Archaeological evidence of biblical King Hezekiah found in Jerusalem
Daniel Esparza
A tiny fragment of limestone found in the Siloam Tunnel, beneath the City of David, seem to mention King Hezekiah.
A small fragment of a stone inscription was recently found in the Siloam Tunnel. Carved in ancient times, the tunnel is now located in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, in eastern Jerusalem. Its popular name, “Hezekiah’s Tunnel,” is due to the most common hypothesis that it dates from the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah, between the late 8th and early 7th century BC.
It has been commonly believed that this tunnel corresponds to a “conduit” that is mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20:
“The rest of the deeds of Hezeki’ah, and all his might, and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?”
Now, archaeologists have found a little piece of evidence (a small limestone fragment) that connects King Hezekiah to this tunnel.
Biblical narratives explain how King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians. 2 Chronicles 32:30 explains how he blocked “the source of the waters of the upper Gihon” and led them “straight down on the west to the City of David,” to prevent the enemy forces under Sennacherib from having access to water.
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
If we want to stand firm with God as our refuge and fortress, the first thing we do is
we believe the Truth.
Deuteronomy 10
12“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you,
but to fear the Lord your God,
to walk in all his ways,
to love him,
to serve the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul,
And to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord,
which I am commanding you today for your good?
Behold,
to the Lord your God
belong heaven and the heaven of heavens,
the earth
with all that is in it.
15 Yet the Lord set Jis heart in love
on your fathers a
nd chose their offspring after them,
you above all peoples,
as you are
this day.
And the writer is Moses who stood and saw the Glory of God.
Now Moses and Psalm 91 have a good deal in common. Endurance.
2 Thessalonians 2
14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
People always have a choice, either increase in gratitude for a life worth living - or you get to be bitter.
Now Moses could have been bitter. He was the Pharoah's son. This is going to be a life of luxury. And comfort. But he saw that the midwives were told to kill of human people. Without the grace of God, Moses would be dead. And something in him didn't rest for feeling he couldn't prosper seeing how hard the lives were for the Children of Israel. Moses felt that he was charged to do something. And killing the Egyptian was certainly not the best thing. The Pharoah's house was going to think he was not within a controllable range. And he fled to death. Instead, Moses found he could stand for days and watch the flocks.
Where was the bitterness? Instead, Moses had a wife, children, and interesting father in law. And a job caring for animals that need care. Moses chose to see - God was taking care of him.
Hezekiah is the King who rivals Solomon. Solomon had so much given to him. Hezekiah has war and the Assyrian Army. Egypt wanting war. And Hezekiah is remembered as raising the Holy Spirit within his people, The Children of God.
Was Hezekiah grateful for his incredible legacy and life?
Isaiah 38
14 Like a swallow or a crane I chirp;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!
15 What shall I say?
For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
and he himself has done it.
I walk slowly all my years
because of the bitterness of my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these is the life of my spirit.
Oh restore me to health and make me live!
17 Behold, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but in love you have delivered my life
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
behind Your back.
18 For Sheol does not thank you;
death does not praise you;
those who go down to the pit do not hope
for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living, he thanks you,
as I do this day;
the father makes known to the children
Your faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me,
and
we will play my music on stringed instruments
all the days of our lives,
at the House of the Lord.
all the days of our lives,
at the House of the Lord.
Isaiah 38:1-20
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.
7 “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: 8 Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.
What Life requires is Faith. Sad times come - life changes as people age. And in volunteering, I found that people have the strength to do their lives.
Abba, Father,
Your Mercies renew each day.
Help us in times we endure - to keep enduring.
In times of prosperity,
to give Thanks.
And not be unmindful.
In times of Change, to Trust.
In the day at hand, to see the good.
During times of grief and end,
to live today knowing that time will ease.
To live Knowing God Loves and is our destination.
In knowing that God loves us, we feel our emotions,
know our emotions,
come to understand what makes each of us
uniquely the Child of God.
And rule over our emotions to tame them to please God.
Knowing the framework Your Word gives is where happiness dwells
and
allows room for Joy, Peace,
Encouragement, Patience and Love.
Father, please dwell in me.
Please, Father, dwell in those I love.
Help us to seek You first.
And in Jesus Christ, we will finish well.
Help us to see more Heaven on earth
be more Heaven on earth
and find more Heaven on earth
by being faithfully living daily to You.
Father, we hope for Your grace and favor in Your sight,
Bless us when we carry and proclaim
the Light of Jesus in all mankind,
we are pleasing to You.
Our God is working. His Son,
Jesus is working.
In Jesus,
Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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