And God Declared War on a King...

AND GOD WENT TO WAR WITH A KING...

Voyle A. Glover

It was a time of goodness and the land was at peace. The crops were not slain by the sun nor beaten by the weather, but grew strong, basking in the glow of a favorable sun and drinking up the moisture of gentle rains. The animals were fat and lazy and the people had abundance where in times past, conditions were harsh and cruel.

The king was a good man, godly and given to forbearance with the people, not requiting them for all their lack, but counseling them, helping them and inspiring them. He was truly a king made for the times and truly a king much loved by the people of Judah. Moreover, the king of Judah had made a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, to serve Him, to honor God and to obey Him. This King Hezekiah had done. And whereas his father, King Ahaz had been wicked and disobedient and had brought much grief to the land because he had rejected the Lord God of Israel, Hezekiah rejected the ways of his father and turned the people back to God.

And the land was blessed of God for their turning.

But there came an event upon the land that tested the faith of the people and of the king. This is that story. It is the story about an invasion and a war. It is a story of courage and faith. It is a story about evil and good and finally, a story about prayer. But it is also a story about a man whose only real god was power and who had no respect for any god. This man, Senacherib, came into the land of Israel, up to Judah and Jerusalem, and challenged the God of Israel. One must wonder how the outcome of this war with God affected Senacherib, for it surely affected him mentally, emotionally and perhaps, just perhaps, spiritually. At his death, Senacherib was a worshiper of the god Nisroth. But what did he really believe? Come with me and hear a true tale from the history of the Jewish people as surely it must have happened.

It was a clear morning in the land of Assyria. From his throne, Senacherib, the king, looked through the open window, gazing at the sun browned slopes in the distance. His mind wandered as he thought of his accomplishments. He'd fought many battles and conquered every nation around him, excepting one. He'd kept back from that land because he'd been busy strengthening himself with the riches and might of those conquered enemies. When he went against the Hebrew, he intended to be strong and his army would be swollen to twice the normal size. He'd heard of these people. They were fierce in battle and their reputation was well known in his land. They'd been conquered before but some years past, Judah and Jerusalem, under King Hezekiah had broken away and refused to pay further tribute or to accept the rule of Assyria.

The Israelites were unlike any enemy Senacherib ever met. They worshiped a single god, one they called The Lord God of Israel. All his other enemies worshiped a variety of gods, as did he and his own people. Personally, though he would not admit it to anyone, Senacherib did not believe in the power of any of the gods. He'd never seen anything in all his days that convinced him there was any power over men from these gods. He made a pretense of worship because the people expected it and his sons were very much taken with the gods in his temple. But for Senacherib there was but one power and that was the power of might. And he had an army full of men who were proven warriors. Senacherib did not need any gods. He had his army.

And so it was that as King Senacherib sat contemplating his accomplishments and his future, he decided that he would now mount the campaign against Israel and Judah that he'd long ago considered. It was now time.

"Summon me Tartan." His voice was that of a man used to command, crisp, devoid of inflection.

The servant who'd stood silent by the far left of the throne bowed low and said softly, "Yes, my lord Senacherib. He is in the chambers waiting."

Minutes later the large, golden door opened with a whisper of sound and a huge man strode through the door. His bearded face was massive, wide, and a jutting nose that was hard-edged, and with a bronze shine on his cheeks, made shiny and dark from the winds and heat of the land. His flat, black eyes were surrounded by crinkles made from the squinting at hundreds of suns. He wore armor like most men wear a thin robe, as though it were nothing, something of little significance. His sword hung at his side, long, and sheathed in a blackened leathern holder. Two long daggers were in his belt. Tartan was the only person in the entire kingdom, besides the sons of Senacherib, who could approach the king's throne fully armed.

The big man knelt briefly, perfunctorily, before the king, then rose and said: "Your will, sire."

"It is time to return to the land of Israel and to Judah and Jerusalem. There is much gold there and the people have not practiced war in many years. They are soft. I believe it will be an easy conquest. Hezekiah is not a warrior. He is as a woman, soft and caring. It is even said that he weeps at times." Senacherib smiled as he spoke. The thought of a man, a warrior weeping, was incomprehensible to him. He'd not wept since he was a child.

Tartan grinned. For many years now, he'd advocated invasion of this land. They'd broken away from the rule of Assyria and Tartan had made punitive raids against Israel, carrying away many of the inhabitants into slavery in Assyria. Often, they'd made brief incursions, sacking a city here, raiding another there, even once besieging Samaria for three years and capturing the king of Israel, but they had made no serious attempt to invade to the north, to the cities of Judah or of Jerusalem.

On every occasion where they'd warred with the Hebrew, the battles had been fierce and more resistance had been given than they'd expected. They'd experienced more losses than ordinary. He did not underestimate the fighting prowess of the Hebrew. Their reputation was well known to Tartan and his soldiers. And he knew it would not be as easy as the king made it sound. Hezekiah had won fierce battles with the Philistines and had driven out the Assyrian soldiers garrisoned in the land of Judah years before. They knew how to fight, these Hebrew. But Tartan also knew the Hebrew army was no match for his own. It was time to retake the land.

"I will send spies into the land, sire."

"Do so at once. And have them report directly to me on their return. You shall come with them."

In the city of Jerusalem, King Hezekiah stood upon the south wall. Beside him stood Isaiah, the prophet.

"So what is it that you suggest I do, Isaiah?" The king did not look at the prophet but stood with his back to the man, gazing into the distance.

"It is for the Lord to decide. Senacherib will one day come against you. It will then be a time for you to decide."

"I have not fought in many years. And the ways of the warrior were never mine." Hezekiah turned to Isaiah and added, "I fear that I am unable to defend this people any longer."

Isaiah started to reply, then caught himself. He quenched the rebuke and instead, answered softly: "We shall see what the Lord brings." At that, he turned and walked away.

Several months passed. The summer winds swept across the land. And in the palace of Senacherib six men stood before the king as he sat his throne. Tartan stood to one side of the throne.

One man spoke: "O' king, we have lived in the land as directed. And here is what we have heard and seen." Then, for nearly an hour, the man spoke of his visit into the land of Judah and Jerusalem. And then another spoke, and finally, the last man spoke to the king of his observations.

At the conclusion of his words to the king, the man added, "And not only did I see in the people a fear of my lord Senacherib, but these Hebrews have not the dedication to their god as reported. I saw in some homes the gods of that land to the south and gods we even serve. And, there are some who have ways that are not unlike our own. It is not as we thought, O' king, that they serve this Lord God of Israel, for I did not see one display of this god. He was not in any of the houses nor did I see him in any of the land. I did hear his name at times, but if this Lord God of Israel is worshiped, it is by the king and those near him, and not by the people."

King Senacherib was pleased at these words and a smile broke across his lean, swarthy features. He nodded at the six and dismissed them.

"Tartan, prepare the army. I will go with you and lead this army."

"Father, may we come with you?" The speaker was a tall, lean duplicate of the father, with eyes that brimmed with admiration for his father. A second, less remarkable young man stood beside him while a third stood in the shadows, unwilling to advance and be part of the other two.

"No my son. Stay at home and mind the throne in my absence. One day you will rule. It is such times as this that you gain experience. I will return with much honor and glory and gold, for this is a rich land. I will bring you wives and slaves to decorate your halls." With that, Senacherib left the great room.

Thoughts of war flooded his mind.

When the invasion came, it sent ripples of fear throughout the land. Senacherib hit the cities of Judah and in a short time, had completely over-run the cities. King Hezekiah's deepest fears had come to pass and for a period of time, he shut himself up in a room, praying, crying and in great consternation. He was dismayed that the cities had fallen so quickly and easily. Surely, the Lord had left Judah for there was no defense left in the land, excepting in Jerusalem. And soon Senacherib and his army would arrive at the city gates.

In a meeting with his advisors and captains, they decided to prepare for the inevitable siege. Hezekiah ordered all the waters around to be dammed so as to prevent the armies of Senacherib from obtaining water with ease. He also ordered the making of shields and weapons and distributed them throughout the city to every man.

And finally, he gathered the people together, and with a confidence in his voice that was an echo in his heart, he said to the people: "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles."

On the hearing of these words, spoken with great feeling and confidence, for King Hezekiah was a great orator, the people were relieved and the fear subsided.

But the king's fear did not subside. Every day word came to him of the horrors visited upon the cities of Judah and of the fierceness of the enemy and of the size of the army. There was absolutely no way the small army of Judah could possible stop Senacherib.

Hezekiah sent for a messenger. He did not advise anyone of his message and made sure it was done without the knowledge of Isaiah. It was not that he did not trust the prophet, but his confidence in the prophet was greatly diminished. He feared Isaiah was getting too old and perhaps Isaiah did not have the power with God he once had, for Isaiah had not spoken against the cities of Judah, had not spoken out to Hezekiah about the wrath of Senacherib falling on those cities and although they'd discussed the fact that one day it was likely Senacherib would come up against Judah, surely the prophet should have known of this great disaster, were he truly a prophet of God. And so it was that Hezekiah was doubtful of the prophet and did not counsel with him about his plan.

He wrote a message to Senacherib which said: "I have offended you. Return to your land from me and whatever taxes you place upon me, that will I bear." At the reading of the message, Senacherib broke into laughter, reading it aloud to his officers and in front of the messenger.

He turned to Tartan and said, "Did I not tell you Hezekiah has the heart of a woman?"

The messenger was given a writing and told to return it to Hezekiah. And in the quiet of the evening hours, Hezekiah read of the demand of three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. It was an enormous demand for since the lootings and wars of old, under other kings, the land of Israel and Judah had been swept clean of most of its gold. The only place where gold or silver could be found was in the house of the Lord. King Hezekiah immediately ordered the gold be taken off the doors and pillars which he himself had ordered placed on the doors and pillars soon after he became king. He sent the gold and silver to Senacherib with great haste and waited for his spies to tell him of any movement of the army of Senacherib. He wanted to be able to tell the people that the army was leaving. But he also wanted to be ready if the army moved his way.

A messenger came running into the palace, breathless, gasping for breath, bent over, his hands on his knees as he struggled to regain his composure and breath. Finally, he blurted, "O' King, there comes the army of Senacherib and a troop before the army. It is led by one known as Tartan, who leads the army of Senacherib."

Hezekiah dismissed the messenger. His heart was heavy with fear and emptiness filled his stomach. His greatest fear had come to pass. The enemy was at the gate. Senacherib was about to overrun Jerusalem. He had failed the people and because of his failure, much death and destruction would come. His children would die, his family and friends and Judah would be slaves once more to a cruel master. It was more than he could bear and tears flooded his eyes as he lifted his face towards heaven. His prayer was a simple one, spoken with agony, as he prayed: "O' Lord God, help us. Deliver us. You have saved this people, called us your people and now there comes upon us a terrible enemy. We cannot save ourselves. What shall I do, O' Lord?" And then he was silent as he wept before the Lord.

Tartan's troop came up to the walls of the city near a conduit by the upper pool and called loudly for the king to appear. Hezekiah heard the cry and the demand for his appearance. He called for his chief servant, Eliakim. "Go out to the wall and appear for me to them. Take Shebna and Joah with you to record their words."

On the appearance of the three men on the wall, Rabshakeh, who was brought from Lakish and who spoke the Hebrew tongue, said loudly: "Thus says the great king of Assyria: what confidence is this wherein you do trust? You have said vainly, I have counsel and strength for the war. Now who is it that you trust in that you rebel against me? You trust on the staff of this bruised reed, even on Egypt, on which, if a man lean, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh, king of Egypt to all who trust him.

"But if you say to me, We trust in the Lord our God, is not that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken down and who has said to Judah and Jerusalem, you shall worship before this alter in Jerusalem? Now I ask of you, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria and I will deliver to you two thousand horses, if you are able to set riders on them. How then will you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

"Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it." Now these were words of Rabshakeh, who knew of the fear of the inhabitants and knew that God oft times had sent their enemies to punish them for their rebellion against the Lord. He knew the fear his words were generating in the hearts of those listening.

Eliakim replied, "Speak in the Syrian language and talk not with us in the Jew's language in the ears of the people that are upon the wall."

But Rabshakeh merely raised his voice the louder and continued in the Jewish language, railing on them. He told them their king was a deceiver and unable to deliver them out of the hands of the Assyrians, knowing that his words would begin a work of rebellion against the king.

He continued, "Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord saying, the Lord will surely deliver us and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria."

The words of Rabshakeh were like arrows into the hearts of those listening on the walls. Their despair and fear mounted as the man continued his speech against Hezekiah and the God of the Hebrew.

"Make an agreement with the king of Assyria by a present and come out to me and then eat every man of his own vine and every one of his fig tree and drink every one the waters of his own cistern until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and olives, a land of oil olive and honey, that you may live and not die."

It was a powerful speech, one which clearly was affecting the people.

Rabshakeh continued: "Have any of gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivah? Have they delivered Samaria our of my hand? Who are they among all the gods of the countries that have delivered their country out of my hand that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?"

All of the people were silent for Hezekiah had ordered his servants to keep their silence and not respond to the words of Senacherib.

Eliakim and Shebna, the scribe and Joah the recorder left the wall at the end of the speech and rushed to King Hezekiah and there repeated every word spoken to them. At the end, Hezekiah tore his garment and wrapped himself in sackcloth. He spoke to Eliakim: "Go to Isaiah and tell him to pray. I will be in the house of the Lord." And the king, with shoulders stooped, walked slowly towards the house of the Lord.

Isaiah listened calmly to the words of the king's messengers and said to them: "Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. I will send a blast upon him and he shall hear a rumor and shall return to his own land and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."

Rabshakeh had already left and returned to Senacherib who had been warring against Lachish and was now making war against Libnah. Senacherib heard the report of Rabshakeh and ordered a written message be made to Hezekiah which again repeated the argument that no gods had been able to deliver its people out of the hand of Senacherib and that Jerusalem would be no different.

King Hezekiah read the letter and went to the house of the Lord where he spread the letter before God and began praying. It was a prayer of passion and yet one of peace for Hezekiah knew that Senacherib had crossed a line which, once crossed, was a dangerous position for any man to be. Senacherib had blasphemed God and while Hezekiah did not know the mind of God about what He would do to Senacherib, he did know that the words of Senacherib had placed him in direct opposition to God. And that was a position that made the heart of Hezekiah lighter for once Senacherib became an enemy of God, then surely God would avenge His name and His honor. Moreover, Isaiah's prayers were joined with his to God and the Lord has spoken words through Isaiah to the king which assured him that God had heard his prayers against Senacherib. Moreover, Isaiah had prophesied against Senacherib, which prophecy was recorded and which promised to send Senacherib back home and to defend the city and save it.

In the camp of Senacherib there was consternation. Things were not going as smoothly as they'd hoped. Lachish had not been an easy victory and it appeared that they would have to lay siege to Jerusalem. Senacherib had hoped to have Hezekiah surrender the city and failing that, to have the inhabitants overthrow Hezekiah and surrender the city. And now word had come that a holy man of their god had spoken a prophecy concerning him, predicting his death and his defeat. Rage filled him.

The large room in the captured city echoed his words: "Move against the city now. I want Jerusalem in my hands by the end of the heat. I must return home for there are troubles in the land and certain have risen against me.

Captains and leaders of the army within the room spoke loudly their assent. Suddenly, one man gasped, clutched at his breast and fell to the floor. Another man screamed in pain and fell. Confusion fell upon every man as they whirled, swords drawn, looking for an enemy. None were to be seen, but suddenly men began falling, some silently, others screaming in mortal pain as they died. Senacherib rose from his seat, watching with great fear as strong men, warriors all, searched for an enemy they could not see and fell, one after another, their corpses falling upon each other. Around the camp Senacherib could hear great cries of fear and pain as men cried out in death. Senacherib remained rooted to the spot, too afraid to move, fearful that the slightest move would alert the unseen death to descend upon him. And in his heart he knew from whence the death had come.

It was the God of the Israelites.

This thought glistened in his mind like a great jewel in the forehead of a god. The stories were true. It was a truth that swept into his mind as he'd swept into the land. There was no stopping it.

In the morning, Senacherib walked amongst the dead, viewing the carnage. He'd encamped with over 180,000 soldiers, all tested warriors, all men of courage. And they were all dead, every one of them, from Tartan to the lowest rank amongst the soldiers. They lay where they'd fallen, some in their blankets where they'd been sleeping, others lay across the fire where they'd fallen, and some were crumpled against tents and against buildings.

Senacherib gathered his belongings and with several of his entourage who were not soldiers, left the camp. He was no longer afraid, but shame was his garment. He could not look at the women who accompanied him and the scribes and the cooks; and the other servants would look away when his gaze fell upon them. He had come into the land and had made great boastings, had hurled words of challenge against Hezekiah and against the God of Hezekiah. That God had responded and Senacherib knew he would never again be the same.

Little was said to Senacherib by those who knew the story when he arrived home. He would not discuss the event with anyone, though in the second year of his return, he did tell the story to his son Adrammelech.

The son was skeptical. "Father, was it not so that they fell upon you sleeping and that Tartan was careless with the guard?"

Senacherib peered at his son for a long time, then said, "No my son. It was the Lord God of Israel. This God is unlike any of the gods we have ever known or served. He did war against me and did slay all of my men. I saw it with my own eye."

"But father, did you not tell me that you saw nothing, except men falling over to die? Surely they were struck with an arrow, or perhaps an enemy crept into the camp and poisoned the wine. Are perhaps there was a feast in the camp and the food was diseased and all sickened and died."

Senacherib was silent for a long time and finally replied, his voice no longer crisp with command as it once was and no longer possessed of that ring of authority: "Perhaps it is so, my son. I would wish that were true, but I am afraid I cannot believe those ideas. I saw 180,000 strong men struck down at the same time, within minutes, in a slaughter such as I have never seen, indeed, such as no king has ever seen. It was not poison. It was not disease. It was the hand of the Lord God of Israel."

The relationship between Adrammelech and Senacherib were never the same after that. Senacherib was hurt that he was not believed. And Adrammelech, together with his brother Sharezer, looked upon their father with distrust, fearing he'd lost his courage and his mind. He was silent most of the days. Only the silent brother, Esarhaddon, stayed out of the dispute and his father came to favor him over the other two sons.

Senacherib seemed to put away his thoughts about the God of Israel. He took to going back into the temple of Nisroch and began worshiping Nisroch. And it came to pass that one afternoon, while worshiping there, the doors opened and two of his sons entered.

Senacherib called out: "Adrammelech, Sharezer, why do you come at this hour?" He asked because he knew they seldom came to Nisroch, preferring other gods, and when they did come, it was not the time for them to come for this was the king's time.

The two did not speak until they were near their father. Sharezer spoke: "Father, you have shamed us before the people and the nations, for your defeat was great, but greater was your speech which spoke highly of the Jewish God of Israel. We think you come here to secretly worship this God and shame us further by polluting the temple of Nisroch. We have spoken to Esarhaddon of this and he rebuked us and has told us that you have appointed him to rule on your death. And we learned that our brother has already strengthened his hand against us. Because of these things, you must die, father, for honor must continue."

And with that, they struck at Senacherib with their swords.

Senacherib fell at the foot of the god Nisroch.

But he did not cry out to Nisroch at his death.

[adapted from II Chronicles 32, & II Kings 18 & 19 from the Bible]

see alos: Evil Men