{"id":71668,"date":"2020-03-15T14:41:18","date_gmt":"2020-03-15T12:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=71668"},"modified":"2020-03-15T14:41:18","modified_gmt":"2020-03-15T12:41:18","slug":"can-zedekiah-replicate-hezekiahs-miraculous-salvation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/can-zedekiah-replicate-hezekiahs-miraculous-salvation\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Zedekiah Replicate Hezekiah\u2019s Miraculous Salvation?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"71668","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":38552,"related_cahpter":"437","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Hezekiah though had Isaiah on his side...\r\n\r\n","content":"

Jerusalem trembles as the Babylonians approach. It has no chance of surviving against this mighty empire. All the prophets from the school of Hananiah son of Azzur, who promised and prophesied the impending fall of Babylonia, are struck dumb and flee underground. No one imagined that the prophecies of Jeremiah, of all people, would come to fruition. Rumors of the fall of the cities of the Shephelah have reached Jerusalem, leaving it in turmoil. The elders, priests, and people gather to fast and pray, in the best Jewish tradition. In addition, there has been no rain for two winters. It is clear to all that only God’s mercy can bring relief. King Zedekiah sends delegates to Jeremiah, inviting him to lead a communal prayer for God’s mercy. This invitation recalls Zedekiah’s great-grandfather Hezekiah’s invitation to Isaiah for similar purposes before the fearful invasion of the Assyrian king Sennacherib in 701 BCE:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[Hezekiah] sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered in sackcloth, to Isaiah son of Amoz. They said to him: \u2018Thus said Hezekiah: This day is a day of strife and rebuke and disgrace, as when children are about to be born but there is no strength to deliver them. Perhaps the Lord, your God, will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, sent by his master, the Assyrian king, to blaspheme the living God, and will punish him for his words that the Lord, your God, has heard \u2014 0 pray for the remnant who is left!\u2019\u201d (II Kings 19:2-4).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For years, Isaiah had been locked in an ideological struggle against Hezekiah. Although Hezekiah was a righteous king, he did not heed the prophet’s warnings to refrain from political involvement with foreign empires. When Assyria invaded Judah, destroyed entire cities, and stood on Jerusalem’s doorstep, Hezekiah begged Isaiah \u2014 whose prophecies were sadly proven right \u2014 to pray on the city’s behalf. The Book of Kings describes the poignancy and intensity of the king’s and the prophet’s combined prayers, and the miracle that immediately followed \u2014 Assyria’s hasty retreat in a single night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, 112 years later, Zedekiah hopes to reenact that course of events. He calls to Jeremiah and asks him to pray on their behalf. He sends two clerks, one from the palace and one from the Temple. He is convinced that because Jeremiah is a true prophet, faithful to his God and devoted to his people, he will not stand by idly, but will join them in their desperate supplications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lau, Binyamin. <\/span>Jeremiah: The Fate of a Prophet<\/span><\/i>. Maggid Books, 2013. \u201cThe King’s First Appeal to the Prophet.\u201d<\/span>
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