After these things and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fortified cities, and thought to break into them.
Hezekiah had just restored the worship of the true God across Judah, breaking the idols and putting the temple service right. Then an invading army camped against Judah's fortified cities — so why does the attack come just when everything is finally right?
The verse dates the invasion from Hezekiah's "acts of faithfulness" — from what he did right, not from anything he did wrong. One writer reads the timing as the enemy's answer to a scene he could not bear:
It could not be expected that the enemy would long look on quietly at such a happy scene. There was too much glory to God here, and too much enjoyment for the people of God. He could not stay an unmoved spectator. And so, "After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself." We cannot expect to pass on without meeting storms.
Another writer warns that a time of blessing is when we are least on guard:
Well, one would have thought it was all over — the idols broken, plenty of fruit and good works... But ah! "After these things and these acts of faithfulness." Yes, God has now established him in His amazing grace — and even then, you might say, the real struggle begins... In the same way, we are often in a season of sweetest enjoyment while Satan is bringing up his forces to camp around us. He watches for every opportunity to win us to himself. It is very strange, but we often find it so, that we are more off our guard at a time of blessing than at any other.
Israel, Judah's northern neighbour, had already fallen to Assyria under judgment. This invasion stands on different ground:
Assyria had already conquered ten tribes. Their king, Sennacherib, was confident of taking Judah too, so he came to camp against the fortified cities. The Lord did not send him because of any guilt on Judah's part, as He did with Israel. This invasion was to test the faith of the godly king Hezekiah.
The invasion handed Hezekiah's critics an easy argument: the reform must have been a mistake. One writer traces that reasoning:
Was it not strange? Judah's worship of the true God had long been defaced, and a great work had now restored it. Yet no sooner was this done than the enemy came to swallow them up! Those who judged by providence instead of Scripture would stumble at once. Was it not plain that Hezekiah had done wrong in rejecting the traditions of his fathers? Was God now chastening him and them for his rash reformation?
The same writer shows the enemy turning that argument into an accusation:
The enemy cunningly twists the king's very piety — his zeal for Jehovah in throwing down the altars of false gods — into a charge of robbing Jehovah of His honour... So the enemy knows how to give a religious coating to his own wicked schemes. He can do that as easily as he can blacken the most faithful of God's servants.
Sennacherib came "thinking to win them for himself" — another translation reads "thought to break into them." One writer draws a rule from that aim, and notes what it cost:
Is this the end? No, indeed — now Satan comes with all his power... Such is the fact, and it is good to know it: wherever God has gathered a little company to Christ, it is Satan's object to break it up. In Isaiah 36 we learn that he took the cities of Judah — sad destruction, and at such a time!
Hezekiah's time in the sanctuary was not time taken from defending the kingdom. It was what made him ready.
But, blessed be God, the sanctuary and its holy occupations will never unfit us for active service. On the contrary, we can only serve effectively when we have been in the sanctuary... Hezekiah was ready for action when the time for action came.
The story reaches past Hezekiah's own day:
Scripture gives Hezekiah's life at length, because in his reign Sennacherib's attack on Jerusalem foreshadowed a still greater deliverance from a future king of Assyria. God so controls the evil and passions of men that He makes them serve His purpose. That purpose is to hint at what He will yet do for His own glory.
- After — the attack follows the reform, not any sin; blessing and testing stand side by side by design.
- Test — commentators separate this invasion from judgment: Israel fell for its guilt, Judah faced a test of faith.
- Appearance — judge the crisis by circumstances instead of Scripture, and the reform looks like a mistake.
- Aim — the invader meant to break the cities up, and Satan aims to break up every company God gathers to Christ.
- Answer — Hezekiah's readiness came from the sanctuary, and this deliverance points to a greater one God will yet work.
And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was minded to fight against Jerusalem,
Hezekiah's great reform was finished and Judah was settled in blessing. Then Sennacherib's army marched in, with its eye on Jerusalem. What Hezekiah saw forced a decision: how should a man of faith act when the enemy's purpose is plain?
The timing matters. The invasion did not interrupt Hezekiah's failure; it interrupted his success.
"After these things, and the establishment of them" (2 Chron. 32:1). One would have thought all was finished — the idols broken, and plenty of fruit and good works. A child of God might think the same when restored to full joy and fellowship. … But then: "after these things, and the establishment of them." Yes, after God establishes him in His amazing grace, even then, you might say, the real struggle begins. … In the same way, Satan often brings up his hosts in our sweetest seasons of enjoyment. He camps around us and watches for every chance to win us to himself. It is very strange, but we often find it so, that we are more off our guard at such a time of blessing than at any other.
The northern kingdom had already fallen to Assyria under judgment. Judah's case here is read differently.
Assyria had already conquered ten tribes (2 Kings 17). Their king, Sennacherib, was confident of taking Judah too, so he came and camped against the fortified cities (v. 1). The Lord did not send him because of any guilt on Judah's part, as He had done with Israel. This was to be a test of the faith of the godly king Hezekiah.
What Hezekiah saw was not just an army but an intention. His first move was to consult his officers. Then he cut off the water outside the walls. But when is a plan of our own safe?
Since God delivered Hezekiah, we will do well to study carefully how he meets the power of the adversary. When he saw the purpose of the enemy, this is what he did first. "He planned with his officers to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him." Then they also stopped the brook that ran through the middle of the land. It is very easy to see the wisdom of this on Hezekiah's part. It is not always so easy to see our own path in this matter. Our safety is in dependence on the Holy Spirit — lowly dependence. The moment we act in independence we are exposed to Satan — worse, we give him a handle.
The same writer turns that into a plain instruction.
Child of God, do not mistake — Satan means to fight. Would you conquer like Hezekiah? Then cut off the enemy's supplies. How sadly the believer may serve the adversary by supplying him with weapons of temptation. Whatever gives a handle to Satan, cut it off.
Hezekiah armed the city. Then he told the people where their real strength lay.
Hezekiah made full preparations for war, just as the believer is told to "put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:11). He built up the broken wall. He built another wall outside it as a double protection. He also made many weapons and shields. But though he prepared these armaments, he did not depend on them. He gathered the military leaders in the open square of the city gate and told them to "be strong and courageous" (v. 7). They were not to depend on their strength and courage, but on the Lord their God. The king of Assyria depended on an arm of flesh, but Israel's God was infinitely greater.
Hezekiah had not always spoken with such confidence.
Fine words, these, and very different from what he had said a short time before to Sennacherib: "I have done wrong," and so on. His faith, though faint, had not completely failed; and here it rises to its full height.
The walls and weapons did not win this war. Hezekiah fought it somewhere else.
He had never met a man like this. Instead of covering himself with a coat of mail, this man would cover himself with sackcloth. Instead of rushing out to the battlefield in his chariot, he would fall on his knees in the temple. … In fact, what gave Hezekiah such uncommon power in this contest was the sense that he was nothing. He felt that "an arm of flesh" was of no use — in a word, that it was Jehovah or nothing. … It was not Sennacherib and Hezekiah, but Sennacherib and Jehovah.
- Timing. The attack came after the reform, not before it. Blessing is when our guard is lowest.
- Purpose. Unlike the ten tribes, Judah was not under punishment. God sent this invasion to test a godly king's faith.
- Sight. Hezekiah saw the enemy's purpose and acted at once. Such action is only safe while it leans on God, since independence hands the adversary a grip on us.
- Preparation. Walls, weapons and stopped springs were all made ready, yet Hezekiah told the people to rest on God and not on any of it.
- Victory. Hezekiah made it a matter between God and Sennacherib: sackcloth instead of armour, the temple instead of the chariot.
he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the fountains of waters that were outside the city; and they helped him.
Sennacherib's army was camped against the fortified towns of Judah, and Jerusalem was next. Hezekiah's first recorded move was a war council and a plan about water — sound strategy, or human calculation?
The attack came right after Hezekiah's work of reform. One writer reads that timing as a pattern, and tells the believer what to do about it.
One would have thought all was ended — the idols broken, and plenty of fruit and good works. A child of God might think the same when restored to full joy and communion, feeding on Christ, separated from every idol, and walking with God... But then, "after these things, and the establishment of them." Yes — after he is established in the indescribable grace of God, even then the tug of war begins... In the same way, Satan often brings up his hosts in seasons of the sweetest enjoyment. He camps around us and watches for every chance to win us to himself. It is very strange, but we often find it so, that we are more off our guard at such a time of blessing than at any other... Child of God, do not mistake: Satan means to fight. Do you want to win like Hezekiah? Then cut off the enemy's supplies. A believer can sadly help the enemy by handing him weapons of temptation. Whatever gives Satan a handle, cut it off.
The verse records agreement: the king plans, and his leaders back him. Before this, Hezekiah had tried to pay the invader off.
Sennacherib, for some reason, did not leave Hezekiah as he had hoped. Perhaps Hezekiah could not raise the sum the king of Assyria demanded. Perhaps that plunderer never really meant to let the king of Jerusalem buy him off. Hezekiah learned his plan, "and he took counsel with his princes and mighty men." They agreed to resist his capture of the city, and they made extensive preparations for the coming siege.
The plan was to leave the invader dry. Commentators take the springs as a picture of what belongs to God's people and not to His enemies.
He consulted with his leaders and commanders to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city (v. 4). Spiritually speaking, this tells us that the enemies of the Lord have no right to the refreshment of the Word of God: this belongs to believers. The unbeliever, if he gets knowledge of God's Word, will only misuse it.
Commentators differ on how to judge these measures. Some call them wise preparation. Another writer points to what all that wisdom left out.
All that man's wisdom can suggest to him is to fortify the wall God broke down. They take wise measures, they make a ditch for the water of the old pool. It is very prudent to stop the water flowing outside the city and refreshing their enemies. But with all this wisdom they forgot to look to the Maker and fashioner of it long ago... The history of the same acts is presented to us in the Chronicles as a proof of blessing, and it was such for Hezekiah; but the worm was at the heart, and the people did not return to Him who struck them — everything went from bad to worse.
The move was clearly wise. But wisdom and dependence are not the same thing.
The first thing he did, when he saw what the enemy intended, was this: "He took counsel with his princes to stop the waters of the fountains which were outside the city; and they helped him."... It is very easy to see the wisdom of this on Hezekiah's part; but it is not always so easy to see our own path in such matters — our safety lies in dependence on the Holy Spirit, lowly dependence. The moment we act independently we are exposed to Satan — worse, we give him a handle.
Even a good thing, done at the wrong prompting, can serve the enemy instead of God.
What would be most blessed if done in the unity and fellowship of the Spirit, in lowly dependence — may it not become pride and self-will? May the Lord lead us in His own lowly steps, in genuine dependence, so that the truth itself is not used for Satan, like the water for the kings of Assyria.
One reign, two records — and what each book keeps is the point.
If we compare this account in the book of Chronicles with the account in 2 Kings 18, we find that the best side is recorded... In Kings we see what Hezekiah was in himself... In Chronicles we see rather what God records about him. Precious grace! While our sins and failures are blotted out, the gift of a cup of cold water in His name is recorded above.
- Saw — Hezekiah saw what the enemy intended before he acted. The attack tested his faith rather than punished Judah, and it came right after his reforms — when a believer is most off guard.
- Counselled — He did not act alone. He planned with his officers and his mighty men, and they helped him — agreement before action.
- Stopped — Cutting off the springs left the invader dry. Cut off whatever gives Satan a handle; God's enemies have no right to the water that belongs to His people.
- Forgot — Chronicles records these prudent works as blessing, yet the people forgot to look to their Maker. Wise measures can hide a heart that has stopped depending.
- Recorded — Kings shows Hezekiah as he was in himself; Chronicles shows what God chose to record. Grace blots out failure and remembers even a cup of cold water.
And there was gathered together much people, and they stopped all the fountains, and the torrent that flows through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?
Hezekiah had just finished a great work of reform. Then Sennacherib, king of Assyria, marched into Judah, and the king's first move was to cut off the water an invading army would need. Writers read this act from two sides: as sober preparation joined to faith, and as human prudence that a prophet rebuked.
The invasion came right after the reform. One writer turns that timing into a pattern believers should expect.
"After these things, and the establishment of them." One would have thought it was all finished — the idols broken, plenty of fruit and good works. A child of God might think the same when restored to full joy, feeding on Christ, separated from every idol, and walking with God. But there it is. After he is established in the unspeakable grace of God, even then the real struggle begins... In the same way, Satan often brings up his armies in seasons of sweetest enjoyment. He camps around us and watches for every chance to win us to himself. It is very strange, but we often find it so, that we are more off our guard at such a time of blessing than at any other.
The people blocked the springs so the invaders would find no water. One writer draws a principle from who may drink and who may not.
He consulted with his leaders and commanders to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city (v. 4). In spiritual terms, this tells us that the enemies of the Lord have no right to the refreshment of the Word of God. That belongs to believers. The unbeliever, if he gets knowledge of God's Word, will only misuse it.
C Stanley makes the people's question a personal one.
Do you want to conquer like Hezekiah? Then cut off the enemy's supplies. How sadly the believer may serve the enemy by supplying him with weapons of temptation! Why should you supply water to the kings of Assyria? Whatever gives a handle to Satan, cut it off.
Stopping the springs was one item among walls, towers, weapons and captains. Notice what Hezekiah did not rest his hope on.
Hezekiah made full preparations for war, just as the believer is told to "put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:11)... But though he prepared these armaments, he did not depend on them. He gathered the military leaders in the open square of the city gate and told them to "be strong and courageous" (v. 7). They were not to depend on their own strength and courage, but on the Lord their God. The king of Assyria depended on an arm of flesh, but Israel's God was infinitely greater.
The order of events matters here. The speech came last, once every practical thing had been attended to.
After he had done all in his power to defend the city — cutting off the water, building walls, raising up towers, making darts and shields, appointing captains — he spoke his comforting message... No wonder the people rested on the words of Hezekiah. They are good and helpful words to rest on in faith in all our warfare down here.
A prophet describes these same water works, and his verdict is severe. Commentators differ on how to weigh that. Chronicles records the measures without blame; the prophet exposes what was missing in the people.
All that man's wisdom can suggest to him is to fortify the wall God broke down. They take wise measures, they make a ditch for the water of the old pool. It is very prudent to stop the water flowing outside the city where it would refresh their enemies. But with all this wisdom they forgot to look to the Maker and fashioner of it long ago... Chronicles presents the same acts to us as a proof of blessing, and it was such for Hezekiah. But the worm was at the heart, and the people did not return to Him who struck them.
One writer names the sin, and the one right place for God's people instead.
These verses expose the utter emptiness of turning to human measures. When God is dealing with His people in judgement, that is an unpardonable sin. Their only right place at such a time is to bow to His hand and accept the discipline He is pleased to send.
Chronicles leaves out things the account in Kings records. One writer treats that choice as grace.
Compare this account in Chronicles with the account in 2 Kings 18, and we find that Chronicles records the best side. In Kings we see what Hezekiah was in himself. He gave the treasures of the sanctuary to the king of Assyria... In Chronicles we see rather what God records about him. Precious grace! God blots out our sins and failures, but records above the gift of a cup of cold water in His name.
- Timing — The invasion comes after the reform and the establishment. Blessing is not the end of conflict; it is often when guard is lowest.
- Supplies — A great crowd works with the king to cut off the water an invader would drink. Cut off whatever gives the enemy a handle on you.
- Means — The walls, weapons and blocked springs are real preparation. But Hezekiah does not lean on them. He tells the people their help is the Lord.
- Warning — A prophet condemns these same water works. The hands that dug never looked to the Maker of the water.
- Record — Chronicles keeps the best side. God blots out failure and writes down service, even a cup of cold water given in His name.
And he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised it up to the towers, and [built] another wall outside, and fortified the Millo of the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance.
Sennacherib's army was already in the land. Hezekiah turned to the stonework: broken walls raised again, a second wall outside the first, the Millo strengthened, and weapons stockpiled. Was all this work faith in action, or faith running out? Commentators do not all answer the same way.
The chapter dates the invasion. It came after Hezekiah's reforms had succeeded. One writer, quoting verse 1 in an older translation, reads that timing as a warning about our own seasons of peace.
"After these things, and the establishment of them" (2 Chron. 32:1). One would have thought it was all over — the idols broken, and plenty of fruit and good works. A child of God might think the same when restored to full joy and fellowship, feeding on Christ, separated from every idol, walking with God. But look — after he is established in the indescribable grace of God, the real struggle begins... In the same way, often in seasons of the sweetest enjoyment, Satan is bringing up his armies to camp around us.
Older translations open the verse with "he strengthened himself" and take the wall work "up to the towers." One writer turns each phrase into a picture of the believer's own defences.
"He strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken." In times of conflict, how we need to be strengthened with might in the inner man! In our day, the wall of separation between the world and the church has been sadly broken down. If the soul is to have the victory, this wall must be rebuilt. And as they "raised it up to the towers," so the believer must build the wall of separation up to the very watchtowers. Like Habakkuk, we need to sit on those towers and watch against all conformity to the world (Rom. 12).
Older translations end the verse with "darts and shields." The ESV has "weapons and shields." A reference work defines the dart, and names what stops it.
Arrow, short spear, javelin. 2 Sam. 18:14; 2 Chr. 32:5; Job 41:26, 29; Prov. 7:23. FIERY DARTS means darts tipped with material that catches fire when thrown or on impact, so that they burn as well as pierce. Eph. 6:16, compare Ps. 120:4. The Christian needs the shield of faith to put out such darts of the evil one.
One commentator matches Hezekiah's building work to what a believer is told to do. Preparing armour, he notes, is not the same as depending on it.
Hezekiah made full preparations for war, just as the believer is told to "put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:11). He built up the wall that was broken. He built another wall outside it as double protection, and made many weapons and shields. But although he prepared these armaments, he did not depend on them.
Commentators differ here. Another writer sees the fortifying, and the silver and gold Hezekiah handed over, as a sign of weak faith.
The godly king did what he could to fortify himself. He sent the humblest message to the proud Assyrian, gave him all the silver in the Lord's house, and stripped the gold off its doors and pillars. It was all in vain. There was little of the simplicity, strength, or wisdom of faith in any of this.
That disagreement turns on a line every believer has to draw. One writer puts the line at the point where our means shut God out.
Means are to be used, no doubt. But they must be means that fit perfectly with the full and blessed working of faith, and with the untarnished glory of the God of all power and grace... True, means will be used; but let us make sure our means do not shut God out. Faith waits on God and lets Him use whatever means He pleases. It does not ask Him to bless our means; it lets Him use His own.
Chronicles records the walls and the weapons. Kings records the temple gold handed over. One writer explains the difference.
Compare this account in Chronicles with the account in 2 Kings 18, and you find the better side recorded here. In Kings we see what Hezekiah was in himself. The treasures of the sanctuary were handed to the king of Assyria... In Chronicles we see rather what God records about him. Precious grace! While our sins and failures are blotted out, the gift of a cup of cold water in His name is recorded above.
- Timing. The attack came right after the reforms succeeded. Settled seasons are when the enemy moves.
- Wall. The broken wall pictures separation from the world, rebuilt. The towers picture watching against conformity to it.
- Weapons. Darts pierce and burn; the shield of faith is what puts them out.
- Dependence. Hezekiah prepared arms but did not depend on them. Commentators differ on whether his fortifying showed faith or weak faith.
- Record. Kings shows what Hezekiah was. Chronicles shows what God records — grace that blots out failure and writes down a cup of cold water given in His name.
And he set captains of war over the people, and assembled them to him on the open place at the gate of the city, and spoke consolingly to them saying,
Sennacherib's army was closing in on Jerusalem, and Hezekiah had already spent himself on water channels, walls, towers and weapons. Verse 6 is the moment he stops building and starts speaking — and the question it raises is simple: after all the work, where does courage come from?
The timing matters. Hezekiah spoke only after he had finished building and arming.
Hezekiah had done all that man could do. Then he gathered the people "together to him in the square at the gate of the city," and spoke to them with words of faith and courage. These are fine words. They are very different from what he had said to Sennacherib a short time before: "I have done wrong." His faith was faint, but it had not failed altogether. Here it rises to its full height. Like Simon Peter after his restoration, he is able by his words and example to strengthen his brothers.
Not long before, this same king had confessed his wrong to Sennacherib. Now his recovered faith holds up a whole city.
Hezekiah armed his people well. Then he told them not to lean on the weapons.
Hezekiah made full preparations for war, just as God tells the believer to "put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:11)... But though he prepared these armaments, he did not depend on them. He gathered the military leaders in the open square of the city gate and told them to "be strong and courageous." Yet they were not to depend on their strength and courage, but on the Lord their God.
The same pattern fits the believer's armour: put it on, then depend on God and not on it.
Preparation is not the enemy of faith, but it can crowd faith out without anyone noticing.
We often speak of using means while we really shut God out. We profess to use means in dependence on God, but in reality we use the mere name of God while depending on the means. In the judgement of faith, this amounts to making a God of our means.
Hezekiah is the opposite case. He appoints his captains, then points the people away from them to the Lord their God.
This was not the first time Hezekiah encouraged people. One writer sets the two occasions side by side.
Hezekiah was a true father to his people. How sweet it is to hear that "he spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the Lord." Later he faced an overwhelming enemy. Again we hear him say to his people, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed... for there are more with us than with him."
The care he showed the Levites who taught, he now shows to a people facing an army.
The verse says he gathered them to himself. One writer treats that as the lesson of the whole chapter.
God fully answered the king's faith... The ways of God in judgment began to show themselves. They showed it plainly: while He was judging, and at the height of the enemy's power, the faithful seed of David would be the certain resource of His people. This is the lesson of 2 Chronicles 32. This man is the peace of the people when the Assyrian enters the land.
Hezekiah's words were not new. He had the record of God's earlier help to draw on.
He did all in his power to defend the city: cutting off the water, building walls, raising towers, making darts and shields, appointing captains. Then he spoke his comforting message... (See 2 Kings 6:16. No doubt the king had a record of the events and words of Elisha's ministry.) No wonder the people rested on the words of Hezekiah. They are good and helpful words to rest on in faith in all our warfare down here.
- Prepare. Hezekiah did all a king could do — walls, weapons, officers. Only then did he call the people together.
- Renounce. The same man who appointed the captains told them not to trust their own strength or courage. He used his preparations without leaning on them.
- Watch. The danger is not in using means. It is in using God's name while leaning on the means.
- Speak. He encouraged the people at the gate, just as he had once encouraged the Levites who taught. His words echoed what God had already done for His people.
- Rest. He gathered them to himself, and the people rested on his words. The son of David proved to be their resource at the height of the enemy's power.
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 are more with us than with him
Sennacherib's army was closing in on Jerusalem, and Hezekiah gathered his commanders by the city gate. His verdict on the two armies is one that no headcount could support, so what was he counting?
Hezekiah did everything a king could do to defend the city. Then he told his men not to depend on any of it.
Hezekiah made full preparations for war, just as the believer is told to "put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:11). He rebuilt the broken wall and built a second wall outside it as a double protection. He also made many weapons and shields. But though he prepared these arms, he did not depend on them. He gathered the military leaders in the open square of the city gate and told them to "be strong and courageous" (v. 7). They were not to depend on their own strength and courage, but on the Lord their God. For the king of Assyria depended on human strength, while Israel's God was infinitely greater. So the words of Hezekiah were of real strength to the people (v. 8). God would certainly not fail them.
"Do not be afraid or dismayed" is not new language here. It is what God's people hear whenever an enemy stands in front of them.
This word meets the ears of the people of God every time they have to do with the enemy, whether in Egypt (Ex. 14:13) or in the borders of the wilderness (Num. 14:9; Num. 21:34; Deut. 1:21; Deut. 3:2, 22; Deut. 7:18; Deut. 20:3; Deut. 31:6, 8), or in Canaan under Joshua (Joshua 8:1; Joshua 10:8, 25; Joshua 11:6), or even in the period of ruin that marked the kingdom of Israel (2 Chr. 20:17; 2 Chr. 32:7; Isa. 7:4), and in the period after the exile (Neh. 4:14).
Hezekiah spoke only after the defence work was finished. The count itself points back to Elisha (2 Kings 6:16).
He had done everything he could to defend the city. He cut off the water, built walls, raised towers, made darts and shields, and appointed captains. Then he gave his comforting message... (See 2 Kings 6:16. The king surely had a record of Elisha's ministry and words.) No wonder the people rested on the words of Hezekiah. They are good and helpful words to rest on in faith in all our warfare down here.
This speech is startling. Hezekiah had said something very different to the same Assyrian king a short time earlier.
These are fine words, very different from what he said to Sennacherib a short time before, when he admitted he had done wrong. His faith was faint, but it had not failed completely. Here it rises to its full height. Like Simon Peter after his restoration, Hezekiah can strengthen his brothers by his words and his example.
Another writer looks at that low point. It began in the one thing Hezekiah was known for.
Hezekiah takes his first false step in the very trust that marks his walk above all else. Israel's terrible disaster through Shalmaneser's invasion no doubt shook his confidence. Then Hezekiah saw all the cities of Judah fall into the hands of the king of Assyria, and his heart failed him... Like Peter, he looked at the wind and lost sight of the Lord. He compared himself to the king of Assyria, instead of comparing the king of Assyria to the Lord.
The comfort of this verse rests on one certainty, and it is not about numbers.
At such a moment, how important it is to know for certain that we are with the Lord, and He with us. No doubt, to some, all this will make no sense at all. But we are thinking about people who want to do what is right in the sight of the Lord. They live in the middle of all that is wrong. They wrestle, not with flesh and blood, but with wicked spirits in the heavenly places.
The battle Hezekiah promised was fought without Judah swinging a sword.
"For this reason Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz prayed and cried to heaven. And Jehovah sent an angel who cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land... Thus Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib."
- Prepare — Hezekiah built double walls and stockpiled weapons. Then he told his men not to rest their courage on any of it.
- Count — "More with us than with him" echoes Elisha (2 Kings 6:16). It counts God, not soldiers.
- Hear — "Do not be afraid" is the standing word to God's people facing an enemy, from Egypt to the return from exile.
- Recover — The man who had just admitted his wrong to Sennacherib now strengthens a whole city. Faint faith can rise to full height.
- Stand — The real fight is not with flesh and blood. What settles it is knowing you are with the Lord, and He with you.
with him is an arm of flesh, but with us is Jehovah our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people depended upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
Hezekiah had repaired the walls, stockpiled weapons and appointed captains. Then he told his people that none of it was the reason to stop being afraid. His speech sets two armies side by side and weighs them by something the eye cannot see.
Hezekiah had done everything a man could do before he made this speech. Then he told the people not to lean on any of it.
Hezekiah made full preparations for war, just as the believer is told to "put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:11). He rebuilt the broken wall and added another wall outside it as double protection, and he made many weapons and shields. But though he prepared these arms, he did not depend on them. He gathered the military leaders in the open square of the city gate and told them to "be strong and courageous" (v. 7) — not to depend on their own strength and courage, but on the Lord their God. The king of Assyria depended on an arm of flesh, but Israel's God was far greater.
Hezekiah's strength in this crisis came from knowing he had none. Faith let him step out of the picture, so the fight was no longer his.
Sennacherib had never met a man who put on sackcloth instead of armour, and who fell on his knees in the temple instead of charging into battle in his chariot... In fact, what gave Hezekiah such uncommon power in this contest was the feeling that he was nothing — that "an arm of flesh" was useless; in a word, that it was Jehovah or nothing... Faith enabled Hezekiah to step out of the scene and make the whole thing a question between Jehovah and the king of Assyria. It was not Sennacherib and Hezekiah, but Sennacherib and Jehovah.
Hezekiah's count of the two sides was not new. One writer points back to an earlier moment the king could have read about in the records of Elisha.
See 2 Kings 6:16 — no doubt the king had a record of the events of Elisha's ministry and words. No wonder the people rested on the words of Hezekiah. They are good and helpful words to rest on in faith in all our warfare down here.
The count works only when a second army is in view — one nearer than the danger in sight. Two men at Dothan looked at the same moment and saw different things.
There were two armies around Dothan that day. The servant saw the Syrians and lost heart; the prophet saw the armies of heaven and was confident... Danger may be very close, but God is nearer to us than all our foes.
This is not the voice of a man whose confidence had never slipped. Not long before, Hezekiah had admitted to Sennacherib that he was in the wrong. So this speech is a recovery, not an unbroken record.
These are fine words, and very different from what he had said to Sennacherib a short time before: "I have done wrong." His faith was faint, but it had not failed completely. Here it rises to its full height, and, like the restored Simon Peter, he is able by his words and example to "strengthen his brothers."
The verse ends with the people leaning their whole weight on what a man said. If that was enough for them, there is a firmer word available now.
And if they rested like that in his words, may we not rest on the words of God? "If God is for us, who can be against us?" This is the great anchor of the soul when we pass through conflict — "God is for us."
The same weighing applies to a fight where the enemy is not a visible army.
At such a moment, how important to know for certain that we are with the Lord, and He with us. No doubt, to some, all this will make no sense at all. But we are thinking about the position of those who want to do what is right in the Lord's sight while everything around them is wrong. They wrestle, not with flesh and blood, but with wicked spirits in the heavenly places.
- Prepare — build the walls, make the weapons, then refuse to lean on them. Hezekiah did all a man could do and still pointed his people elsewhere for courage.
- Count — faith weighs the two sides again. One side has an arm of flesh. The other has God, and a host nearer than any enemy in sight.
- Withdraw — his power came from feeling he was nothing. The contest became Sennacherib against the Lord, not Sennacherib against Hezekiah.
- Recover — these bold words came from a man whose faith had gone faint not long before. Faint faith can rise to full height and strengthen others.
- Rest — the people leaned their weight on a king's words; we have God's own word to rest on, and its anchor is that God is for us.