TUESDAY 24TH APRIL, 2018 MORNING PRAYER DEVOTION
SCRIPTURE READING:- 2 KINGS 18
TOPIC:- BOASTFUL SENNACHERIB MUST DIE
TEXT:- ISAIAH 37:33
Sennacherib means, bramble of destruction. He also means the moon-god; And lastly, he means sin has increased the brothers.
Sennacherib was the son and successor of Sargon. His name in the original is read as Tsinakki-irib , the meaning of which, as given above indicates that he was not the first-born of his father.
Sennacherib mounted the throne B.C. 702. His efforts were directed to crushing the revolt of Babylonia, which he invaded with a large army.
In the 23rd year of Hezekiah. “Like the Persian Xerxes, he was weak and vainglorious, cowardly under reverse, and cruel and boastful in success.” He first set himself to break up the powerful combination of princes who were in league against him.
Among these was Hezekiah, who had entered into an alliance with Egypt against Assyria. He accordingly led a very powerful army of at least 200,000 men into Judea, and devastated the land on every side, taking and destroying many cities in 2 Kings 18:13-16.
His own account of this invasion, as given in the Assyrian annals, is in these words: “Because Hezekiah, king of Judah, would not submit to my yoke, I came up against him, and by force of arms and by the might of my power I took forty-six of his strong fenced cities; and of the smaller towns which were scattered about, I took and plundered a countless number. From these places I took and carried off 200,156 persons, old and young, male and female, together with horses and mules, asses and camels, oxen and sheep, a countless multitude.
He said to Hezekiah himself, “I shut him up in Jerusalem, his capital city, like a bird in a cage, building towers round the city to hem him in, and raising banks of earth against the gates, so as to prevent escape.”
Then upon Hezekiah there fell the fear of the power of my arms, and he sent out to me the chiefs and the elders of Jerusalem with 30 talents of gold and 800 talents of silver, and divers treasures, a rich and immense booty. All these things were brought to me at Nineveh, the seat of my government.
Sennacherib sent envoys to try to persuade Hezekiah to surrender, but in vain. He next sent a threatening letter, in 2 Kings 19:10-14, which Hezekiah carried into the temple and spread before the Lord.
Isaiah again brought an encouraging message to the pious king, 2 Kings 19:20-34. “In that night” the angel of the Lord went forth and smote the camp of the Assyrians. In the morning, “behold, they were all dead corpses.”
The Assyrian army was annihilated. This great disaster is not, as was to be expected, taken notice of in the Assyrian annals.
Though Sennacherib survived this disaster some twenty years, he never again renewed his attempt against Jerusalem. He was murdered by two of his own sons, [Adrammelech and Sharezer], and was succeeded by another son, Esarhaddon in B.C. 681, after a reign of twenty-four years.
Prayer Points:-
1. O Lord God, put to shame the boast of enemies over my life and family, in the name of Jesus Christ.
2. O Lord God, send your angel to the camp of my enemies for my everlasting victory, in the name of Jesus Christ.
3. O Lord God, save me from the hand of my enemies for everybody to know that you are the only God, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Have A Wonderful Tuesday!
