2 Chronicles 32:18-23
Notes
Transcript
Song: Elder Phydesia Lewis
Song: Elder Phydesia Lewis
Prayer: Elder Roger Cooper
Prayer: Elder Roger Cooper
Scripture: Deacon Rockie Williams
Scripture: Deacon Rockie Williams
Give Scripture: 2 Chronicles 32:18-23
Give Scripture: 2 Chronicles 32:18-23
18 Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.
19 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 man.
20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.
21 And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.
22 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 other, and guided them on every side.
23 And many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.
Give A Review
Give A Review
In the first portion of 2 Chronicles 32, we see that the King of Assyria has been creating trouble in the lives of the Israelites. He has pestered them and caused Hezekiah to pay tribute to him to maintain liberty and prevent war. Much like a protection circuit operated by the mafia and other such organizations. Hezekiah pays the monies and moves on. However, the King of Assyria doubles back and resumes his attacks despite having received tribute from the King.
As the Assyrians waged war on the outskirts of Judah, he sends word to the King and threatens him. He talks bad about the King and tries to sow discord among the people by attacking their faith in the King’s leadership. However, he makes a critical mistake, based on what we know about scripture, because he then goes on to insult the God of Abraham and insinuate that the God of Abraham is not capable of supplying for the Kingdom of Judah. He insults God’s provision and in many ways makes a mockery of God.
We then closed last week out on the 17th verse when he sends letters to all of the Kingdom expressing his perceived inability to save the Israelites. Now, we have to remember that at this point the Assyrians did successfully conquer the Northern Kingdom of Israelite. So he was riding high on his victory but he never checked the record because he would see God’s provision at other times during the history of the Israelites, including in the book of Judges and various times throughout even the rules of the Kings. See, a lot of times your enemies only know half the story and sometimes we fall for half of the story because even we forget the other half.
3 Key Takeaways from Last Week
Never give up on what God gave you.
Be careful of your enemy, not just Satan, because they will often try to undermine your faith, trust, and beliefs
Know your faith and take a stand
Allow for Questions?
Allow for Questions?
Write some of the questions down if possible.
Scripture Study
Scripture Study
Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.
Your enemies know how to speak your language and you have to be careful that you distinguish your enemies from your friends.
They came into the city speaking the language of the Israelites, some version of Ancient Hebrew or possibly Aramaic.
Your enemies will try to attack your mind before they attack you elsewhere.
If you can win the battle of the mind, you can win everything else. Create fear within your enemy and they will not fight as hard (if at all).
So I encourage you do not succumb to the fear your enemies seek to put on you.
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 man.
Once they attack your mind, they will attack your faith.
They then spoke against the God of Israel as a way to undermine their faith in him.
Your enemies want to handicap your relationship with God to push you against him and make yourself more vulnerable.
20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.
Learn to pray for yourself.
Their is nothing wrong with seeking counsel, or reaching out to touch and agree...
But we see here that Hezekiah knew how to pray himself and he sought after the LORD himself and did not wait on the prophet, the high priest, or anyone else to make supplication to God.
21 And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.
I want to read that from the New Living Translation
21 And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword.
God will make an example of your enemies.
God made an example of the Assyrians because he could have led the Israelites to have victory in battle but God made an example of them for their insolence but also for going back on their Word to Hezekiah.
God will send someone to tell the story.
God destroyed Sennacherib’s men and army, he could have easily destroyed him.
But God wanted Sennacherib to return home so he could tell the story of what happened… God wants a witness that can tell the story… and just like that his children (at least seemingly) without provocation killed him.
22 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 other, and guided them on every side.
Everything has a purpose
See, God has a purpose in everything he does… By destroying the Assyrians the Lord put a stop to all other invasions and created a period of peace for the Kingdom of Judah.
23 And many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.
People will reward faithfulness
The people of God saw that Hezekiah prayed and remained faithful throughout this exchange and as a consequence they blessed him according to his faithfulness.
If you can stay faithful God will reward faithfulness without you having to actually lift a single finger.
Provide Key Takeaways
Provide Key Takeaways
Maintain your own prayer life so you do not become dependent on someone else to bless you or pray for you.
Watch your enemies that you do not become confounded when they speak your same language.
God will make provision for you, even if it means destroying your enemies.
Allow for Final Questions?
Allow for Final Questions?
Write some of the questions down if possible.
Roll Call & Prayer Requests
Roll Call & Prayer Requests
Prayer: Do yourself unless otherwise led
Prayer: Do yourself unless otherwise led