6/13/2011 9:44:50 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time
Focus: Hezekiah the
commander Part 2
Bible Reading
& Meditation Reference: 2Kings 18:17-18; Isaiah 36:1-3
Message of the verses: “17 ¶
Then the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from
Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and
came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the conduit of
the upper pool, which is on the highway of the fuller’s field. 18 When they called to the king, Eliakim the son
of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe and Joah the son
of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.”
1 ¶
Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria
came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from
Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the
conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the fuller’s field. 3 Then Eliakim
the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah
the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.”
This
is the second sub-point under the second main point that is mentioned above and
Warren Wiersbe entitles this “The Confrontation.” The confrontation is between the king of
Assyria, or at least one of his leading men and Hezekiah. Now we must remember that when Hezekiah’s
life was spared by the Lord that the Lord told him that the Assyrian army would
not enter Jerusalem. 6 “I will deliver
you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this
city."’ (Isaiah 36:8) Now it also must be remembered that the story
of Hezekiah as it is written in the different places in the OT is not written
in chronological order.
This
is a pretty famous confrontation from the Old Testament as it is recorded in a
number of places. Now the seemingly
given names in the text from 2Kings are not names at all but titles of the Assyrian
army. “Tartan=supreme commander,
Rab-saris=chief officer, and Rabshakeh=field commander. Representing Hezekiah were Eliakim, the
places administrator, Shebna, the secretary, and Joah, the recorder (See Isaiah
22:15-25; 36:3).”
They
met where earlier Isaiah had meet with Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father, and Isaiah told
Ahaz not to make a treaty with the Assyrians. Then the LORD said to Isaiah,
"Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the
conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field (Isaiah
7:3). This is the same place where they
were meeting as recorded in the passages above.
Even though Ahaz had made a treaty to be friends with the Assyrians so
that they would not attack them on this day that is what they were preparing to
do, and that is what the confrontation was all about. The Assyrians were speaking in the Hebrew
language and this was not appreciated by those who represented Hezekiah, but it
was necessary to the Assyrians in their war effort to know and use this
language. It would frighten those
civilians who were on the wall and therefore be a benefit to the Assyrian’s
cause.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I suppose that if the Lord is going to use me
for His glory while I am here on Kauai that it would be beneficial for me to
learn the customs and culture of the Hawaiians who live here so that I will not
be offence to them in an unknown way.
My Steps of
Faith for Today:
1.
Continue to trust the Lord so that I might bear
fruit for Him while I am here on Kauai.
2.
Continue to learn contentment.
3.
Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service
this day.
4.
Psalm 139:23-24.
5.
Ephesians 6:10-14.
6.
Proverbs 3:5-6.
6/13/2011 10:23:57 AM
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