Day 69 Reading Schedule: 2 Kings 18-22

2 Kings 18: Hezekiah's Reign and the Assyrian Invasion

[Summary]

This chapter records the major achievements of Hezekiah, the 13th king who was evaluated as the most outstanding king after the divided kingdom. Due to the weakness and unbelief of his predecessor, King Ahaz, Judah had been in extreme political, religious, and economic ruin due to the weakness and unbelief of his predecessor, but Hezekiah ascended to the throne about 6 years before the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Hezekiah abandoned his father's dependent diplomacy and pursued independent policies, leading to a completely new period of transformation in which he relied solely on Jehovah God and eliminated all superstitions and idols. This chapter, which focuses on the reign of King Hezekiah and the invasion of Assyria, records Hezekiah's early actions (vv. 1-8), the fall of Israel (vv. 9-12), the first Assyrian invasion of Judah (vv. 13-16), the second Assyrian invasion of Judah (vv. 17-18), and the insulting words of Rabshakeh (vv. 19-37). Hezekiah's faithful and religious attitude is shown in the latter part of the chapter as a resolute attitude despite the ridicule of foreign envoys. 

[Explanation] 

With the fall of Israel, the method of cross-referencing Judah and Israel up to now is departed, and only Judah is mentioned. The king who appears in the text is Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, who had ruled wickedly. Unlike his father, he acted righteously in the eyes of the Lord and strongly promoted reform. Thus, in the process of implementing the anti-Assyrian policy, Hezekiah was attacked by Assyria, but he was a faithful leader who relied only on Jehovah. 

2 Kings 19: Hezekiah, who received the promise of salvation for his people 

[Summary] 

This chapter contains the greatest crisis and humiliation during Hezekiah's reign, as well as the greatest victory and salvation. The content includes Isaiah's prophecy (verses 1-7), the threat of the king of Assyria (verses 8-13), Hezekiah's prayer (verses 14-19), God's response (verses 20-34), and the death of the king of Assyria (verses 35-37). Hezekiah was able to defeat the mighty Assyria because he had the faith to pray to God in the midst of difficult times. 

[Explanation] 

For God's people, the most desperate times can sometimes turn into the most hopeful times. This is exactly the case with Hezekiah. After sending back the Assyrian messengers demanding surrender, Hezekiah was filled with unspeakable despair. At this very moment, God told Hezekiah something that was hard to believe through the prophet Isaiah. And Hezekiah saw the process being fulfilled right before his eyes. 

2 Kings 20: Hezekiah's Humility and Pride

[Summary]

This chapter is the last part of the record of Hezekiah's reign, and the events recorded in this chapter actually occurred before the events of the battlefield in terms of the chronological order of events. The date of the events in this chapter coincides with the year of the first invasion of Judah by Assyrian king Sennacherib in B.C. 714, the 14th year of Hezekiah's reign. In addition, this chapter shows that there were many treasures in the royal treasury, which suggests that the events in this chapter occurred before the many treasures were offered as tribute to the king of Assyria. The contents of this chapter are Hezekiah recovering from a fatal illness (verses 1-7), Ahaz's sign on the sun (verses 8-11), Hezekiah's mistake (verses 12-15), God's prediction of punishment (verses 16-19), and Hezekiah's death (verses 20-21). The first half of this chapter contains the proclamation of God's salvation, and the second half contains the proclamation of judgment. This shows that God's righteous proclamation of salvation and judgment does not deviate to the left or right. 

[Explanation] 

This chapter teaches about God's blessings and curses by testifying to the grace that God bestowed on King Hezekiah when he acted humbly and the curses that God bestowed on him when he acted arrogantly. When Hezekiah was sick and on the verge of death, God extended his life by giving him grace when he turned his face to the wall and prayed. However, when he became arrogant and boasted of his glory and wealth to the Gentiles, God pronounced a terrible curse that made Judah a vassal state of the Gentiles. 

2 Kings 21: The Reigns of Manasseh and Amon

[Summary]

When Hezekiah died and his son Manasseh became king, the situation changed drastically and the destruction of Judah became more and more concrete. This chapter, which records this content, consists of the evil deeds of Manasseh and Amon, who were evaluated by later historians as the key figures in the destruction of Judah. ​​It records Manasseh's idolatry (verses 1-9), God's judgment (verses 10-15), Manasseh's death after offering (verses 16-18), and the evil deeds of Amon, who succeeded Manasseh (verses 19-26). Manasseh changed the religious reform policy of his predecessor, Hezekiah, and returned to the wicked politics of his grandfather, Ahaz. His son, Amon, followed in the footsteps of his father and did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He also worshipped the idols his father had served and abandoned the Lord. As a result of his sin, he was revolted by his servants, ending his short reign of two years. 

[Explanation] 

Manasseh practiced abominable idolatry that made Hezekiah's religious reforms pale in comparison, and God's punishment was declared to Israel. His son, Amon, followed in the footsteps of his father and committed evil deeds, and was punished by God and put to death by his servants. 

2 Kings 22: King Josiah's Reign and Repair of the Temple 

[Summary] 

This chapter consists of the reign of Josiah, the 16th king and the last reformer of Judah. When Josiah ascended the throne at the young age of eight, Judah was still subject to Assyria, as had been the case with his predecessors Manasseh and Amon. However, in the 14th year of Josiah’s reign, King Assyrian King Assurbanipal died, and the great Assyrian Empire began to decline. Around that time, the Neo-Babylonian Empire began to emerge, and Judah’s reforms were carried out during this change in the world powers. Josiah’s reforms were carried out in two directions: one was the religious purification of Judah, and the other was the centralization of worship in Jerusalem. The contents of this chapter are Josiah’s election (verses 1-2), his order to repair the temple (verses 3-7), followed by the discovery of the Book of the Law in the temple (verses 8-13), and the prophecy of Judah’s destruction (verses 14-20). 

[Explanation]

King Josiah followed the upright ways of David, served God well, and repaired the temple with zeal for God. During the repair of the temple, the priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law, which prophesied that God's judgment would come because of the sins of the Israelites. Josiah trembled in fear at the words, tore his clothes, and repented. The prophetess Huldah prophesied God's wrathful judgment because of Judah's sins, but she also gave a blessing to King Josiah, who repented, saying that he would not suffer any trouble.