COOKING?”
SATAN IS ALWAYS QUICK TO TELL YOU THAT IT IS HARD TO SERVE GOD!
He will tell you that it is hard to serve God. And he is right.. It is hard to love your enemies, to be honest in all things, to speak words of encouragement rather than destructive criticism and gossip, etc.
4) He says that God has deserted us during our time of need.
The messenger says (18:25) That the Lord sent him to destroy Jerusalem. He tells them that their God cannot save them-- (18:35) He declares that the judgment of God is on them.
This is the same message that Satan told the disciples out on the sea in the storm. They even cried out to Jesus-- “Don’t you care that we’re about to die?”
SATAN DOES EVERYTHING HE CAN TO CONVINCE US THAT GOD DOESN’T CARE!
The people don’t answer because Hezekiah had instructed them not to do so.. verse 36
We are NOT to talk to Satan. WE are not to answer him! We are not to bargain with him! We are not to COMMAND him!
We should NEVER answer Satan
The story doesn’t end there...In chapter 19, after Hezekiah gets the news about how bad things are he heads straight for the temple. He sends messengers to the prophet Isaiah calling him to intercede with God on behalf of the people.
Look at Isaiah’s response: (19:5-7) He prophesies that Sennacherib will be heading home shortly. This had to cheer them.
Sennacherib’s general reports to him, but Sennacherib had just heard a report.. The king of Egypt was on his way with an army. As Judah got word about the king of Egypt marching, I’m sure they were all rejoicing in the city.
However, we know from history and this account, that the opposition of the Egyptian king only strengthened the resolve of Sennacherib to conquer Jerusalem. He sends another threatening message to Hezekiah calling for their surrender. At the same time, he sends a letter to the Egyptian King telling him not to come. Taylor’s prism, an archaelogical discovery of the last century tells how he sent a letter to the king of Egypt telling him that he already had Hezekiah bottled up in Jerusalem like a “bird in a cage.”
How the hearts of the people must have fallen. The prophecy didn’t come true.
This is known as the “Death of A Vision” that we often experience as we walk with God. Abraham experienced this “death” as years went by and he got older and older and older without Sarah bearing a child. He thought he had the answer when Sarah suggested that he sleep with her maid. Somehow he thought Ishmael would be the answer to his prayers. He wasn’t.
The Jews were looking for a different fulfillment of prophecy with the Messiah. They felt that the Messiah would be a warrior king, and in doing so missed the very concept of the perfect “lamb” of God that was to be sacrificed.
The Story isn’t over.. The army of Sennacherib is struck with a plague that kills thousands of them overnight. Sennacherib hears this and grabs his army and heads back home to Ninevah. He never returns. There in Ninevah, his own sons strike him down in a pagan temple.
God is still at work, even when it seems he hasn’t kept his word to you.
