SERIES N --- THE EXILE --- LESSON 12

YHVH DELIVERS JERUSALEM

THE DEFEAT OF SENNACHERIB

From 2 Kings 19; 2 Chronicles 32:20-23

When King Hezekiah heard the report from his officials he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and went to Adonai’s house, the temple, to pray. He instructed Eliakim, Shebnah, and some of the older priests, who had also put on sackcloth, to go and see Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. [King Hezekiah says that this is a day of trouble, a time of rebuke and disgrace,] they told Isaiah. [It is like a time when a child is ready to be born, but the mother lacks the strength to deliver it. Perhaps Adonai will listen to the words of the Assyrian chief of staff, whom the king of Assyria sent to mock Him and will punish him. Please pray for those of our people who have not yet been taken as captives to foreign lands.] [Adonai says that you must tell King Hezekiah not to be disturbed by the Assyrians and their insults,] Isaiah answered. [Adonai will place a spirit in Sennacherib so that when he hears a certain rumour he will go home. When he arrives home, Adonai will arrange for him to be killed by the sword.] By this time the Assyrian chief of staff had returned to Sennacherib, who had left Lachish and had gone to Libnah. Shortly after that, news reached Sennacherib that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was going to attack him. Sennacherib then sent a very threatening letter to King Hezekiah, trying to frighten him into surrendering at once. [Don’t let your YHVH deceive you when He tells you that I will not conquer Jerusalem,] Sennacherib’s message said. [Just remember what happened to other nations. Their gods did not save any of them. Remember how the kings of Assyria destroyed Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and Eden in the land of Thelasar. What about the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivab?] When Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers, he read it and carried it to the temple, where he spread it out before Adonai. Then he prayed, [Adonai, YHVH of Israel, Who sits above the cherubim, You are the only YHVH over all the kingdoms of the world. You have made the heavens and the earth. Please listen carefully to us and open Your eyes wide to see how this man insults You. Adonai, I know how the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations and their gods. But their gods were not really gods, but mere idols made by men. That is why they were so easily destroyed. Now Adonai, we beg You to save us from the king of Assyria so that all kingdoms of the earth may realize that You are the only true YHVH.] Then the prophet Isaiah sent this message to King Hezekiah, [Adonai says, ‘I have heard your prayers. This is My answer to Sennacherib:

The virgin daughter of Zion; Despises you and laughs mockingly at you; She shakes her head because of you. Whom have you mocked and taunted? Against whom have you raised your voice to blaspheme? It is against the Holy One of Israel; Through your messengers you have insulted Adonai. You have boasted about how you went to the highest mountains; To the remote peaks of Lebanon; How you cut its tallest cedars and choicest cypress trees; How you went to its farthest points and deepest forests; How you dug wells in strange places and drank their water; And how you dried up the streams of Egypt. Have you never realized that it was I, Adonai, Who let you do these things? Don’t you know that I planned ages ago; And helped you even now; To conquer these fortified cities; Turning them into heaps of ruins? The people of these cities were like tender plants; Powerless, terrified, like stunted grass; Growing from roof tops; Weakened before it can grow. I know when you sit down; And when you come in or go out. I know how you have insulted Me angrily; For your impudence has reached Me. I will put a hook in your nose; And a bridle in your mouth; And will send you back; The way you came.’]

Besides this message for Sennacherib, Adonai sent this message of encouragement to Hezekiah:

[This will be a sign for you; This year My people will eat the wheat; That grew up by itself; And will plant its seed for next year's harvest. In the third year they will sow and reap; Plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. The surviving people shall take root; And have families again; For in Jerusalem the survivors shall be strong once more. Adonai is determined to do this.]

Isaiah further told King Hezekiah: [Adonai says that the king of Assyria will not enter Jerusalem. He will not bring his army against it or build a ramp against it or shoot an arrow into it or stand before it with a shield. He will return home by the same way he came. For Adonai says He will defend this city and spare it for His sake and the sake of His servant David.] That night the Angel of Adonai went through the camp of the Assyrians and killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand of their troops. By morning there were dead Assyrians everywhere. Sennacherib went home to Nineveh in great shame. Not long after that, when he went to the temple of his god Nisroch to worship, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword. They escaped to the land of Ararat and Sennacherib's son Esarhaddon ruled in his place. That is how Adonai saved Hezekiah and his people, bringing peace at last to their land. From that time on, many brought gifts for Adonai to Jerusalem, as well as many valuable gifts for King Hezekiah of Judah. He was greatly respected by many nations from that time on.

COMMENTARY

ESARHADDON: THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF ASSYRIA

Changes in Assyria and its provinces both helped and hurt the Assyrian Empire during the eighteen-year reign of Esarhaddon. He expanded his territory to include part of Egypt and improved run-down areas in Assyria and Babylonia. But his political and military weaknesses gave way to new powers that later became Assyria’s downfall. One of his first acts as king was to rebuild Babylon, the city his father Sennacherib, had ruined. The move drained Assyria’s resources and seventy years later the Babylonians drove the Assyrians from power. No one is sure why Esarhaddon reversed his father’s policy toward the Babylonians. He may have been honouring his Babylonian in-laws or rewarding the Babylonian army for helping him regain his throne in battle against his brothers. Babylon was not the only city to receive Esarhaddon’s favour. The king built two palaces in Nineveh and Calah. He also renovated as many as thirty temples in Babylonia and Assyria. But building projects always remained second to military concerns. Waves of migrating tribes, the Cimmerians and Scythians, threatened Assyria’s northern frontiers. Military campaigns and the marriage of Esarhaddon’s daughter to a Scythian chief merely halted the migrations at the border, spelling danger for the future. In the east, the tribal Medes were uniting, ready to join Babylonia against Assyria. But Esarhaddon was too concerned about his western frontier to pay proper attention. To the west, in Phoenicia, a revolt inspired by the Egyptians forced Esarhaddon to punish Syria and destroy the city of Sidon. He then established firm control over Arabia and turned toward Egypt in 674 B.C. Several years and bloody battles later, Lower Egypt surrendered and Esarhaddon declared himself [king of the kings of Egypt.] But the claim was short-lived. The Ethiopian king of Egypt, who had fled to Thebes during the conquest of Lower Egypt, returned to organize rebellion. Esarhaddon set out for Egypt but fell ill and died on the way. His son later completed the expedition, but the conquest of Egypt exhausted Assyria’s army more than it enriched the Empire. Campaigns like the one in Egypt weakened the Empire. Assyria’s constant campaigns demanded more and more troops, who demanded more and more booty. The wealth of conquered cities was transferred to the capitals of Assyria and the central government gave little of anything to restore the ruined provinces. When the destitute territories rebelled, the Assyrians maintained order by destroying the provinces. To finance campaigns, heavy taxes were levied on Assyrians who owned small farms. They were forced to sell their land to powerful landowners and work as serfs and slaves. Foreigners exiled to Assyria replaced these farmers but little effort was made to instruct them in Assyrian customs. Instead of uniting the Empire by teaching conquered peoples a common culture, the Assyrians ruled with might alone. In their palaces on the Tigris, the kings failed to build a link with the countries they ruled. Later, when their palaces fell to invaders, all the power of Assyria fell with them.