Moving along in the story of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 18 records conflict with the Assyrians even repeating the demise of the Northern Kingdom:

In the fourth year of Hezekiah and the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked Samaria. He threw a siege around it and after three years captured it. It was in the sixth year of Hezekiah and the ninth year of Hoshea that Samaria fell to Assyria. The king of Assyria took Israel into exile and relocated them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River, and in towns of the Medes. All this happened because they wouldn’t listen to the voice of their GOD and treated his covenant with careless contempt. They refused either to listen or do a word of what Moses, the servant of GOD, commanded. (2 Kings 18.9 – 12, MSG)

“They wouldn’t listen to the voice of their God…” So God judged the Northern Kingdom and used Assyria to do it. But of course the king of Assyria thought it was his power and that he was God’s instrument to take out Judah too. He sent a message to the people of Jerusalem:

The third officer, the Rabshakeh, was spokesman. He said, “Tell Hezekiah: A message from The Great King, the king of Assyria: You’re living in a world of make-believe, of pious fantasy. Do you think that mere words are any substitute for military strategy and troops? Now that you’ve revolted against me, who can you expect to help you? You thought Egypt would, but Egypt’s nothing but a paper tiger…Or are you going to tell me, ‘We rely on GOD’? But Hezekiah has just eliminated most of the people’s access to God by getting rid of all the local God-shrines, ordering everyone in Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at the Jerusalem altar only.’ So be reasonable. Make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria…How long are you going to hold on to that figment of your imagination, these hoped-for Egyptian chariots and horses? Do you think I’ve come up here to destroy this country without the express approval of GOD? The fact is that GOD expressly ordered me, ‘Attack and destroy this country!’…I’ll take you to a land sweeter by far than this one, a land of grain and wine, bread and vineyards, olive orchards and honey. You only live once—so live, really live! No. Don’t listen to Hezekiah. Don’t listen to his lies, telling you ‘GOD will save us.’ Has there ever been a god anywhere who delivered anyone from the king of Assyria? (2 Kings 18.19 – 25, 32, 33, MSG)

Tough talk…with some errors. For example, he incorrectly assumed that Hezekiah had limited people’s access to God when he demolished the local shrines. (See 2 Kings 18.1 – 4) And, of course, God had NOT commanded Assyria to take out Judah.

The threats continue into chapter 19. We have the first mention of “Isaiah, son of Amoz” – the first of the “major prophets.” Isaiah promises relief:

Isaiah answered [Hezekiah’s messengers], “Tell your master, ‘GOD’s word: Don’t be at all concerned about what you’ve heard from the king of Assyria’s bootlicking errand boys—these outrageous blasphemies. Here’s what I’m going to do: Afflict him with self-doubt. He’s going to hear a rumor and, frightened for his life, retreat to his own country. Once there, I’ll see to it that he gets killed.’ ” (2 Kings 19.6, 7, MSG)

The king of Assyria pulled back temporarily, but his messenger wrote a formal letter reiterating the threat, including these boasts:

Don’t let that god that you think so much of keep stringing you along with the line, ‘Jerusalem will never fall to the king of Assyria.’ That’s a barefaced lie. You know the track record of the kings of Assyria—country after country laid waste, devastated. And what makes you think you’ll be an exception? (2 Kings 19.10 – 11, MSG)

I love Hezekiah’s response…one that we could learn from:

Hezekiah took the letter from the envoy and read it. He went to The Temple of GOD and spread it out before GOD. And Hezekiah prayed… (2 Kings 19.14, 15, MSG)

Hezekiah shows God the letter(!) and prays based on the honor of God (see 2 Kings 19.14 – 19). “Look at this letter Sennacherib has sent, a brazen insult to the living God!”

As an answer to the prayer, Isaiah sends a response to Sennacherib (“I will turn you back to where you came from.”) and a promise for Hezekiah:

To sum up, this is what GOD says regarding the king of Assyria: He won’t enter this city, nor shoot so much as a single arrow there; Won’t brandish a shield, won’t even begin to set siege; He’ll go home by the same road he came; he won’t enter this city. GOD’s word! I’ll shield this city, I’ll save this city, for my sake and for David’s sake. (2 Kings 19.32 – 34, MSG)

And it happened:

And it so happened that that very night an angel of GOD came and massacred a hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians. When the people of Jerusalem got up next morning, there it was—a whole camp of corpses! Sennacherib king of Assyria got out of there fast, headed straight home for Nineveh, and stayed put. One day when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer murdered him and then escaped to the land of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon became the next king. (2 Kings 19.35 – 37, MSG)

It’s never a bad idea to pray based on God’s honor:

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. (Matthew 6.9, ESV)

O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name. (Daniel 9.18 – 19, ESV)