Take your Bibles with me and turn to the book of 2 Kings, chapter 18. We're going to look at chapters 18 and 19 tonight and talk about one of the greatest stories in the Bible. It is challenging, it is encouraging, and it is a story that you absolutely should know. It ranks up there with the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace or Daniel in the lions’ den. It is an amazing story of God’s provision and God’s help through trials.

We’re still talking about King Hezekiah. It’s been a couple of weeks because we had the singing group last week, but Hezekiah was probably the most godly king in the entire history of Israel and Judah. He’s the King of Judah. He comes in and does what none of the other kings were willing to do. He is absolutely faithful to the Lord, and at the point this story starts, he’s been the king for about 15 years.

We've actually already covered the first 12 verses of this chapter and talked about how godly King Hezekiah was and all of the reforms that he instituted. And so our story picks up in verse 13.

And the first principle that we're going to see in this story is:

1. Don't think that your faithfulness means you'll never have trials

Hezekiah has been absolutely faithful. But that doesn't mean he's not gonna have problems.

Let's read verse 13 through verse 16:

[13] Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.
[14] And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
[15] And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house.
[16] At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
2 Kings 18:13-16 (KJV)

Remember Assyria is the bully. They are the people that are taking over the world and they've already taken over Israel. Now they're setting their sights on Judah. They come in and start taking over cities in Judah.

This is a real trial. The most powerful person on earth, the most powerful army on earth, somehow got the idea that Hezekiah was against him. That Judah was trying to revolt and so they came in force to try to do to Judah what they'd already done to Israel.

Listen just because you are faithful, just because you're walking with the Lord, doesn't mean that you are going to escape trials. That is an extremely ignorant assumption. The whole story of the Bible is the story of God using trials in the lives of His people to teach them and to help them grow stronger.

James says we should count it all joy when we fall into diverse temptations because the trying of our faith worketh patience.

It is part of God's plan to bring us through trials. It is part of God's way of refining us, of strengthening us, by causing us to go through things that are a little bit bigger than us and a little bit harder than we can bear. And that's what happens here with Judah and Hezekiah, despite the fact that they have been absolutely faithful to the Lord at this point.

And you know what? Hezekiah doesn't pass the test. This first testing: this first bit of pressure. Hezekiah caves and he goes and he strips gold from the temple and he bows to this foreign king and says, "I'll pay whatever you ask." That doesn't look like faith to me.

But there's a second principle that we can take from this story and that's

2. Just because you fail a trial doesn't mean you have to fail the next one

Hezekiah caved to Assyria, to Sennacherib. But that doesn't mean that he was going to fail the next trial. In fact he learns from his mistake very quickly. And that trial came very quickly.

Appeasement didn't work. If you give the devil an inch, he's going to take a mile. He will never be satisfied.

Let's keep reading verses 17-18:

[17] And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.
[18] And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.
2 Kings 18:17-18 (KJV)

Even though Hezekiah has ponied up and raided the temple and paid all of this money to the king of Assyria, the king of Assyria still wants to flex his muscles and play bully ball. He sends a contingent of people to Jerusalem to stand outside the gate and deliver a message. Hezekiah sends his guys out so you have Sennacherib, the king of Assyria's guys, on one side and Hezekiah's guys on the other. They're right outside the gate of the city of Jerusalem and they're having a conversation. They're having a powwow.

Let’s keep reading:

[19] And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
[20] Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?
[21] Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
[22] But if ye say unto me, We trust in the Lord our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?
[23] Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
[24] How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
[25] Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
2 Kings 18:19-25 (KJV)

So this messenger from Sennacherib, his name is Rabshaka. He comes and has this message to bring to Hezekiah. He delivers it in Hebrew because he wants all the people that are on the gates to hear this message of intimidation.

It's a message of challenge. He's challenging him and saying, "If you think you're going to join up with Pharaoh in Egypt, that's a bad plan. Pharaoh is completely unpredictable and unhelpful."

You know there's some truth to that. In fact the prophets many times delivered that same message. If Rabshakeh had stopped there, it probably would have been okay but he keeps talking. He says essentially, "Don't think that God's going to save you either."

And he has this message. He says, "First you've gone and you've gotten rid of all of the high places so God's probably mad at you." Now he was wrong there. That was actually an act of obedience and faith we learned from a couple weeks ago.

But then he says, "Listen even if we gave you a couple thousand horses and a couple thousand soldiers, you still wouldn't be strong enough to defeat us."

And his final word was, "Listen don't think God's going to save you. God sent us to defeat you."

This is just the message of a bully. And I think another principle, let's say a third principle that we can learn from this is

3. The devil is a bully and a liar and his servants are too

One of the challenges, one of the tools that the devil has in his arsenal, is intimidation, is lies, is pressure. This evil messenger of Sennacherib, this evil messenger of Assyria, wanted to flex his muscles and to show them how weak they were and how hopeless their situation was. And he even told them that God was on his side.

But he wasn’t done. Let’s keep reading:

[28] Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria:
[29] Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:
[30] Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
2 Kings 18:28-30 (KJV)

This messenger wanted everyone to hear him. He said to everybody, "Don't let King Hezekiah deceive you. Don't let him think that he's going to deliver you out of the hand of our king of Assyria. Don't let him tell you to trust in God and that God will deliver you."

Then he tries to bribe them. He tries to tell them how well they'll be treated.

[31] Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:
[32] Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.
2 Kings 18:31-32 (KJV)

He's saying, "Just give in. We'll treat you well. We'll give you your own land, your own well, your own fig tree. We'll take you to a place that's just like this. It's not this but it'll be just like this. There are vineyards there, bread there, olive oil there, and honey there. Just don't listen to Hezekiah. Don't listen to him tell you to trust in God."

But then this wicked messenger, this bully, really seals the deal with his final statement.

[33] Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
[34] Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?
[35] Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?
2 Kings 18:33-35 (KJV)

He compares the God Almighty to the gods of all the other nations that Assyria had conquered. He says those gods didn't show up for them. Why do you think the Lord is going to deliver Jerusalem from me?

Now I'm not going to read the rest of the chapter, but what happens is the people don't say a word. They believe enough in Hezekiah that they say nothing. They go back with ripped clothes and deliver this message to King Hezekiah.

You've got to think how demoralizing this must have been. This is the most powerful country on earth and they are playing bully ball. They are bringing their biggest show of strength and intimidation, threatening to just wipe out Judah and Jerusalem. They're mocking God and it's just ugly.

Don't be surprised when the devil plays ugly. I remember a time, a few years ago, when I was going through a trial. A preacher friend who was counseling me said, "The devil's a jerk, isn't he?” He is. He will demoralize you, lie to you, and gaslight you. He'll try to keep you from serving the Lord.

So far in our story God has brought this terrible trial to the front door of this faithful king, Hezekiah. Hezekiah has not really done well with this trial. He tries to cave and appease this wicked king. He takes gold and the stuff out of the temple that he's just spent the last 15 years trying to build up. He fails this trial.

But like I said earlier, just because you fail a trial doesn't mean you'll fail the next one. As this bad news is brought to Hezekiah, look at what he does in chapter 19.

[1] And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
[2] And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
[3] And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
[4] It may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.
[5] So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
2 Kings 19:1-5 (KJV)

Hezekiah knew right where to take his troubles. He took them to the Lord. The very first place he went was the house of God. The very first people he told were the priests and God's prophets.

The fourth point I want to give you tonight is...

4. The right place to take your troubles is to the Lord

I’m reminded of one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible, 1 Peter 5:7:

[7] Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

God wants us to bring our trials to Him, our anxiety to Him, and our pressures to Him. Hezekiah went to the right place. When you are between the rock and a hard place and everywhere you look around you is dark, you can always look up. That's where you should have looked in the first place.

God gives Hezekiah, through the word of Isaiah, a promise to hold on to.

[6] And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
[7] Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
[8] So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
2 Kings 19:6-8 (KJV)

God says, "I'm going to send a blast on him. I'm going to blow on him, and he's going to go back to his own land. I'm going to cause him to die by the sword in his own land."

Judah and Jerusalem and Hezekaiah - They get a little bit of a break but the break is short-lived because this same messenger sends back another letter and says, "Don't think that we're done! Don't think that God is going to deliver you! We're still coming for you! We're still going to wipe you guys out."

That brings me to a fifth principle to write down tonight:

5. Don’t expect the devil to run on the first blow

Just because you have a little bit of victory doesn't mean the battle is over. Don't be surprised when the devil comes back. Don't be surprised when trials come back for another round.

Hezekiah and Jerusalem got a break but it was a short break. Because Sennacherib basically said, "I'm coming, I'm coming to wipe you out," in this letter. And then apparently if you read the rest of the chapter, back the letter up by actually doing it.

And I love what Hezekiah does with this letter. Look at verses 14-19 here:

[14] And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.
[15] And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
[16] Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.
[17] Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,
[18] And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
[19] Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.
2 Kings 19:14-19 (KJV)

He took that letter and laid it before the Lord. He physically took it to the temple, spread it out on the altar, and prayed over it. He's casting his cares on the Lord. He's turning to the Lord. This is what faithful perseverance through trials looks like.

God doesn't promise that we're not going to have trials. He promises that we are going to have trials. He just also says he'll be there with us in those trials and he'll guide us through them. He'll give us strength in those trials and he'll hold back the enemy in those trials. We're going to see him do all of those things in this story.

By the way what a prayer. Hezekiah says, "Listen, it's true that these guys have come and they have wiped out all these other countries. The gods of all these other countries have been of no help to them but of course they're of no help to them because they are not real and you are."

Then he says, "God, show them that you're real. Show them that you're real by delivering us." Maybe, folks, if you ever think about this, one of the reasons God might put you through a trial is to show the watching world that He is real in your life.

Isaiah pipes up again, God's prophet, and gives another word of encouragement to Hezekiah.

[20] Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
[21] This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
2 Kings 19:20-21 (KJV)

Isaiah says God's given him a word about King Sennacherib of Assyria. God's told him to say, "Listen, the virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn and shaken her head at thee." He's personifying Jerusalem as a virgin. What it means here is that Jerusalem has never been conquered and don't think you're going to conquer it either Assyria. We're going to laugh at you.

Then he kind of quotes in the next several verses the evil speech of Sennacherib but look at how this concludes. This word from God.

[27] But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.
[28] Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
2 Kings 19:27-28 (KJV)

This is God speaking to Sennacherib, the most powerful man in the world. He's saying, "I know where you live, I know where you sleep, and I know the hatred and the rage you have against me. Because of that hatred, because I've heard what you said, I'm going to stick a hook in your nose. I'm going to stick a hook through your lips, just like you've tried to take my people out of their land. I'm going to take you out."

The last principle tonight is:

6. God will deliver his own and get the last laugh

Let's pick up in verse 32 and read through verse 37:

[32] Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
[33] By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.
[34] For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

God gave Hezekiah a promise. He said that the king is not going to come close to here. He's not even going to be within arrow shot of this city. He's going to come back the way that he came. I'm going to defend this city.

Then God backed up his promise in the most amazing way.

[35] And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
[36] So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
[37] And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
2 Kings 19:32-37 (KJV)

God sent one angel and that one angel decimated the army of the Assyrians. They wake up and their army's gone. 185,000 men of war were just wiped out, just corpses in the field. They come home in defeat, go back to Nineveh. As that wicked king is later worshiping in the temple of his God, his own sons come and kill him, then run away, and another son takes over his kingdom.

God got the last laugh. God will always get the last laugh.

Listen don't think because you're faithful that you will avoid trials. The tests are going to come, the trials are going to come. Whether it's God delivering you from Egypt and then leading you to the Red Sea, where you're trapped between the Red Sea and the army of Pharaoh. Whether it's God leading you into the promised land only to come to a giant city that you have no hope of conquering on your own. Whether it's God having the king throw you in a lion's den or a fiery furnace. The trials are definitely going to come, because God uses trials to strengthen us and to show that he is real in our life.

And listen, those trials will be ugly. We read about stories like this. We read about the lion and the fire. They have kind of a flanagraph quality about them in our minds, don't they? They were terrifying. They were face to face with pure evil and the evil seemed strong, but you know what? God was stronger. And God will be strong for you if you put your faith and trust in Him and follow Him through the trial.

Maybe you've failed a little bit but that doesn't mean you have to keep failing. Bring your trials to the Lord. Keep bringing your trials to the Lord. Trust in His promises and He'll get you through the trials. Let's stand together for prayer.