.December 1924
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T H E ^ K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S
( 6 ) How many angels were used in the destruction of the Assyrian king? (Isa. 37:36) (7) Is sickness often a means of grace? ( 8 ) Has God, or His power, changed since this story was written? (9) What is the greatest lesson to you from the study of these three chapters? 18:1-3. Ha was a good son of a bad father, Ahaz; and Ahaz was the bad son of a good father, Jotham; after the good Hezekiah came his bad son, Manasseh. But there must have been reasons back of these seeming contradictions. In Hezekiah’s case one may have been his COMMENTS mother, Abijah, the daughter (or FROM THE grand-daughter) of Zechariah. Twenty- COMMENTARLES nine Zechariah’s are mentioned in the V. V. Morgan Bible. This was nob the author of the book of prophecy, but may have been the prophet who had so much influence over King Uzziah (2 Chroa. 26:5). Isaiah also, who was so influential in Hezekiah's reign, may have been a leading factor in the lad’s education.—Peloubet. 18:4. The methods adopted by this good king for extir pating idolatry, and accomplishing a thorough reformation in religion, are fully detailed (2 Chron. 29:3-31:19).— J, E. & B. For even that symbol of salvation by faith had become prostituted to idolatrous purposes, just as the sym bol of the cross of Christ has become abused in degenerate Christendom.—Horn. Com. 18:5. Of course David and Solomon are excepted, they having had the sovereignty of the whole country. In the petty kingdom of Judah, Josiah alone had a similar testi mony borne to him (ch. 28:25).— J. F. & B. 18:9-12. Interposed in the story to mark the date of its occurrence in Hezekiah’s reign, so that while this good king was restoring Judah to alliance with Jehovah, and recover ing the independency of the kingdom, the debasing kingdom of Israel was falling into ruins.—Horn. Com. 18:13. Compare Isaiah 36. This mighty Assyrian was with his vast armjj on his way to war with his hated and dreaded rival, Egypt. Hezekiah trembled as this terrible foe swept down upon the land; and being without support from Egypt, he purchased temporary respite by a heavy tribute valuing 351,000 pounds, to raise which he had to empty the palace, and even strip the gold from the temple (vs. 16). — W. H. J. 18:19. The language of Rabshakeh is insulting through out. His claim to he acting for Jehovah (v. 25) is pure assumption, as the event shows. Eliakim's protest (v. 26) was a blunder in that it encouraged him to greater bold ness in seeking to influence the rank and file (vv. 28-35). ■—Gray. 19:1. The rending of his clothes was a mode of expressing horror at the daring blasphemy; the assumption of sack cloth a sign of his mental distress; his entrance into the temple to pray, the refuge of a pious man in affliction; and the forwarding an account of the Assyrian’s speech to Isaiah was to obtain the prophet’s counsel and comfort.—J. F. & B. 19:8. Rabshakeh did not commence the siege immed iately, but joined the main army again at Lihnah (v. 18), to which place Sennacherib retired on the approach of the Egyptian king (v, 9).-—Gray. 19:21-34. This answer contains (1 ), a rebuke of Sennach erib’s boast (vv. 21-24); ( 2 ), a refutation of his self-asser tion (vv. 25-28); (3 ), an encouragement to Judah and Hezekiah (vv. 29-31); and (4 ), the divine decree irf regard to the crisis (vv. 32-34).— Sel. 19:35. The execution of the decree brings to mind such modern parallels as the destruction of the Spanish Armada by the storm, and the breaking up of the French army be fore Moscow when in one memorable night 20,000 horses perished of frost.-—Lange. 20:13-18. We should he taught to cry out every day against vainglory. Do not you believe there may be as much pride in rags as in an alderman’s gown? Pride will grow on a dunghill, as well as in the king’s garden.—O. H. Spurgeon. A spirit of ostentation: 1. May mar a character otherwise commendable. 2. Excites the cupidity of the de signing. 3. Should be rebuked by the faithful minister. 4. Leads to ruinous consequences.—Horn. Com. 20:19. This rod smarted, yet good Hezekiah kisses it: his heart struck him no less than the mouth of the prophet;
The King of Assyria sought to terrify Hezekiah in his message (18:19-25, 27-37). Hezekiah and his: servants were troubled. They clothed themselves in sackcloth and ashes, and Hezekiah sent a message to God’s servant, Isaiah. The answer came, “ Thus saith the Lord. Be not afraid. Behold I will send a blast upon him.” Hezekiah received Rabshekah’s letter, read it, went to the place of prayer and poured out his heart before God (vs. 15-19), and received word from Isaiah that the Lord had heard his prayer. . ' The lessons of this chapter may be considered under three heads: (a) The Perpetual Perplexities Demanding Prayer. Hezekiah was the man chosen of God to be king, yet his whole life was filled with problems of a serious character. This has always been true. We are never free from per plexities in this earthly life. Our enemy is greater than Sennacherib, or any earthly king or potentate. Therefore we must be prepared by prayer to face him. Keep on your guard and keep on your knees. : (b) The Privilege and Power of Prayer. Prayer is not only a necessity but a supreme privilege. What a joy to know that we can reach the throne at any time! That our access is authorized by our Lord! Of course we must be right with God. Unconfessed sin shuts the door. Confes sion opens it wide, Let us live a life saturated with prayer. (c) Proof of God’s Answer to Prayer. When you pray, believe, and you can then rest in faith. We have a right to expect the answer, nob always in our way, hut in God’s way. Hezekiah did not know how God would answer. Keep on trusting. Keep on living right. Keep on praying the prayer of faith. (3) TESTIMONY AND TEARS OF, HEZEKIAH, Ch. 20. “ I have heard thy prayer. I have seen thy tears,” v. 5. We cannot devote much space to this wonderful chapter, which carries its own loving message. 2 Chron. 32 gives a fuller account of Hezekiah’s illness and recovery. (a) The Serious Sickness of the King. “ He was sick unto death.” He prayed, and God heard his prayers and answered by healing him. Nothing is too hard for God. We do not know what the will of God is, always, but we do know that He “ doeth all things well” , God had a purpose in Hezekiah’s life and prolonged it. It is a serious thing to live, and especially for a Christian. Life means opportunity and- responsibility. Pity the Christian that desires to live a long, lazy life, remembering that he must give account to God. (b) The Supernatural Power Manifested. “ I will add unto thy days fifteen years,” Hezekiah asked for a sign that the Lord would heal. This may seem like a lack of faith, but God recognizes the weakness of the best of saints. He responded to his request and worked a miracle. ; Hezekiah’s request is like the command of Joshua: “ Sun, stand thou still” . Scientists may spend a good deal of time denying its possibility, but it is recorded and we believe it. Hezekiah lived out the allotted time and was gathered to his fathers. Topics for Study (1) What would you select as the chief characteristic of Hezekiah? (2) How do you account for such a splendid character emanating from such a home as that of Ahaz? (3) Was the influence of Isaiah a special help to Hezekiah, and why? (4) Are there any boasters similar to Sennacherib in our day, and what is the foundation of their character? (5 ) Is Sennacherib a type of the Antichrist? (Dan. 11:36)
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