A. Hezekiah Reigns Over Judah (18:1-20:21)
Following the death of Ahaz, his son Hezekiah rules over Judah (c. 716-687 b.c.). From all accounts, he was both an able leader and a true follower of Yahweh. In fact, from the editor’s perspective, with the probable exception of Josiah, Hezekiah was the southern kingdom’s finest king (18:5-8).
With the fall of Israel fresh in his mind, Hezekiah set out to accomplish two primary goals. To begin with, he sought religious purification. To accomplish such an objective, he not only destroyed the competing shrines and removed the pagan idols (18:4), but he also served as a positive example in terms of trusting the God of Israel (18:5).
Second, Hezekiah sought freedom from Assyrian domination (18:7). During c. 720 to 711 B.C., the Assyrian king Sargon II had a considerable amount of business to tend to at home, so Hezekiah no doubt had been entertaining thoughts of revolt for some time. Yet he postponed any action until 705 B.C., when Sargon died. In hopes of squelching this and similar rebellions by other vassal states, Sargon’s successor, Sennacherib, engaged in a military campaign throughout the region (18:13). This event, then, serves as the backdrop for much of what the editor has to say about Hezekiah (on the relationship between this account and the parallel passage in Isa 36-39, see Sawyer, 19-42).
Hezekiah’s revolt clearly placed him in a theological predicament. From the outset, he seemingly expected Egyptian assistance in carrying out the revolt, and no doubt his political advisors encouraged the formulation of a treaty. However, to the religiously astute of the day, such an alliance, particularly with Egypt, would suggest a total lack of confidence in Yahweh’s delivering power. In this context, for example, the prophet Isaiah issued the strongest of rebukes:
“Woe to the obstinate children,”
declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
who go down to Egypt
without consulting me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,
to Egypt’s shade for refuge.
But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace.”
For Hezekiah, to revolt without Egyptian aid would be military and political suicide. To revolt with aid, however, would be a breach of confidence with God. Hezekiah, surprisingly enough, chose the former.
In preparation for the anticipated attack, Hezekiah took various precautions. Foremost among them was the manner in which he dealt with a potential water problem. The spring of Gihon, Jerusalem’s source of water, lay outside the city walls. Not only would such a location allow the Assyrians to replenish their own water supply upon arrival, but they could also restrict access for the city’s inhabitants. As a solution, Hezekiah oversaw a major engineering achievement, having his workmen tunnel some 1,700 feet through solid rock in order to divert the flow of water to within the city (20:20).
As Sennacherib marched westward, he destroyed virtually everything in his path. After attacking and defeating Judah’s fortified cities, Jerusalem alone remained (18:13). In an effort to pacify the Assyrian ruler, Hezekiah admits to wrongdoing, empties the temple treasury, and sends a sizeable gift to Sennacherib (v.16). Sennacherib declines the offer, however, and sends a contingent of military personnel to the capital city. While there, they demand Hezekiah’s total surrender, assuring the inhabitants of Jerusalem that their God will fare no better in his effort to protect them than did the gods of those whom the Assyrians had conquered earlier (18:19-25, 33). In fact, the enemy even claims to be acting on Yahweh’s behalf (18:25)! In Sennacherib’s own words, Hezekiah was now confined “like a bird in a cage” (Pritchard, 288).
Given the circumstances, Isaiah prophesies once again. Having rejected the Egyptian option, the prophet assures Hezekiah that Yahweh will indeed deliver the city from the Assyrians (19:5-7). Shortly thereafter, Jerusalem receives a brief reprieve as Sennacherib has additional business to tend to (19:9-13). He guarantees Hezekiah, however, that he will shortly finish the job.
For a final time, Hezekiah prays and Isaiah prophesies (19:14-34). Before his words have a chance to fade, thousands of Assyrian soldiers mysteriously die. Whether the cause was bubonic plague or an attack of field mice (Herodotus, II, 141), as have been occasionally and at times humorously suggested, this occurrence and the subsequent withdrawal of the Assyrian ruler were perceived as nothing less than divine deliverance (19:35).
With his legacy of faith enshrined in the previous account, two additional glimpses of a thoroughly human Hezekiah are presented in ch. 20. Suffering from a severe illness, he first of all receives word from Isaiah that he will not recover. However, after tearfully pleading for mercy and calling attention to his faithful service in the past, fifteen years are added to his life (20:1-11).
Second, Hezekiah soon entertains messengers from Babylon who apparently had come to wish him well (20:12-21). But no doubt their ulterior motive was to solicit Judah’s support in an effort to overthrow the Assyrians. In any case, Hezekiah indulges in a bit of personal aggrandizement by showing the visitors his entire financial holdings. Although not specifically condemned for this or any other sin, he receives a disquieting word from Isaiah: “Everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon” (20:17). While Hezekiah’s response in v.19 appears remarkably self-centered, it may indicate not so much a lack of concern for future generations as it does a sense of gratitude for the delay in judgment (1Ki 11:12; 21:29).