Isaiah36-37

Isaiah 36-37 Study Guide – to be discussed February 9
Note from Institute Manual: “The account in 2 Kings 18:13–19:37 is very similar to the account in Isaiah 36–37 . Sennacherib was the son of Sargon II and had numerous conquests to his credit. Clay tablets recording his various campaigns have been preserved and deciphered. The portion of one tablet that relates to the partial conquest of Judah reads as follows: ‘As for Hezekiah the Jew, who did not submit to my yoke, forty-six of his strong, walled cities, as well as the small cities in their neighborhood, which were without number—by constructing a rampart out of trampled earth and by bringing up battering-rams, by the attack of infantry, by tunnels, breaches, and [the use of] axes, I besieged and took [those cities]. Two hundred thousand, one hundred and fifty people, great and small, male and female, horses, mules, asses, camels, cattle, and sheep without number, I brought away from them and counted as spoil. Himself like a caged bird I shut in Jerusalem his royal city. Earthworks I threw up against him; the one coming out of the city gate I turned back to his misery.’ (In Madeleine S. Miller and J. Lane Miller, Harper’s Bible Dictionary, s.v. ‘Sennacherib.’)”
Day 1: Read 2 Kings 18:1-8, 13-16, Bible Dictionary entry, “Hezekiah,” and Bible Dictionary entry, “Hezekiah’s Tunnel”
1. How old was Hezekiah when he began to reign? List what he did to reform Judah (2 Kings 18:4-7).



2. What happened in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign (2 Kings 18:13-16)?


3. What was Hezekiah’s tunnel? How long was it? Why was it critical to the safety of Jerusalem?



Day 2: Read Isaiah 36:1-10 (with footnotes 2a, 7a), Isaiah 7:3
Note: The narrative in Isaiah 36-37 took place around 701 BC.
4. Review Isaiah 7:3. Where did the Lord send Isaiah and his son to meet with Ahaz (then king of Judah)? Where did Assyria’s king send his chief officer (Rabshakeh) to deliver Assyria’s ultimatum and diatribe to Judah?


5. What did Assyria have to say about Judah’s alliance with Egypt?



6. How did Rabshakeh attempt to cast doubt on Hezekiah’s trust in the Lord? (See footnote to Isaiah 36:7a.)



Day 3: Read Isaiah 36:11-22 (with footnotes 11a, 19a, 21a), Isaiah 22:20-25
Note from the Institute Manual: “Lachish was a fortified city in the land of Judah that guarded the main highway to Jerusalem from the south. By destroying Lachish, the Assyrians would deprive Judah of any support from Egypt as well as depriving them of one of their strongest fortifications (see 2 Chronicles 32:9 ).”
7. Review Isaiah 22:20-25, with footnote 20a. Eliakim was like a prime minister in Judah. How did he receive this position?


8. Why did Eliakim, Shebna and Joah ask Rabshakeh to speak in the Syrian language (Aramaic) instead of Hebrew? Why did the Assyrian continue to speak Hebrew?


9. What arguments and tactics did Rabshakeh use to try to persuade Judah to surrender?

Day 4: Read Isaiah 37:1-7 (with footnotes 3b,c, 7a,b)
Note from the Institute Manual: “In Isaiah 37 is found one of the most remarkable stories in scriptural history. The Assyrian army, with all its might and power, encircled Jerusalem. The Northern Kingdom had already fallen; all of Judah except Jerusalem itself was in Assyrian hands. There was no cause to hope that they could successfully resist. [But] Hezekiah had been a righteous king (see 2 Kings 18:4–6 ), and now he trusted in God again.
10. What did Hezekiah do when he heard the message of the Assyrians?


11. In what ways did the words of Rabshakeh, representing Assyria, blaspheme or mock the Lord?


12. How did Isaiah answer Hezekiah’s call for help?


Day 5: Read Isaiah 37:8-20 (with footnotes 17a, 18a)
13. What “rumor” or report did the Assyrians receive, and what did it cause them to do?


14. Where did Hezekiah go when he received the latest Assyrian threats?


15. List elements of Hezekiah’s prayer, ie: (1) He addressed the Lord, (2) ….



Day 6: Read Isaiah 37:21-29 (with footnotes 22a, 26a), D&C 109:24-28
16. How did the Lord show he accepted and honored Hezekiah’s prayer?


17. When Rabshakeh reproached Judah, whom did he really reproach? What was wrong with the Assyrian boasts in Isaiah 37:24?



BONUS: Read D&C 109:24-28. If you consider yourself a part of God’s army, what kind of protection might you expect?


18. Rewrite the Lord’s response to the Assyrians from Isaiah 37:28-29 in your own words.




Day 7: Read Isaiah 37:30-38 (with footnotes 30a, 36c)
19. What sign did the Lord offer Hezekiah and his people?


20. List the very specific promises the Lord gave Judah in Isaiah 37:33-35.



21. How many in the Assyrian army DID NOT get up the next morning? What was the final fate of Sennacherib?