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2 Kings 20 - 21
Chapter 20:
Hezekiah becomes Critically Ill, but Survives
About the time Sennacherib was attacking Judah, King Hezekiah became sick. What a time to not be at one’s best. Perhaps the illness was stress related. Maybe a visitor might make him feel better. Here comes Isaiah, maybe he will help brighten the king’s mood. “Good morning, Your Royal Highness, how’re you doing?” After a few comments back and forth Isaiah gave him some less than welcome news. Verse 2, “Put your house in order because you are going to die.” What a shock! If he didn’t have a plan for his funeral, he needed one.
In the U.S. each president is expected to have funeral plans in place on becoming president. The Military District of Washington (MDW) has responsibility in overseeing state funerals and in all cases, must strictly follow the outline of a 138-page planning document.
He probably thought that being a righteous good king, and a religious reformer, he would be blessed with a longer life. He may have thought that his life-threatening illness was a sign that he had done something wrong. The idea that illness or other misfortune was caused by sin alone was a common idea back then, and even today. Job’s friends believed it. They told Job that he must have some hidden sins for all those bad things to have happened to him. Job protested. The disciples of Jesus believed it. Regarding the blind man, they asked, “who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind” (John 9:3). Jesus said, “neither of them sinned.” Sometimes bad things happen to good people for reasons we won’t know this side of eternity.
Isaiah left the room and Hezekiah wept and prayed, “O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes” (verse 2).”
Before Isaiah had even left the building he was told to go back to the king with another message. This message was more welcome than the first. Verses 5-6, “I heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. . . I will add fifteen years to your life.”
Not only would he be healed and be given 15 more years, “And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the King of Assyria” (verse 6).
James 5:16, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Verse 7 indicates that his fatal illness was a boil. A boil is a collection of thick liquid consisting of dead tissue, cells, and bacteria, produced in infected tissue. Apparently, a boil can lead to life-threatening complications. The infection can enter the bloodstream which can take the infection to the heart or bones and that’s not a good thing. Aren’t you glad I only gave you a definition didn’t go so far as to post a picture?
Dr. Isaiah recommended a poultice made of figs to help draw out the infection (verse 7). God chose to work through the accepted medical standards of the day. Today you might be advised to use a warm compress to relieve pain and promote drainage rather than a fig poultice. If needed, your doctor might cut it to drain it and give you some antibiotics. Now, let’s move from the field of medicine back to theology.
We don’t know if Hezekiah lived to regret having been given these extra fifteen years. Especially if the last five of the extra fifteen years were plagued by some catastrophic disease. God did promise him fifteen years of life, he didn’t promise him good health, also. Nor did he promise him welcomed visitors from other nations, peace, prosperity or a son who would prove to be godly.
Speaking of visitors from other nations, some visitors from Babylon arrived (verses 12-21). These visitors weren’t there just to wish the king good health, though their gifts of candy and motorcycle magazines, etc. (verse 12) for the ailing monarch which were much appreciated, I’m sure. Their real goal was to convince King Hezekiah to join them, along with the Egyptians in an alliance against the Assyrians. During their visit, wanting to be a gracious host, Hezekiah showed them around the palace, then the recently renovated temple. Then he showed them the treasury (Verse 16). “Look, this is where we store all of our gold.” I can’t imagine a president of the U.S. taking foreigners to the Ft. Knox Gold Bullion Depository at Ft. Knox, KY to show them the 147.3 million ounces of gold, worth around 190 billion dollars. “Now, let me show you our new high tech security system.” BTW, did you know that Ft. Knox also stores a large quantity of morphine? We wouldn’t want to run out of that in the event of a war or natural disaster.
I think Hezekiah let his pride get the best of him. He seems to have distracted them from the glory of God to impress them with his own wealth and grandeur (2 Chron. 32:31).
After the foreign dignitaries left, Isaiah came by to see how things were going. He asked the king what the visitors wanted and what they saw. “They saw everything in my palace, there is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them” (verse 15).
Isaiah was shocked and informed him that a time will come when all of the wealth will be carried off to Babylon” (verse 17). And if that’s not bad enough, verse 18, says, “some of your descendant, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
Hezekiah accepted what Isaiah said and asked in verse 19, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”
The chapter ends with a mention of a large tunnel that could bring water into the city. Very important in case there is a siege. And then he died. He was followed by his son Manasseh (verse 21).
Twenty years after Israel was attacked, Hezekiah built a tunnel 1700 feet (533 meters) long to provide underground access to the waters of the Gihon Spring, which lay outside the city
(2 Chron. 32:2-4). This tunnel was from two different directions in order to speed up the work in the face of the advancing enemy. There you can see the "Siloam inscription," which commemorates the meeting of the two teams. At the same time, a wall was built around the Siloam Pool, into which the spring waters were channeled; the wall continued westward and surrounded the city.
Isa. 22:11 You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, but you did not look to the One who made it or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.
Chapter 21:
Manasseh, King of Judah
Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, became king of Judah. He had the longest reign of any king in either Israel or Judah. He was also one of the evilest kings (verse 2). He rebuilt all the high places that his dad, King Hezekiah had destroyed, erected altars to Baal, sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery (using power of evil spirits) and divination, consulted mediums and spirits and even put a carved Asherah pole in the temple (verses 3-7). It seems to me that he did everything he could to offend God and destroy the legacy of his father.
Deut. 18:10-11 “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.”
Let’s take a look at some of these words.
Divination: seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown from supernatural sources.
Practicing divination is listed as one of the reasons for Israel’s exile (2 Kings 17:17). Jer.14:14 spoke of the false prophets of the time, saying, “They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.” So, compared to God’s truth, divination is false, deceitful, and worthless.
Paul and Silas encountered a diviner: “We were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling” (Acts 16:16). The girl’s ability to penetrate mysteries was due to a demon that controlled her.
Sorcery: Sorcery is using the power from an evil source.
The apostle Paul lists sorcery as one of many sinful practices that mark the lives of unbelievers: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife . . . and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21).
Omen: An omen is a sign with prophetic significance. Omens are closely tied with fortune-telling and divination, as the omen must be “read” or “divined” by someone who knows how. There can be good ones and bad ones. God made Isaiah walk naked and barefoot as “a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush” (Isaiah 20:3). This omen was clear confirmations of God’s plan.
Witchcraft: the use of evil supernatural powers to harm or help someone.
Today there are witchdoctors in Tanzania who use the body parts of albinos to bring wealth and good luck. A full set of albino body parts can cost over $75,000.
Necromancy: summoning and communicating with the dead.
Why are these practices condemned? There are only two sources of spiritual power: God and Satan. To seek power from an evil spirit is a form of idolatry. Satan can counterfeit God’s power. When Moses performed miracles before Pharaoh, the magicians did the same things through demonic power (Ex. 8:7). Our desire to know more than we should has its roots in Satan’s first temptation to Eve: “You can be like God” (Gen. 3:5). Deut. 29:29 says. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”
We shouldn’t seek t knowledge or power that we are not authorized to have from sources that are forbidden. The Bible is our source for spiritual insight (2 Peter 1:19–21).
A summary of Manasseh’s reign is found in verse 9, “Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.”
The result of this disobedience led to verses 12-14, “I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. . . I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies.”
More details of Manasseh’s reign are given in 2 Chron. 33:10-12. It says, “The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.” Then God brought him back to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem Manasseh (verse 15). “He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord.” He tried to undo the damage he had done earlier and then he died, and his son Amon succeeded him as king (verse 20). And, as you might be able to guess, Amon was also an evil king and was assassinated by some of his officials (verse 23). Then, (verse 24) the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.” The good news, after all of this national trauma and violence, is that Josiah was an excellent king, another reformer, turning his people back to the one true God.
Manasseh reigned for 55 years, but the long length of his reign was not a sign of blessing.
2 Chron. 33:10-20, God allowed Babylon to take him captive where he repented. Upon returning to Jerusalem, he destroyed the idolatrous temples and urged his subjects to return to God
(2 Chron. 33:14,16). But his repentance had no impact on his son Amon who succeeded him
(verse 20). Much of the damage Manasseh did was irreversible.
Recent Articles
Purim is a Jewish celebration, more like the Fourth of July or Mother’s Day, than a religious holiday like Passover. Purin is usually observed in February or March of each year. The word Purim means, “lots” as in a lottery, which was the means that the villainous Haman, an Amalekite, used to set the date for the massacre of Jews in Persia (previously Babylon). These events in the Book of Esther take place between chapters six and seven of the Book of Ezra. The setting is Persia, seventy years after they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Israel spent 70 years in captivity in Babylon, which was later taken over by the Persians in 539 B.C. Just a year later, the Persian King Cyrus decreed throughout his empire that any captive Jews in Babylonia who desired could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Cyrus even allowed the vessels of gold and silver stolen by Nebuchadnezzar’s troops to be returned. As we will read in Isaiah 48 , they all should have left, but some stayed behind. Let’s look at the cast of characters in this drama. The villain in the story was Haman, an Amalekite. The Amalekites were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. You might recall that these siblings had a long-standing conflict that revolved around the birthright. Esau, the firstborn, sold his birthright to his brother Jacob. The hostility that Jacob and Esau had for one another carried on through the generations like a bad gene. Esau had a grandson named Amalek, from which we get the name Amalekites. These cousins of the Israelites attacked them whenever they had the chance. When the Jews were led out of Egypt by Moses, the Amalekites attacked them in Rephidim, in the Sinai Desert. This unprovoked attack led God to promise to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven (Ex. 17:8-14) . Forty years later, in his last major speech to his people, Moses reminded the Jews of the command to go after Amalek (Deut. 25:17-19) . Saul, the first King of Israel, was commanded to wipe out the Amalekites (I Sam. 15:2-3) . But Saul disobeyed and spared the life of King Agag (I Sam 15:9) . This led to the premature end of the reign of Saul (I Sam. 15:23) . Saul, realizing his mistake, subsequently did kill Agag, but one of his sons survived. So not only was he disobedient, but he was also incompetent. Some 500 years later, one of his descendants was Haman. Others in the cast of characters included the royal couple, King Xerxes (some think it was King Ahasuerus or perhaps both names refer to the same person), and Queen Vashti. Then there was Esther, the Jewish maiden, and her uncle Mordecai. And so, with the setting in place, the cast of characters on stage, let the drama that led to Purim begin.
JOB SUFFERS AND DEMANDS FROM GOD AN EXPLANATION AS TO “WHY?”
Did it Really Happen? Does it Really Matter?
Ezra Comes to Jerusalem and Teaches the People
The Miracle of Passover: Zola Levitt
The Jews Journey to Jerusalem
The Israelites Head for Jerusalem and Rebuild their Temple.
How Israelites Should Behave When They Return Home
December 7-15, 2023, is Hanukkah (Festival of Lights)
Chapter 22: The Book of the Law was Found, Josiah leads a Return to God
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Why Study the Bible?
Don’t many consider the Bible to be just a book of myths? Why do we read the Bible rather than the sacred literature of other religions?
How do we know that it is from God? How do we know that what we have today is an accurate translation from the original? Is the Bible complete or have there been some books that have been lost?
We should be able to answer these questions, and there are answers! So start here!
Answers to Common Bible Questions
Lent is a six week period of spiritual devotion starting on Ash Wednesday and ending at Easter. Those who observe Lent usually give up something for Lent. Some might give up coffee, or soda pop, or alcohol, or chocolate. May I suggest that you give up something that will really impress God and make this season of Lent one of the most memorable and meaningful seasons of your life? May I suggest that if you are giving up something, why not give up some of the acts of our sinful nature mentioned in Gal. 5:19? Why don’t we give up lying about others? Do you think you can give up the hate you feel towards others? How about envy, can we work on putting envy aside this year? How about giving up on the naïve idea that all pastors are mature Christian leaders whose word should always be accepted, rather than wolfs in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15). How about giving up the idea that everyone in church is a real Christian (Matt 7:21-23). How about giving up your desire to seek revenge on those who have hurt you (Matt 18:21-22)? If you are insecure and feel threatened when you see the success of others in ministry, how about giving up efforts to hinder others who have been called to minister (Rom 12:4-8)? Of course it is easier to give up something like chocolate, etc. and make yourself feel like you are doing something that is pleasing to God. If you are not willing to give up unchristian behavior, might I suggest something that will really please God this Lent? Give up all evidence of your profession of Christian faith, such as books, pictures and jewelry. Don’t talk about God, Jesus or the Church. I think God would appreciate it if you would stop giving HIM a bad name by the way you live. Let’s give up what hinders our witness and become a better ambassador for Christ (2 Cor 5:20) this Lenten season.
In Matthew 2:1-2 is says that the magi saw "His star in the east." What was this star that guided these men to Jesus? Some have suggested that it could have been a comet, an asteroid, or perhaps a meteor or an especially bright star. The problem with these suggestions is that these physical things either quickly move across the sky and then disappear or are too far away to provide directions with any precision. It would be hard to get directions from such objects. The "star" had to move constantly or intermittently at the same pace as the magi. Then it says that it hovered over the house where Mary and Joseph had moved to with Jesus. It hardly sounds like a comet or meteor or a star as we know them. Can you think of another time that people in the Bible were guided by some form of light? How about the time when Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt? He didn't have a global positioning system with him. He did have a pillar of fire that led him at night (Ex 13:21-22). We see this light in Solomon's Temple (2 Chron 7:1-3) and when the Jews were about to go into Babylonian captivity, we see it leaving the Temple (Ezek 9-11). In the New Testament we see it at the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:9) at His transfiguration (Matt 17:5) and His ascension (Acts 1:9). What exactly was this guiding light? The word "star" can also be translated as "radiance." It appears that it was this "radiance" that guided Moses and the magi. The Jews call this the "Shekinah", a physical manifestation of the glory of God in the form of a supernatural radiance. This, I believe, is what the Star of Bethlehem was.
Imagine that you are the pastor of a church. A young married couple is having some difficulties in their relationship and they seek counsel from you. On Monday the wife comes in to give her assessment of their marriage. What do you think she will say? She might say that she is a hardworking, caring and supportive wife and that it is her husband who is the neglectful, insensitive brute and the source of all problems in the marriage. You feel so sorry for this wife and when you see her husband in the hallway, you think to yourself, "What a jerk." On Friday the husband comes in and gives his assessment of the marriage. He tells you that he is hard working and very generous and that she is the major problem in the relationship. As the pastor, you are wondering if they both are talking about the same marriage. Each person tells you what makes them look best and their spouse the worst. Where is the truth? The truth is probably somewhere in between Proverbs 18:17 says, "The first to present his case seems right, til another comes forward and questions him." There are conflicts in all relationships, between spouses, parents and children, employees and employers. When you hear one side of a story, don’t assume that what you hear is the complete truth. And don’t pass on to someone else what you have heard. Probably, at least some of what you heard is untrue to gain your support in a conflict.