The Green Forest tribune., 1911-06-30
Isaiah's Prophecy Concerning Sennacherib Sunday School Lesson fox July 2, 1911
 Specially Arranged for This Paper
LESSON TExT-Isaiah s7:i4-m.

NEMOBf EERSE,S-aS-5o.
 GOLDEN TEXT-"God is our refuge and strength. 6 very present help in tCou- ble.'-Psa 46l
 TIME-Probably B. C. Sp1-69T, toward the close of Hezetiah's reiga
 PLACE-Jerusalem and vicinity. rhs destruction of the army was 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- cupytng seven or eight chapters, be- sides the clay cylinder on which Sen nacherib made his own record.
 It was great crisis in israel's his tory like the exodus, and return from captivity, q 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 oI bad father (but a good hother), began his reign with 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- stored the temple services, and pro vided for the support of the Levites and for popular religious instruction from the books of the law, thus bring ing about great uprising against idolatFy
 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 oyeTlord ship Ahaz had acknowledged, against the urgent protests of Isaiah.
 In 7Q1 B. C. the great invasion of Palestine was made by Sennachertb. with a double siege of Jerusalem. Sennacherib sent an army demanding the surrender of Jerusalem. He may have felt that it was a mistake to leave in his rear so powerful a fort ress, while he had still to complete the overthrow of the Egyptians
 The Assyrians, coming near to the walls of tke city and speaking through Rabshakeh, 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 affiictions 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 be saw the fall of true religion, the dishonor of Gods name, a relig- ious and moral loss to the world. We should pray for temporal blessings, for whatever we needs but at the same time we should never let the de- sire for earthly things oyershadow the larger and more important spiritual interests; but rather, as in Hezekiah's ease, 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's mes sage had been one of warning to dient to God that the relief could come to them as a blessing. Now his message concerns the Assyrians, but also shows Judah why God comes to | their help.
 The wonderful deliverance 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 l Sennacherib was marching toward Egypt The deliverance was deliv- erance of Egypt as wetl~ as of Judah. The scene may well have been near Egypt Whether it was by storm, or pestilerce, 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 disaster to his host.
 From Egyptian sources there has | 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 Sen | oil i7 Dol, hJy mic a multitude of field mice ate up the duivers, bowstrings and shieldstraps | of the Assyrians and that, as these fled on the morrow. very many oi them fell. A stone statue of the king adds Herodotus, stood in the temple of Hephaestus, having 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 tradition that pesti lence broke out in the Assyrian camp
 There is nothing in the Bible record that contradicts the belief that the disaster occurred in the neighborhoot of Pelusium and the Serbonian bog il northeastern Egypt. It was a place terrible for filth and miasma. A Per sian army was decimated here il the middle of the fourth century be fore Christ. Napoleon's army barell escaped destruction here.
 The amount of the Assyrian los.
 was enormous. and implies of course much higher figure for the arm!
 which was vast enough to suffer it
 but here are some instances for com
 parison In the early German inva