2Ki 19:1-18  Save us out of his hand that all may know that you are God alone

[Study Aired March 2, 2023]

2Ki 19:1  And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 
2Ki 19:2  And he sent Eliakim, which 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. 
2Ki 19:3  And they said unto him, Thus saith 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. 
2Ki 19:4  It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left. 
2Ki 19:5  So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 
2Ki 19:6  And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
2Ki 19:7  Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
2Ki 19:8  So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. 
2Ki 19:9  And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,
2Ki 19:10  Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 
2Ki 19:11  Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered? 
2Ki 19:12  Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar? 
2Ki 19:13  Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?
2Ki 19:14  And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
2Ki 19:15  And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
2Ki 19:16  LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.
2Ki 19:17  Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, 
2Ki 19:18  And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. 
2Ki 19:19  Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.

2Ki 19:1  And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
2Ki 19:2  And he sent Eliakim, which 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. 
2Ki 19:3  And they said unto him, Thus saith 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.
2Ki 19:4  It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left. 

These first verses demonstrate in type and shadow the way God’s elect will react when we come to know that this is the day of the Lord for us, which is why God’s judgments are upon us (1Pe 4:17). Rending our clothes and covering ourselves with sackcloth as Hezekiah did is a symbol of how we witness to this world with a broken and contrite heart (Isa 66:2) as we fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ (Rev 11:3, Col 1:24). That time of affliction is typified by the words of Hezekiah who states, “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.” This is true, we cannot bring forth this miraculous birth of being resurrected in the first resurrection of ourselves as Hezekiah reminded the people in type and shadow language, and yet if we are blessed to be turned to the Lord as we are humbled under His mighty hand, we will be exalted in due time by Christ who is “the resurrection, and the life” (Joh 11:25-26, Rom 5:6, 1Ti 2:6, 1Pe 5:6)

Rev 11:3 And I will be endowing My two witnesses and they will be prophesying a thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

Rom 5:6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 

1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

1Pe 5:5  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 
1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Hezekiah sees and understands the somberness of the situation they are facing with king Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and sends “Eliakim, which 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.” We need to go to the prophet to hear the word of the Lord so we can discern what God’s will is in the matter (Pro 11:14, Pro 24:6). Going to the prophet is a symbolic action from the old covenant that reminds us we must learn from each other the manifold wisdom of God as the Lord leads and inspires (Amo 3:7, Eph 3:10). 

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. 

Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Amo 3:7  Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Hezekiah, who is a type of Christ, sends three groups clothed in sackcloth, “Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, as a symbol of how we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior (2Pe 3:18) through a process of judgment that humbles us to be as a little child in our desire to learn  (Mat 18:3). 

Eliakim (“God establishes”) is over^{H5921=steward} the king’s house symbolizing our role being about our Father’s business (Gen 41:40, Luk 2:49400;”>)
Shebna^H7644  (“grow”) is the ‘recounter’ or ‘declarer’ bringing forth the new and the old (Mat 13:52)
The elders of the priests symbolize the holy nation which we are becoming through God working in our lives (Exo 19:6, Eph 2:10)

There is humility and hope in this statement of Hezekiah who says, “It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.” This tells us we don’t just sit back and expect that we are a shoe in for the first resurrection (Php 3:11-14). Rather, we take action (“wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left“) knowing that it is Christ who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, part of which is to “lift up thy prayer” for each other “for the remnant that are left” via “the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” the “holy Spirit of promise” that “helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Php 2:12-13, Php 1:19-20, Eph 1:14, Rom 8:26).

Php 1:19  For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
Php 1:20  According to my earnest expectation and my hope [expectation (Eph 1:14) hope (Col 1:27)], that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

2Ki 19:5  So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 
2Ki 19:6  And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
2Ki 19:7  Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

Isaiah was a major prophet of Hezekiah’s day, and these words would have been very reassuring to the king coming from someone whose track record was spotless regarding not saying something that was presumptuous in his flesh (Deu 18:22). 

Deu 18:22  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

The message to king Hezekiah is just as relevant for the body of Christ today that tells us not to fear what man can do to our flesh, but rather fear God (Luk 12:5, 1Pe 2:17, Luk 23:40, Ecc 12:13, Ecc 8:12, Rev 14:7), knowing that the battle is the Lord’s and that He will take vengeance on all our enemies, which typifies for us the spiritual destruction of our old man within which is certain to unfold as we look to Christ to accomplish this (1Sa 17:47, 2Th 2:8, Php 1:6, Heb 12:3).

We are all men and women of like passions, meaning all capable of all sin and not able to be anything other than what God has determined for us to become from the foundation of the world, and so Isaiah is used to encourage Hezekiah that he should “Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me” seeing it was for Hezekiah’s sake these thing were unfolding, just as our trials are so we may learn of God’s faithfulness through the storms (Psa 107:20-29). 

Psa 107:22  And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare his works with singing. 

Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble, And he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, So that the waves thereof are still.

The miracle God’s love can produce in those with whom he is working (1Jn 4:18, Rom 5:5), is so great and powerful that we don’t even need to give thought in that day (Mat 10:19-20) when we are persecuted to the extent that God has ordained for ourselves individually in this life, knowing it will never be beyond the measure we can endure (1Co 10:13) and that the Lord will always be with us in the midst of those fiery trials (1Pe 4:12, Luk 21:17, Dan 3:25). What he does to Hezekiah’s enemies is symbolic of what He does to our old man who must be destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming. “Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” This is what happens to our sinful nature within our “own land“, meaning our own iniquities will chasten us (Jer 2:19) and our carnal nature will be destroyed “by the sword in his own land.”  The carnal part of us is being destroyed by God’s word (“the sword“ Heb 4:12), and the new creation is profiting by the knowledge of Christ that quickens us (Joh 6:63).

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter, that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

Elias was a man of like passions as these verses demonstrate (1Ki 19:1-3, Jas 5:17-19), and God used him as He used Peter to show that our flesh has nothing to do with being brave and strong in the Lord, but rather it is a work of God that is done by faith (Php 2:12-13), and boasting is excluded by the law of faith (Rom 3:27), a faith that of necessity must be perfected by being put through the fiery trials or much tribulation of this life that bring us to cry out to our savior,  Jesus Christ (Act 14:22, Psa 107:30).

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

2Ki 19:8  So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. 
2Ki 19:9  And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,
2Ki 19:10  Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 
2Ki 19:11  Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered? 
2Ki 19:12  Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar?
2Ki 19:13  Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?

You cannot change the spots of a leopard, and so we see “Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish” (Jer 13:23), confirming that point of how the beastly nature does not go down easily and will continue to be proud and blasphemous right up to the end of our lives, which is why we must die daily and endure unto the end in order to be saved (Mat 24:13, 1Co 15:52). The king of Assyria represents that unwavering spirit of rebellion in flesh that is against the spirit (Gal 5:17) and can only be destroyed through Christ as we die daily by being baptized into His death (1Co 15:31, Rom 6:3). “Sennacherib” is a type and shadow of the god of this world who is the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2) working in and influencing the lives of leaders like “Rabshakeh” over whom Hezekiah, as type of the elect, will be more than a conqueror through God’s power (Rom 8:37). 

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would. 

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

2Ki 19:14  And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
2Ki 19:15  And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

All of the false accusations, the persecution, the reviling, and all manner of evil that was being spoken of against Hezekiah and brought to him at the hand of the messengers so he could read it, typifies for God’s elect these verses found in Matthew 5:10-12.

Mat 5:10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 
Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

The way in which we overcome those many persecutions is to cast our cares upon the Lord (1Pe 5:7) or “spread it before the LORD” who cares for us. It is our fervent prayers that avail much (Jas 5:16) as we are raised in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 2:6), symbolized by Hezekiah who “went up into the house of the LORD.“

1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

“Men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luk 18:1), which is the example that Hezekiah, who was a type of the elect, was demonstrating for our sakes. “And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims.” It was within that prayer he acknowledged God’s sovereignty as we do, being blessed to know this truth that is being reflected in these words: “thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.” 

Christ tells us about Himself that “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat 28:18), and so we “pray without ceasing” (1Th 5:17) and ask God to fulfill His will “in earth, as it is in heaven” which he has all power to do so (Mat 6:10) as the fit man of Leviticus 16:21 can and will do for His body that is represented as the scapegoat taken out into the wilderness. That is the only way the new heaven and the new earth can be made and the new Jerusalem received from above (Rev 21:2), typified again by Christ controlling another beast “a colt the foal of an ass” that was ridden into Jerusalem triumphantly (Php 2:12-13, Rev 21:1, Mat 21:5, Zec 9:9). If Christ is working in our lives, our trials are going to make us stronger instead of destroy us, and what will be destroyed is the sinful Adamic nature that must be put off so that we cease from sinning (1Co 3:17, 1Pe 4:1). Christ is the only one who can set us free from sin symbolized by His strength in taking the scapegoat and donkey where they were wont to go (Mat 5:13-18, Heb 12:6, Joh 21:18)

2Ki 19:16  LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.

We are learning one of the main reasons we have enemies in this section of scripture,  answered in verse 19, which says “that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only” (Rom 9:17). God’s elect are being sacrificed for the world who are enemies of the cross (Gal 2:20), demonstrated by their love of the things of the world, called friendship with the world (Jas 4:4, 1Jn 2:15). That friendship is our former conversation of Ephesian 2:2 which witnesses to us that we are naturally against Christ when His spirit is not ruling within our heavens.

We are called to learn of God’s love that makes it possible for us to love our enemies who serve us in their unbelief, not having been given eyes that see, or ears that hear which was all of us in our appointed time (Mar 8:17-18). Those who serve the living God are blessed to come into His presence and believe that He will “bow down his ear, and hear” the prayer of his people (Heb 11:6, Rom 3:27, Mat 6:33). We are given to believe in order to do the work of God (Joh 6:28-29), as we learn that His eyes are open to what is transpiring throughout the whole earth for our sakes (2Ch 16:9, 2Co 4:15).

2Ch 16:9  For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

God knows what is in the heart of every man and hears “the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God” (Gen 6:5, Mat 24:37). This blindness on the part of our enemies results in the persecution of God’s people as they seek an occasion against the flesh and bones of the Lord (Eph 5:30), and all this persecution is purposed according to the counsel of God’s will (Act 4:27-28, Eph 1:11) that brings us to our wits’ end in order to deepen our trust in Him as we cry out to our Lord for deliverance which He alone can bring (2Co 4:8-9, 2Co 1:9).

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 
2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

2Ki 19:17  Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,
2Ki 19:18  And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

As previously mentioned in an earlier study of Kings, Satan tries to remind us of our days of bondage and sin which can so easily beset us, which was what Rabshakeh was doing when he boasted about all the nations Sennacherib had conquered, and Hezekiah’s acknowledgement of this truth before God typifies our acknowledgement as God’s people that we understand only God can make war with the beast (Rev 13:4) and if the beast is still ruling the roost, then Christ has not yet intervened to destroy that enemy (Joh 8:36).

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Sennacherib’s casting of “their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them” are actions that can be seen as what God does to us when we have our faith purified by fiery trials, even by the wicked who are God’s sword in our lives (Psa 17:3). Every man in his own order will have all of the works of his life tried in the fire, but for the elect, that day of judgment is mercifully upon us now (1Co 3:11-16, 1Pe 4:17).

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; [“their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them“]
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

2Ki 19:19  Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.

Only God can save us out of the hand of our enemies, and that is what we beseech Him to do as Christ did and was heard in that He feared (Heb 5:7, 1Jn 4:17). We are admonished to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). This is what this impassioned plea of Hezekiah typifies for God’s elect today. It is our desire to be delivered from Satan, and against the powers and principalities that are working in the heavens of all mankind (Act 4:27-28, 2Ch 16:9, Mat 10:16). God hears the cry of His people and will deliver them so that one day “all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only” (Rev 11:15, Rev 4:8-11).

Act 4:27  For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

2Ch 16:9  For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. 

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Rev 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

[God sanctifies the church first, the body of Christ (Col 1:24) who acknowledge that process of holiness which comes from God with three holies, “Holy, holy, holy“, which reminds us how blessed we are to lose our life now in order to have the rest later (Act 20:35, Oba 1:21)]

Rev 4:9  And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 
Rev 4:10  The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Rev 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

“O Jehovah our God, save thou us, I beseech thee, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou Jehovah art God alone”