2 Chronicles 32:17

The Message

Sennacherib continued to send letters insulting the God of Israel: “The gods of the nations were powerless to help their people; the god of Hezekiah is no better, probably worse.”

Cross References

Isaiah 37:14

Hezekiah took the letter from the hands of the messengers and read it. Then he went into the sanctuary of God and spread the letter out before God.

Isaiah 10:15

Does an ax take over from the one who swings it? Does a saw act more important than the sawyer? As if a shovel did its shoveling by using a ditch digger! As if a hammer used the carpenter to pound nails! Therefore the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, will send a debilitating disease on his robust Assyrian fighters. Under the canopy of God’s bright glory a fierce fire will break out. Israel’s Light will burst into a conflagration. The Holy will explode into a firestorm, And in one day burn to cinders every last Assyrian thornbush. God will destroy the splendid trees and lush gardens. The Assyrian body and soul will waste away to nothing like a disease-ridden invalid. A child could count what’s left of the trees on the fingers of his two hands. * * *

Nehemiah 6:5

The fifth time—same messenger, same message—Sanballat sent an unsealed letter with this message:

2 Kings 19:28

It’s because of your temper, your blasphemous foul temper, That I’m putting my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth And turning you back to where you came from.

2 Kings 19:22

Who do you think it is you’ve insulted? Who do you think you’ve been bad-mouthing? Before whom do you suppose you’ve been strutting? The Holy One of Israel, that’s who!

2 Kings 19:14

Hezekiah took the letter from the envoy and read it. He went to The Temple of God and spread it out before God. And Hezekiah prayed—oh, how he prayed! God, God of Israel, seated in majesty on the cherubim-throne. You are the one and only God, sovereign over all kingdoms on earth, Maker of heaven, maker of earth.

2 Chronicles 32:16

The messengers felt free to throw in their personal comments, putting down both God and God’s servant Hezekiah.

1 Samuel 17:26

David, who was talking to the men standing around him, asked, “What’s in it for the man who kills that Philistine and gets rid of this ugly blot on Israel’s honor? Who does he think he is, anyway, this uncircumcised Philistine, taunting the armies of God-Alive?”