Hello Mara. As Gigi has shared with you, Hezekiah was a king of Judah. He was the son of King Ahaz ( 2 Kings 18:1) & reigned from 715-686 BC, and at this time the Prophet Isaiah was prophesying. Ezekiel was called a priest, son of Buzi ( Ezekiel 1:3) and was among the captives that the Babylonian king had taken from Judah ( Ezekiel 1:1). And it was during the captivity, that Ezekiel began receiving visions from God (around 600 BC), some 86 years after the death of King Hezekiah. Therefore, Hezekiah & Ezekiel cannot be the same person because of the years they lived & their different status (King & priest/prophet).
One thing that has come to my mind, is that you might have seen the name, Ezekias, somewhere and this has caused you this confusion. This name (Ezekias) is the Romanized writing of the Hebrew, Hezekiah, and is not the Prophet Ezekiel. Hope that helps to clarify the matter.
Pt.3) Gen 22:17Gen 22:18 America's constitution was framed from common law and established one nation under GOD; Early on in this great republic we were very religious and you would be hard to find anyone not quoting or turning to the WORD of GOD for answers. Christianity is not a religion or idea but a way of life. GOD promised Abraham that his seed would be as numerous as the sands of the sea, where are they? GOD didn't lose them but man has lost his ancestry. In approximately 711 B.C. Shalmaneser (king of Assyria) invaded Israel the 10 northern tribes and took into captivity and then they scattered, and we read in 2 Kings 18: 11-12. History: You can search this history for yourself if the revisionists don't change it first; the important thing that we need to remember is that, 10 northern tribes of Israel were taken captive by Assyria because of their idolatry and disobedience to GOD; they were placed in the area of the Caucasus Mountains to the North of their Homeland. There were only a handful, mainly elderly remained but most went over the Caucasus Mountains scattered across Europe and became known as Caucasians. The name Caucasian has remained as part of their identity ever since that time. Another one of GODs promises if they didn't obey HIS laws that they would be scattered throughout the world. They rejected GOD and GOD always does what HE says HE will do. There has nor will be a nation like USA with just 240 years become super power of super powers where peoples all over the world beg, barrow, steal risking their lives to get here. When we fallowed GOD we were blessed but when we don't HE will leave us to wallow in our calamity that we alone have allowed to happen. Is. 18: Tells us of a land where ambassadors come to from all over the world. U.S.A. United Nations set up in New York: Deut. 8:7-20 written by inspiration from GOD to Moses around 1452BC speaking of this great land as long as we keep GOD's commandments we will be blessed.
The term is also used to describe a Hebrew custom which indicated deep sorrow. Upon the death of a relative or important personage, or when there was a great calamity, it was customary for the Hebrews to tear their garments. Reuben rent his clothes when he found that Joseph had been taken from the pit ( Genesis 37:29). The sons of Jacob rent their clothes when the cup was found in Benjamin's sack ( Genesis 44:13). A messenger came to Eli with his clothes rent to tell of the taking of the ark of God and of the death of his two sons ( 1 Samuel 4:12). David rent his garments when he heard that Absalom had slain his brothers ( 2 Samuel 13:31). See also 2 Samuel 15:32; 2 Kings 18:37; Isaiah 36:22; Jeremiah 41:5. Rending of clothes was also an expression of indignation. The high priest rent his garment when Jesus spoke what he thought was blasphemy ( Matthew 26:65).
He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
Some religious people venerate religious relics, symbols, moments, and so forth, such as splinters from the cross or scraps of fabric from Jesus's burial cloth, and so forth. Such veneration of objects like that is idolatry. Ahaz was right to destroy the brazen serpent Moses had made because people were worshipping it like some sort of holy relic of God. Ahaz called it Nehustan, or a piece of copper or brass. In other words something worth its weight in scrap metal.
Interesting that you bring up Hezekiah, the LORD several times put that name in my thoughts. In 2 Chronicles 28:27 - 2 Chronicles 29, 30, 31, Hezekiah did much good. 2 Chronicle 32:30,
I felt a warning also about being like Hezekiah. In 2 Kings 18:16 , Hezekiah "cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars._.' & gave it to the king of Assyira" I asked myself was it to save the people from war? Was it fear? Either way all that sacrifice & peace offering didn't stop the evil nor the attacks. 2 Kings 18:17-32, they even used that against Hezekiah when they mocked. 2 Kings 18:22, 2 Kings 18:29-30, 2 Chronicle 32, Isaiah 36:7-22,
Then Hezekiah came to Isaiah 2 Kings 19:1-5, & sought-after the LORD 2Kings 19:14-16,
Another warning I felt 2 Kings 20:12-18,
& 2Kings 20:19, he seemed unconcerned about the bad consequences Hezekiah himself had caused to his own offspring. 2 Chronicles 32:25-26, 2 Chronicles 32:27,
Hopefully these speak deeper to you as they did me. GOD help us * not give what is HOLY & sanctified to GOD over to enemies, * that we won't cause bad consequences to future generations, * that we will care about future generations & not life ourselves too highly with treasure. Remember Isaiah 1:23, Exodus 32:8, Deuteronomy 16:19,
Except receive the Gifts of GOD: 1 Corinthians 12, & 13
Isaiah 14:28-32 is a separate prophecy, which includes the verse you enquired of. To understand it, a little background first.
This prophecy was given to comfort Judah. It wasn't a message to Palestina (i.e. Philistia) but to assure Judah that they would be in no danger from Philistine invasion under the reign of the successor of Ahaz (i.e. Hezekiah) & that God would more greatly overthrow them than had previously occurred to them.
It's possible that at the death of Ahaz & with the prospect of a change in the government on the accession of Hezekiah, the Philistines, the natural enemies of Judah, had contemplated launching a fresh invasion on Judah. The Philistines had been subdued in the time of Azariah ( 2 Kings 15:1-7); Azariah broke down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Gabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and effectually subdued and humbled them ( 2 Chronicles 26:6). Then in the time of Ahaz & while Ahaz was engaged in matters with Syria and Ephraim, the Philistines took advantage of the sad state of Judah, and made a successful war on her, and took several of the towns ( 2 Chronicles 28:18); & at his death they hoped to be able to resist Judah more easily since the reign of Hezekiah would be mild, peaceable, and unwarlike. Therefore Isaiah, in this prophecy, gives a warning about Philistia, that they not entertain such incorrect expectations that Judah would be overcome by them, rather gives assurance that Hezekiah's reign would be as disastrous to them as had been the reign of his predecessors.
So verses 29 to 31 depict the horrors that would come upon Philistia; verse 29: the words, 'serpent, serpent's root, cockatrice', are depictions of the previous kings of Judah (Kings Uzziah, Ahaz, & Hezekiah) which, through Hezekiah, would ultimately bring down Philistia ( 2 Kings 18:8).
Thank you Sacha. I'm familiar with that account in Numbers 21:5-9 & 2 Kings 18:1-4. I see that you understand this account of the brazen serpent as becoming an idol to the children of Israel, which was subsequently destroyed by King Hezekiah. And you are correct, in part.
However, when Jesus referred to this brazen serpent in John 3:11-15, He spoke of the reason why the brazen serpent on the pole was constructed in the first place (i.e. in Numbers 21) & that it was for the same reason that He was referring to it now (i.e. in John's Gospel). And the reason was that, as the Israelites were condemned to death for their complaining & unbelief, so too are each one of us condemned to death for our unbelief & rejection of God. The only way the Israelites could find 'life' was to gaze upon that serpent on the pole (i.e. they needed to express faith in God & not murmur against Him in unbelief). And the only way for the unbeliever, post-Cross, to find 'life' is to gaze upon Jesus on the Cross.
These accounts are given to show that faith & belief in what God has provided are needed to gain 'life' & not death. It was not meant to show the wrong worship of an idol (which is of course why Hezekiah ultimately destroyed it). Jesus can be worshipped whether He is on the Cross (as we come in repentance & faith), or in Heaven (seated at the Father's right Hand) in full equality with the Father but now as reigning as the Word made flesh & in resurrection glory. So the point of Jesus' message was: 'as the serpent was raised up & those who looked upon it in faith, survived, so also Jesus was raised on the Cross for the faithless ones to look upon Him & live. At least that is my understanding of His Message.
2 Kings 18:15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house. 2 Kings 18:16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
2 Kings 18:14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
God bless you for your good work. Kindly don't you allow addition of other books. Remember Isaiah has 66 chapter just as the same number of books in the bible if you change you disrupt this. I you allow it it may alter the meaning of the bible and also remember the warning in Revelation the last chapter. My Bible is KJV 1611 version and will always be my favourite.
i read up to verse 20, I must say that King of Judah started on a new note, after many years of despondency, backsliding of people of Judah and their kings.Presently king of Isreal and his people had been carried away to the land of Assyria because of their disobedience to the Lord of Host who brought them out of the land of Egypt and gave them the land full of milk and honey. Lesson is, simply trust and obey the Lord The key to success in life and thereafter.
Trust in the Lord, not the king of the land. Put away other gods including the land and this world. Trusting in the Lord will bring eternal life, instead of death.
Moses was able to reason with God in the desert during the journey to Canaan. When the Israelites sinned, Deuteronomy 9:2, Isaiah said, come let us reason together, saith the Lord ( Isaiah 1:18). God is always at the righteous and truth side. And always second anything that brings glory and honour to His throne. Whatever seems right. The burning of the incense I believe was taking a different dimension altogether. The people were revering the image as time passed by rather than God Himself. That compelled Hezekiah to destroy those things.
I was reading this and it says ahaz was 20 when he became king and 36 when he died. His son hezekiah was 25 when he became king. This would make Ahaz only 11 years older then his son. Note his grandfather would have been in his early 30's when he was born.
One thing that has come to my mind, is that you might have seen the name, Ezekias, somewhere and this has caused you this confusion. This name (Ezekias) is the Romanized writing of the Hebrew, Hezekiah, and is not the Prophet Ezekiel. Hope that helps to clarify the matter.
I agree with Richard and this may also help.
The term is also used to describe a Hebrew custom which indicated deep sorrow. Upon the death of a relative or important personage, or when there was a great calamity, it was customary for the Hebrews to tear their garments. Reuben rent his clothes when he found that Joseph had been taken from the pit ( Genesis 37:29). The sons of Jacob rent their clothes when the cup was found in Benjamin's sack ( Genesis 44:13). A messenger came to Eli with his clothes rent to tell of the taking of the ark of God and of the death of his two sons ( 1 Samuel 4:12). David rent his garments when he heard that Absalom had slain his brothers ( 2 Samuel 13:31). See also 2 Samuel 15:32; 2 Kings 18:37; Isaiah 36:22; Jeremiah 41:5. Rending of clothes was also an expression of indignation. The high priest rent his garment when Jesus spoke what he thought was blasphemy ( Matthew 26:65).
God bless.
2 Kings 18:4
He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
Some religious people venerate religious relics, symbols, moments, and so forth, such as splinters from the cross or scraps of fabric from Jesus's burial cloth, and so forth. Such veneration of objects like that is idolatry. Ahaz was right to destroy the brazen serpent Moses had made because people were worshipping it like some sort of holy relic of God. Ahaz called it Nehustan, or a piece of copper or brass. In other words something worth its weight in scrap metal.
I felt a warning also about being like Hezekiah. In 2 Kings 18:16 , Hezekiah "cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars._.' & gave it to the king of Assyira" I asked myself was it to save the people from war? Was it fear? Either way all that sacrifice & peace offering didn't stop the evil nor the attacks. 2 Kings 18:17-32, they even used that against Hezekiah when they mocked. 2 Kings 18:22, 2 Kings 18:29-30, 2 Chronicle 32, Isaiah 36:7-22,
Then Hezekiah came to Isaiah 2 Kings 19:1-5, & sought-after the LORD 2Kings 19:14-16,
Another warning I felt 2 Kings 20:12-18,
& 2Kings 20:19, he seemed unconcerned about the bad consequences Hezekiah himself had caused to his own offspring. 2 Chronicles 32:25-26, 2 Chronicles 32:27,
Hopefully these speak deeper to you as they did me. GOD help us * not give what is HOLY & sanctified to GOD over to enemies, * that we won't cause bad consequences to future generations, * that we will care about future generations & not life ourselves too highly with treasure. Remember Isaiah 1:23, Exodus 32:8, Deuteronomy 16:19,
Except receive the Gifts of GOD: 1 Corinthians 12, & 13
Hopefully this is welcome insight from my study.
Yes, I pray we go to the LORD 1st!!
This prophecy was given to comfort Judah. It wasn't a message to Palestina (i.e. Philistia) but to assure Judah that they would be in no danger from Philistine invasion under the reign of the successor of Ahaz (i.e. Hezekiah) & that God would more greatly overthrow them than had previously occurred to them.
It's possible that at the death of Ahaz & with the prospect of a change in the government on the accession of Hezekiah, the Philistines, the natural enemies of Judah, had contemplated launching a fresh invasion on Judah. The Philistines had been subdued in the time of Azariah ( 2 Kings 15:1-7); Azariah broke down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Gabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and effectually subdued and humbled them ( 2 Chronicles 26:6). Then in the time of Ahaz & while Ahaz was engaged in matters with Syria and Ephraim, the Philistines took advantage of the sad state of Judah, and made a successful war on her, and took several of the towns ( 2 Chronicles 28:18); & at his death they hoped to be able to resist Judah more easily since the reign of Hezekiah would be mild, peaceable, and unwarlike. Therefore Isaiah, in this prophecy, gives a warning about Philistia, that they not entertain such incorrect expectations that Judah would be overcome by them, rather gives assurance that Hezekiah's reign would be as disastrous to them as had been the reign of his predecessors.
So verses 29 to 31 depict the horrors that would come upon Philistia; verse 29: the words, 'serpent, serpent's root, cockatrice', are depictions of the previous kings of Judah (Kings Uzziah, Ahaz, & Hezekiah) which, through Hezekiah, would ultimately bring down Philistia ( 2 Kings 18:8).
However, when Jesus referred to this brazen serpent in John 3:11-15, He spoke of the reason why the brazen serpent on the pole was constructed in the first place (i.e. in Numbers 21) & that it was for the same reason that He was referring to it now (i.e. in John's Gospel). And the reason was that, as the Israelites were condemned to death for their complaining & unbelief, so too are each one of us condemned to death for our unbelief & rejection of God. The only way the Israelites could find 'life' was to gaze upon that serpent on the pole (i.e. they needed to express faith in God & not murmur against Him in unbelief). And the only way for the unbeliever, post-Cross, to find 'life' is to gaze upon Jesus on the Cross.
These accounts are given to show that faith & belief in what God has provided are needed to gain 'life' & not death. It was not meant to show the wrong worship of an idol (which is of course why Hezekiah ultimately destroyed it). Jesus can be worshipped whether He is on the Cross (as we come in repentance & faith), or in Heaven (seated at the Father's right Hand) in full equality with the Father but now as reigning as the Word made flesh & in resurrection glory. So the point of Jesus' message was: 'as the serpent was raised up & those who looked upon it in faith, survived, so also Jesus was raised on the Cross for the faithless ones to look upon Him & live. At least that is my understanding of His Message.
Study and meditation are the best answers!!
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