The Nevada County picayune., 1911-06-30
lsaiah's Prophecy Concerning Sennacherib Sunday School Lesson for July 2, 1911
 Specially Arranged for This Paper
LESSON TEXT-Isaiah 37:14-38. MEMORY VERSES-33-35


 TIME-Probably B. c. 701-697, toward the close of Hezekiah's reign.
 PLACE-Jerusalem and vicinity. The destruction of the army probably southwest of Judah toward Egypt.
 The importance of the event which forms the subject of this lesson is shown by the fact that it's history is given in three books Of the Bible, and probably referred to in another, oc- cupying seven or eight chapters, be- sides the clay cylinder on which Sen nacherib made his own record.
 It was a great crisis in lsraers his- tory like the exodus, and return from captivity, a signal landmark, to teach and warn and encourage and comfort Israel in other great crises, and the nations and individuals of all times.
 Hezekiah, although the son of bad father (but good mother), began his reign with a thorough and widespread reformation and revival of the true re- ligion, even while the Assyrians were invading the Northern Kingdom. He cleansed and repaired the temple. re-
  vided for the support of the Levites and for popular religious instruction from the books of the law, thus bring ing about a great uprising against idolatry.
 The result was most happy. "Heze- kiah had exceeding much riches and honor" His kingdom was tranquil, strong and wealthy. But one constant danger threatened Judah-the grow ing power of Assyria, whose oyerlord- ship Ahaz had acknowledged, against the urgent protests of Isaiah.
 In 701 B. c. the great invasion of Palestine was made by Sennacherib. with a double siege of Jerusalem. Sennacherib sent an army demanding the surrender of Jerusalem. He may have felt that 1t was a mistake to leave in his rear so powerful fort ress, while he had still to complete the overthrow of the Egyptians.
 The Assyrians, coming near to the walls of the city and speaking through Rnbshakeh. the chief officer Of Sen. nacherib made the contest one be. tween Jehovah and the Assyrian idols, between the true religion, the one means of redeeming the world, and Hezekiah, and Isaiah, and apparently .he scribes and elders, clothed in sackcloth, went into the temple and prayed from their inmost souls.
 Note how afflictions lead to prayer. Hezekiah saw before him captivity. suffering, probably death, the loss of his kingdom, the extinction of his line, the exile of his people. But above all he saw the fall of trus religion. the dishonor of Gods name, a relig- ious and moral loss to the world. We should pray for temporal blessings. for whatever We need; blst at tho same time We should never let the de- sire for earthly things overshadow the larger and more important spiritual interests; but rather, as in EteZekiah's case, the pressure of personal need should make more intense the desire for Gods cause and kingdom.
 Then came a message from God through Isaiah. Hitherto Isaiah mes sage had been one of warning to Judah, in order to make them SO oSe- dient to God that the relief could come to them as blessing. Now his message concerns the Assyrians, but also shows Judah why God comes to their help.
 The wonderful deliyerance came when the angel of the Lord smote of the Assyrians a hundred and four score and five thousand Just where this occurred we do not know. But Sennacherib was marching toward Egypt. The deliverance was deliv- erance of Egypt as we'll as of Judah. The scene may we'll have been near Egypt. Whether it was by a storm. or pestilence, no one knows. It is remarkable that the histories of both his chief rivals in this campaign, Ju- dah and Egypt, should contain inde- pendent "reminiscences of so sudden and miraculous a disaster to his host
 From Egyptian sources there has come down through Herodotus a story that a king of Egypt. being deserted by the military caste. when Senna- cherib king of the Arabs and Assy- rians invaded his country, entered his sanctuary and appealed with weeping to his god; that the god appeared and cheered him; that he raised an army of artisans and marched to meet Sem nacherib in Pelusium; that by night multitude of field mice ate up the quivers, bowstrings and shieldstraps of the Assyrians. and that, as these fled on the morrow, very many of them fell, A stone statue of the king, adds Herodotus, stood in the temple of Hephaestus, having a mouse in the hand, Now, since the mouse was a symbol of sudden destruction, and even of the plague, this story of Herodotus seems to be merely a pic. turesque form of a tradition that pesti-