2 Chronicles 32 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
2 Chronicles 32 Short Summary:
In 2 Chronicles 32, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, set his eye on conquering Jerusalem. He sent servants to Jerusalem to mock their military, their king (Hezekiah), and their God. God was angry with the Assyrians for their pride, and He sent an angel which killed 185,000 of their men. Sennacherib returned to his land in shame. The end of the chapter briefly summarizes Hezekiah’s reign and documents his death.
2 Chronicles 32 Extended Summary
WHEN:
Hezekiah reigned in Judah for 29 years. His reign likely fits within the years 730-695 B.C.
KEY CHARACTERS:
Hezekiah – Son of Ahaz. He became king of Judah after his father died. He reformed Judah and led the people back to God.
Sennacherib – King of Assyria.
The Rabshakeh – An Assyrian military official who threatened Jerusalem and mocked God. You won’t find this title in 2 Chronicles, but it is included in the parallel account in 2 Kings 19.
WHERE:
Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah. The Assyrians attacked the city but failed to take it after God’s intervention.
OUTLINE:
HEZEKIAH FORTIFIES JERUSALEM AGAINST THE ASSYRIANS (32:1-8):
Upon hearing that Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was planning to attack Jerusalem, Hezekiah started strengthening the city for battle.
He redirected the springs of water that flowed around Jerusalem so the Assyrian army wouldn’t have easy access to water.
He strengthened the wall and the towers that surrounded the city.
He encouraged his men not to be afraid because God was on their side.
SENNACHERIB’S SERVANTS TRY TO SCARE JERUSALEM INTO SURRENDER (32:9-19):
Sennacherib sent his servants to Jerusalem to threaten them.
They mocked Jerusalem’s strength, their king, and their God.
They laughed at the idea that the God of Judah could save the city. The Assyrians compared Hezekiah’s God to all the other gods of the nations they had already defeated.
AN ANGEL STRIKES DOWN THE ASSYRIAN ARMY (32:20-22):
God did not allow the blasphemous words of the Assyrians to go unpunished.
He sent an angel into the camp of Assyria which killed 185,000 of their soldiers (2 Ki 19:35).
Sennacherib returned to his land in shame and was later assassinated by his sons.
HEZEKIAH’S PRIDE AND REPENTANCE (32:23-26):
After Hezekiah’s victory (really God’s victory) over Assyria, Hezekiah became very famous, and he was honored by other nations.
At one point, he became very sick, and God was gracious to extend his life 15 years, but he didn’t show proper appreciation.
He allowed his heart to grow proud.
God became angry with him, and to his credit, he eventually repented and humbled himself.
HEZEKIAH’S DEATH AND A SUMMARY OF HIS REIGN IN JUDAH (32:27-33):
Hezekiah was very rich, both in gold and in livestock. It was God who gave him these riches.
He “prospered in all his works” (32:30). There is however a reference to Hezekiah’s mistake with the princes of Babylon, which is detailed in 2 Kings 20.
He died and was buried in Jerusalem alongside the other notable men of Judah.
APPLICATION:
Sennacherib learned the hard way that you can’t fight against God.
It isn’t even possible for us to understand just how much more powerful God is than even the strongest human forces.
God only needed 1 angel to kill 185,000 battle-hardened Assyrian warriors.
When Jesus was being arrested in Matthew 26, He told Peter He could call 12 legions of angels to fight for Him if He wanted to escape arrest.
A Roman legion was approximately 5,000 men. Jesus could have called 60,000 angels.
If every angel was capable of defeating 185,000 men, they could handily defeat an army of 11,100,000,000 (eleven billion one hundred million). The estimated population of the world during Jesus’ time was 300 million. So the angels could have destroyed the entire world 37 times over.
Now, obviously, this is a terrible estimate of the power of Heaven, but it should serve to dumbfound us as to the power God wields and the futility of fighting against Him.
Application: You want to be on God’s side, otherwise you’re going to end up a loser.
