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Hezekiah’s Prayer
2 Kings 18-19
Characters: Narrator, Sennacherib, Isaiah, Hezekiah, Messenger
Narrator:God’s land had been split into two kingdoms—Israel and Judah. Israel had been ruled by very unfaithful kings, and none of the Israelites had believed in God anymore. Judah had once been ruled by Ahaz, who was a very sinful king, and had built false altars around the kingdom. When his son Hezekiah became king, Hezekiah ruled that all the false idols be burned.
Hezekiah:I decree that all the false idols be burned! Also, I order that the bronze serpent Moses built be destroyed, as the people have started worshipping it as a god. The people will only worship the one true God, the Lord!
Narrator:God found favor with Hezekiah for destroying all of the idols in the land. Sometime during Hezekiah’s reign, the Assyrians came and conquered the land of Israel. God allowed Israel to be conquered because they had stopped worshipping Him. Soon, the Assyrians began to attack cities in Judah. Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, sent a messenger to Hezekiah telling him to surrender.
Messenger:Sennacherib has ordered me to give you this message. He orders you to surrender, and pay tribute to him, and he will not destroy Judah. He demands 11 tons of silver and 1 ton of gold. If you do not pay his demands, he will destroy you and all of your people.
Hezekiah:What choice do I have? I will pay his tribute. Get all of the gold and silver in the kingdom. If there is not enough, remove it from the Temple.
Narrator:Hezekiah’s soldiers gathered all of the gold and silver in Judah to give to Sennacherib. Because there was not enough gold in Judah, the soldiers removed the gold in the Temple from the walls and doors, and delivered it to Sennacherib. Eventually, Sennacherib came back, demanding more tribute, and called to Hezekiah outside of the city gates.
Sennacherib:I demand more tribute, or I will destroy your city! No city has ever been able to conquer me. No god has ever been able to stop me. In fact, I am stronger than your God! He won’t protect you!
Narrator:At that moment, Hezekiah realized he had sinned, and went to Isaiah for advice.
Hezekiah:Isaiah, I need you to pray for me. The Assyrians are upon us, and they are ready to destroy us. I need you to mediate for me, because I sinned against the Lord and paid the Assyrians tribute. Ask God to protect us.
Narrator:Isaiah prayed to the Lord for Hezekiah, and returned to him.
Isaiah:God will protect you, and forgives you. He will call Sennacherib away to his homeland, where he will be killed. He will also destroy much of his army tonight. Pray to God, and thank him for what he will do.
Narrator:That night, Hezekiah prayed to God:
Hezekiah:O Lord, Sennacherib has insulted you! He has declared himself to be better than you! Save us from Sennacherib, and show him who the true Lord is!
Narrator:God heard Hezekiah’s prayer. Sennacherib was forced to leave his army, to return to Nineveh on urgent business. While there, he prayed in a temple to false gods, when his sons killed him. Angels also came to Sennacherib’s army that night, and killed 185,000 soldiers. The remaining soldiers woke up the next morning, and found the soldiers dead. They fled Judah, and God had saved his people once again.
Hezekiah Prays
R / L / L / E / N / W / A / H / P / H / T / Y / G / C / IB / I / R / E / H / C / A / N / N / E / S / M / Z / O / N
L / O / D / I / A / I / D / S / W / D / K / O / B / N / B
Z / L / Q / S / K / R / N / N / Z / O / G / S / F / Q / S
H / V / K / E / J / I / S / A / M / A / R / E / J / U / W
Z / E / Z / U / N / Y / E / I / Q / P / H / S / N / E / N
L / E / D / E / Q / L / K / R / D / C / L / A / H / R / P
H / A / V / E / P / X / X / Y / Z / M / R / U / U / I / T
H / E / A / M / C / A / M / S / Z / W / E / B / Z / E / P
H / P / E / E / I / R / D / S / O / A / V / S / O / N / S
H / T / Q / R / A / S / E / A / C / C / L / Q / T / Q / E
A / N / G / E / L / S / A / T / I / F / I / D / B / V / U
K / U / Z / P / R / L / D / I / N / D / S / L / G / N / X
A / D / V / O / C / A / T / E / A / I / X / O / N / O / H
R / E / Y / A / R / P / V / R / V / H / U / G / I / K / D
ADVOCATE / AHAZ / ANGELS
ARMY / ASSYRIANS / CONQUER
GOD / GOLD / HEZEKIAH
IDOL / INTERCEDE / ISAIAH
ISRAEL / JUDAH / MOSES
NINEVEH / PRAYER / SENNACHERIB
SILVER / SONS / TEMPLE
WORSHIP