Jo’s Place

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem While King Sennacherib, of Assyria, was still besieging the town of Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem, with this message, for Hezekiah and all the people in the city:  “This is what King Sennacherib, of Assyria, says:  What are you trusting in, that makes you think you can survive,  my  siege of Jerusalem?  Hezekiah has said to you,  ‘The Lord our God will rescue us, from the king of Assyria.’  Surely Hezekiah is misleading you, sentencing you to death, by famine and thirst!  Don’t you realize, that Hezekiah is the very person, who destroyed all the Lord’s shrines and altars?  He commanded Judah and Jerusalem, to worship only, at the altar, at the Temple, and to offer sacrifices, on it, alone.  “Surely, you must realize, what I and the other kings of Assyria, before me, have done to all the people of the earth!  Were any of the gods, of those nations, able to rescue their people, from  m...

Assyria Invades Judah After Hezekiah had faithfully carried out this work, King Sennacherib, of Assyria, invaded Judah.  He laid siege, to the fortified towns, giving orders, for his army, to break through their walls.  When Hezekiah realized, that Sennacherib also intended to attack Jerusalem, he consulted with his officials and military advisers, and they decided to stop the flow of the springs, outside the city.  They organized a huge work crew, to stop the flow of the springs, cutting off the brook, that ran through the fields.  For they said,  “Why should the kings of Assyria come here and find plenty of water?”  Then, Hezekiah worked hard, at repairing all the broken sections of the wall, erecting towers, and constructing a second wall, outside the first.  He also reinforced the supporting terraces, in the City of David, and manufactured large numbers of weapons and shields.  He appointed military officers over the people, and assembled them...

Hezekiah reorganized the Temple Leaders Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared, in the Temple of the Lord.  When this was done, the people faithfully brought all the gifts, tithes, and other items dedicated, for use in the Temple.  Conaniah, the Levite, was put in charge, assisted by his brother, Shimei.  The supervisors, under them, were Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah.  These appointments were made, by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the chief official, in the Temple of God.  Kore, son of Imnah, the Levite, who was the gatekeeper, at the East Gate, was put in charge of distributing the voluntary offerings, given to God… the gifts, and the things that had been dedicated, to the Lord.  His faithful assistants were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah.  They distributed the gifts, among the families, of priests, in their towns, by their divisions, dividing the gifts fairly, am...

  Hezekiah’s Reforms Inspired the People   When the festival (of Unleavened Bread) ended in Jerusalem that year, the Israelites who attended, went to all the towns.. of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, and they smashed all the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and removed the pagan shrines and altars.  After this, the Israelites returned to their own towns and homes.  Hezekiah then organized the priests and Levites into divisions, to offer the burnt offerings and peace offerings, and to worship, and to give thanks and praise to the Lord, at the gates of the Temple.  The king also made a personal contribution of animals, for the daily morning and the evening burnt offerings, the weekly Sabbath festivals, the monthly new moon festivals, and the annual festivals, as prescribed in the Law of the Lord.  In addition, he required the people, in Jerusalem, to bring a portion of their goods, to the priests and Levites, so they could devote themselve...

Judah and Israel Celebrate the Passover  On the fourteenth day, of the second month, …one month later than usual, the people slaughtered the Passover lamb.  This shamed the priests and Levites, so they purified themselves, and brought burnt offerings to the Temple of the Lord.  Then they took their places at the Temple, as prescribed in the Law of Moses, the man of God.  The Levites brought the sacrificial blood, to the priests, who then sprinkled it on the altar.  Since many of the people had not purified themselves, the Levites had to slaughter their Passover lamb for them, to set them apart for the Lord.  Most of those who came, from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves.  But King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were allowed to eat the Passover meal anyway, even though this was contrary to the requirements of the Law.  For Hezekiah said,  “May the Lord, who is good, pardon those who decide to follow the L...