Lesson
100: 2 Kings 18–20
https://www.lds.org/manual/old-testament-seminary-teacher-manual/introduction-to-the-book-of-2-kings/lesson-100-2-kings-18-20?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/manual/old-testament-seminary-teacher-manual/introduction-to-the-book-of-2-kings/lesson-100-2-kings-18-20?lang=eng
Introduction
Hezekiah,
king of Judah, reigned in righteousness and removed idolatry from his kingdom.
During his reign, Assyria carried the Northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity
and later invaded the southern kingdom of Judah. Under threat of attack,
Hezekiah sent servants to the prophet Isaiah to ask him to pray for the people.
The Lord, through Isaiah, told the people to not be afraid; He would help them.
Hezekiah further prayed about the Assyrian threat, and the Lord assured him
that He would defend the city. An angel sent by the Lord smote the Assyrian
camp, killing 185,000 Assyrians. Later, because of Hezekiah’s pleading and
righteousness, the Lord extended his life.
---Invite
students to respond to the following questions in their class notebooks or
scripture study journals:
---What challenges or fears do
you have?
---How might those challenges or
fears test your faith in the Lord?
---Explain
that 2 Kings
18–20
records the challenges and fears of Hezekiah, the king of the Southern Kingdom
of Judah. Invite students to look for principles that can help them with their
challenges and fears as they study these chapters.
---According to verse 7, what blessing
did Hezekiah receive for trusting in the Lord and keeping His commandments?
---What principle can we learn
from these verses? (Students may use different words but should identify the
following principle: If we trust in the Lord and keep
His commandments, then He will be with us.)
---In what ways do we benefit
from having the Lord with us?
---Summarize
2 Kings
18:9–12
by explaining that Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel—the 10
tribes who mostly lived in the regions of Samaria and Galilee—“because they
obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant” (2 Kings
18:12).
---Explain
that about seven years after the Assyrian king Sargon (who succeeded
Shalmaneser [see verse 9]) conquered the
Northern Kingdom of Israel and carried the people away into captivity,
Sennacherib succeeded him as the king (see 2 Kings
18:9–10, 13).
---What did Sennacherib decide
to do?
---Draw
the accompanying map on the board. Point out that Sennacherib planned to
conquer Jerusalem—the capital of the kingdom of Judah. The Assyrian army
appeared to be unstoppable. They had a reputation of viciously desolating the
lands and torturing the people they conquered, thus inspiring fear in those who
opposed them.
---What thoughts or feelings
would you have had if you had lived in Jerusalem and knew the Assyrian army was
approaching?
---Explain
that the prophet Isaiah prophesied of the Assyrian invasion.
---Read
Isaiah
10:28–32
aloud. After each verse is read, invite the class to report what Isaiah said
would happen at each city.
---As
students report on each city, cross it out on the map on the board to show that
it would be conquered by the Assyrian army.
---Explain
that the cities of Madmenah and Gebim (see verse 31) are not included
on the map because we do not know where they were located.
---Point
out that the city of Nob was less than one mile (1.6 km) north of Jerusalem.
This means that the Assyrian army came extremely close to Jerusalem.
---What
do you think it means in verse 32 that Sennacherib
would “shake his hand against … Jerusalem”? (He would threaten it but not
destroy it. Do not cross out Jerusalem on the map.)
---Explain
that as recorded in Isaiah
10:33–34,
Isaiah compared the Assyrian army to a bough, or large branch, of a tree.
---Ask
a student to read these verses aloud. Invite the class to follow along, looking
for what Isaiah said would happen to the Assyrian army before it could conquer
Jerusalem.
---What did Isaiah say would
happen to the Assyrian army?
---Point
out that the book of 2 Chronicles preserves
important details about how Hezekiah led his people during this time.
---How did Hezekiah demonstrate
his faith in the Lord at this time?
---Explain
that just as Isaiah prophesied, the Assyrian army arrived outside of Jerusalem
after conquering the cities along the way. One of the Assyrians’ strategies was
to send negotiators to a city before their army would attack. The Assyrians
used their reputation as brutal, ruthless warriors to intimidate cities and
persuade them to surrender. Sennacherib sent negotiators to Jerusalem, where
they were met by Hezekiah’s representatives.
---Invite
two students to come to the front of the class.
---Assign
one to be Rab-shakeh (Sennacherib’s negotiator) and the other to be Eliakim
(one of Hezekiah’s representatives). You may want to make name badges for the
two students to wear.
---Explain
that the conversation between Rab-shakeh and Eliakim was witnessed by the
people in Jerusalem, who were watching from atop the city walls (see 2 Kings
18:26).
Invite the rest of the class to imagine they are like the people on the wall
and can see the Assyrian army right outside their city as they listen to the
conversation.
---Ask
the student representing Rab-shakeh to read 2 Kings
18:19–20
aloud. Invite the class to listen for the questions Rab-shakeh asked.
---What questions did Rab-shakeh
ask? What do you think his intention was?
---Summarize
2 Kings
18:21–25
by explaining that Rab-shakeh then scoffed at Judah’s alliance with Egypt and
mocked the Lord.
---Ask
the student representing Eliakim to read 2 Kings
18:26
aloud. Invite the class to listen for the request he made.
---Why did Eliakim want
Rab-shakeh to speak in Syrian? (So the people of Jerusalem would not be able to
understand his threats.)
---Invite
the student representing Rab-shakeh to read 2 Kings
18:28–35
aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for Rab-shakeh’s response to this
request.
---What did Rab-shakeh say to
try to convince the people of Jerusalem to surrender?
---Thank
the students who participated in the role play, and invite them to return to
their seats.
---How might Rab-shakeh’s words
have persuaded some people in Jerusalem not to trust in the Lord?
---In what situations might
others try to sway us from trusting in the Lord?
---Read
2 Kings
19:1
aloud looking for Hezekiah’s response when he received news of Rab-shakeh’s
threats.
---Why do you think Hezekiah
“rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth”?
---Where did Hezekiah go?
---Summarize
2 Kings
19:2–5
by explaining that Hezekiah sent messengers to inform the prophet Isaiah of the
Assyrians’ threats, to seek his counsel, and to ask him to pray for the people.
---Explain
that Rab-shakeh then sent messengers to Hezekiah with another message.
---What choice did Hezekiah have
to make? (Whether to believe Isaiah and trust in the Lord or believe Rab-shakeh
and surrender to Assyria.)
---What would you do if you had
to make a difficult decision like this? Why?
---What did Hezekiah choose to
do?
---Invite students to report what they
find.
---Summarize
2 Kings
19:21–34
by explaining that Isaiah again reassured Hezekiah that the Lord would defend
Jerusalem against the Assyrian army.
---Read
2 Kings
19:32–37
aloud looking for what happened to the Assyrian army and their king,
Sennacherib.
---What happened to the army
during the night? What happened to Sennacherib?
---What principles can we learn
from this account? (Students may identify several principles, including the
following: If we turn to the Lord, then He can help us overcome
our fears and challenges.)
---When have you turned to the
Lord for help with a fear or challenge? How did the Lord help you?
(You may want to share one of your own
personal experiences.)
---Point
out that Hezekiah did three things to turn to the Lord:
---Invite
students to write in their class notebooks or scripture study journals how well
they feel they are doing in each of those three areas and how they can improve.
---Explain
that Hezekiah later faced another challenge.
---What challenge did Hezekiah
face?
---What did Hezekiah do? How was
he blessed?
---What principle can we learn
from this account? (Students may use different words but should identify the
following principle: If we exercise faith in the Lord,
we can be healed according to His will. In rare circumstances the Lord in His
mercy will extend the life of an individual in mortality.)
---Summarize
2 Kings
20:7–20
by explaining that the Lord showed Hezekiah a sign to confirm that He would
heal him. Later, Isaiah prophesied that Babylon would conquer the kingdom of
Judah.
---Invite
students to ponder how they can apply the principles discussed in this lesson
when they face their challenges or fears.
---Testify
of these principles, and invite students to apply them in their lives.
Scripture Mastery
Review
On
the board, write the list of Basic Doctrines (see the appendix of this manual)
and list several Old Testament scripture mastery passages. Consider using the
references to the 10 passages that students have learned so far in this course.
Invite students to draw lines from the references to the Basic Doctrines that
relate to those verses. Then ask students to explain the connections they have
made.
Commentary and
Background Information
2 Kings 18.
Brutality of the Assyrian army
The
common practice for the Assyrian army after they captured a city or country was
to cut down all the trees, sow the fields with salt, and poison the wells. The
soldiers were rewarded for the head of every enemy brought to their captain, so
after a military victory they would decapitate the dead. Captives were often
flayed alive or roasted over fire or in kilns. Other captives were impaled on
stakes. Nobles taken captive were thrown from towers or had their ears, nose,
hands, and feet cut off. Those who were not killed were taken away while the
city was burned. Having this terrifying reputation, the Assyrians sent
negotiators to a city before the actual battle began, telling the people to
surrender or suffer the consequences. Many cities chose to surrender.
2 Kings 20.
Those who die instead of being healed
Elder
Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles identified the sources
we can turn to when we need to be physically healed:
“Latter-day
Saints believe in applying the best available scientific knowledge and
techniques. We use nutrition, exercise, and other practices to preserve health,
and we enlist the help of healing practitioners, such as physicians and
surgeons, to restore health.
“The
use of medical science is not at odds with our prayers of faith and our
reliance on priesthood
blessings. …
“Of
course we don’t wait until all other methods are exhausted before we pray in
faith or give priesthood blessings for healing. In emergencies, prayers and
blessings come first. Most often we pursue all efforts simultaneously” (“Healing
the Sick,”
Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 47).
While
it is true that if we exercise faith in the Lord, we can be healed, modern
revelation states: “And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in
me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed” (D&C
42:48).
Thus, if an individual is appointed unto death, the Lord’s plan provides for
that individual to go to the spirit world and continue to progress.
Consider
the example given by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles of a young father who learned that his four-year-old daughter was
critically ill:
“The
father was found on his knees in prayer, asking that the life of his daughter
be spared. Yet her condition worsened. Gradually, this father sensed that his
little girl would not live, and slowly his prayers changed; he no longer prayed
for healing but rather for understanding. ‘Let Thy will be done’ was now the
manner of his pleadings. …
“Discerning
and accepting the will of God in our lives are fundamental elements of asking
in faith in meaningful prayer. However, simply saying the words ‘Thy will be
done’ is not enough. Each of us needs God’s help in surrendering our will to
Him.
“‘Prayer
is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are
brought into correspondence with each other’ [Bible Dictionary, “Prayer”]. Humble,
earnest, and persistent prayer enables us to recognize and align ourselves with
the will of our Heavenly Father” (“Ask in
Faith,”
Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 96–97).
Right
margin extras:
Map
of the Holy Land
Abide
with Me (3:09)
How can we find true peace and comfort when we are overwhelmed by change and confusion in the world? One way is by turning to God in prayer. Learn how the words from the hymn “Abide with Me” can strengthen you during times of despair. You might show this video to help students feel the truth and importance of the following principle: If we turn to the Lord, then He can help us overcome our fears and challenges.
How can we find true peace and comfort when we are overwhelmed by change and confusion in the world? One way is by turning to God in prayer. Learn how the words from the hymn “Abide with Me” can strengthen you during times of despair. You might show this video to help students feel the truth and importance of the following principle: If we turn to the Lord, then He can help us overcome our fears and challenges.
Ultimately,
the aim of gospel teaching is to help students apply the principles and
doctrines found in the scriptures, become converted, and receive the blessings
promised to those who are faithful and obedient. Questions that encourage
application play a vital role in helping students see how to apply these
principles in their lives now and in the future.
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