Commentary - 2 Chronicles 32:1-8

Bird's-eye view

This passage in Second Chronicles presents us with a classic biblical confrontation between the faithful people of God and an overwhelming pagan force. Coming immediately after the account of Hezekiah's righteous reforms and the great Passover, this invasion by Sennacherib, the Assyrian tyrant, serves as a divine test. The text is structured to highlight a profound antithesis: the apparent strength of man versus the genuine power of God. Hezekiah, having just put the kingdom's spiritual house in order, is now called to put its physical defenses in order. But the Chronicler is careful to show that the practical, earthly preparations, cutting off water, building walls, making weapons, are downstream from a foundational spiritual reality. The climax of the passage is not the military strategy but the theological confession. Hezekiah's actions are a model of faith at work. He does everything humanly possible, but his ultimate trust is not in his preparations but in Yahweh. His speech to the people is a masterful summary of covenantal confidence, setting the "arm of flesh" in stark opposition to the presence of "Yahweh our God to help us and to fight our battles." This is not a story about how clever military tactics save the day; it is a story about how a people, sustained by the faithful words of their king, rest in the promises of their covenant-keeping God.

The narrative serves as a historical paradigm for the church in all ages. The world, like Assyria, will always come against the people of God with bluster, threats, and what appears to be invincible force. The temptation is either to despair in the face of such odds or to resort to carnal, worldly methods of defense. Hezekiah shows us the third way: the way of practical faithfulness rooted in theological defiance. He works hard, but he trusts God. This event is a concrete illustration of the principle that the battle belongs to the Lord, and our victory is secured not by our might, but by His.

Outline

Context In 2 Chronicles

This chapter is strategically placed by the Chronicler. Chapters 29 through 31 detail one of the most extensive and significant spiritual reformations in Judah's history. Hezekiah cleansed the Temple, reinstated the Levitical priesthood, and led the nation in a magnificent Passover celebration, the likes of which had not been seen since the days of Solomon. The nation had rededicated itself to the covenant. It is precisely "after these acts of faithfulness" that the trial comes. This is a critical theological point. Obedience does not grant us a life free from conflict. Rather, faithfulness often invites conflict. Satan does not bother with a church that is already compromised and asleep. He directs his fury against a people who have set their house in order and are faithfully worshiping God. This invasion, therefore, is not a sign of God's displeasure, but rather the occasion for God to display His power on behalf of a people who have returned to Him. The narrative is designed to show that the spiritual renewal of the preceding chapters was the necessary foundation for the military deliverance in this chapter.

Key Issues

Faithfulness Under Fire

One of the most persistent errors in the Christian life is the assumption that if we are truly faithful, then our path will be smooth. If we do our devotions, tithe our income, and raise our children in the fear of the Lord, we expect a certain level of tranquility. But Scripture teaches us something quite different. Here, Hezekiah leads a national revival of historic proportions, and the immediate result is that the world's reigning superpower decides to come and wipe him off the map. The text is explicit: "After these acts of faithfulness Sennacherib king of Assyria came..."

This is not a contradiction; it is a pattern. God tests the faith He grants. He allows our obedience to be put under pressure to demonstrate that it is genuine. A fair-weather faith is no faith at all. God is not interested in raising hothouse plants that can only flourish under ideal conditions. He is in the business of growing oaks of righteousness that can withstand the fiercest gales. The invasion of Sennacherib was not a punishment for Judah's sin, but rather an opportunity for Judah's faith to be vindicated. God brought the Assyrian horde against His people so that He could show Himself strong on their behalf, and so that their newfound faithfulness would be proven to be more than mere emotionalism. It was a faith that worked, a faith that built walls, and a faith that trusted in the God who is greater than any army.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 After these acts of faithfulness Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, and thought to break into them for himself.

The timing is everything. The Chronicler links the invasion directly to Hezekiah's reforms. This is a providential trial. Sennacherib comes with all the arrogance of a world conqueror. The Assyrians were the terror of the ancient world, known for their brutality and their seemingly invincible military machine. His intent is simple conquest; he "thought to break into them for himself." He is acting according to his own greedy and blasphemous ambitions, and yet he is nothing more than an axe in the hand of God (Is. 10:15). God is using the wicked intentions of this pagan king to test and ultimately deliver His own people. This is the biblical doctrine of providence in action: God sovereignly ordains and directs the free actions of sinful men to accomplish His own righteous purposes.

2-3 Then Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he had set his face to make war on Jerusalem, and he took counsel with his commanders and his warriors to stop up the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, and they helped him.

Hezekiah's first response is not panic, but perception and prudence. He "saw" the reality of the threat. Faith is not blindness to circumstances; it is seeing circumstances in the light of God's reality. He sees Sennacherib's intent, and he immediately "took counsel." A wise leader does not act alone. He gathers his experts, his commanders and warriors. Their plan is practical and strategic: deny the enemy a crucial resource. An ancient army was utterly dependent on water, and besieging a city was thirsty work. Hezekiah's decision to stop up the springs was a shrewd military tactic. Notice that the leaders "helped him." This was a unified effort. Godly leadership creates buy-in and shared resolve.

4 So many people gathered and stopped up all the springs and the stream which flowed in the midst of the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?”

The leadership's plan is implemented by the people. "Many people gathered." This was a massive civil engineering project undertaken in the face of a national emergency. It demonstrates the unity of the nation behind their king. Their reasoning is stated in a wonderfully simple and defiant question: "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?" This is not just a tactical question; it is a theological one. It is an expression of resistance. We will not make it easy for the enemies of our God. We will not cooperate with our own destruction. This is faith expressing itself in hard, sweaty, practical labor.

5 And he strengthened himself and rebuilt all the wall that had been broken down and erected towers on it, and built another outside wall and strengthened the Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in great number.

Hezekiah's activity continues. First, he "strengthened himself." This speaks of a personal resolve, a girding up of his own spirit for the task ahead. From that internal strength flows external action. He undertakes a massive building and manufacturing program. He repairs the broken walls, adds towers for defense, builds a whole new outer wall, reinforces a key fortification (the Millo), and ramps up arms production. This is the opposite of a quietistic, passive faith. Hezekiah is not sitting in his palace praying for God to magically fix the walls. He is trusting God, and the evidence of his trust is that he is obeying God's command to be a responsible king, which includes defending his people. Faith and works are not at odds; true faith is a working faith.

6 He also put military commanders over the people and gathered them to him in the square at the city gate, and spoke to their hearts, saying,

After the practical preparations are well underway, Hezekiah turns to the spiritual preparation of his people. He organizes the military command structure, and then he assembles the people for a public address. The location is significant: the square at the city gate was the center of public life. And his purpose is explicit: he "spoke to their hearts." The Hebrew phrase means to speak encouragingly, to comfort, to build resolve. A leader's words have power, and Hezekiah knows that the morale of the people is as important as the height of the walls. He is about to give them a theological backbone.

7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the multitude that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him.

He begins with a classic biblical exhortation, echoing the words God spoke to Joshua (Josh. 1:6-9). "Be strong and courageous." This is a command, not a suggestion. Courage is a function of faith, not a matter of temperament. And the basis for this courage is not self-confidence, but a clear-eyed assessment of the two opposing sides. He tells them not to be afraid of the visible threat, the king and his "multitude." Why? Because of the invisible reality: "for the one with us is greater than the one with him." This is the fundamental calculation of faith. It is not about denying the enemy's strength, but about affirming God's superior strength. It is Elisha's principle: "those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (2 Kings 6:16).

8 With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is Yahweh our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were sustained by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Here is the core of the sermon. Hezekiah boils the entire conflict down to a simple, stark antithesis. What does Sennacherib have? An "arm of flesh." This is a biblical metaphor for human strength, which is mortal, finite, and ultimately weak. It is all that godless men have. But what do we have? "Yahweh our God." He is not an impersonal force, but our covenant God. And what does He do? He is here "to help us and to fight our battles." God does not just send help; He is our help. He does not just assist in the battle; the battle is His. This is the gospel applied to geopolitics. The result of this theological preaching is profound: "And the people were sustained by the words of Hezekiah." The Hebrew word for "sustained" can be translated "rested upon" or "leaned upon." The people found their stability, their rest, their confidence not in the new walls or the piles of shields, but in the true words of God spoken through their faithful king. True pastoral ministry equips the saints to rest in God's promises, even when the enemy is at the gates.

Application

The story of Hezekiah and Sennacherib is our story. The church is a fortified city in the midst of a hostile world. We are constantly besieged by ideologies, temptations, and powers that, from a human perspective, look overwhelming. The Assyrians of our day come with impressive academic credentials, media dominance, and political power. They mock our faith and promise our annihilation. In the face of this, we are tempted to two equal and opposite errors.

The first is the error of pragmatism. This is the attempt to fight the arm of flesh with another arm of flesh. We adopt the world's marketing techniques, its therapeutic language, its political machinations. We build our own towers, but we forget to pray. We stop up the springs of our own resources, but we neglect the fountain of living water. The second error is that of pietism. This is the refusal to engage in the practical work of building and defending. The pietist sees the Assyrians coming and says, "We must simply pray," while the walls are crumbling. Hezekiah shows us the biblical path. We are to be both practical and prayerful, both diligent and dependent. We should be building strong families, robust churches, and excellent Christian schools. We should be making weapons and shields, that is, engaging in apologetics, creating culture, and preparing our children to answer the challenges of our age. We must do the work. But as we do it, our confidence must never be in the work itself. Our confidence must be in the great truth that Hezekiah proclaimed. With our enemies is only an arm of flesh, materialism, secularism, relativism, all of which are dying ideologies. But with us is Yahweh our God, to help us and to fight our battles. The victory of the church is not in question. The gospel is going to triumph in history just as surely as God delivered Jerusalem from Sennacherib. Our task is to be strong and courageous, to do the work before us, and to rest our souls entirely on the words of our great King, the Lord Jesus Christ.