Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1905-06-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JULY 2.
subject: Sennacherib's Invasion, II.
Chron. xxxii., 9-23-Golden Text, III.
Chron. xxxii., S-MeInory Verses, 1921

Chron. xxxii., 9-23-Golden Text, II.
Chron. xxxii., S-Menory Verses, 1921
documentary on the Days Lesson.
l. Sennacheribs defiant messages
Tvs. 9-19). 8. after this" After re.
ceiving the present from Hezekiah e
Kings Is: 14-l6). "Sennacherib." The
son and successor of SargOn. He says
he built towers around Jerusalem and
shut Hezekiah in like a Gagged bird"
"Assyria." This was great and pow
erful country lying Oh the Tigris. Its
boundaries differed greatly at different
periods. Send his servants" See 9
Kings IS: II. Tartan, or general; the
rabsaris, the chief of the eunichs: and
the rab-shakeh, the chief cup-bearer,
these being the Offices which their
names imply, with great host. None
of these are proper names. Tartan
was the ordinary title of an Assyrian
general. They were to demand the un-
conditional surrender of the king and
capital ITO Jerusalem" Sennacherib
was encamped before Lachish, thirty
miles southwest of Jerusalem, seated
in state. From this proud position he
sent a large deta chment to Jerusalem.
They took up their position on the
north of the city. OIL a spot long after
wards known as the camp of the Assy-
rians. HeZekiah feared to appear; OF
perhaps, careful of his dignity, lie sent
officers Of his court, who were nearer
the rank of those sent In his place
came Eliakim, now chief minister;
Shebna, now in the office of secretary;
and Joah the royal historian. "All his
power" All his army.
10. "Whereon do We trust?" Liter.
ally, "WhereOn are ye trusting and sit
ting in restrant?' Judah was in al
lance with Egypt, Assyria's arch-en-
envy; and reference is here made to
this. II. Doth not Hezekiah." Hez-
ekiah is abused most Wiley and over
whelmed with scOrn and insult u.
worship before one altar" Rab-sla'
keh was not familiar with the Jewish
law, and he naturally supposed that
the destruction of so many affairs
would incur the displeasure of the
gods; but the reason he gave to prove
that Judah was weak was the very rea-
son why God was with them to make
them strong. 1915. "KnOw We not"
etc. This boast was natural. The AS
syrians had had an uninterrupted ca
reer of success and might well believe
that their gods were more powerful
than those of the nations around them
They had utterly Over-run and de-
stroyed the kindred tribes Of Galilee
Gilead and Samaria. They had for
years exercised lOrdship over Judea
and the very king who now defed
them had purchased his safety by the
payment of heavy fine. III. Against
the Lord" Hezekiah treated this
blasphemous speech rs he ought He
refers the matter to Jehovah.
II. "Wrote also letters" A little
later another insulting message in the
form of "a letter" Or. v. margin) was
sent. The king took the letter and ut
once went again to the house OF the
Lord. He spread out the letter before
the Lord and poured out his soul III
earnest prayer e Kings 10: 14-0; lisa.
81: 1920. 10. "a loud voice." An al
fusion is here made to what occurred
e Kings IS: $3.50 before Sennacherib
wrote his letter. Jews speech" The
Hebrew language. The Syrian lam
guage was not understood by the com.
mon people. ITO alright them" 1t
was a day of great suspense. Already
there was q rumOr that the king OF
Egypt was OH his way to the rescue.
Senacherib had heard the rumOr, and
it was this which caused him to put
forth every effort to intimidate Jerusa.
lem into submission. 10. "Spake
against" etc. They saw 10 difference
between the Jehovah Of the Jews and
the gods of the other nations.
II. Hezekiah and Isaiah call on the
Lord ". 20). 20. Prayed" King
Hezekjah rent his clothes and put OH
sackcloth and went to the house or
God, while his messengers sought out
tile prophet Isaiah to know what to do
The prayer expressed the deepest need,
The highest faith. the utmost earnest
ness, the wisest plea, the highest mo-
tive. 1t was united prayer, a prayer
meeting. Isaiah joined with Hezekiah
But they not only prayed, they worked.
The king built walls and towers. and
prepared arms and shields and encour-
aged the people to be strong and cour-
ageous, and not to be afraid of the AS
syrian king, "for there be more with us
than with him" Tvs. 6, y.
III. The Lord destroys the Assy-
rians ". 2D.
q. The word angel means "a mes
senger," zone sent" and may be APP
piled to any messenger sent from God.
whoever or whatever that may be.
Thus in Pisa. 104: the winds are said
to be His angels or messengers. The
use Of the word ''angel' here does not
determine the manner in which the de-
structiOn was accomplished 1t may
have been storm, a pestilence or
flood. 1t is generally understood to
have been the simeon. "Cut off, In
one night Gods messenger smote 1885,
600 men e Kings 10: 35). This gives
some idea Of the immense size of Sen
nacherib's army. "He returned" The
king and few others were preserved.
Gown land" Nineveh when he
was come" Just how long a time
elapsed between this calamity and Sen.
nacherib's death we do not know, but
it was probably about twenty years.
He records other campaigns. but he
never again came to Palestine. "His
god" Nisroch. "Sew him." "Adram-
melech and Sharezer his sons smote
him with the sword; and they es.
capped" e Kings 49, 80.
w. HeZekian Is exalted Tvs. -. 80.
These verses tell us that God not only
saved His people from tile hands OF
Sennacberib, but from all others and
guided them Oh every side" Many
presents were brought to Hezekiah,
and he was exalted in the sight of all.
N..a lie I ife for PrIde