1
00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,600
I'm eager to come to this 
chapter with you in Second 

2
00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:07,840
Kings, so if you have a copy of 
God's Word in your hands, please

3
00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,480
meet me in Second Kings chapter 
18. 

4
00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:18,760
Apart from David and Solomon, 
Hezekiah receives more 

5
00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:24,400
attention, more recognition than
any other king in Judas history.

6
00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:28,720
Really, all the kings in 
Israel's history and students of

7
00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,119
the Old Testament will recall 
that there is more than just 

8
00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:35,960
three extensive chapters 
dedicated to Hezekiah's 

9
00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:40,640
administration. 
We also have things about him in

10
00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:44,840
Second Chronicles and even in 
the prophetic book of Isaiah, 

11
00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:49,840
which means at least one thing. 
It is so obvious that the Holy 

12
00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:54,800
Spirit of God longs for us to 
learn much from this one man's 

13
00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,560
story. 
That is why we should be 

14
00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:00,600
excited. 
Because three weeks ago we only 

15
00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:06,640
began to uncover the wisdom and 
the inspiration attached to 

16
00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:12,160
Hezekiah's leadership and his 
walk with the living God. 

17
00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:15,600
And thankfully, the Lord has 
given us another opportunity 

18
00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,680
tonight to continue with this 
account. 

19
00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,800
And I must say, I am excited. 
I don't know how many times I'm 

20
00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:23,800
going to say it, but I'm so 
excited. 

21
00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,640
Not just because we were united,
but because we're going to learn

22
00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:32,280
a lot about spiritual warfare. 
If you endure this study until 

23
00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,440
near the end, you will see what 
I mean. 

24
00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,400
We're actually going to discover
several insights of how Satan 

25
00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:43,400
conquers people's minds. 
There's much to learn even 

26
00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,480
before that. 
And in case we forgot, we only 

27
00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:51,480
touched on the 1st 12 verses of 
Hezekiah's achievements. 

28
00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:54,560
And this evening, if the Lord 
wills, we're going to complete 

29
00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,240
this chapter together. 
So we're going to read now 

30
00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:02,840
beginning at verse 13. 
Actually, before we read, I 

31
00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:06,560
think it would be good for us to
refresh our memories, at least 

32
00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,320
to recall the main take away 
from our last study in this 

33
00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,680
book. 
The one thing that we were 

34
00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:17,080
impressed with concerning 
Hezekiah is that he was 

35
00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,720
exceptional in his obedience to 
the Lord, especially when you 

36
00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:22,560
compare him with his 
predecessors. 

37
00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,320
We learn earlier in Second Kings
18 that he spearheaded a 

38
00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:33,920
wonderful revival, A reformation
to Judah in confronting issues, 

39
00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,360
compromising issues that were 
widely neglected by former 

40
00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:42,480
kings, even good kings. 
And so we were refreshed by this

41
00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,040
man's wholehearted devotion to 
the Lord. 

42
00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:48,720
That is what we left with in our
last study. 

43
00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:50,640
Now we pick up where we left 
off. 

44
00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:55,280
And this is important to keep in
mind as we crack open this study

45
00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,320
beginning in verse 13. 
Now we're going to read, let's 

46
00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:04,720
read verse 13 down to verse 16. 
In the 14th year of King 

47
00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,920
Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of 
Assyria, came up against all the

48
00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:12,320
fortified cities of Judah and 
took them. 

49
00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,560
And Hezekiah king of Judah sent 
to the king of Assyria at 

50
00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:21,600
Lachish, saying, I have done 
wrong, withdraw from me. 

51
00:03:21,640 --> 00:03:25,600
Whatever you impose on me I will
bear. 

52
00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:30,360
And the king of Assyria required
of Hezekiah king of Judah, 300 

53
00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,040
talents of silver and 30 talents
of gold. 

54
00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:36,480
And Hezekiah gave them all the 
silver that was found in the 

55
00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,560
House of the Lord and in the 
treasuries of the King's house. 

56
00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:42,320
At that time. 
Hezekiah stripped the gold from 

57
00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:45,280
the doors of the temple of the 
Lord and from the doorpost that 

58
00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,840
Hezekiah, king of Judah, had 
overlaid, and he gave it to the 

59
00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:57,040
king of Assyria. 
We have seen in our study of the

60
00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:03,200
Old Testament many invasions, 
many threats from foreign 

61
00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,760
enemies, Have we not? 
Concerning the people of God? 

62
00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,200
Absolutely. 
But the common trend in 

63
00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:15,880
Scripture is that these rage and
these sieges followed prolonged 

64
00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,320
disobedience on the part of 
God's covenant people. 

65
00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:23,320
That's the trend. 
That's what makes this 

66
00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:27,440
particular passage so striking 
to us because as we just heard, 

67
00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:33,440
Hezekiah stood out for his 
bright and strong allegiance to 

68
00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:35,920
the true God. 
He was one of the few that held 

69
00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,200
fast to the Lord. 
And so the question that should 

70
00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:43,360
come to our minds is how can it 
be that Assyria encroaches upon 

71
00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:47,360
Judah and actually gains partial
victory? 

72
00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:54,200
How is this possible? 
And in case there might be any 

73
00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:58,120
suspect that there is some 
hidden rebellion or compromise 

74
00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:02,640
in Hezekiah, there is a 
neighboring account that affirms

75
00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:06,360
his fidelity to the Lord. 
This is going to be worth it. 

76
00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:09,000
You need to turn to the the 
parallel account in Second 

77
00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,400
Chronicles 32, just one verse. 
I'll wait for you. 

78
00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:17,160
Second Chronicles 32, verse one.
Notice how the chronicler 

79
00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,720
depicts the same event by the 
Spirit. 

80
00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:27,160
He says in verse one, After 
these things and these acts of 

81
00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,160
faithfulness, Sennacherib king 
of Assyria, came and invaded 

82
00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:35,440
Judah and encamped against the 
fortified cities, thinking to 

83
00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:39,520
win them for himself. 
Read slowly. 

84
00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:43,840
Notice that Sennacherib did not 
a camp against the cities of 

85
00:05:43,840 --> 00:05:49,200
Judah after acts of 
faithlessness, but after 

86
00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:54,680
Hezekiah's faithfulness. 
I thought faithfulness led to 

87
00:05:54,680 --> 00:06:02,240
prosperity, not problems, to 
blessings, not burdens, to a 

88
00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:05,920
smooth path forward, not 
surprise attacks. 

89
00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:07,800
That's what many Christians 
believe. 

90
00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:13,360
It's not that simple. 
Understand this, the blessings 

91
00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,840
of God are often packaged in 
ways that we would not expect. 

92
00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,240
And that is true here. 
And you might be wondering, 

93
00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:28,000
well, what kind of advantage is 
there to a vicious superpower of

94
00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,120
a nation harassing the people of
God? 

95
00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:34,520
This is the best answer I can 
give you. 

96
00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:39,000
Pay attention to this, that as 
much as Hezekiah did for the 

97
00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:43,240
glory of God, there was still so
much that God wanted to do and 

98
00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:51,440
needed to do in Hezekiah, and it
would require this big test in 

99
00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:55,480
order to achieve it. 
I'm reminded of the words of 

100
00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:00,480
Jesus in John 15, Two, when he 
speaks about every branch in him

101
00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:05,600
that does not bear fruit is 
taken away, whereas every branch

102
00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:11,240
that does bear fruit he prunes 
so that it can bear more fruit. 

103
00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:17,800
Pruning is painful. 
There is a cutting process. 

104
00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:21,800
There is a removing, there is a 
stripping. 

105
00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:27,360
It is uncomfortable. 
And I believe that is what's 

106
00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:32,520
happening here with Hezekiah. 
Faithful, righteous Hezekiah is 

107
00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,320
being pruned. 
And this is something that you 

108
00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:39,800
and I have to understand, 
especially when it comes to 

109
00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,040
interpreting the trials in our 
lives. 

110
00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:48,000
If you're not careful, you can 
be quick to see things that are 

111
00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,320
uncomfortable or painful as 
expressions of divine 

112
00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:58,280
displeasure or punishments. 
Always keep in mind that as you 

113
00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:01,800
are walking obediently, as you 
are faithfully serving the Lord 

114
00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:07,960
Jesus Christ, your Lord your 
Savior is always ready to prune 

115
00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:11,960
you always, as you're bearing 
fruit. 

116
00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:19,840
So pain isn't always our portion
because we veer off or because 

117
00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:22,400
we're being disciplined for 
unrepentant sin. 

118
00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:28,040
Now, even while you are 
flourishing in your faith, God 

119
00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,960
might allow some pain always 
with a redemptive goal in mind. 

120
00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:36,280
And that is precisely what is 
before us today. 

121
00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:40,760
Because as much again as 
Hezekiah obeyed the Lord in 

122
00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:44,600
remarkable fashion, there was 
still things that needed to be 

123
00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:47,800
done in him. 
What what can be done in 

124
00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:50,720
Hezekiah? 
We heard in our last study a few

125
00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:52,920
weeks ago that he, he trusted in
the Lord. 

126
00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,680
He clung to the Lord, he he 
feared the Lord. 

127
00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,400
And if you look back at verse 5 
again, I just mentioned that 

128
00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:05,080
yes, he did trust the Lord, but 
based on what we just read, it 

129
00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:07,120
wasn't a complete trust. 
That's what I think the Lord is 

130
00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:09,360
after here. 
I believe what the Lord is doing

131
00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,400
in Hezekiah is trying to 
strengthen his faith in a 

132
00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:18,760
particular area, what area 
facing his enemies, facing his 

133
00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:23,440
enemies. 
And so he allows an enemy to 

134
00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:27,200
come to his front doorstep. 
And based on what we just read, 

135
00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:29,560
Hezekiah initially failed the 
test. 

136
00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:34,960
Didn't we see that he failed the
test since his immediate 

137
00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:37,240
reaction was driven by fear and 
human wisdom? 

138
00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:42,200
Instead of crying out to the 
Lord, instead of coming before 

139
00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:48,320
the presence of God, he attempts
to appease Assyria and he takes 

140
00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,400
the glory, some of the glories 
of the temple and he places it 

141
00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:57,120
at the feet of this Pagan king. 
That is not what David did when 

142
00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:58,800
he was threatened by his 
enemies. 

143
00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:03,000
And this man who supposedly 
mirrored David's faith in many 

144
00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,640
ways had a lapse of faith right 
here. 

145
00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:10,600
So I believe God exposed 
something and Hezekiah 

146
00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,320
particular weakness. 
And so he tries to make a deal 

147
00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,880
with the enemy. 
We read it that he says, OK, 

148
00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:20,000
look, I'm sorry that I withdrew 
from you because we read that 

149
00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,920
earlier in second Kings 18 that 
he sees I'm I'm no longer going 

150
00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:25,200
to be a vassal nation. 
I'm going to separate myself 

151
00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,560
from Assyria. 
We're called to independence. 

152
00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:29,240
We're called to be governed by 
God. 

153
00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:33,080
And then once a threat comes, he
goes, oh, I changed my mind. 

154
00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:35,840
I'm sorry I stepped on your toes
here. 

155
00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:38,280
What's the price tag? 
What do you want from me? 

156
00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:41,640
And a demand is made. 
He coughs it up, and what we're 

157
00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,480
going to see right here is that 
the enemy is never satisfied 

158
00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:50,320
with just some of who you are. 
He doesn't just want some of 

159
00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:53,600
what you have. 
He wants everything. 

160
00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:59,680
In the same way God wants 
everything, Satan wants 

161
00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:04,960
everything, even if he has to 
accomplish it step by step. 

162
00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:07,880
And that's what we're going to 
see here. 

163
00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:13,480
Can I mention something to you? 
This is just another testimony, 

164
00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,400
the validation of the accuracy 
and the historicity of our 

165
00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:18,960
Bibles. 
If you were to go to the British

166
00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:28,400
Museum today, you would discover
a large carving, a narration of 

167
00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:33,240
Senecreb and his achievements in
this very chapter. 

168
00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:37,320
It's huge and it's remarkably 
detailed. 

169
00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:42,440
It's fascinating because what 
you'll find there again is 

170
00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:44,880
exactly what the Bible testifies
in this place. 

171
00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:50,240
The campaign that we discover 
here is echoed in history. 

172
00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:54,080
It's confirmed, and this piece 
is massive. 

173
00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:58,680
It's about 12 meters wide, 5 
meters long, and it was 

174
00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:02,200
discovered around or over 2000 
years from its original 

175
00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:05,000
compilation. 
This was a wall relief that 

176
00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:10,720
Seneca ordered to be made in 
order to display his success. 

177
00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:16,480
And so it was in his palace, and
obviously his Kingdom fell. 

178
00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,480
He passed on and history has 
preserved this record to our 

179
00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,840
encouragement, I believe. 
And the reason why historians 

180
00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:27,760
know that what's on those wall 
reliefs, and it's known as the 

181
00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:32,240
Lahish wall reliefs, is because 
there's this small Acadian 

182
00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:36,280
inscription above the chiseled 
Senekreb. 

183
00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,720
And here's what it reads. 
This is fascinating. 

184
00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:46,280
Again, Senekreb, king of the 
world, king of Assyria, sits on 

185
00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:50,800
a throne, and the spoils of 
Lahish are before him. 

186
00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:56,680
Lehish, as we just read, is the 
second most important and 

187
00:12:56,680 --> 00:13:01,160
prominent city in the Kingdom of
Judah, not many miles far from 

188
00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:03,800
Jerusalem. 
And if you were to look this up,

189
00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:09,800
you will find something of the 
Bible preserved for all the 

190
00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:14,080
world to see, to testify that 
this book is indeed true. 

191
00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:17,000
We're studying history here. 
We're not starting just, we're 

192
00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:21,440
not starting just moral lessons.
This is true and it's before us.

193
00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:23,520
So let's read on. 
What happens? 

194
00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:28,440
Verse 17, Are you with me? 
Verse 17? 

195
00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:35,240
And the king of Assyria sent the
Tartan, the rap series, and the 

196
00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:39,400
rap shake with a great army from
Lakish to King Hezekiah at 

197
00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,240
Jerusalem. 
And they went up and came to 

198
00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:44,920
Jerusalem. 
When they arrived, they came and

199
00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:47,360
stood by the conduit of the 
upper pool, which is on the 

200
00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:51,680
highway to the washers field. 
And when they called for the 

201
00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:55,720
king, there came out to them a 
like him, the son of Hilkaya, 

202
00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:00,920
who was over the household, and 
Shebna the secretary, and Joah 

203
00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:06,040
the son of Asaph the recorder. 
So Seneca the king of Assyria 

204
00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:09,600
smelled weakness. 
Hezekiah was willing to 

205
00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,520
surrender his treasure. 
And he goes, I'm after the whole

206
00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:15,440
thing. 
And so he sends 3 delegates. 

207
00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:18,440
Now listen, these are not names 
what we just read in verse 17. 

208
00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:21,840
They're more likely titles. 
These are different roles. 

209
00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:26,120
These are different individuals 
who fulfilled different parts of

210
00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:29,280
the Kingdom. 
And they approach, right? 

211
00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:31,480
And we know that the Rapshech, 
as we're going to read the rest 

212
00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:33,440
of the chapter, is the main 
spokesman. 

213
00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,400
And in response to this, 
Hezekiah sends his own 

214
00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:40,840
representative, three of them, 
to deal with this confrontation.

215
00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:43,640
Now, when you read these names, 
you think, OK, OK, let me just 

216
00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:44,760
move on. 
Let me find something more 

217
00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,160
exciting. 
But you have to understand that 

218
00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,720
these names are not 
insignificant, especially the 

219
00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:52,760
names of the ones that we read 
of in verse 18, because they 

220
00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:56,600
reappear in our Bibles. 
Fact, two of the three names in 

221
00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,760
verse 18 show up in one of 
Isaiah's prophecies. 

222
00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:03,520
Before we turn there, let's read
it again. 

223
00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:07,560
You need to highlight in your 
mind a couple of details that 

224
00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:09,400
will enrich your understanding 
of this passage. 

225
00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:11,720
Look back at verse 18 of Second 
Kings 18. 

226
00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:14,680
And when they called for the 
king, there came out to them a 

227
00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,880
like him, the son of Hilkiah, 
who was over the household. 

228
00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:25,080
Highlight that and Shebna the 
secretary, highlight that and 

229
00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:27,160
Joah the son of Asaph the 
recorder. 

230
00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:29,360
Did you highlight it in your 
mind? 

231
00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:34,320
Good. 
Now go to Isaiah chapter 22 

232
00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:38,600
verse 15 and see this wonderful 
connection. 

233
00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:46,600
In Isaiah 22, the Lord rebukes 
the complacency and the 

234
00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:50,280
misplaced trust of His people in
their military strength. 

235
00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:55,160
But just over halfway through 
the prophecy, the Spirit of God 

236
00:15:55,160 --> 00:16:00,120
shifts His focus and addresses 
one of the leaders in Jerusalem.

237
00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,360
Tell me if this sounds familiar.
Are you in Isaiah 22, verse 15 

238
00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:04,640
with me? 
Let's read it. 

239
00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:05,880
We're going to read a few 
verses. 

240
00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,400
Pay attention. 
Give yourself to this. 

241
00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:14,440
Thus says the Lord God of hosts,
come go to this steward, to 

242
00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:17,920
Shebna who is over the 
household. 

243
00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,360
Pause. 
Based on 2nd Kings 18. 

244
00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:26,760
Was Shebna over the household? 
No, he was the secretary here. 

245
00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:31,240
We learned that He was over the 
household, and say to him, verse

246
00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:36,520
16, What have you to do here? 
And whom have you here that you 

247
00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:38,800
have cut out here a tomb for 
yourself? 

248
00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:43,520
You who cut out a tomb on the 
height and a carve A dwelling 

249
00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:46,800
and carve A dwelling for 
yourself in the rock, behold, 

250
00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:48,960
the Lord will hurl you away 
violently. 

251
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:53,440
O you strongman, He will seize 
firm hold on you, and whirl you 

252
00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:58,000
around and around, and throw you
like a ball into a wide land. 

253
00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:02,760
There you shall die, and there 
shall be your glorious Chariots.

254
00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:06,960
You shame of your master's 
house, I will thrust you from 

255
00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:10,640
your office, and you will be 
pulled down from your station. 

256
00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:12,359
Pause. 
Apparently the Lord's not very 

257
00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:16,720
happy with Shebna. 
There's something here about the

258
00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:21,640
way this man dealt with his 
position, utilized his 

259
00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,480
authority, that made God angry. 
But it doesn't end there. 

260
00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,920
Let's continue. 
Verse 20 In that day I will call

261
00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:31,520
my servant Eliakim, the son of 
Hilkiah. 

262
00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:34,920
Did we read of him in Second 
Kings 18 Now what's going to 

263
00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:38,400
happen with him? 
Verse 21 And I will clothe him 

264
00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:43,040
with your robe, and we'll bind 
your sash on him, and we'll 

265
00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:47,200
commit your authority to his 
hand, and he shall be a father 

266
00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:49,840
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem 
into the House of Judah. 

267
00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:54,080
And I will place on his shoulder
the key of the House of David. 

268
00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:57,040
He shall open and none shall 
shut. 

269
00:17:57,360 --> 00:18:01,040
He shall shut and none shall 
open. 

270
00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:03,800
So let's put some of this 
together. 

271
00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:08,560
Based on this prophecy, we 
learned that Shebna was once 

272
00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:12,240
over the household. 
That's a very powerful position 

273
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:16,480
in the Kingdom. 
But evidently this man Shebna 

274
00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:21,480
abused his position. 
He was so self absorbed and 

275
00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:23,200
that's indicated by some of the 
things that he did. 

276
00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:25,480
Notice the language here. 
He says, you who cut out a tomb 

277
00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:28,080
on the height and carve A 
dwelling for yourself on the 

278
00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:30,120
rock. 
So this man Shebna created 

279
00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:34,600
monuments for himself, and more 
than that, he also purchased and

280
00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:37,320
acquired Chariots. 
Notice what the Lord says. 

281
00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:40,000
He says, I'm going to cast you 
away and you're going to take 

282
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,440
your glorious Chariots with you.
It could very well be that this 

283
00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:48,240
man even dipped his hand in the 
treasury in order to purchase 

284
00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:50,680
these things and acquire these 
things. 

285
00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:53,720
One thing is for certain, one 
thing is clear that what we 

286
00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:57,480
learned from this prophecy, 
please pay attention to this, is

287
00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:01,480
that the way someone operates in
their position of authority 

288
00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,760
really matters to God. 
And when somebody abuses their 

289
00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:09,000
authority, especially in God's 
Kingdom, it brings great 

290
00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:14,760
displeasure to Him. 
This is a good place to pause as

291
00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,160
we serve the Lord in different 
ways and ask ourselves this, Why

292
00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:25,720
do I do what I do for the Lord? 
Am I motivated for and by self? 

293
00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:29,200
If so, take note of this 
prophecy. 

294
00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:33,800
God observes our motives and He 
sees what we do with the 

295
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:35,440
opportunities that have been 
given to us. 

296
00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:39,480
And especially for leaders, they
have a greater accountability to

297
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:44,520
God because He will see if your 
service will be for His glory 

298
00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:47,800
and to the good of the people, 
or if you will manipulate it in 

299
00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:49,640
order to achieve more for 
yourself. 

300
00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:56,200
Now in contrast to Him, we read 
that the Lord exalts Eliakim and

301
00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:58,480
that should serve stir us. 
You know why? 

302
00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:03,560
Because Eliakim and God 
promoting him shows us that the 

303
00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:07,760
Lord raises up someone who 
serves God for God. 

304
00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:15,240
Serving God for God and serving 
in the name of God for the sake 

305
00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:19,280
of the good of other people. 
In fact, did you catch how the 

306
00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:23,240
Lord speaks about Shebna in 
comparison to Eliakim? 

307
00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:26,800
Scroll back to verse 15. 
How does he start this prophecy?

308
00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:30,000
He says. 
Thus says the Lord God of hosts,

309
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:36,840
come to this steward. 
Come to this steward now Scroll 

310
00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:39,440
down to verse 20, and when he 
speaks about like and notice how

311
00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:43,840
there's a different approach in 
that day, I will call my 

312
00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:47,120
servant. 
So when it comes to shepherd, he

313
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:51,520
goes, let's deal with this 
steward, but with a like and he 

314
00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:55,160
goes, let me talk to you now 
about my servant. 

315
00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:58,520
More than that. 
Look what he says at the end of 

316
00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:02,120
verse 21, the second part, and 
he shall be a father to the 

317
00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:04,000
inhabitants of Jerusalem into 
the House of Judah. 

318
00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:08,200
Father, true father. 
A good father is selfless. 

319
00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:11,360
He is motivated for the good of 
his children. 

320
00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:15,680
He wants to prosper them, 
protect them, provide for them. 

321
00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:17,560
And what he says about like him 
is this. 

322
00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,080
He will be a true leader for my 
people. 

323
00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:24,440
And so again, let's ask 
ourselves this, am I motivated 

324
00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:29,600
in my service to God for God? 
Am I simply privileged to be 

325
00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:33,360
able to be an extension of His 
love to others, or are their 

326
00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:39,240
mixed desires? 
God takes note of it, and if you

327
00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:45,240
want to be promoted in God's 
economy, He looks for those who 

328
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,840
serve Him for Him. 
Now there's more. 

329
00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:54,040
Would you be shocked if I told 
you that Eli Kim points to Jesus

330
00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:57,160
Christ? 
Not because I said so. 

331
00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:02,880
You know why Jesus said it? 
Oh, I love when faces look up. 

332
00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,840
What are you talking about? 
Do you remember where Jesus 

333
00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:09,200
quotes a part of this prophecy 
in the New Testament? 

334
00:22:13,120 --> 00:22:23,080
Think I'll wait. 
Very, very good. 

335
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:30,280
The Book of Revelation turned 
there in chapter 3 who would 

336
00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:32,480
have thought that our studying 
second kings would connect with 

337
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:37,400
our Sunday series in revelation 
such as the beauty and the 

338
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:41,840
harmony of the Bible. 
Revelation 37 when Jesus 

339
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:45,720
addresses the church in 
Philadelphia, notice his 

340
00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:50,240
introduction. 
And to the Angel of the church 

341
00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:53,960
in Philadelphia, right? 
The words of the Holy One, the 

342
00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:59,120
true one, who has the key of 
David, who opens and no one will

343
00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:03,440
shut, who shuts and no one 
opens. 

344
00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:06,560
That's a direct quotation from 
Isaiah 22. 

345
00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:10,480
Now here's what my question was.
How does this man, Eliakam in 

346
00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:14,960
his brief appearance in the 
Bible, foreshadow Jesus? 

347
00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:18,080
And I believe there are many 
answers, many directions we can 

348
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:20,800
take this, but let me leave you 
with just one thought. 

349
00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:26,200
Eliakam means God rises or God 
raises. 

350
00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:31,560
I think that's significant 
because the love and the care 

351
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:37,240
that alike him showed to God's 
people pointed to a greater 

352
00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:40,280
servant, the greatest servant of
all, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

353
00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:47,920
And God raised up Jesus Christ 
of Nazareth, not just with the 

354
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:52,880
authority of one Kingdom, but 
with all authority in heaven and

355
00:23:52,880 --> 00:24:02,160
on earth, not just to serve and 
to save a particular nation, but

356
00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:06,040
the world. 
Christ with his maximum 

357
00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:11,440
unparalleled authority, 
demonstrates servitude and 

358
00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,800
humility. 
I like him, is just a flash in 

359
00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:19,640
the pan of a greater servant, a 
greater leader, a greater savior

360
00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:25,480
who possesses greater authority.
When we come to Revelation 37, 

361
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:28,600
we're going to learn more about 
this, but for now, let's come 

362
00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:30,240
back to our study in Second 
Kings. 

363
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,080
For the rest of the study, it's 
going to look different. 

364
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:39,480
I hope that's OK with you, 
because the rest of Second Kings

365
00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:45,560
18 is a monologue. 
More specifically, it's a 

366
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:51,440
demoralizing speech. 
The Rap Shaka, the spokesperson,

367
00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:57,520
is going to give a lecture. 
He is going to say many, many 

368
00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:03,680
things to Hezekiah, his leaders,
and the citizens of Jerusalem in

369
00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:07,800
order to break down their 
morale, ultimately break down 

370
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,280
their faith. 
In essence, what we're going to 

371
00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:16,760
discover with the rest of this 
chapter is an exhibition of 

372
00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:21,440
psychological warfare. 
And when I was looking at this 

373
00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:24,920
the other day, I thought to 
myself, why is there so much 

374
00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:30,760
dedicated to this man's speech? 
Why can there have been a, you 

375
00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:32,840
know, summary? 
Instead? 

376
00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:40,200
There's around 16 verses of this
one man speaking to intimidate 

377
00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:45,520
and threaten this people. 
And before he shoots an arrow, 

378
00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:51,000
before he climbs a wall, before 
he does anything physical, he 

379
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:55,960
goes for the mind. 
And here I believe is the wisdom

380
00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,760
of God concerning our walk with 
Christ and how this relates. 

381
00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:04,040
Because if you really dissect 
what the rapture has says, you 

382
00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:07,520
will discover that it mirrors 
what Satan often says to God's 

383
00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:12,640
children. 
In fact, I want to look at 7 

384
00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:18,640
things. 
Seven things that the enemy does

385
00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:22,520
in order to build a stronghold 
in your mind and mind. 

386
00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:28,960
For what purpose? 
To discourage you, to disorient 

387
00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:35,920
you, and to eventually conquer 
you so that you would give up, 

388
00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:40,200
surrender, and step outside of 
the will of God. 

389
00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:47,440
I suggest that you take notes 
because this will equip us and 

390
00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:53,320
make us aware of the schemes of 
the evil 17 things, and they're 

391
00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,360
not limited to these things, but
let's not be overwhelmed 

392
00:26:55,360 --> 00:26:59,160
tonight. 7 main observations 
with the rest of this chapter 

393
00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:04,760
that relates to how Satan 
whispers notions into our minds,

394
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:06,680
which is the main arena of 
spiritual warfare. 

395
00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:11,080
By the way, where's the main 
battle between the forces of 

396
00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:13,160
evil and the forces of 
righteousness take place? 

397
00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:17,480
Here, here, here, here. 
This is where it happens. 

398
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:23,960
And we have a wonderful look 
into how it takes place for many

399
00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:31,240
of us #1 the enemy will make you
question God's trustworthiness. 

400
00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:38,200
Let's look at verse 19 and the 
rapture Case said to him, Say to

401
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:43,480
Hezekiah, Thus says the great 
king, the king of Assyria. 

402
00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:44,720
Pause there. 
Notice that he doesn't call 

403
00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:48,240
Hezekiah king Hezekiah, and he 
boasts in arrogance of the 

404
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:49,400
greatness of the king of 
Assyria. 

405
00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:53,320
Did you see that? 
Say to Hezekiah, Thus says the 

406
00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:57,920
great king, the king of Assyria.
And what do you rest this trust 

407
00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:00,960
of yours? 
Do you think that mere words are

408
00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:05,160
strategy and power for war? 
And whom do you now trust that 

409
00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:08,720
you have rebelled against me? 
Behold, you are trusting now in 

410
00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:13,040
Egypt that broken Reed of his 
staff, which will Pierce the 

411
00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:16,240
hand of any man who leans on it,
such as Pharaoh king of Egypt, 

412
00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,080
to all who trust in him. 
But if you say to me, we trust 

413
00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:23,960
in the Lord our God, is it not 
he whose high places and altars 

414
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:27,080
Hezekiah has removed, saying to 
Judah and to Jerusalem, You 

415
00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:30,400
shall worship before this altar 
in Jerusalem? 

416
00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:34,480
The essence of this tactic is to
undermine the foundation of 

417
00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:39,960
Hezekiah's confidence, and this 
is a primary ambition of Satan's

418
00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:44,920
he he wants you to doubt your 
trust in God. 

419
00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:48,160
And at first, the Rapture kid 
begins by highlighting the 

420
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,520
futility of forming an alliance 
with Egypt. 

421
00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:55,760
But his main point is attacking 
Hezekiah's trust in God, and 

422
00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:58,680
he's going to come back to this 
thing with Egypt in a moment. 

423
00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:02,800
We're going to look at that. 
But notice how the power of this

424
00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:09,320
persuasion hinges completely on 
Hezekiah is supposed limited 

425
00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:12,840
understanding. 
Here's what I mean. 

426
00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:17,160
Look back at verse 22. 
Consider the argumentation. 

427
00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:21,200
But if you say to me, we trust 
in the Lord our God, is it not 

428
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:24,840
he whose high places and altars 
Hezekiah has removed, saying to 

429
00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:27,160
Judah and to Jerusalem, You 
shall worship before this altar 

430
00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:30,840
in Jerusalem? 
What is he trying to say here? 

431
00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:35,120
In essence, what he wants to 
show is that Hezekiah was in the

432
00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:40,880
wrong by removing the high 
places, that in his reform, in 

433
00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:47,040
his desire to clean the Kingdom 
of Judah, he actually displeased

434
00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:51,800
God. 
So who's misinformed here? 

435
00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:53,960
The rapture. 
He thought that Hezekiah was 

436
00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,360
actually in the wrong by doing 
this. 

437
00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:02,440
And if Hezekiah was ignorant of 
what God actually desired, he 

438
00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:06,000
might have believed it. 
Was it wrong for Hezekiah to 

439
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,160
remove the high places? 
No, it was good. 

440
00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,280
It's actually, it was actually 
in accordance with God's will. 

441
00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:14,120
But notice that if Hezekiah was 
in the dark about this 

442
00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:18,680
particular facet of his faith, 
he could have gotten himself in 

443
00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,840
a lot of trouble. 
And so I want you to see right 

444
00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:28,040
away how the enemy capitalizes 
on our ignorance of the truth. 

445
00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:31,760
Please, I say this in love. 
The less you know the Bible, the

446
00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:34,600
more vulnerable you are to 
Satan's lies. 

447
00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:43,040
The less you know, the more 
susceptible you are of not just 

448
00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:47,280
being confronted with deception,
but digesting it, poisoning you.

449
00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:53,520
And so Hezekiah was able to 
dismiss this because he 

450
00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:56,800
understood wholeheartedly that 
God asked this of me. 

451
00:30:57,120 --> 00:31:03,200
God put this in his word. 
But what the enemy is doing here

452
00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:06,560
is essentially misrepresenting 
the character of God. 

453
00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:14,640
You did something that God did 
not like, and in fact, it was 

454
00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:16,360
something that the Lord totally 
wanted. 

455
00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,920
There's something else here 
though, that we also find that 

456
00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:26,400
the enemy loves to discourage us
about our own obedience. 

457
00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:33,000
Right? 
Hezekiah gave his heart totally 

458
00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:35,080
to the Lord. 
He did what most kings would not

459
00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:37,560
do. 
They would not even entertain 

460
00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:41,760
removing the high places. 
And yet this man did just that. 

461
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:49,720
And the enemy loves to loves to 
point out how our obedience is 

462
00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:59,320
sometimes misplaced or maybe not
enough or ineffective. 

463
00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:06,680
And so he loves to make us 
second guess what we did for the

464
00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:09,400
Lord. 
Oh, you pray. 

465
00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:14,840
But come on, did you read about 
this revivalist, How much he 

466
00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:16,320
prays? 
Look at you. 

467
00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:19,080
What are you doing? 
Oh, you serve in the church. 

468
00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:23,120
Nobody cares. 
Nobody would even notice if you 

469
00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:25,960
left. 
Oh, you preach. 

470
00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:28,200
You preach week after week after
week after week. 

471
00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:33,160
Nothing's happening, though. 
When people fall asleep, people 

472
00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:35,960
are distracted. 
People are familiar. 

473
00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:42,640
You've lost your edge. 
Satan loves to whisper and to 

474
00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:47,800
discourage us about what we do 
for God, and we see more. 

475
00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:52,600
As much as he wants us to 
question the value and whether 

476
00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:57,680
or not what we do brings the 
light to God's heart #2 He will 

477
00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:00,280
intimidate you by highlighting 
your weaknesses. 

478
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,800
He will intimidate you by 
highlighting your weaknesses. 

479
00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:08,240
Look at verse 23. 
Now come now, make a wager with 

480
00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:13,240
my master, the king of Assyria. 
I will give you 2000 horses, if 

481
00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:16,200
you were able on your part to 
set riders on them. 

482
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:20,480
How then can you repulse a 
single captain among the least 

483
00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:25,120
of my master servants when you 
trust in Egypt for Chariots and 

484
00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:28,600
for horsemen? 
So as you and I wait for the 

485
00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:33,480
Lord for anything, Satan loves 
to highlight how impossible it 

486
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:37,320
seems. 
And the one way he does is by 

487
00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:41,800
reminding us of what we're not 
and what we lack. 

488
00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:48,360
Look at these taunts once again.
Hey, you want to go to war? 

489
00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:49,480
You think you actually have a 
chance? 

490
00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:53,520
I'll do you a favor. 
I'll give you 2000 horses. 

491
00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:56,960
Oh, but I don't even think you 
have enough trained men to ride 

492
00:33:56,960 --> 00:34:00,040
them. 
Actually, now that I think about

493
00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:03,080
it, I don't think you can even 
put up a challenge against one 

494
00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:07,120
of my weakest captains of the 
lowest of the ranks in my army. 

495
00:34:09,199 --> 00:34:12,520
So what is he doing here? 
He is trying to under score and 

496
00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:17,040
try to point out where Hezekiah 
is deficient, where he is weak 

497
00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:22,440
and the enemy does does this 
with many of God's servants. 

498
00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:27,360
You're not smart enough, you're 
not attractive enough. 

499
00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:36,840
You don't have the personality 
or he might highlight your lack 

500
00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:39,880
of resources. 
You're not able to do anything. 

501
00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:42,639
A great effectiveness, a great 
reach. 

502
00:34:43,199 --> 00:34:46,920
You don't have enough. 
Where's your spiritual support? 

503
00:34:47,679 --> 00:34:49,040
Who? 
Who are the people with you that

504
00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:51,719
are backing your vision, your 
ministry, who appreciate you, 

505
00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:53,360
who partner with you? 
Where are they? 

506
00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:58,680
You're insignificant. 
You always come short. 

507
00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:03,560
You do nothing of worth for 
God's Kingdom. 

508
00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:06,560
You're no threat to the Kingdom 
of darkness. 

509
00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:13,680
Speaking of weakness, notice how
He brings up Egypt again. 

510
00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:19,560
Now, we can't pinpoint the 
extent of Hezekiah's willingness

511
00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:23,720
to partner with Egypt. 
Was it just a thought? 

512
00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:30,640
Was there actually talks of it? 
Either way, it was wrong for 

513
00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:33,920
Hezekiah to even consider 
partnering with Egypt. 

514
00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:36,160
We've seen this throughout our 
study of the Old Testament. 

515
00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:39,840
God always wanted to be the 
primary and exclusive help to 

516
00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:43,360
His people, and it was a 
constant temptation for the 

517
00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:46,400
Israelites to reach down to 
Egypt and ask for some aid. 

518
00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:52,120
It could be the Hezekiah 
actually opened up the 

519
00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:56,800
possibility and how humiliating 
would it have been for him to 

520
00:35:56,800 --> 00:36:00,360
hear from another enemy that he 
placed his trust and something 

521
00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:04,320
or someone apart from God. 
If we go with that Hezekiah 

522
00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:08,600
actually did this, then this was
another mistake on his part. 

523
00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:11,280
This is where he fell short in 
his faith. 

524
00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:14,640
But here's what we have to 
understand in the context of the

525
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:18,560
enemy approaching Hezekiah with 
this, it teaches us that Satan 

526
00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:21,560
loves to bring to your attention
your past failures. 

527
00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:29,120
He enjoys it to rub it in your 
face as a constant reminder, not

528
00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:32,520
just for you to remember it, but
but to bring it to your 

529
00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:35,720
attention and showing how it 
affects how God will relate to 

530
00:36:35,720 --> 00:36:39,200
you. 
You failed. 

531
00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:43,640
You're stained. 
This is a blemish on your 

532
00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:47,760
reputation forever. 
God doesn't want to deal with 

533
00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:50,360
you. 
God will never forget what 

534
00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:54,920
you've done, what you said. 
And so don't expect him to come.

535
00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:57,440
Don't expect him to intervene. 
Don't expect him to show you the

536
00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:01,000
same strength of love. 
You blew it. 

537
00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:06,440
It's over. 
So he keeps bringing up Egypt, 

538
00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:08,720
Egypt, Egypt. 
And the way I see it is he 

539
00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:12,320
always, the enemy, loves to rub 
in your face something that 

540
00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:16,600
you've done wrong. 
And that weakens us, that 

541
00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:20,320
paralyzes us, that discourages 
us from trusting God and having 

542
00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:24,680
the boldness to serve God. 
So many people are tormented by 

543
00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:29,040
their past and we see it being 
played here. 

544
00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:36,600
Let me say one more thing. 
The enemy enjoys coming to us 

545
00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:41,240
and not just highlighting our 
weaknesses, but when we are 

546
00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:45,360
weak, we're going to do some 
very basic math. 

547
00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:49,080
Now is that OK? 
Go back to Second Kings 18 verse

548
00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:54,200
2. 
We read about Hezekiah. 

549
00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:59,440
He was 25 years old when he 
began to reign, and he reigned 

550
00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:04,360
29 years in Jerusalem. 
His mother's name was Abby, the 

551
00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:07,720
daughter of Zechariah. 
So how long did he reign? 

552
00:38:07,720 --> 00:38:12,000
For? 
A total of 29 years, right? 

553
00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:17,240
When did Assyria invade Judah? 
Scroll down to verse 13 again. 

554
00:38:17,240 --> 00:38:18,680
This is what we opened up our 
study with. 

555
00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:21,920
In the 14th year of King 
Hezekiah, Seneca, king of 

556
00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:24,520
Assyria, came up against all the
fortified cities of Judah and 

557
00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:28,320
took them. 
Now, I believe most of us in 

558
00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:32,520
here are familiar enough with 
Hezekiah's story to remember 

559
00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:36,600
that at some point in his 
account, we learned that he 

560
00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:38,680
became deathly ill. 
Remember this, right? 

561
00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:41,600
And in great desperation, he 
turns. 

562
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:43,440
He faces the wall while he's 
laying in bed. 

563
00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:46,720
He cries out to God. 
God graciously responds to his 

564
00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:51,920
plea and grants him what? 
15 years more of life? 

565
00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:57,040
15 years more of life. 
So are we making the connection 

566
00:38:57,040 --> 00:39:00,640
here? 
So we know thou that if the 

567
00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:05,960
total of years of his reign was 
29 years and the 14th years when

568
00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:11,480
Syria invaded and when he was 
sick God promised him 15 more 

569
00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:15,200
years, then what year was 
Hezekiah deathly sick? 

570
00:39:16,880 --> 00:39:23,120
What year? 
The 14th year that Hezekiah was 

571
00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,600
terminally ill, the same time 
Assyria came to invade him. 

572
00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:33,560
And in case you doubt that 
conclusion, go to chapter 22nd 

573
00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:36,320
Kings. 
This is the chapter that we will

574
00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:41,040
look at together in a few weeks 
that unveils this testimony of 

575
00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:43,320
his healing. 
But look at what he is told in 

576
00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:49,040
Second Kings 20, verse 6. 
And I will add 15 years to your 

577
00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:52,960
life. 
I will deliver you and the city 

578
00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:56,680
out of the hand of the king of 
Assyria, and I will defend the 

579
00:39:56,680 --> 00:39:59,080
city for my own sake and for my 
servant David's sake. 

580
00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:05,760
So while this man is in bed, not
knowing if he's going to live 

581
00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:10,000
another day, God also promises 
that he's going to see victory 

582
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:12,720
over the Assyrians who are 
surrounding Jerusalem. 

583
00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:19,160
Was Hezekiah in the early stages
of his sickness? 

584
00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:25,040
Here in Second Kings 18, perhaps
we don't know what phase, but I 

585
00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:29,200
wouldn't be surprised that if 
this man was dealing with his 

586
00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:33,480
sickness when Assyria came to 
threaten him. 

587
00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:38,480
Because the enemy is vicious, he
is merciless. 

588
00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:45,240
He will bring his greatest force
when you are at your lowest, 

589
00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:50,160
even if your weakness is 
physical, he will take advantage

590
00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:57,120
of that to assault your mind, to
discourage your spirit, to beat 

591
00:40:57,160 --> 00:41:00,080
you up. 
So this man is dealing with a 

592
00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:05,240
lot and it makes us aware of how
the enemy works. 

593
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:08,000
We only dealt with two. 
We still have 5 more. 

594
00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:10,840
I hope you're OK with that. 
Let's come back to Second Kings 

595
00:41:10,840 --> 00:41:18,840
18, verse 25. 
Moreover, is it without the Lord

596
00:41:18,840 --> 00:41:22,120
that I have come up against this
place to destroy it? 

597
00:41:22,560 --> 00:41:27,400
The Lord said to me, go up 
against this land and destroy 

598
00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:32,760
it. 
Here's point #3 the enemy will 

599
00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:37,040
make it seem that God is the one
turning against you. 

600
00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:42,600
And this tactic is much more 
common in the Christian 

601
00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:46,200
experience than most realize. 
Notice that he's not just 

602
00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:52,320
persuading Hezekiah that his 
success in overtaking these 

603
00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:55,640
fortified cities was permitted 
by the Lord. 

604
00:41:56,600 --> 00:41:59,480
He goes further and says, I've 
been commissioned by the Lord. 

605
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:03,480
God told me to do this. 
Are you going to fight against 

606
00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:05,480
God? 
Are you going to resist the 

607
00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:07,680
Lord? 
Well, you know, I just surrender

608
00:42:07,680 --> 00:42:10,080
and realize that this is a court
in accordance to His sovereign 

609
00:42:10,080 --> 00:42:14,680
will. 
And in like manner, the lesson 

610
00:42:14,680 --> 00:42:19,520
here is that Satan loves to 
confuse us by making it seem 

611
00:42:20,200 --> 00:42:24,320
that his ways are God's ways. 
More specifically, this is how 

612
00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:30,080
it's going to resonate now that 
his voice is God's voice. 

613
00:42:31,680 --> 00:42:36,240
I can't tell you the amount of 
people that I've talked with who

614
00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:42,160
have allowed Satan's 
condemnation to be understood as

615
00:42:42,160 --> 00:42:47,880
God's conviction. 
What's the difference between 

616
00:42:47,880 --> 00:42:51,880
the two, by the way? 
Because both remind you of your 

617
00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:55,080
sin. 
Both touch on some area in your 

618
00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:57,080
life that is not in accordance 
with God's will. 

619
00:42:58,720 --> 00:43:00,800
But one offers hope in the other
doesn't. 

620
00:43:01,920 --> 00:43:04,000
One offers reconciliation, the 
other doesn't. 

621
00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:06,520
One offers relief in the other 
doesn't. 

622
00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:10,040
So if there's any guilt that I 
feel, let me just use this for 

623
00:43:10,040 --> 00:43:11,880
an example. 
If there's any guilt I feel of a

624
00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:16,160
particular sin in my life, and 
though I have confessed and 

625
00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:20,160
though I've repented of it, I am
still feeling that guilt, You 

626
00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:23,360
can be sure that that's not God 
pressing that on your chest. 

627
00:43:24,720 --> 00:43:28,160
That's not the Holy One keeping 
you awake at night. 

628
00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:33,800
And what we love, what Satan 
loves to do here by way of 

629
00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:36,960
demonstration, Demonstration. 
An example, an illustration is 

630
00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:40,360
that he loves to make his voice 
seem like it's gods. 

631
00:43:42,360 --> 00:43:44,880
For you to be more ready to 
accept it and to deal with it 

632
00:43:44,880 --> 00:43:49,680
and to live with it, burdened 
and bothered for the rest of 

633
00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:54,480
your pilgrimage on earth, 
suffocating you, stealing your 

634
00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:59,160
song, disorienting you and how 
you understand His pleasure and 

635
00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:01,600
His delight. 
Now you're serving God to try to

636
00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:09,800
win His approval instead of from
the place of approval #4 He will

637
00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:12,480
instill fear in you with a range
of threats. 

638
00:44:12,480 --> 00:44:16,880
Look at verse 26. 
Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah 

639
00:44:16,880 --> 00:44:20,680
and Shebna and Joah, said to the
rapture, K, please speak to your

640
00:44:20,680 --> 00:44:22,640
servants in Aramaic, for we 
understand it. 

641
00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:25,800
Do not speak to us in the 
language of Judah within the 

642
00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:27,560
hearing of the people who are on
the wall. 

643
00:44:27,720 --> 00:44:29,760
So now they interrupt this man's
monologue. 

644
00:44:30,160 --> 00:44:33,080
The leaders there who were sent 
out by Hezekiah stop him. 

645
00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:35,160
They've had enough. 
They realize that what he is 

646
00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:38,560
saying is detrimental to the 
faith of the people. 

647
00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:41,680
And so they say, listen, can you
do us a favor? 

648
00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:48,720
Were were those who deal with 
international conversations and 

649
00:44:48,720 --> 00:44:52,880
trade and politics? 
We know how to speak Aramaic. 

650
00:44:52,880 --> 00:44:55,920
Can you speak to us in Aramaic 
instead of Hebrews so that these

651
00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:58,440
people don't have to endure 
this? 

652
00:44:58,800 --> 00:45:02,600
Can you have some grace? 
Or how wrong they were to think 

653
00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:04,560
that they can get some mercy 
from the enemy. 

654
00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:10,920
And so they make that request 
and it's quickly shut down by 

655
00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:13,760
what we read in verse 27. 
But the Rapture has said to 

656
00:45:13,760 --> 00:45:17,720
them, has my Master sent me to 
speak these words to your master

657
00:45:17,720 --> 00:45:20,840
and to you, and not to the men 
sitting on the wall who are 

658
00:45:20,840 --> 00:45:24,360
doomed with you to eat their own
dung and to drink their own 

659
00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:28,400
urine? 
Is he being vulgar here? 

660
00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:33,080
I think it's more than that. 
He's actually telling them 

661
00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:34,720
what's going to take place if 
they don't surrender. 

662
00:45:34,720 --> 00:45:40,320
Because if you are under a 
siege, you tend to do desperate 

663
00:45:40,320 --> 00:45:43,880
things in order to survive. 
In many cases, when a city is 

664
00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:47,840
surrounded for such a long time,
people will even eat their own 

665
00:45:47,840 --> 00:45:52,760
filth. 
We've even seen how the people 

666
00:45:52,760 --> 00:45:56,160
got even come down to the point 
of eating their own children. 

667
00:45:56,160 --> 00:46:02,560
So this is not so extreme. 
And so he says this is what is 

668
00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:05,600
going to happen. 
I'm actually here to speak to 

669
00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:06,400
all of them. 
In fact. 

670
00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:10,360
He raises his voice. 
He speaks in their presence in 

671
00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:11,920
verse 28. 
Then the rapture gets stood and 

672
00:46:11,920 --> 00:46:14,920
called out in a loud voice. 
Oh, you don't want me to talk to

673
00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:16,320
them? 
Let me, let me. 

674
00:46:16,360 --> 00:46:20,600
Let me do you a favor, OK? 
Hey, I'm here for you all. 

675
00:46:22,920 --> 00:46:27,880
Merciless, vicious, cruel. 
Let me remind you what this 

676
00:46:27,880 --> 00:46:29,000
point is. 
Number 4. 

677
00:46:29,440 --> 00:46:34,520
The enemy loves to instill fear 
in us with a range of threats in

678
00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:36,800
an effort to keep us from 
honoring God and staying on the 

679
00:46:36,800 --> 00:46:40,080
path of faithfulness. 
Satan will often direct his 

680
00:46:40,080 --> 00:46:42,520
intimidation toward what we care
about the most. 

681
00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:48,880
I remember how hearing the 
testimony of a minister who 

682
00:46:48,880 --> 00:46:51,640
planted a church in a very 
difficult area and it was 

683
00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:53,240
thriving. 
It was growing. 

684
00:46:53,720 --> 00:46:56,480
So many testimonies of people 
being delivered from the most 

685
00:46:57,240 --> 00:47:01,400
incredible things. 
And at some point, as this 

686
00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:07,680
ministry was climbing in 
success, this man's child, one 

687
00:47:07,680 --> 00:47:13,960
of their children went off into 
the world and lived in deep grow

688
00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:18,120
sin. 
And there were so many fears and

689
00:47:18,120 --> 00:47:21,600
frustrations that developed 
because of that, to the point 

690
00:47:21,600 --> 00:47:26,480
where this minister's wife began
to try to persuade the husband, 

691
00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:32,360
let's just quit the ministry. 
Why continue in this? 

692
00:47:33,240 --> 00:47:36,640
And she was primarily afraid of 
of her other children following 

693
00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:39,320
in the same direction that Satan
would grab a hold of them. 

694
00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:44,320
And so in her rationale, she 
thought the best way to do this 

695
00:47:44,320 --> 00:47:47,800
is just to remove ourselves from
the front lines and just move on

696
00:47:47,800 --> 00:47:51,760
and protect our family. 
And this is what this man was 

697
00:47:51,760 --> 00:47:55,480
dealing with. 
And even his own spouse was 

698
00:47:55,480 --> 00:48:02,160
already captivated by a lie. 
You keep serving God and watch 

699
00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:03,200
what I'm going to do to your 
family. 

700
00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:06,080
Watch what I'm going to do to 
your spouse. 

701
00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:08,560
Watch what I'm going to do to 
your kids. 

702
00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:11,880
I'll destroy them. 
I'll destroy you. 

703
00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:17,200
And Satan loves to threaten us 
by bringing to mind what we, 

704
00:48:18,120 --> 00:48:22,400
what we love, what we cherish, 
the people that we feel so 

705
00:48:22,400 --> 00:48:25,720
strongly about. 
You want to trust God. 

706
00:48:27,240 --> 00:48:29,520
You'll never have enough money 
to support your family. 

707
00:48:31,960 --> 00:48:33,880
Oh, oh, you want to, You want to
serve the Lord? 

708
00:48:35,560 --> 00:48:38,160
Watch how your spouse will be 
deprived of a meaningful 

709
00:48:38,160 --> 00:48:40,680
marriage. 
Watch. 

710
00:48:42,640 --> 00:48:45,000
Oh, you really want to honor 
God? 

711
00:48:46,080 --> 00:48:47,920
You, you, you. 
You don't just want to make 

712
00:48:47,920 --> 00:48:48,920
money. 
You actually want to be in the 

713
00:48:48,920 --> 00:48:50,720
church and do things for the 
Kingdom of God. 

714
00:48:51,840 --> 00:48:53,640
You know your health is going to
decline, right? 

715
00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:59,440
And so on and so on and so on. 
He's so clever. 

716
00:48:59,440 --> 00:49:03,400
He is so insightful that he will
bring to your mind things that 

717
00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:08,640
you care about the most and 
threaten you in that area. 

718
00:49:09,800 --> 00:49:12,000
That's what he does here. 
The, the leaders, these are good

719
00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:14,160
leaders. 
They were worried about the 

720
00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:17,360
people. 
And they said, just just deal 

721
00:49:17,360 --> 00:49:19,320
with us. 
Said no, no, no, I'm after them.

722
00:49:19,440 --> 00:49:26,960
Oh, you, you care about them. 
Watch #5 Let's read verse 28 

723
00:49:26,960 --> 00:49:30,080
down to verse 30. 
Then the rapture has stood and 

724
00:49:30,080 --> 00:49:32,160
called out on a loud voice in 
the language of Judah. 

725
00:49:32,160 --> 00:49:34,400
Hear the word of the great king,
the king of Assyria. 

726
00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:38,480
Thus says the king, do not let 
Hezekiah deceive you, for he 

727
00:49:38,480 --> 00:49:40,280
will not be able to deliver you 
out of my hand. 

728
00:49:40,520 --> 00:49:43,360
Do not let Hezekiah make you 
trust in the Lord by saying, The

729
00:49:43,360 --> 00:49:46,280
Lord will surely deliver us, and
the city will not be given into 

730
00:49:46,280 --> 00:49:49,880
the hand of the king of Assyria.
Do not listen to Hezekiah, for 

731
00:49:49,880 --> 00:49:53,040
thus says the king of Assyria, 
make your peace with me and come

732
00:49:53,040 --> 00:49:55,680
out to me. 
Then each one of you will eat 

733
00:49:55,680 --> 00:49:58,520
his own vine, and each one his 
own fig tree, and each one of 

734
00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:05,440
you will drink the water of his 
own cistern #5 #5 #5 The enemy 

735
00:50:05,440 --> 00:50:09,360
will try to divide God's people 
with false assumptions and 

736
00:50:09,360 --> 00:50:12,440
accusations. 
Now this is warfare. 

737
00:50:12,440 --> 00:50:15,760
We've been dealing with personal
warfare, but we are now looking 

738
00:50:15,760 --> 00:50:19,040
at an insight of warfare on a 
corporate level. 

739
00:50:19,560 --> 00:50:22,440
And this is still just as 
important to understand because 

740
00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:27,320
God has called us to live this 
faith with the body of Christ. 

741
00:50:27,320 --> 00:50:29,040
We're not called to do this in 
isolation. 

742
00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:32,040
In fact, to be in isolation is a
tactic of Satan himself. 

743
00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:35,800
We're called to do this as a 
unit, as a family, as an army. 

744
00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:40,280
So what is he doing here? 
Notice three times in a row he 

745
00:50:40,280 --> 00:50:44,240
says what? 
Do not let Hezekiah in rapid 

746
00:50:44,240 --> 00:50:46,600
fire succession. 
Do not let Hezekiah, do not let 

747
00:50:46,600 --> 00:50:49,600
Hezekiah. 
Do not let Hezekiah convince 

748
00:50:49,600 --> 00:50:52,000
you, lead you, promise you, 
comfort you. 

749
00:50:54,520 --> 00:50:57,320
What is he doing here? 
He's trying to divide the people

750
00:50:57,320 --> 00:51:04,680
from their leadership division. 
Division is one of Satan's 

751
00:51:04,680 --> 00:51:08,520
favorite weapons, but it doesn't
just happen like that. 

752
00:51:09,040 --> 00:51:14,840
I argue that this teaches us at 
least one way comes about before

753
00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:21,440
division even begins. 
Satan fosters tension. 

754
00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:29,480
Tension and the way tension 
emerges is sowing doubt about 

755
00:51:29,480 --> 00:51:31,480
one another without any 
substantial evidence. 

756
00:51:34,840 --> 00:51:37,360
The same thing happened with the
Corinthians and the Apostle Paul

757
00:51:37,360 --> 00:51:40,920
when these false teachers were 
trying to pull the Corinthian 

758
00:51:40,920 --> 00:51:43,120
church away from the leadership 
of Paul. 

759
00:51:44,160 --> 00:51:49,520
And by doing so, they did so 
rather by mocking his 

760
00:51:49,520 --> 00:51:55,680
credentials, belittling him, but
more viciously putting into 

761
00:51:55,680 --> 00:51:57,520
question his motives for 
ministry. 

762
00:51:57,960 --> 00:52:01,680
And one of the things that they 
tried to tell the Corinthians 

763
00:52:01,680 --> 00:52:04,480
was, you know, Paul, he's 
actually doing all this for 

764
00:52:04,480 --> 00:52:08,440
money. 
He actually just wants to make a

765
00:52:08,440 --> 00:52:13,240
buck off of you. 
Paul had to defend himself in 

766
00:52:13,240 --> 00:52:16,120
the 1st letter to the 
Corinthians in that specific 

767
00:52:16,120 --> 00:52:20,880
regard. 
And so the enemy loves to pin US

768
00:52:20,880 --> 00:52:23,480
against one another. 
And one of the ways he does that

769
00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:26,600
is especially when there's a 
lack of communication and loving

770
00:52:26,600 --> 00:52:29,320
confrontation. 
So and so. 

771
00:52:30,880 --> 00:52:37,120
See the way they looked at you, 
Oh so and so they didn't answer 

772
00:52:37,120 --> 00:52:38,560
your message. 
They don't really care about 

773
00:52:38,560 --> 00:52:43,080
you. 
Oh, Pastor so and so. 

774
00:52:43,960 --> 00:52:46,240
Oh, yeah, yeah. 
That he's really all about this.

775
00:52:48,240 --> 00:52:51,800
Oh, oh, the people that you 
serve, they, they don't really 

776
00:52:51,800 --> 00:52:54,160
want true faith. 
They don't really want the word 

777
00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:55,880
of God. 
They're, they're they're 

778
00:52:55,880 --> 00:52:57,880
actually in your church For 
these reasons. 

779
00:52:57,880 --> 00:53:03,880
And so he wants to do exactly 
what we see here, make enemies 

780
00:53:03,880 --> 00:53:09,960
from within, divide and conquer.
And in this way he could weaken 

781
00:53:09,960 --> 00:53:12,360
them. 
If he can get the people to not 

782
00:53:12,360 --> 00:53:15,800
listen to Hezekiah, then they 
would try to persuade him to 

783
00:53:15,800 --> 00:53:18,360
surrender. 
Come on, let's just give up. 

784
00:53:18,720 --> 00:53:20,920
Do you know what the Assyrians 
do to their victims? 

785
00:53:24,040 --> 00:53:27,080
He is so clever and 
unfortunately, he has succeeded.

786
00:53:27,080 --> 00:53:32,960
And many churches just with this
lie, just by using slander and 

787
00:53:33,080 --> 00:53:39,320
gossip and backbiting and trying
to assess people's motives. 

788
00:53:39,320 --> 00:53:42,920
And here's a person who might be
going through hell at home. 

789
00:53:42,920 --> 00:53:45,200
And the way you're interpreting 
is that person's rude. 

790
00:53:47,760 --> 00:53:51,960
Be discerning church. 
Be careful, church. 

791
00:53:53,320 --> 00:53:57,640
Be loving church. 
Love hopes all things love, 

792
00:53:57,640 --> 00:54:01,280
believes all things. 
Love is not quick to make 

793
00:54:01,480 --> 00:54:04,200
conclusions about people's 
characters. 

794
00:54:04,600 --> 00:54:06,920
Love investigates and is 
patient. 

795
00:54:08,280 --> 00:54:10,440
This is why knowing God's word 
is important. 

796
00:54:10,440 --> 00:54:12,920
We're we're looking at Satan's 
playbook. 

797
00:54:16,600 --> 00:54:22,800
We're not done yet. 
Number six, let's read verse 31 

798
00:54:22,800 --> 00:54:26,640
again down to verse 32. 
Do not listen to Hezekiah for 

799
00:54:26,640 --> 00:54:29,880
thus says the king of Assyria, 
make your peace with me and come

800
00:54:29,880 --> 00:54:32,120
out to me. 
Then each one of you will eat of

801
00:54:32,120 --> 00:54:35,680
his own vine, and each one of 
you will eat of his own fig 

802
00:54:35,680 --> 00:54:37,880
tree, and each one of you will 
drink the water of his own 

803
00:54:37,880 --> 00:54:40,360
cistern. 
Until I come and take you away 

804
00:54:40,600 --> 00:54:43,280
to a land like your own land, a 
land of grain and wine, a land 

805
00:54:43,280 --> 00:54:47,160
of bread and vineyards, a land 
of olive trees and honey, that 

806
00:54:47,160 --> 00:54:51,760
you may live and not die. 
And do not listen to Hezekiah 

807
00:54:51,760 --> 00:54:55,480
when he misleads you by saying, 
the Lord will deliver us number 

808
00:54:55,480 --> 00:54:58,520
six. 
If the enemy can't get you to 

809
00:54:58,520 --> 00:55:02,480
surrender with fear, he will 
persuade you with exaggerated 

810
00:55:02,480 --> 00:55:08,960
and deceptive promises. 
There's two phases to this 

811
00:55:08,960 --> 00:55:10,920
appeal, and it's an attractive 
one. 

812
00:55:11,200 --> 00:55:15,200
Did you hear the catalog? 
Did you hear of the way of life 

813
00:55:15,840 --> 00:55:20,040
that was made possible for these
citizens of Jerusalem? 

814
00:55:20,640 --> 00:55:23,360
Notice in verse 31 he says, come
out to me. 

815
00:55:23,600 --> 00:55:26,480
That's the first step. 
Come out to me and make your 

816
00:55:26,480 --> 00:55:29,800
peace. 
And then the verse 32 until I 

817
00:55:29,800 --> 00:55:32,240
come and take you away to a land
like your own land. 

818
00:55:34,280 --> 00:55:38,000
So just just start with one 
step, just one compromise. 

819
00:55:38,960 --> 00:55:40,960
Entertain this one thing that 
you know is wrong. 

820
00:55:40,960 --> 00:55:44,080
And I'm going to give you 
something if you do that. 

821
00:55:44,160 --> 00:55:48,640
And more than that, I'm going to
give you so much, so much more. 

822
00:55:48,640 --> 00:55:51,280
It only gets better and better 
the more you believe me, the 

823
00:55:51,280 --> 00:55:54,920
more you step away from God's 
will, God's word, you indulge 

824
00:55:54,920 --> 00:55:56,840
the flesh. 
You believe the things that God 

825
00:55:56,840 --> 00:55:59,600
says don't believe. 
I'm going to make this better 

826
00:55:59,600 --> 00:56:01,960
and better for you. 
And cloaked in this, He says, 

827
00:56:01,960 --> 00:56:03,360
I'm going to take you away from 
your land. 

828
00:56:05,120 --> 00:56:08,320
But it's sandwiched between all 
these promises and all these 

829
00:56:08,320 --> 00:56:12,760
rewards and all these blessings.
Here's what I discovered when I 

830
00:56:12,760 --> 00:56:16,560
looked at especially verse 31, 
the first step, he brings up two

831
00:56:16,560 --> 00:56:19,680
specific things that are echoed 
and other places in the Bible. 

832
00:56:20,080 --> 00:56:21,960
Here's the difference that God 
promised them. 

833
00:56:24,160 --> 00:56:27,560
Here's an example. 
In Micah there's a prophecy of 

834
00:56:27,560 --> 00:56:31,200
what's going to take place when 
Messiah comes to take over the 

835
00:56:31,200 --> 00:56:33,840
throne of David successfully and
eternally. 

836
00:56:34,840 --> 00:56:36,400
And here's how he describes this
reign. 

837
00:56:36,400 --> 00:56:37,960
It's what we know to be the 
millennial reign. 

838
00:56:37,960 --> 00:56:42,960
And Micah 4, three to four. 
He, being the Messiah, shall 

839
00:56:42,960 --> 00:56:47,640
judge between many peoples, and 
shall decide disputes for strong

840
00:56:47,640 --> 00:56:50,240
nations far away. 
And they shall beat their swords

841
00:56:50,240 --> 00:56:52,760
and the plowshares and their 
Spears into pruning hooks. 

842
00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:55,080
Nation shall not lift up sword 
against nation either. 

843
00:56:55,080 --> 00:56:58,320
Shall they learn war anymore? 
Verse four, Look at this. 

844
00:56:58,880 --> 00:57:03,640
But they shall sit, every man 
under his vine and under his fig

845
00:57:03,640 --> 00:57:06,680
tree, and no one shall make them
afraid, for the mouth of the 

846
00:57:06,680 --> 00:57:12,840
Lord of hosts has spoken. 
So this picture really describes

847
00:57:12,840 --> 00:57:15,240
a time of unusual peace and 
prosperity. 

848
00:57:15,240 --> 00:57:17,480
You actually find a similar 
description when Solomon was 

849
00:57:17,480 --> 00:57:21,840
ruling and reigning in Israel. 
And this prophecy says the one 

850
00:57:21,840 --> 00:57:24,880
greater than David, the one 
greater than any other king, is 

851
00:57:24,880 --> 00:57:29,720
going to bring an unusual peace 
and prosperity again that will 

852
00:57:29,720 --> 00:57:33,160
outshine any other era. 
What were the two things? 

853
00:57:33,440 --> 00:57:35,960
They will each have their own 
vine and sit under their own fig

854
00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:38,560
tree. 
Look again at verse 31 of Second

855
00:57:38,560 --> 00:57:40,400
Kings 18. 
What did the enemy promise? 

856
00:57:40,920 --> 00:57:44,640
He said, OK, come to me then 
each one of you will eat of his 

857
00:57:44,640 --> 00:57:47,040
own vine and each one of his own
fig tree. 

858
00:57:47,040 --> 00:57:51,240
But he doesn't stop there. 
And each one of you will drink 

859
00:57:51,240 --> 00:57:56,600
the water of his own cistern. 
What is he saying here? 

860
00:57:57,160 --> 00:57:59,960
Oh, God will give you this. 
I'll give you more. 

861
00:58:01,480 --> 00:58:03,760
Oh, your God is all about joy 
and peace. 

862
00:58:03,760 --> 00:58:05,560
Yeah, I'll give you real 
ecstasy. 

863
00:58:07,600 --> 00:58:12,880
I'll give you real purpose. 
I'll give you a real sense of 

864
00:58:12,880 --> 00:58:17,360
desire and delight. 
And that's what people are 

865
00:58:17,360 --> 00:58:19,520
believing about temptation this 
very hour. 

866
00:58:20,720 --> 00:58:23,360
They believe that if they step 
away from the Lord that they're 

867
00:58:23,360 --> 00:58:28,120
going to gain, that whatever 
they are looking for is going to

868
00:58:28,120 --> 00:58:30,440
be far greater than what God 
offers. 

869
00:58:31,080 --> 00:58:34,560
This is how the enemy lies. 
Don't wait for marriage. 

870
00:58:34,560 --> 00:58:36,960
Just let yourself loose. 
You're, you're an animal. 

871
00:58:36,960 --> 00:58:40,160
You have instincts. 
Just have as many partners as 

872
00:58:40,160 --> 00:58:42,240
you want. 
Fulfill your fantasies. 

873
00:58:43,600 --> 00:58:46,040
And we're all familiar about the
different temptations that he 

874
00:58:46,040 --> 00:58:50,800
brings to us. 
Lastly, you've been so patient. 

875
00:58:51,920 --> 00:58:57,400
Verse 33 down to verse 35, the 
rapture case says, Has any of 

876
00:58:57,400 --> 00:59:00,200
the gods of the nations ever 
delivered his land out of the 

877
00:59:00,200 --> 00:59:04,760
hand of the king of Assyria? 
Where the gods of Hameth and 

878
00:59:04,760 --> 00:59:10,240
Arpad, where the gods of Sephar,
Vayim, Hina, and IVA, have they 

879
00:59:10,240 --> 00:59:12,000
delivered Samaria out of my 
hand? 

880
00:59:12,600 --> 00:59:15,240
Who among all the gods of the 
lands have delivered their lands

881
00:59:15,240 --> 00:59:18,360
out of my hand? 
That the Lord should deliver 

882
00:59:18,360 --> 00:59:23,800
Jerusalem out of my hand #7 
Finally, the enemy will 

883
00:59:23,800 --> 00:59:28,320
frequently return to his 
favorite lie, make you doubt, 

884
00:59:28,320 --> 00:59:32,760
and question the trustworthiness
of God again and again. 

885
00:59:34,160 --> 00:59:35,560
This time it looks a little 
different. 

886
00:59:36,240 --> 00:59:42,520
First, he dares to put the God, 
the true God, the Lord, on the 

887
00:59:42,520 --> 00:59:46,800
same level as other deities. 
This is where he really crossed 

888
00:59:46,800 --> 00:59:48,160
the line. 
He's going to get himself in a 

889
00:59:48,160 --> 00:59:51,320
lot of trouble for doing this, 
but that's what Satan is telling

890
00:59:51,320 --> 00:59:55,320
many people today. 
But there's something more 

891
00:59:55,320 --> 00:59:58,840
strategic than that, because 
these Israelites could have 

892
00:59:58,840 --> 01:00:01,120
easily just that. 
Those are fake gods. 

893
01:00:01,120 --> 01:00:03,880
They're false deities. 
They have no power. 

894
01:00:03,880 --> 01:00:05,520
They can't compare to the true 
God. 

895
01:00:05,880 --> 01:00:09,520
But this spokesman brings it 
closer to home. 

896
01:00:09,880 --> 01:00:11,960
What does he say? 
Look again at verse 34. 

897
01:00:12,320 --> 01:00:15,680
The last question, have they 
delivered Samaria out of my 

898
01:00:15,680 --> 01:00:19,200
hand? 
Samario is the neighbor up North

899
01:00:19,200 --> 01:00:23,480
Samaria at one point. 
Was attached to the Kingdom of 

900
01:00:23,480 --> 01:00:25,640
Judah. 
They were once one nation with 

901
01:00:25,640 --> 01:00:28,600
the same God. 
And though yes, they did give 

902
01:00:28,600 --> 01:00:33,640
themselves over to idolatry and 
false gods, If this people were 

903
01:00:33,640 --> 01:00:36,600
so overwhelmed by these lies, if
they were not informed, if they 

904
01:00:36,600 --> 01:00:39,600
were not aware, they could have 
began to rationalize in the 

905
01:00:39,600 --> 01:00:43,520
following way. 
Well, yes, Samaria, essentially 

906
01:00:43,960 --> 01:00:47,880
their histories in the truth. 
Their history is in the covenant

907
01:00:47,880 --> 01:00:50,760
keeping God. 
Why? 

908
01:00:50,920 --> 01:00:53,200
Why didn't the Lord deliver them
from Assyria? 

909
01:00:55,520 --> 01:00:58,760
How did God allow them to be 
taken captive and removed from 

910
01:00:58,760 --> 01:01:02,840
the land? 
If it happened with the northern

911
01:01:02,840 --> 01:01:04,840
Kingdom of Israel? 
What makes us think that it 

912
01:01:04,840 --> 01:01:12,760
can't happen to us? 
I'm going to tell you how slimy 

913
01:01:12,760 --> 01:01:16,880
Satan is that he will even at 
times. 

914
01:01:17,120 --> 01:01:20,640
Look at you. 
Look at me, turn your attention 

915
01:01:20,640 --> 01:01:25,640
to others who supposedly bear 
the name of Christ, who might 

916
01:01:25,640 --> 01:01:32,200
even genuinely bear the name of 
Christ, and say if God couldn't 

917
01:01:32,200 --> 01:01:34,200
do it for them, what makes you 
think he'll do it for you? 

918
01:01:36,640 --> 01:01:38,640
Look at so and so in the church.
Look what happened to their 

919
01:01:38,640 --> 01:01:40,320
children. 
What makes you think it won't 

920
01:01:40,320 --> 01:01:43,560
happen to yours? 
Look at so, so struggling with 

921
01:01:43,560 --> 01:01:47,640
this disease and this sickness 
and here you are believing God 

922
01:01:47,640 --> 01:01:50,040
to do something in your body. 
Did he do it for them? 

923
01:01:50,040 --> 01:01:51,920
What makes you think that God's 
going to answer your prayer? 

924
01:01:53,880 --> 01:01:56,200
If God was a successful for that
church, what makes you think 

925
01:01:56,200 --> 01:01:59,000
he'll make your church 
prosperous spiritually? 

926
01:02:01,000 --> 01:02:04,480
He loves to compare. 
He he loves to do these things. 

927
01:02:05,280 --> 01:02:09,320
So by bringing up Samaria, I 
think he wanted to really make 

928
01:02:09,320 --> 01:02:14,360
it seem as though we're hopeless
and again, to doubt the 

929
01:02:14,360 --> 01:02:18,400
trustworthiness of God. 
How does this story end? 

930
01:02:18,880 --> 01:02:21,960
Let's look at the last two 
verses, verse 36. 

931
01:02:21,960 --> 01:02:24,360
But the people were silent and 
answered him. 

932
01:02:24,360 --> 01:02:28,000
Not a word for the King's 
command was do not answer him. 

933
01:02:28,640 --> 01:02:30,720
Then Ally came, the son of 
Helkaya, who was over the 

934
01:02:30,720 --> 01:02:33,200
household and Shovement, the 
secretary, and Joe, the son of 

935
01:02:33,200 --> 01:02:36,440
ASAP the recorder came to 
Hezekiah with their clothes torn

936
01:02:36,440 --> 01:02:39,120
and told him the words of the 
rap shaky. 

937
01:02:40,280 --> 01:02:42,200
If you have the King James, the 
new King James, you know how 

938
01:02:42,200 --> 01:02:45,320
verse 36 would read. 
But the people held their peace 

939
01:02:48,240 --> 01:02:50,520
either way. 
This is what it means that not 

940
01:02:50,520 --> 01:02:57,800
one soul inside those walls made
any decision based on what they 

941
01:02:57,800 --> 01:03:02,600
were being told by the enemy. 
They stood firm, they were 

942
01:03:02,600 --> 01:03:04,680
careful. 
They were slow. 

943
01:03:06,000 --> 01:03:08,720
Did it impact them? 
Clearly they ripped their 

944
01:03:08,720 --> 01:03:13,480
clothes. 
But this is just the beginning 

945
01:03:13,480 --> 01:03:17,360
of how Hezekiah and his people 
will respond to these threats 

946
01:03:17,360 --> 01:03:21,120
and how they will overcome. 
You have to come next week to 

947
01:03:21,120 --> 01:03:23,000
see it though. 
Let's pray, 

948
01:03:35,650 --> 01:03:39,410
Lord, if there is even one of 
these lies that resonate with 

949
01:03:39,410 --> 01:03:43,930
any of us in this place, we pray
that today it would lose its 

950
01:03:43,930 --> 01:03:50,410
clutch, it would lose its power.
We pray today for freedom, that 

951
01:03:50,410 --> 01:03:56,120
we would be totally liberated 
from any lie, any deception, any

952
01:03:56,120 --> 01:04:02,600
trick of the evil 1 And Lord, 
help us be reminded, help us be 

953
01:04:02,600 --> 01:04:06,440
able to call to our own 
attention these truths when we 

954
01:04:06,440 --> 01:04:12,000
are engaged with warfare, when 
we are confronted with with 

955
01:04:12,000 --> 01:04:14,040
things that we know are not from
you. 

956
01:04:14,640 --> 01:04:17,480
So Lord, we give you glory and 
thanks for how you have equipped

957
01:04:17,480 --> 01:04:20,320
us tonight, and we pray that we 
would never forget it. 

958
01:04:20,840 --> 01:04:23,320
We pray that these things would 
be etched on our hearts for the 

959
01:04:23,320 --> 01:04:26,880
rest of our warfare with the 
Evil 1. 

960
01:04:27,120 --> 01:04:31,400
And Lord, tonight as your 
church, we stand in victory and 

961
01:04:31,400 --> 01:04:33,800
we choose to rejoice in 
Thanksgiving for how You have 

962
01:04:33,800 --> 01:04:37,720
spoken to our hearts. 
Lord, you are good, and we do 

963
01:04:37,720 --> 01:04:40,920
trust in You. 
We've sang so much of it before 

964
01:04:40,920 --> 01:04:43,240
the study, and Lord, we want to 
say it in prayer. 

965
01:04:43,240 --> 01:04:47,280
We trust in You, we trust in 
your forgiveness, we trust in 

966
01:04:47,280 --> 01:04:51,920
Your provision, we trust in Your
promises, We trust in everything

967
01:04:51,920 --> 01:04:55,280
that Your word has to say, and 
we pray that we would never 

968
01:04:55,280 --> 01:04:58,560
lapse in our faith. 
We want to be always pleasing to

969
01:04:58,560 --> 01:05:01,800
You in every season, trusting 
You in every sphere of our 

970
01:05:01,800 --> 01:05:04,280
lives. 
And we believe Lord, that you've

971
01:05:04,280 --> 01:05:07,680
spoken to us for this goal, for 
this end in mind, that we would 

972
01:05:07,680 --> 01:05:11,160
be complete in our reliance on 
you. 

973
01:05:11,640 --> 01:05:15,840
In Jesus name we pray these 
things, Amen and Amen and Amen. 

974
01:05:15,840 --> 01:05:18,440
Let's stand and worship the Lord
and give him glory.