Jeremiah Study – History on the Kings – Part 1 Lesson 7

The Jeremiah Study from Tabernacle of David Restored, in Edom

Presented by Jaco van der Merwe
The Tabernacle of David Restored in Edom
Produced by Kimberly Rogers Brown – The Messianic Message

 

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Jeremiah Study Part-1 Lesson-7 The History of the Kings of Israel.pdf

 

DISCLAIMER! WHEN WE SAY THE WORD “JEWS” or “THE JEWS”, WE MEAN THE RELIGIOUS JEWS, THE CHABAD CABAL AND OTHER JEWISH LEADERSHIP AND THOSE FROM THE HOUSE OF JUDAH WHO SUBSCRIBE TO CHABAD’S EVIL DOCTRINES. I DO NOT MEAN CULTURAL JEWS OR ALL JEWISH PEOPLE!

 

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Listen to our Tuesday Midrash

Note on Midrash: 

I mentioned during commentary on the Jer 31:31 covenant that it is “like the first” but different because Like does not have to mean exactly the same. I should have said, covenant not like the first, I miss spoke. The message is still the same and my “miss spoke” does not change the understanding of the bigger picture.

Jer 31:31-32 MKJV  Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Jehovah;

Jeremiah Study – History on the Kings – Part 1 Lesson 7
2Kings 18-20 & 2Chronicles 32

 

Lead in:

Last week we ended Hezekiah’s study about ½ way through. Hezekiah became King of Judah and immediately restored relationship with Yahweh by repairing the Temple and doing the Passover. He invited the Tribes in the North to join, just as the Torah commanded that the feasts are for all Israel and everyone that wish to join to Israel. Everybody who was left in the land was invited. Many people made fun of this gesture, but many people did not and went to Jerusalem for Passover. Their hearts were moved and after the feasts they went back to their cities and tore down the high places of Idol worship and got rid of the Asherah poles and Ba’al altars. Everyone that went to the feast did so and got rid of Idolatry in all Judah and Benjamin, also in Ephraim and Manasseh.

Now, years have passed and Hezekiah became very ill. In Isaiah chapter 38 the prayer of Hezekiah was recorded. Let’s go read it. 

 

Isaiah Chapter 38
Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

Isa 38:1 MKJV In those days Hezekiah was sick to death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, So says Jehovah, Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.
Isa 38:2 MKJV Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to Jehovah,
Isa 38:3 MKJV and said, Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and have done the good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping.
Isa 38:4 MKJV Then came the Word of Jehovah to Isaiah, saying,

Isa 38:5 MKJV Go and say to Hezekiah: So says Jehovah, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add to your days fifteen years.
Isa 38:6 MKJV And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. And I will defend this city.

Isa 38:7 MKJV And this shall be a sign to you from Jehovah that Jehovah will do this thing that He has spoken:
Isa 38:8 MKJV behold, I will bring again the shadow of the steps, which has gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten steps backward. So the sun returned ten steps, by which steps it had gone down.
Isa 38:9 MKJV The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
Isa 38:10 MKJV I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave; I have numbered the rest of my years.
Isa 38:11 MKJV I said, I shall not see Jah, Jehovah, in the land of the living; I shall look on man no more with the people of the world.
Isa 38:12 MKJV My generation is departed and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent; I have cut off my life like a weaver; He will cut me off from the loom; from day even to night You will make an end of me.
Isa 38:13 MKJV I place Him before me until morning, that, as a lion, so He breaks all my bones; from day even until night You make an end of me.
Isa 38:14 MKJV Like a twittering swallow, so I chatter; I mourn as a dove; my eyes look weakly to the heights. O Jehovah, I am pressed down; be surety for me.
Isa 38:15 MKJV What shall I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has acted; I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.
Isa 38:16 MKJV O Jehovah, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit; so You will recover me, and make me to live.
Isa 38:17 MKJV Behold, I had great bitterness for peace; but You loved my soul from the pit of destruction. You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
Isa 38:18 MKJV For the grave cannot praise You, death can not rejoice in You; they who go down into the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
Isa 38:19 MKJV The living, the living, he shall praise You, as I do this day; the father shall make Your truth known to the sons.
Isa 38:20 MKJV For Jehovah is for my salvation; and we will sing my songs on the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of Jehovah.
Isa 38:21 MKJV For Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs and rub it on the ulcer; and he will live.
Isa 38:22 MKJV And Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah?

 

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

Hezekiah became sick just before or during the time that the Assyrians came down to besiege the land of Judah. The feast was going on for a while now, but Hezekiah’s health was failing him. He trusted in Yahweh and prayed and reminded Yahweh about the good deeds he did in restoring the feasts and the repentance of the people. Yahweh heard Hezekiah’s prayer and sent the prophet Isaiah to speak to the King and added 15 more years to his life. Yahweh also assured him that He will save them out of the hands of the Assyrians.

The tribe of Judah was the last of the 12 tribes left when Hezekiah took throne (2Ki 17:18). The Assyrians would have taken the tribe of Judah as well if Hezekiah did not repent, but yet, Yahweh made it clear that he is saving Jerusalem and those of the Tribe of Judah because of His promise to David and for His own Name sake in making this promise, and not because of Hezekiah’s repentance or because of the remnant of Israel that was left. Let’s go and look at the promise made to King David in 2Samuel:

 

2Sa 7:10 MKJV And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more. Neither shall the sons of wickedness afflict them anymore, as before.
2Sa 7:11 MKJV And even from the time that I commanded judges to be over My people of Israel, so will I cause you to rest from all your enemies. Also Jehovah tells you that He will make you a house.
2Sa 7:12 MKJV And when your days are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who shall come out of your bowels. And I will make his kingdom sure.
2Sa 7:13 MKJV He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2Sa 7:14 MKJV I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the sons of men.
2Sa 7:15 MKJV But My mercy shall not leave him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you.
2Sa 7:16 MKJV And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.

 

Every righteous King after King David that walked with Yahweh thought himself to be this promised seed. All of them died by either sickness, murder or old age. King Solomon, who was the 1st candidate for this promise broke Torah by marrying many wives and gathering riches to himself.

Let’s look at the commandment for kings:

Deu 17:14 MKJV When you come to the land which Jehovah your God gives you, and shall possess it and shall live in it and shall say, I will set a King over me, like all the nations around me,
Deu 17:15 MKJV you shall surely set a King over you, whom Jehovah your God shall choose. You shall set a King over you from among your brothers. You may not set a stranger over you, who is not your brother.
Deu 17:16 MKJV But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, so as to multiply horses, because Jehovah has said to you, You shall return no more that way from now on.
Deu 17:17 MKJV Nor shall he multiply wives to himself, so that his heart does not turn away. Nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold to himself.

We learned that Solomon broke these 2 commandments and the result was that the Kingdom of Israel was split into 2. This promised seed now had to re-unite the Tribes of Israel back into one nation as well as take the Throne forever. David had to unite the tribes when he became King. King Hezekiah was the first King after Solomon that attempted this by means of the feasts, but he became ill and his enemies pressed against his boarders. It is important to understand that Hezekiah was on his death bed. He could not establish the Throne forever if he died. King Hezekiah was not this promised seed as it was told to King David.

David prophesied in the Psalms about the coming King of promise. The most famous one is Psalm 110. Then we had Isaiah who prophesied about the signs of the coming King of promise, the seed of David. Yeshua was to come from the Tribe of David, the tribe of Judah, and because of this promise, Yahweh always made a way for Judah to keep standing, even though all the rest of the tribes was being conquered and taken captive.

Let’s go and read the testimony of Luke given and see what Peter had to say about the death and resurrection of Yeshua:

Act 2:22 MKJV Men, Israelites, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by powerful works, and wonders and miracles, which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know,
Act 2:23 MKJV this One given to you by the before-determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by lawless hands, crucifying Him, you put Him to death;
Act 2:24 MKJV whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
Act 2:25 MKJV For David speaks concerning Him, “I foresaw the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, that I should not be moved.
Act 2:26 MKJV Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad; and also My flesh shall rest in hope,
Act 2:27 MKJV because You will not leave My soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:28 MKJV You revealed to Me the ways of life. You will fill Me with joy with Your countenance.”
Act 2:29 MKJV Men, brothers, it is permitted to say to you with plainness as to the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
Act 2:30 MKJV Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit upon his throne,
Act 2:31 MKJV seeing this beforehand, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor would His flesh see corruption,
Act 2:32 MKJV God raised up this Jesus, of which we all are witnesses.
Act 2:33 MKJV Therefore being exalted to the right of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you now see and hear.
Act 2:34 MKJV For David has not ascended into the heavens, but he says himself, “The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand (quote from Ps110)
Act 2:35 MKJV until I place Your enemies as a footstool to Your feet.”
Act 2:36 MKJV Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God made this same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Act 2:37 MKJV And hearing this, they were stabbed in the heart, and said to Peter and to the other apostles, Men, brothers, what shall we do?
Act 2:38 MKJV Then Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Act 2:39 MKJV For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all those afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.

The last recorded question asked to Yeshua before He ascended was the following:

Act 1:6 MKJV Then, indeed, these coming together, they asked Him, saying, Lord, do You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
Act 1:7 MKJV And He said to them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority.

Yeshua had all the power to restore the Kingdom of Israel on earth after He was resurrected, right there and then. Why did He not do it…. Or did He? Back then, there were prophecies left that needed to be fulfilled, and even today there are prophecies that need to be fulfilled before Yahweh’s Kingdom on Earth can be re-established. We need to understand the failure of the kings first, so we will discuss this matter in more depth in the 3rd part of the Jeremiah study.

Being sick, Hezekiah was laying in his bed and reminding Yahweh of what he did in his lifetime.

Isa 38:3 MKJV and said, Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and have done the good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping.

Let’s recap by bringing in the book of Hosea to our study: In Hos 11:12 we read the following:

Hos 11:12 MKJV Ephraim circles around Me with lying, and the house of Israel with deceit. But Judah still rules with God, and is faithful with the saints.

Then Chapter 12:1 and 2 goes with this:

Hos 12:1-2 MKJV Ephraim feeds on wind and follows after the east wind. He daily multiplies lies and cruelty. And they make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt. Jehovah also has a quarrel with Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings He will repay him.

Hezekiah was the most righteous King since King David (2Ki18:5), because of his trust in Yahweh. There was no king that trusted Yahweh since after David up to Hezekiah or even after Hezekiah. So, when we read in Hos 11:12 that Judah still rules with God, and is faithful with the Saints”, it tell us that the last part of Hosea was written during the time of King Hezekiah’s repentance and reformation.

Hosea Chapters 13 and 14 would have played out when Hezekiah sent envoys to the tribes of Israel to join the Passover in Jerusalem to repent and return to Yahweh. Let’s read from Hosea from the last verse of chapter 11 to the end, for completeness.

The Lord’s Indictment of Israel and Judah

Hos 11:12 MKJV Ephraim circles around Me with lying, and the house of Israel with deceit. But Judah still rules with God, and is faithful with the saints.
Hos 12:1 MKJV Ephraim feeds on wind and follows after the east wind. He daily multiplies lies and cruelty. And they make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.
Hos 12:2 MKJV Jehovah also has a quarrel with Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings He will repay him. 
Hos 12:3 MKJV He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God. 
Hos 12:4 MKJV Yes, he wept and cried to Him, and he had power over the Angel and overcame. He found him in Bethel, and there He spoke with us, 
Hos 12:5 MKJV even Jehovah, the God of Hosts. Jehovah is His memorial. 
Hos 12:6 MKJV Therefore turn to your God; keep mercy and judgment, and wait on your God forever. 
Hos 12:7 MKJV He is a merchant; the scales of deceit are in his hand; he loves to oppress. 
Hos 12:8 MKJV And Ephraim said, Yet I have become rich, I have found much wealth for myself. In all my labors they shall find in me no iniquity that is sin. 
Hos 12:9 MKJV And I Jehovah, who have been your God from the land of Egypt, will yet make you to dwell in tents as in the days of the appointed feast. 
Hos 12:10 MKJV I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions and have used parables by the hand of the prophets. 
Hos 12:11 MKJV Is there iniquity in Gilead? Surely they are vanity; they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal. Yes, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields. 
Hos 12:12 MKJV And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept watch. 
Hos 12:13 MKJV And by a prophet Jehovah brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was kept safe. 
Hos 12:14 MKJV Ephraim provoked Me to anger most bitterly; therefore he shall leave his blood on him, and his Lord shall turn his reproach to him. 

The Lord’s Relentless Judgment on Israel

Hos 13:1 MKJV When Ephraim spoke trembling, he was lifted up in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.
Hos 13:2 MKJV And now they sin more and more, and have made themselves a molten image of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves. 

Hos 13:3 MKJV Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passes away, as the chaff storm-driven out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. 
Hos 13:4 MKJV Yet I am Jehovah your God from the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but Me. For there is no Savior besides Me.
Hos 13:5 MKJV I have known you in the wilderness, in the land of great dryness. 
Hos 13:6 MKJV According to their pasture, so were they filled. They were filled and their heart was lifted up. Therefore they have forgotten Me. 
Hos 13:7 MKJV Therefore I will be as a lion to them; as a leopard by the way I will watch them. 
Hos 13:8 MKJV I will meet them like a bereaved bear, and will tear the lining of their heart. And there I will devour them like a lion; the wild beast shall tear them. 
Hos 13:9 MKJV O Israel, you have destroyed yourself; but in Me is your help. 
Hos 13:10 MKJV Where is your king now, that he may save you in all your cities; and your judges of whom you said, Give me a king and rulers? 
Hos 13:11 MKJV I gave you a king in My anger, and took him away in My wrath. 
Hos 13:12 MKJV The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin hidden. 
Hos 13:13 MKJV The pains of a woman in travail shall come to him. He is an unwise son; for he cannot stand still in the time of the breaking forth of sons. 
Hos 13:14 MKJV I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, where are your plagues; O Grave, where is your ruin! Repentance shall be hidden from My eyes. 
Hos 13:15 MKJV Though he is fruitful among his brothers, an east wind shall come. The wind of Jehovah shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall be ashamed, and his fountain shall be dried up. He shall plunder the treasure of all desirable vessels. 
Hos 13:16 MKJV Samaria shall become a waste, for she has rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword. Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women shall be ripped up. 

 

A Plea to Return to the Lord

Hos 14:1 MKJV O Israel, return to Jehovah your God, for you have fallen by your iniquity. 
Hos 14:2 MKJV Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah. Say to Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, that we may repay with the calves of our lips. 
Hos 14:3 MKJV Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses. Nor shall we say any more to the work of our hands, Our gods, for in You the fatherless finds mercy. 
Hos 14:4 MKJV I will heal their backslidings; I will love them freely; for My anger has turned away from him. 
Hos 14:5 MKJV I will be as the dew to Israel; he shall grow as the lily and cast out his roots like Lebanon. 
Hos 14:6 MKJV His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
Hos 14:7 MKJV They who dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive like the grain, and grow like the vine. Their scent shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
Hos 14:8 MKJV Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him and watched him; I am like a green fir tree. Your fruit is found from Me.
Hos 14:9 MKJV Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? Understanding, and he shall know them? For the ways of Jehovah are right, and the just shall walk in them; but sinners shall fall in them. 

Many people all over the Tribes of Israel joined the feast in Jerusalem. This happened when Hosea was king in Ephraim. He was the king that was a result of Yahweh’s anger, when He placed King Jeroboam 1st on over the Northern tribes. Some of the people of the Northern tribes was taken captive, but those who were left did join Judah for the feast. Hezekiah did manage, to some degree, to re-unite the tribes, but he was not the awaited King Messiah from prophecy. Laying sick in his death bed would have proven this to him.

Paul told us the following in the book of Galatians:

Gal 3:16 MKJV And to Abraham and to his Seed the promises were spoken. It does not say, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, “And to your Seed,” which is Christ.

In Judaism they teach that there are many messiahs, but the promise to Abraham was that there will be one seed, one Messiah, and in Him all the Nations will be blessed. Israel is 12 Tribes. Israel was always 12 Tribes. There is no indication in scripture that Israel was limited to the House of Judah only. Before the King of Ephraim was taken, the Northern tribes joined with the tribe of Judah, and the remnant of Israel was always present as 12 Tribes Israel. And thanks to Yahweh’s blessing and King Hezekiah’s effort, the remnant of Ephraim was awakened and given hope before the Assyrians besieged them and destroyed their rulership. These will be the remnant that we will read about when we get to King Josiah and the Jeremiah story.

 

Let’s carry on with Hezekiah’s story in scripture. We will be reading from 2Chronicles Chapter 32 and 2Kings Chapter 18 to 20.

2Chronicles – Chapter 32
Sennacherib Invades Judah
1 After these things, and their establishment, Sennacherib King of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fortified cities, and thought to win them for himself. 
2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, 
3 He took counsel with his rulers and his mighty men to stop the water of the fountains that were outside the city: and they did help him. 
4 So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the middle of the land, saying, Why should the King of Assyria come, and find much water? 
5 Also he strengthened himself, and built up all of the wall that was broken, and raised up to the towers, and another wall outside, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made spears and shields in abundance. 
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, saying, 
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:
8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is YHVH our Elohim to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people found rest by the words of Hezekiah King of Judah.

 

2Chronicles – Chapter 32
Sennacherib Blasphemes

9 After this did Sennacherib King of Assyria send his servant to Jerusalem – but he himself laid siege against Lachish and all his power with him – to Hezekiah King of Judah, and to all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, 
10 This says Sennacherib King of Assyria, On what do you trust, that you stay in the siege in Jerusalem? 
11 Does not Hezekiah persuade you to die by famine and by thirst, saying, YHVH our Elohim shall deliver us out of the hand of the King of Assyria? 
12 Has not the same Hezekiah taken away his idol temples and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, You shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it? 
13 Know you not what I, and my Fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the elohim of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand? 
14 Who was there among all the elohim of those nations that my Fathers utterly destroyed, which could deliver their people out of my hand, that your Elohim should be able to deliver you out of my hand? 
15 Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this matter, neither believe him: for no elohim of any nation, or Kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my Fathers: how much less shall your Elohim deliver you out of my hand? 
16 And his servant spoke even more things against YHVH Elohim, and against His servant Hezekiah
17 He wrote also letters to rail on YHVH Elohim of Yisrael, and to speak against Him, saying, As the elohim of the nations of the other lands have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the Elohim of Hezekiah deliver His people out of my hand. 
18 Then they cried with a loud voice in the speech of Judah to the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to frighten them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city. 
19 And they spoke against the Elohim of Jerusalem, as against the elohim of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of the hands of man. 

 

Let’s go read the recorded account in the book of 2Kings as well:

2Kings – Chapter 18
Sennacherib Attacks Judah

13 Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah did Sennacherib King of Assyria come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them.
14 And Hezekiah King of Judah sent to the King of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have done wrong; return from me: that which you put on me will I bear. And the King of Assyria appointed to Hezekiah King of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the House of YHVH, and in the treasures of the King’s house.
16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the Temple of YHVH, and from the pillars which Hezekiah King of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the King of Assyria.
17 And the King of Assyria sent Tartan and Rav-Saris and Rav-Shakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with great armies against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they had come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the Launderers’ Field.
18 And when they had called to the King, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the Scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.
19 And Rav-Shakeh said to them, Speak now to Hezekiah, This says the great King, the King of Assyria, What confidence is this in which you trust?
20 You say, but they are but vain words, I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?
21 Now, see, you trust upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh King of Egypt to all that trust in him.
22 But if you say to me, We trust in YHVH our Elohim: is not that He, whose idol temples and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?
23 Now therefore, I ask you, give pledges to my master the King of Assyria, and I will deliver you two thousand horses, if you are able to put riders on them.
24 How then will you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
25 Have I now come up without YHVH against this place to destroy it? YHVH said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
26 Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, to Rav-Shakeh, Speak, I ask you, to your dervants in the Aramean language; for we understand it: but do not talk with us in the Jewish’s language in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
27 But Rav-Shakeh said to them, Has my master sent me to your master, and to you, to speak these words? Has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own urine with you.
28 Then Rav-Shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jewish’s language, and spoke, saying, Hear the word of the great King, the King of Assyria:
29 This says the King, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:
30 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in YHVH, saying, YHVH will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the King of Assyria.
31 Listen not to Hezekiah: for this says the King of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat every man of his own vine, and every man of his own fig tree, and drink every man the waters of his own cistern:
32 Until I come; and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and of honey, that you may live, and not die: and listen not to Hezekiah, when he misleads you, saying, YHVH will deliver us.
33 Have any of the elohim of the nations delivered at all its land out of the hand of the King of Assyria?
34 Where are the elohim of Hamath, and of Arpad? Where are the elohim of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
35 Who are they among all the elohim of the countries that have delivered their country out of my hand; that YHVH should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
36 But the people held their silence, and answered him not a word: for the King’s commandment said, Answer him not.
37 Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the Scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him all the words of Rav-Shakeh.

 

Sennacherib Attacks Judah

What did Hezekiah do to upset the King of Assyria. We read that Hezekiah did not submit to Assyria, which could also mean that he did not submit to their gods. The lands of Ephraim and Manasseh belonged to the King of Assyria and the gods of Assyria played a major role within their culture. When Hezekiah sent his messengers through Israel, which belonged to Assyria and then later caused the destruction of the altars and temples, the King of Assyria noticed. I believe it is safe to say that the feasts were still on going. And to add to this, Hezekiah never paid any Tribute to Assyria for 14 years now. King Ahaz did pay tribute when he was still alive, but king Hezekiah chose to fear Yahweh, rather than the King of Assyria, as it is written in the Torah.

The King of Assyria told the people of Judah to reject Yahweh and their King Hezekiah and to serve him instead, then he will spare their lives, else he will have his armies attack Jerusalem and those cities that were left and will do to them what he did to the defeated Israel. He went as far to mock Yahweh because of the one altar in Jerusalem only and that the people were only allowed to worship in Jerusalem. When we read that Hezekiah tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth, it was not because he was afraid of the Assyrian invasion. It was because of the blasphemy against Yahweh.

 

Next, we are going to read from 2Kings Chapters 19 and 20. These chapters are in correspondence to chapters 36 to 39 of Isaiah. Let’s go to 2Kings chapter 19 and continue our story.

2Kings – Chapter 19
Isaiah Reassures Hezekiah
1 And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the House of YHVH.
2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the Scribe, and the Elders of the Priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
3 And they said to him, This says Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
4 It may be YHVH your Elohim will hear all the words of Rav-Shakeh, whom the King of Assyria his master has sent to reproach the living Elohim; and will reprove the words which YHVH your Elohim has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that are left.
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said to them, This shall you say to your master, This says YHVH, Be not afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servant of the King of Assyria have blasphemed Me.
7 See, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumor, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

 

Isaiah Reassures Hezekiah

Eliakim was appointed over the household of Hezekiah. The person who is over the household of the King is the guy that rules instead of the King when the King leaves the country or become incapacitated. Eliakim was second in charge of the Kingdom. After the death of King Ahaz and before the King of Assyria came against Hezekiah and Jerusalem, Isaiah had a prophecy about Eliakim and the beginning of the destruction of the house of Judah in Chapter 22.

Isa 22:20 MKJV And in that day it shall be, even I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah.
Isa 22:21 MKJV and I will clothe him with your robe, and will fasten your girdle on him, and I will give your authority into his hand. And he shall be a father to the people of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

A few verses earlier we read that Hilkiah was placed in the position of keeper of the household in the place of Shebna, and he again was appointed as a scribe to the household of the King, which we read in 2Kings chapter 19.

This prophecy of Isaiah gives us an idea of how and where the book of Isaiah fits into the history of the kings of Israel, and will make a huge difference in understanding Isaiah correctly, regarding the historical and political times of his prophecies. In other words, the prophecies from Chapter 22 to 39 were given during the time that Hezekiah was King over Israel.

 

2Kings – Chapter 19
Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the House of YHVH, and spread it before YHVH.
15 And Hezekiah made prayer before YHVH, and said, O YHVH Elohim of Israel, who dwells between the cheruvim, You are the Elohim, even You alone, of all the Kingdoms of the earth: You have made the heaven and earth.
16 YHVH, incline Your ear, and listen: open, YHVH, Your eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living Elohim.
17 Truly, YHVH, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,
18 And have cast their elohim into the fire: for they were no elohim, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
19 Now therefore, O YHVH our Elohim, I beg You, save us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are YHVH Elohim, even You alone.

 

2Kings – Chapter 19
Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amos sent to Hezekiah, saying, This says YHVH Elohim of Israel, That which you have made prayer to Me against Sennacherib King of Assyria I have heard.
21 This is the word that YHVH has spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion has despised you, and laughed you to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you.
22 Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? And against whom have you exalted your voice, and lifted up your eyes on high? Even against the Holy – One of Israel.
23 By the messengers you have reproached YHVH, and have said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees, and the choice cypress trees: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of Carmel.
24 I have dug and drunk strange water, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the great rivers.
25 Have you not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? Now have I brought it to pass, that you should lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps.
26 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as grass blasted before it is grown up.
27 But I know your sitting down, and your going out, and your coming in, and your rage against Me.
28 Because your rage against Me and your tumult is come up into My ears, therefore I will put My hook in your nose, and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
29 And this shall be an sign to you, You shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springs of the same; and in the third year sow, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits of it.
30 And the remnant that is escaped from the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
31 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of Har Zion: the zeal of YHVH of Hosts shall do this.
32 Therefore this says YHVH concerning the King of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
33 By the way that he came, by the same way shall he return, and shall not come into this city, says YHVH.
34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for My own sake, and for servant David’s sake.
35 And it came to pass that night; that the heavenly messenger of YHVH went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred eighty-five thousand men: and when they arose early in the morning, see, they were all dead corpses.
36 So Sennacherib King of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
37 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the House of Nisroch his elohim, that Adram-King and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esar-Haddon his son reigned in his place.

à Yahweh saved the House of Judah just as He promised Hezekiah. The prophecy of Micah did not come to pass yet. But now the question: Was this because of Hezekiah’s repentance and reformation or because of the arrogance of the King of Assyria to speak against Yahweh? We can only speculate, let’s carry on.

 

2Kings – Chapter 20
Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
1 In those days was Hezekiah sick and near death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, This says YHVH, Set your house in order; for you shall die, and not live.
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and made prayer to YHVH, saying,
3 I beg You, O YHVH, remember now how I have had my halacha before You in truthfulness and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept heavily.
4 And it came to pass, before Isaiah had gone out into the inner court, that the word of YHVH came to him, saying,
5 Return, and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, This says YHVH, the Elohim of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears: see, I will heal you: on the third day you shall go up to the house of YHVH.
6 And I will add to your days fifteen years; and I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the King of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.
7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What shall be the sign that YHVH will heal me, and that I shall go up into the House of YHVH the third day?
9 And Isaiah said, This sign shall you have of YHVH, that YHVH will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow go forth ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?
10 And Hezekiah answered, It would be easy for the shadow to go down ten degrees: no, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.
11 And Isaiah the prophet cried to YHVH: and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.

 

2Chronicles – Chapter 32
The Lord Delivers Jerusalem

20 And for this cause Hezekiah the King, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amos, made prayer and cried to the heavens.
21 And YHVH sent a heavenly Angel, who cut off all the mighty men of bravery, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the King of Assyria. So he returned with shame to his own land. And when he had come into the House of his elohim, they that were his own offspring killed him there with the sword. 
22 So YHVH saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the King of Assyria, and from the hands of all others, and guided them on every side. 
23 And many brought gifts to YHVH to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah King of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from then on. 

Hezekiah became sick just before or during the time that the Assyrians came down to besiege the land of Judah. The feast was going on for a while now, but it looks like there were problems in the spiritual life of King Hezekiah and his household. It is even possible that the event of Isaiah 22 played out because of this and Eliakim then became the keeper of the household and replaced Shebna, who was then demoted to being a scribe only.

Many times, scripture have parts that over shadow each other. Let’s try and piece it all together. Hezekiah knew Yahweh, the Elohim of David his father, when he became king. He restored the Temple and broke down the high places of Idol worship, not just in Judea, but also in the territories of Benjamin and Manasseh. He restored the feasts in Jerusalem, starting with a Passover. Doing this he went against the King of Assyria and gave him a reason to go to war. 14 years passed, and Hezekiah became ill. During the time of his illness, the kingdom started to backslide, and the King of Assyria started to besiege the fortified cities of Judah.

King Hezekiah prayed to Yahweh, and Isaiah told him to get his house in order. Hilkiah is then placed over the household and the prophecy of Isaiah 22 is fulfilled. During all this, a messenger of the King of Assyria is sent down to give those in Jerusalem a decree to surrender. Rather than dying, Yahweh added 15 years to Hezekiah’s life and healed him, so Hezekiah strengthened the fortifications of Jerusalem. He then dried up the water that flowed from Jerusalem down to the valley, so that the King of Assyria would not have fresh water while besieging Jerusalem. The Assyrian siege failed because of a rumor that Ethiopia was attacking Assyria and an angel of Yahweh killed 185,000 of the Assyrian’s soldiers. After returning to Nineveh, Sennacherib, King of Assyria, was killed by his sons while praying to his gods, 3 years after his siege on Judah.

King Hezekiah was healed by Yahweh and received 15 more years to live. Hezekiah also received praise for his victory against the Assyrians, even though it was Yahweh who fought this battle for Israel. Because of Hezekiah’s faith and trust in Yahweh, rather than Assyria, he was blessed greatly and he restored the riches to the Temple and to the Kings house.

 

 

Assyria was defeated and they left. They had internal conflicts and Sennacherib was killed by his own sons. In these times Babylon made war against Assyria. In time, Babylon would defeat them, just as Isaiah prophesied. The arrogance of Sennacherib against Yahweh was the end of them. King Hezekiah was praised for his victory against Assyria, even though Yahweh fought this battle. The History of Assyria and Babylon goes beyond the scope of this teaching, but you can search it on the internet.

Let’s finish the last part of king Hezekiah’s story.

2Chronicles – Chapter 32
Hezekiah’s Pride and Achievements

24 In those days Hezekiah was sick, near to death, and made prayer to YHVH and He spoke to him, and He gave him a sign. 
25 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the good done to him; for his heart was lifted up in pride: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 
26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself from the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of YHVH came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah. 
27 And Hezekiah had exceeding riches and honor: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels; 
28 Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of beasts, and folds for flocks. 
29 Also he provided for himself cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance: for Elohim had given him very much substance. 
30 Hezekiah himself also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. 
31 However in the business of the ambassadors sent from the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to seek information about all the wonders that were done in the land, Elohim left him alone, to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart. 
32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his good deeds, see, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos, and in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Yisrael.
33 And Hezekiah slept with his Fathers, and they buried him in the best of the tombs of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem gave him great honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

 

2Kings – Chapter 20
Hezekiah and the Babylonian Envoys

12 At that time Berodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan, King of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
13 And Hezekiah listened to them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.
14 Then came Isaiah the prophet to King Hezekiah, and said to him, What did these men say? And from where did they come to you? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.
15 And he said, What have they seen in your house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in my house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.
16 And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Hear the word of YHVH.
17 See, the days come, that all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, says YHVH.
18 And of your sons that shall issue from you, that you shall beget, shall they take away; and they shall be officers in the palace of the King of Babylon.
19 Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, good is the word of YHVH which you have spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?

21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

 

Hezekiah and the Babylonian Envoys

A famous quote from Yeshua:

Mat 7:6 MKJV Do not give that which is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and tear you.

Babylonians defeated the Assyrians. This is the 1st time in Scripture that we read about the Babylonians. Assyria was an ancient Kingdom of Northern Mesopotamia centered on the cities of Ashur and Nineveh. Babylon was an ancient city which ruled over southern Mesopotamia. Today we know them as Iraq. Technically speaking, it is the same people, but in different eras of time. This is important to understand. When Yahweh’s people fall into idolatry, He raises up their enemies to bring upon them the promises curses for not keeping His Torah. It is a continuous cycle. These nations, together with the Persians (modern day Iran), will play a major role in end time prophecies.

 

Lead Out

 

Next week we will finish Part 1 of our study with King Manasseh and Amon, his son.

 

 

Judah Israel Prophets
Destruction of Judah Judah was destroyed in the time of Ahaz
Ahaz Desecrated the Temple of Yahweh
Ahaz Brought Assyrian practices to the Temple
120K soldiers was killed in one day
200K captives ended up in Jericho
Temple was raided
Edomites smote Judah and took captives
Philistines invaded cities in the south
Of all Tribes, only Judah was left (2Ki17:18)
Judah did not guard the Torah of Yahweh
Hoshea Reigned from the 12th year of Ahaz
Reigned for 9 Years
Became the servant of the King of Assyria
Conspired with Egypt against Assyria
Was captured by the King of Assyria
Isaiah Hosea Micah Jonah
Hezekiah Reigned from the 3rd year of King Hosea
Was 25 and reigned 29 years
Did which was right in the eyes of Yahweh
Walked like King David, his father
Removed the Idolatry from the land of Judah
Rebelled and did not serve the King of Assyria
4th year to 7th year of his reign, Israel was sieged
Cleaned the Temple
Restored Temple worship
Held a great feast for all Israel
– Gathered the remnants of Israel to repentance
Organised the priests and Levites
14th year, Assyria came against Judah
Hezekiah submit to Assyria and paid tribute
King of Assyria cursed Yahweh and was slain
Prophet Isaiah counselled Hezekiah
Hezekiah showed Babylon his riches
Isaiah prophesied destruction
Fall of Israel In the 9th year of Hosea, Israel fell
Israel feared other elohim and not Yahweh
They walked in the statues of heathen
Set up images of Asherah
Burned incense in temples of idolsThey would not listen to the prophetsRejected Yahweh’s Torah
Had their children pass through fire
Used divination and enchantments
Isaiah Hosea Micah Jonah
Assyria resettles Samaria Assyrians exiled the house of Israel
Assyria resettled the Israelite lands
Adapted their religion so to fear Yahweh
Fear Yahweh but worship own gods
Did not keep Yahweh’s Torah
Had no concept of Yahweh’s covenant
Isaiah Hosea Micah Jonah
Manasseh

 

Kimberly Rogers-Brown has been teaching Torah and special Bible topics since 2008. She is also the author and publisher of Beast Watch News dot com and is heard internationally via two radio programs on Hebrew Nation Radio. Kimberly now lives in Aqaba, Jordan close to the Exodus wilderness area where the Bride (i.e. "the woman" of Revelation 12:6) will flee for 1260 days of the Great Tribulation.