The text for this lesson is 2 Kings 18–19
Key Point
- Hezekiah prayed in faith to God and was delivered. Jesus, our mediator and advocate with the Father, intercedes for us, granting us deliverance from sin, death, and the devil.
- Law: Sin makes me proud. It causes me to avoid God because I think I am self-sufficient and don’t need Him.
- Gospel: My heavenly Father is always ready to hear me and my cries for help, giving me His Son for my salvation.
Discussion Points
- This lesson focuses on the faith and prayer of Hezekiah. If you overheard someone say, “I have strong faith and my prayers are powerful,” how would you gently critique that statement?
- Hezekiah was praised for his faith and many good deeds. What were these? See 2 Kings 18:1–8.
- Hezekiah was a great king, but we should not get the impression that he was perfect, as if he were so faithful to the Lord that he never sinned. In what ways had he displeased the Lord, failing to heed His prophet’s advice? See Isaiah 30:1–3.
- What tactics and threats did the Assyrian delegates use to attempt to get Jerusalem not to follow Hezekiah but to surrender? See 2 Kings 18:19–35.
- Why would Hezekiah respond to Assyria’s threats by tearing his clothes, covering himself with sackcloth, going to the house of the Lord, and sending for Isaiah (19:1–4)? See 2 Chronicles 7:11–15. What appeal does Hezekiah make to the Lord? See 2 Kings 19:14–19.
- What moved the Lord to answer Hezekiah’s prayer with a yes and save Jerusalem? See 2 Kings 19:20–34.
- The angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrians in one night to save Jerusalem. What act of “salvation” had the Lord accomplished in a similar fashion centuries before? See Exodus 12:12–13. When the Lord went about saving the whole world, what different approach did He take? See Matthew 26:52–54 and Philippians 2:5–11.
- What do Hezekiah’s actions in 2 Kings 19:1–4 suggest to us about our Christian prayer life?
