Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-13

and strength, A very present help
In trouble" Pisa. 49i1.
Judah went from bad to worse.
Joash, we learned last week, lapsed
into idolatry when Jeho1ada the DID
priest, died Amaziah, his son,
turned their hearts back to God
bit. Uzziah, his son. brought Judah
to the peak of her prosperity since
Solomon's time; but Uzziah forgot
God and died, smitten of leprosy.
lothian succeeded his father-a good,
but very weak king. And his son.
Ahaz. was more wicked than any
king the southern kingdom has ever
had
Hezekiah followed him. He had
grown I'D under the ministry OF
Isaiah and did much to stem The
/ tide Of evil that seemed well nigh
about to sweep Judah into oblivion.
! Much was accomplished by him;
/ and his example of piety and falth
! in God was a good tonic for the
! people who had been led into neg
lect of God and open idolatry by ms
very wicked father.
While these things were going on
! in the kingdom of Judah. Egypt TO
the south and Assyria to the east
turmoil Assyria was the dominant
! political power of the world. She
had designs on every nation within
her reach. Sennacherib, her king,
\ had an overweening desire to be
Athe emperor of the world, and began
10 push his conquests now toward
J Egypt. Syria and her towns were
/ taken, the northern cities were TAX
| en-, and he camped against and
took even many of the walled cities
/ of Judah, which Hezekiah had
strengthened. He WAS on his way
| to Egypt, but he must also have
! Jerusalem; for it might be embar-
RAISING for him to have them come
against his rear just as he needed
!, all of his forces to advance on
| Egypt. So he sent his commanding
general, the Rabskehab. with two
other high officers and great ar
my to lay seige to Jerusalem and
take it.
The Rabshekah's tactics were to
bulldoze the people. He thought
that by frightening them, the job
would be easy; he could take the
city without a fight and without
losing any of his men. He was
rather honest in this, too, for the
army of Assyria had had successes
enough to give them finely devel-
oped case of the swell-head. The
king of Klamath, the king of Arpad,
the king of the city of Sepharvalm,
of Hena and Ivah had all surren-
dered to him; why should not the
king of Judah also? They had all
trusted in their tribal gods. and yet
they had been delivered into the
hands of the king of Assyria; why
should the tribal God of the He
brews (as they supposed Jehovah
to bel prove any different from the
rest.
So the Rabsk ekah and the Rabsa-
1 ris and the Tartan came to the wall
of Jerusalem and demanded its sur
render Eliakin, the son Of Hilkiah
the priest, Shebna, the secretary of
the state, and Joah, Z the son Of
Asaph, the recorder, came out to
meet these Assyrian officers and to
receive their demands.
These demands, as indicated, were
most boastful. Briefly they said
this: What does your king mean by
refusing to pay his taxes Gor he
had previously paid tribute); is he
foolish enough to think he is strong
enough to resist the Assyrian army?
In receiving help from Egypt, a brok-
en- reed? Is he silly enough to trust
in his God, Jehovah, whose high
places he has thrown down, insist
ing on everyone coming to Jerusa-
lem to worship? Why, if your king
would give me pledges, will give
him 1000 horses if he could put rid
ers on them but L am sure that he
can't even do that, and how then
could he even hope to turn away
Just one brigade of my masters vic
ltorious army? And further do you
think hl1at we have come here of our
own account? OF course not! Jeho-
yah, your God, said, Go up and de-
stroy it.
Boastful, insolent, blasphemous!
The Hebrew officers replied to these
officers: Speak to us in your Ian
guage, for we understand it, and not
in the Hebrew language, for the peo-
pie may hear thy boasting." But this
only made them the more insolent.
In a loud voice he cried out to the
people, warning them against trust
ing Hezekiah or listening to him
when he would assure them by say
ing, The Lord will deliver us. Who
is Jehovah, what can He do when
these other gods nave rallied!
One of the finest things in the
whole story developed here. But
: the people held their peace, and an
swered him not a word, for the
kling's commandment was, saying,
Answer him not" Their remarkable
Amposure, fine discipline and splen-
did self-control was a fine tribute
to their loyalty to their king and
their God.
The Hebrew officers then brought
the message of the Assyrian Off
GERS to Hezekiah; and when he heard
it, realizing the seriousness of the
situation, the weakness of his whole
army in comparison with the
strength of the enemy's and the
imminent danger to his people and
his kingdom, he covered himself