Immerse Kingdoms Day 237 Year 2 Bible Reading

Hezekiah's Reign: Faithfulness and Challenges – Immerse Bible Experience Day 237

In Day 237 of the Immerse: Daily Bible Reading Experience, we delve into the reign of King Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, who began to rule over Judah at 25 and reigned for 29 years. Hezekiah was notable for his faithfulness to God, mirroring the devotion of his ancestor David. Key actions during his reign included removing pagan shrines and breaking the bronze serpent made by Moses, which had become an idol. His trust in the Lord led to significant victories, including a revolt against Assyria and the conquest of Philistine territories. However, Hezekiah faced severe challenges, especially from the Assyrian king who besieged Samaria and later demanded a massive tribute from Hezekiah. This episode features interactions between Hezekiah's officials and the Assyrian commander, who attempts to undermine the people's faith in Hezekiah and God. Despite these intimidating encounters, Hezekiah's instruction to his people highlights his resilient leadership amid mounting pressures.

00:00 Introduction to Hezekiah's Reign
00:21 Hezekiah's Religious Reforms
01:07 Hezekiah's Military Actions
02:09 Assyrian Threat and Siege
02:31 Assyrian Demands and Hezekiah's Response
03:36 Assyrian Intimidation Tactics
05:35 Assyrian Propaganda to the People
07:08 Conclusion and Reflection

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Volume 3 — Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel–Kings

Kingdoms

Immerse: Kingdoms is the third of six volumes in Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience. Kingdoms presents a new and unique journey through the story of Israel from the time of its conquest of Canaan (Joshua) through its struggle to settle the land (Judges, Ruth) and the establishment of Israel’s kingdom, which ends in a forced exile (Samuel–Kings). The nation of Israel, commissioned to be God’s light to the nations, falls to division and then foreign conquest for rejecting God’s rule.

4 Questions to get your conversations started:
1. What stood out to you this week?
2. Was there anything confusing or troubling?
3. Did anything make you think differently about God?
4. How might this change the way we live?

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Daily Bible Reading Experience.

Day 200 and 37

Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to
rule over Judah in the third year

of King Hashi's reign in Israel.

He was 25 years old when he became King,
and he reigned in Jerusalem 29 years.

His mother was ab Baja,
the daughter of Zechariah.

He did what was pleasing in the Lord's
sight just as his ancestor David had done.

He removed the pagan shrines,
smashed the sacred pillars,

and cut down the ashera poles.

He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses
had made because the people of Israel

had been offering sacrifices to it.

The bronze serpent was called Nahin.

Hezekiah trusted in the
Lord, the God of Israel.

There was no one like him among
all the kings of Judah, either

before or after his time.

He remained faithful to the Lord in
everything and he carefully obeyed all

the commands The Lord had given Moses,
so the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah

was successful in everything he did.

He revolted against the king of
Assyria and refused to pay him tribute.

He also conquered the Philistines
as far distant as Gaza and its

territory from their smallest
outpost to their largest walled city.

During the fourth year of Hezekiah's
Reign, which was the seventh year of

King Hashi's reign in Israel, king Chal
Menzer of Assyria attacked the city of

Samaria and began a siege against it.

Three years later, during the sixth
year of King Hezekiah's reign and

the ninth year of King Hashi's
reign in Israel, Samaria fell.

At that time, the King of Assyria exiled
the Israelites to Assyria and placed them

in colonies in Halo, along the banks of
the HaBO River in Goza and in the cities

of the Meads, for they refused to listen
to the Lord their God and obey him.

Instead, they violated his covenant.

All the laws that Moses, the Lord's
servant had commanded them to obey.

In the 14th year of King Hezekiah's
reign, Kings Sinna of Assyria

came to attack the fortified
towns of Judah and conquered them.

King Hezekiah sent this message
to the King of Assyria at

Lake ish, I have done wrong.

I will pay whatever
tribute money you demand.

If you will only withdraw.

The King of Assyria then demanded
a settlement of more than 11 tons

of silver and one ton of gold.

To gather this amount, king Hezekiah
used all the silver stored in the temple

of the Lord and in the Palace Treasury,
Hezekiah even stripped the gold from

the doors of the Lord's temple and from
the doorposts he had overlaid with gold

and he gave it all to the Assyrian King.

Nevertheless, the king of Assyria
sent his commander in chief.

His field commander and his chief of
staff from Lake ish with a huge army

to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem.

The Assyrians took up a position beside
the aqueduct that feeds water into

the upper pool near the road leading
to the field where cloth is washed.

They summoned King Hezekiah, but the king
sent these officials to meet with them.

Aya Kim, son of Al Kaya,
the Palace administrator.

Shena, the court secretary and Joah
son of Asaf, the royal historian.

Then the Assyrian King's chief
of staff told them to give

this message to Hezekiah.

This is what the great
King of Assyria says.

What are you trusting in
that makes you so confident?

Do you think that mere
words can substitute for

military skill and strength?

Who are you counting on that you
have rebelled against me on Egypt?

If you lean on Egypt, it will be
like a reed that splinters beneath

your weight and pierces your hand.

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is
completely unreliable, but perhaps

you will say to me, we are trusting
in the Lord our God, but isn't he

the one who was insulted by Hezekiah?

Didn't Hezekiah tear down his shrines
and altars and make everyone in

Judah and Jerusalem worship only
at the altar here in Jerusalem?

I'll tell you what, strike a bargain
with my master, the King of Assyria.

I will give you 2000 horses.

If you can find that many men to
ride on them with your tiny army.

How can you think of challenging
even the weakest contingent of my

master's troops, even with the help
of Egypt's chariots and chariot tears?

What's more, do you think we have invaded
your land without the Lord's direction?

The Lord himself told us,
attack this land and destroy it.

Then Eliakim son of Kyah, Shena
and Joah said to the Assyrian chief

of Staff, please speak to us in
Aramaic for we understand it well.

Don't speak in Hebrew for the people
on the wall will hear, but Sinna

Kreb's, chief of staff replied,
do you think my master sent this

message only to you and your master?

He wants all the people to hear it.

For when we put this city under siege,
they will suffer along with you.

They will be so hungry and thirsty
that they will eat their own

dung and drink their own urine.

Then the chief of staff stood and shouted
in Hebrew to the people on the wall.

Listen to this message from
the great King of Assyria.

This is what the king says.

Don't let Hezekiah deceive you.

He will never be able to
rescue you from my power.

Don't let him fool you into
trusting in the Lord by saying

The Lord will surely rescue us.

This city will never fall into
the hands of the Assyrian King.

Don't listen to Hezekiah.

These are the terms the
King of Assyria is offering.

Make peace with me.

Open the gates and come out.

Then each of you can continue eating
from your own grapevine and fig tree,

and drinking from your own well.

Then I will arrange to take you to
another land like this one, a land

of grain and new wine, bread, and
vineyards, olive groves and honey.

Choose life instead of death.

Don't listen to Hezekiah when
he tries to mislead you by

saying The Lord will rescue us.

Have the gods of any other
nations ever saved their people

from the king of Assyria.

What happened to the
gods of Hamoth and Arpa?

And what about the gods
of Sveum, henna and Eva?

Did any God rescue Samaria from
my power, what God of any nation

has ever been able to save?

Its people from my power.

So what makes you think that the Lord
can rescue Jerusalem from me, but the

people were silent and did not utter a
word because Hezekiah had commanded them.

Do not answer him.

This concludes today's
Immer Reading experience.

Thank you for joining us.