2 Crônicas 32
David Guzik · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Crônicas 32
Guzik - Our tendency is to think that when we are genuinely faithful to God we will be immune from attack. The experience of Hezekiah and countless other men and women of God tell us otherwise. We might say that the Chronicler is not telling us the complete story here. He does not include what we learn from 2 Kings 18:13-16, that Hezekiah unwisely and unsuccessfully tried to satisfy Sennacherib with gold and treasures from the temple. It didn’t work, and after conquering nearly all the fortified cities of Judah, the king of Assyria prepared to set a siege against Jerusalem. Selman adds that the writer of Chronicles "clearly expects the reader to be familiar with 2 Kings 18-20, but, whereas the Chronicler normally adapts sections of earlier Scripture, here everything has been amplified and summarized in order to concentrate on the theme of Yahweh’s supremacy.”
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Guzik - While the bulk of his army was busy at Lachish, Sennacherib sent some men to Jerusalem to prepare for the siege, especially with psychological combat. The mention of Lachish is important historically. Lachish was thirty miles south-west of Jerusalem. Archaeologists have discovered a pit there with the remains of about 1,500 casualties of Sennacherib’s attack. In the British Museum, you can see the Assyrian carving depicting their siege of the city of Lachish, which was an important fortress city of Judah. Dilday - An interesting wall relief taken from the excavation of Sennacherib’s royal palace in Nineveh is preserved in the British Museum. It portrays the Assyrian king on a portable throne in his military camp outside Lachish. Prisoners of war are marching by on foot, and all the booty from the city is being displayed on ox-wagons, See multiple Archaeological articles that relate to Lachish while he was besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying - See map for depiction of this verse. (Read 2Ki 18:14-16 above). Raymond Dillard: It is a form of psychological warfare: the commander of a powerful army sends messengers to intimidate surrounding cities into capitulation in the face of a threatened siege or disaster. Cf. the messages sent to Samaria by Ben-hadad (1 Kgs 20:2–12). When his messengers went to Jerusalem, Sennacherib “was besieging Lachish.” It was literally a “monumental” campaign; Sennacherib commemorated the event with a mural over fifty feet long carved in stone in one of his palaces (D. Ussishkin, The Conquest of Lachish by Sennacherib [Tel Aviv: University Institute of Archeology, 1982]). . . The messenger’s speech is, of course, designed both to instill fear and to arouse discontent with Hezekiah. Hezekiah is charged with religious heresy, with abuse of power through forced labor, with deception, and with endangering the lives of his subjects. The “forced labor” (32:11) was presumably the conscripted assistance used for the water projects and repairing the walls and towers.
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Guzik - The mention of Lachish is important historically. Lachish was thirty miles south-west of Jerusalem. Archaeologists have discovered a pit there with the remains of about 1,500 casualties of Sennachaerib’s attack. In the British Museum, you can see the Assyrian carving depicting their siege of the city of Lachish, which was an important fortress city of Judah.
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Guzik - In what do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem? These servants of Sennacherib (known as the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh in 2 Kings 18:17) tried to shake the trust Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem had in the LORD. We might wish that Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, and that this is what the Assyrians mocked. Instead, Hezekiah put his hope in an alliance with Egypt, and the Assyrians wanted him to lose confidence in that alliance.. It was a great temptation for Hezekiah during this time to make a defensive alliance with Egypt, which seemed to be the only nation strong enough to protect Judah against the mighty Assyrians. As a prophet, Isaiah did everything he could to discourage Hezekiah and the leaders of Judah from putting their trust in Egypt (Isaiah 19:11-17, 20:1-6, 30:1-7). The LORD wanted Judah to trust Him instead of Egypt. Rabshakeh’s question about Judah’s confidence captures the age-old conflict between faith and fear. The world still asks believers, “What is this confidence that you have?”—as though trusting God were foolish when circumstances appear overwhelming. Scripture, however, consistently teaches that true confidence is found only in the Lord, not in visible strength or human calculation. Psalm 27:1 declares, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” 🙏 THOUGHT - Is the enemy taunting you today, not audibly of course, but through a seemingly unceasing barrage of fiery missiles (Eph 6:16+) resulting in anxiety, fear, discouragement, etc? Then in the power of the Spirit, put on your armor (Eph 6:10-18+) and go to war, doing your part (praying, trusting, etc), and remembering that the battle is the Lord's, and that in His perfect timing and way, He will win the victory because of His ultimate eternal victory at the Cross! 2 Chronicles 32:11 ‘Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, “The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? to give over: 2Ki 18:27 Isa 36:12,18 The Lord our God: 2Ch 32:15 2Ki 18:30 19:10 Ps 3:2 11:1-3 22:8 42:10 71:11 Mt 27:43 ASSYRIAN ACCUSES KING OF DECEPTION ‘Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, “The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria” The Assyrian taunt accuses Hezekiah of deceiving the people by urging faith in the LORD, framing trust in God as a reckless choice that will only lead to starvation and defeat. Utley on "the hand of the king of Assyria" The word "hand" has several connotations and usages. 1. literal (i.e., hand of a human) a. symbol of the entire person, Ezek. 3:18; 18:8,17; 33:6,8 b. symbol of human weakness, Ezek.7:17,27; 21:7; 22:14 c. symbol of foreign enemies, Ezek. 7:21; 11:9; 16:39; 21:31; 23:9,28; 28:10; 30:12; 34:27; 38:12; 39:23 d. literal hand, Ezek. 8:11; 12:7; 16:11; 37:17,19,20 e. symbol of false leaders' power, Ezek. 13:21,22,23; 34:10 f. symbol of a nation, Ezek. 23:31,37,42,45; 25:14; 27:15; 28:9; 30:10,22,24,25; 31:11; 39:3 2. anthropomorphic of deity a. YHWH's giving of revelation, Ezek. 1:3; 3:14,22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1 (2:9 is other imagery of revelation – scroll on a hand) b. YHWH's power in judgment, Ezek. 6:14; 13:9; 14:9,13; 16:27; 20:33; 25:7,13,16; 35:3; 39:21 c. YHWH Himself (His personal Presence), Ezek. 20:22 d. YHWH's power to deliver, 20:34 (possibly key usage from Exodus, cf. 3:20; 4:17; 6:1; 7:19; 13:3) 3. anthropomorphic of Cherubim, Ezek. 1:8; 8:3; 10:7,8,12,21 4. anthropomorphic of destroying angels, Ezek. 9:1-2; 21:11 5. symbol of a pledge or oath, Ezek. 17:18; 20:5 (twice), 6,15,23,28; 36:7; 44:12; 47:14 6. symbol of joy, Ezek. 25:6 7. anthropomorphic of an angel, Ezek. 40:3,5; 47:3 Related Resource: The Hand of the Lord 2 Chronicles 32:12 ‘Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn incense”? Has not the same Hezekiah 2Ch 31:1 2Ki 18:4,22 Isa 36:7 taken away: This was artfully malicious: many of the people had sacrificed to Jehovah on high places, (ch. 31:1;) and Hezekiah had removed them, as incentives to idolatry. Hence Rabshakeh insinuates that by so doing he had offended Jehovah, deprived the people of their religious rights, and that, consequently, he could neither expect the blessing of God, nor the cooperation of the people. Ye shall worship: De 12:13,14,26,27 one altar: 2Ch 4:1 Ex 27:1-8 30:1-6 40:26-29 1Ki 7:48 DELIBERATE DISTORTION OF HEZEKIAH'S REFORM Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places (bamah) and His altars, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn incense The Rabshakeh’s logic in that statement (2 Kings 18:22 // Isaiah 36:7) is a deliberate distortion of Hezekiah’s reform, designed to undermine faith in the LORD. Rabshakeh's distorted pagan logic runs like this. More altars equate with more favor. In pagan religion, having many shrines, many sacrifices, many locations was seen as increasing a god’s power and goodwill. Hezekiah removed many worship sites. Hezekiah centralized worship in Jerusalem, removing high places throughout Judah (2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chronicles 31). Therefore Rabshakeh’s false conclusion was that Hezekiah has angered Judah’s God, weakened Him, or reduced His honor. So Judah should not expect divine helpif their own king has offended his god, thus Assyria’s victory is assured. Note that one reason such an argument might have some "takers" with some of the Israelites is because so many had grown up worshiping (falsely) at the high places. To some therefore Rabshakeh's argument might seem plausible. Rabshakeh is not just attacking Hezekiah but is redefining who God is, reducing him to a manageable idol, effectively denying God’s self-revelation and mocking Hezekiah's obedience as irreverence. This is why God later says Assyria’s words were spoken “against the living God” (2 Kings 19:4). The Rabshakeh’s logic collapses because it assumes God is impressed by visible religion rather than obedient faith. His argument was persuasive only because it sounded religious—but it was grounded in pagan theology, not biblical truth. Guzik - The Assyrian accuser knew that King Hezekiah had implemented broad reforms in Judah, including the removal of the high places (2 Kings 18:3–4). Yet in the Assyrian’s thinking, Hezekiah’s reforms had really displeased God, so he should not expect help from the LORD God of Israel. The Assyrian would say, “Look at all the places there used to be where people would worship the LORD God of Israel. Now, since Hezekiah came in, there is only one place. More is always better, so the LORD God of Israel must be pretty sore at Hezekiah!” The enemy of our souls has an amazing way of discouraging our disobedience. If Hezekiah was not careful, this argument of the Assyrian would start to make sense, when really it was demonic logic through and through. 2 Chronicles 32:13 ‘Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands able at all to deliver their land from my hand? I and my: 2Ki 15:29 17:5,6 19:11-13,17,18 Isa 10:9,10,14 37:12,13,18-20 Da 4:30,37 5:19 were the gods: 2Ch 32:19 2Ki 18:33-35 19:18,19 Ps 115:3-8 Isa 44:8-10 Jer 10:11,12,16 Ac 19:26 1Co 8:4 ASSYRIAN BOASTS NO ONE HAS STOPPED US YET Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands able at all to deliver their land from my hand? - The Assyrian boast argues that since no nation’s gods stopped Assyria before, Israel’s God cannot either—but this reasoning collapses because it confuses temporary conquest with ultimate sovereignty and mistakes God’s restraint for impotence. Guzik - The Assyrian’s speech was intended to destroy their trust in God. His message was simple, and brilliant in its Satanic logic: “The gods of other nations have not been able to protect them against us. Your God is just like one of them, and can’t protect you either.” For anyone who had the spiritual understanding to see it, Judah could have started planning the victory party right then, when the Assyrian wrote so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand. It is one thing to speak against Judah, its people and leaders. It was another thing all together to mock the LORD God of Israel this way, and count Him as “just another god.” J.A. Thompson: Sennacherib’s message was typical of those who place their faith in human power rather than in the invisible power of God. Like many such people, he considered faith in the living God to be the same as all “religion,” and he mocked the reforms of Hezekiah as meaningless in the face the power of the sword he carried. There is great irony in these verses. Whereas Sennacherib is engaging in psychological warfare, he is doing so by quoting truths thinking they are lies. The phrase “the Lord our God will save us from the King of Assyria” is truth but Sennacherib quoted it as if it were an impossibility. Similarly, in 2Ch 32:12 Hezekiah’s reforms were not against the wishes of this “god” but were conducted in fear of the Lord. Sennacherib alluded to history in 2Ch 32:13-14 and the fact that no god had stopped them yet. The problem for Sennacherib was that he had never confronted the One true God, Yahweh, the God of Israel. When he did, he returned defeated and disgraced (2Ch 32:21). Andrew Hill: The gist of the Assyrian message is a call to surrender the city of Jerusalem or die in the siege. King Sennacherib’s emissaries offer two logical reasons for Judah’s capitulation to the invading army. (1) The success of the Assyrian campaign in the outlying regions of Judah is interpreted as necessary retribution against Hezekiah because he has offended the gods in his purge of the “high places” (2Ch 32:11-12). (2) Recent history has shown that none of the gods of the other nations was able to deliver their people from the Assyrian juggernaut (2Ch 32:13-15). 2 Chronicles 32:14 ‘Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? among: Isa 10:11,12 your God: Ex 14:3 15:9-11 Isa 42:8 SENNACHERIB'S BLASPHEMOUS DECLARATIONS Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? The Assyrian is not just expressing his pride as in the previous passages but now is overtly blaspheming by placing the Most High God, the Only Living God, on the level as the dead, impotent gods of pagan peoples! As the saying goes, Sennacherib and his officials would eat their words and in their place of eternal punishment they will forever rue (bitterly regret) the day they spoke those blasphemous words, words recorded forever in the Bible (Luke 21:33+)! Bob
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Guzik - Against all odds, and against every expectation except the expectation of faith, the Assyrian army was turned back without having even shot an arrow into Jerusalem. The unstoppable was stopped, the undefeated was defeated. Payne writes that "This event ranks, in fact, with Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea as one of the two greatest examples of the Lord’s intervention to save his people.” Mark Boda: The Chronicler communicates the total devastation by referring to three levels in the military: mighty warrior, commander, and officer (2Ch 32:21) ESV Study note on shame - The Chronicler’s addition, highlighting the element of confrontation between the arrogant Assyrian king and God himself (see Ps. 34:4-7; 35:4-5). Although Sennacherib’s army withdrew shortly afterward, his murder did not occur until 20 years later, in 681 b.c. (see 2 Kings 19:35-36; 19:37). Guzik on So he returned shamefaced to his own land: The shame seems to have left his face rather quickly. After this retreat from Judah, Sennacherib commissioned a record, which is preserved in the spectacular Annals of Sennacherib (the Taylor Prisim), which can be seen in the British Museum. It shows how full of pride Sennacherib’s heart still was, even if he could not even claim he conquered Jerusalem. “I attacked Hezekiah of Judah who had not subjected himself to me, and took forty-six fortresses, forts and small cities. I carried away captive 200,150 people, big and small, both male and female, a multitude of horses, young bulls, asses, camels, and oxen. Hezekiah himself I locked up in Jerusalem like a bird in its cage. I put up banks against the city. I separated his cities whose inhabitants I had taken prisoners from his realm and gave them to Mitiniti, king of Ashdod, Padi, king of Ekron, and Zilbel, king of Gaza and thus diminished his country. And I added another tax to the one imposed on him earlier.” (Cited in Bultema, commentary on Isaiah) “The Biblical account concludes with the much debated statement that the Assyrian army was struck down in some way during the night with considerable loss of life, following which the siege was called off … The Assyrian Annals tacitly agree with the Biblical version by making no claim that Jerusalem was taken, only describing tribute from Hezekiah.” (T.C. Mitchell, The Bible in the British Museum) Bob