{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"4\/2 2 Kings 18 - Standing Against Evil","description":"God calls us to trust Him even when life is going sideways. Today, in our study of 2nd Kings 18, we\u2019ll learn about the account of Hezekiah and Sennacherib. This is one of the most uplifting passages in the Bible and we look forward to going through it with you. Join us!  DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1.    According to verse 1, how old was Hezekiah when he became king? How does verse 3 describe his character? When you consider the spiritual life of the typical 25-year-old man today, how does Hezekiah compare? Given his family background that was explained in this podcast, what do you think explains Hezekiah\u2019s faithfulness to the Lord? How does this show us that we are not bound to our previous generations faithfulness (or lack thereof)?  2.    What does Hezekiah do in verse 4? What kind of moral courage would this have taken?  3.    What was the Nehushtan in verse 4 (c.f. Numbers 21:4-9)? Why were the people worshipping this object? How had this become an idol? What does this indicate about people\u2019s natural tendency to turn things that are possibly even \u201cgood\u201d into something \u201cungodly\u201d to worship? Was the Lord displeased that Hezekiah destroyed this? Why or why not? 4.    What is the importance of the word \u201cin\u201d in verse 5 where it says that Hezekiah \u201ctrusted in the Lord\u201d? How is this slightly different than simply saying that he \u201ctrusted the Lord\u201d? When you think of your own faith, are you \u201ctrusting the Lord\u201d or \u201ctrusting IN the Lord\u201d? How are they different in your life?  5.    What does verse 6 mean by saying that Hezekiah \u201cclung to the Lord?\u201d On top of trusting \u201cin\u201d the Lord, what does \u201cclinging\u201d to the Lord suggest?  6.    How does verse 7 describe the Lord\u2019s response to Hezekiah\u2019s faith? What do you think this looked like in Hezekiah\u2019s life? How does the Lord bless him in verse 8? Along those lines, what does Hezekiah NOT do in verse 7? Why was this especially bold, given the fact that Hezekiah\u2019s father was a vassal of Assyria?  7.    Verses 9-11 describe the conquering encroachment of Assyria. Who is defeated in these verses? What impact, do you think these victories would have had on the uneasiness of the Southern Kingdom?  8.    Who does Sennacherib come against in verse 13? What does this indicate about his intentions for Judah and the Southern Kingdom?  9.    What does Hezekiah do in verses 14-16? Was this a good thing? What does this indicate about Hezekiah\u2019s imperfect faith? What was Sennacherib\u2019s response in verses 17ff? What lessons can we learn about the futility of trying to appease evil?  10.    Who (or what) did the podcast say was \u201cRabshakeh\u201d in verse 17? What was his message to Judah in verses 19ff? How does he mock the people\u2019s trust in the Lord? How does Rabshakeh claim the Lord \u201cguided\u201d him in verse 25? Was he right? How do people today inappropriately claim God\u2019s guidance?  11.    How does the Rabshakeh undermine Hezekiah\u2019s leadership in verses 29-32?  12.    How does the Rabshakeh promise to give the people mercy in verses 21-32? How would this have been tempting for the people of Judah?  13.    How does this passage set the scene for what it means to have faith, even when things go severely sideways? What principles can you apply to your life today? Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon just in time for the Genesis relaunch in January! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible\/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.    ","author_name":"Key Chapters of the Bible","author_url":"https:\/\/www.keychapters.org","html":"