BAD BOY, BAD BOY SENNACHERIB,
WHATHCA GONNA DO WHEN GOD COMES FOR YOU?


Wednesday's reading addresses the role that Sennacherib will play in the downfall of Judah. Sennacherib was the king of Assyria from 705 to 681 BC. During this time, Hezekiah was the king of Jerusalem. During the 6th year of Hezekiah's reign, Israel (the Northern Kingdom) was destroyed by King Shalmaneser of Assyria. Hoshea was king of Israel at the time. Israel soon went bye-bye. Now, during the 14th year of Hezekiah's reign, the arrogant and haughty King Sennacherib of Assyria attempts to take siege of the city of Jerusalem. These events are documented in 2 Kings 18-19. We have the following outline of the events dealing with Sennacherib, Hezekiah and Isaiah:

2 Kings 18:13-16 - Sennacherib invades Judah and threatens to take Jerusalem; Hezekiah asks Sennacherib not to siege Jerusalem and pays him off by taking money from the Temple.

2 Kings 18:17-37 - Negotiations between the Assyrian cupbearer-in-chief and King Hezekiah of Jerusalem; Hezekiah's representatives, Eliakim, Shebnah and Joah, go to meet the Assyrian ambassador and be told that they will eat their own dung and drink their own urine; the people on the ramparts hear the Assyrian ambassador say not to listen to Hezekiah and not to rely on Yahweh; the Judites didn't give a response.

2 Kings 19: 1-7 - King Hezekiah sends his ministers to Isaiah the prophet to have a serious chat; Isaiah tells the ministers some interesting things:

“Tell this to your master: 'Thus says the LORD: Do not be frightened by the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. I am about to put in him such a spirit that, when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own
land, and there I will cause him to fall by the sword.'" (9:6,7)

2 Kings 19:8-9 - The cupbearer-in-chief returns with those words.

2 Kings 19:10-19 - King Sennacherib sends more messengers to King Hezekiah to tell him not to rely on Yahweh; Hezekiah takes the nasty-gram to the Temple and prays that He saves the city and the people.

2 Kings 19: 20-28 - Isaiah tells Hezekiah that Yahweh heard his prayer; Isaiah conveys the oracle that Yahweh made against Sennacherib; the oracle reminds Sennacherib that everything done was according to God's plan (economy: see verse 25a) and not his; in verse 28, God tells the arrogant king how ticked off he is by referring to him as an animal to be led by the nose back to where he came from.

2 Kings 19: 29-34 - a sign is given to Hezekiah about a “remnant” of the House of Judah, new roots, and they shall go out from Jerusalem; Yahweh also comments on what will happen to haughty Sennacherib: his army will not take Jerusalem.

2 Kings 19: 35-37 - Sennacherib's army suffers a major defeat and the bad king is later murdered by his own sons! See
http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/objects/oz112308.html

Note that "Sennacherib' means “sin sends many brothers.” How about that name? “Sin” was also the name of the Assyrian moon god. Herumph!

The lesson: HAUGHTINESS and/or ARROGANCE gets one nowhere in God's plan. We all know what happens to those with PRIDE.

See the following website that has the Clay Prism (now housed in a museum in Chicago) that tells the story about Sennacherib. Read Column 3: 18-49 for the Assyrian account of their siege of Jerusalem. See
http://www.utexas.edu/courses/classicalarch/readings/sennprism.html

BTW, the above passages taken from 2 Kings 9-10 are also found in Isaiah 36-37.


But back to our reading, Isaiah 10:12-20 ………

These words from Isaiah is a commentary on the events in 2 Kings 18-19 and Isaiah 36-37. Isaiah mentions a “divine mission” for Assyria. Their role in these events were planned. Isaiah makes this point in 10:12 (“when the Lord has performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem&#8221) . Assyria was a tool used by God for something else. God had a plan.


Now, all of this seems to give the impression that PREDESTINATION is a possibility. We see this in how God used JUDAS to accomplish more of the plan.

What are your thoughts about all of this and the possibility that God would use a nasty person like King Sennacherib to accomplish his goals?

Why so much death from a God of Love?

Why did Jesus have to be turned over to the authorities to be crucified by one of his own clansmen?

What does this say about the Divine Economy?


Cantor Joe Thur

[ 02-28-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

This shows me that God is in charge.
That He is unknowable (although I get glimpses of Him from time-to-time, even though I probably misinterpret what I experience).
He is God.
He Is.
All I can do is open myself to Him and accept His Will.
What else CAN I do if I truly believe in Him?
He will do what He will do...in whatever way suits His Plan.

Dear Joe,

I hope you're saving all these reflections... I have used some of these thoughts in homilies at the Presanctified. But it would make a nice small book, reflections on the readings of the fast.

The Lord God reluctantly permits evil sadness and death in our world. But more than that, since it has come to be a part of the fallen world, God is not afraid to show his power, by using even these bad and sad things to a good end. He will accomplish his holy purpose!

In this, are we beginning to comtemplate the holy passion of Christ... that greatest of horrors, accomplishing the greatest good?

Elias

Franklin,

You make an interesting point about God's will. We often think of predestination as having folks being led around like puppets. No free will. Yet, God accomplishes things always with free will involved.

Take for instance Mary, the Theotokos. She was fully human and had the right to "just say no." She didn't. Unlike Joseph, she did not doubt or "ponder" or have to be convinced. Maybe that is why her Annunciation is remembered more than the Annunciation to Joseph?

But this "will of God" is critical, especially when it concerns His Plan of Salvation. In the Byzantine Anaphora of St. John Chrysostom, the celebrant prays:

"Holy are You and all holy and splendorous is Your glory, Who so love Your world that You gave Your only-begotten Son, ... Who, having come and fulfilled the whole DIVINE PLAN concerning us, ..."

The "divine plan" is tied to prophecy fulfillment. St. Basil's Anaphora goes into more detail (and is longer-winded as those who attend Basil's Liturgy know too well :p ):

"Holy are You; ... You are revered in all Your deeds; for with truth and just judgment You HAVE BROUGHT ALL THINGS TO PASS for us."

And further:

"But man disobeyed You, ... You expelled him from paradise into this world and returned him to earth from which he had been taken, and DEVISED FOR HIM the salvation of regeneration which is in Your Christ."

Soteriology 101?

St. Basil continues in his Anaphora:

"You spoke to us through Your servants, the Prophets, who FORETOLD the salvation which was to come."

What was fulfilled?

"He became incarnate from the holy virgin and emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave and becoming conformed to the state of our lowliness so that He might raise us to the image of His glory."

Theosis 101?


Cantor Joe

[ 02-28-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

Hi Mr. Thur,

Even though we have salvation some things haven't changed from OT times. When we don't live the Gospel and turn away from God in sin,just like the folks in the OT, He allows punishment by allowing us to live in the consequences of our sins. Do you think New Testament folks like ourselves will be held in stricter judgement because we should know better?

Nicky's Baba

Nicky's Baba,

Of course.

Your words bring to mind how this can be so ever since the accounts in Acts where Stephen's charge against the Sanhedrin pointed out the problem of the early Christians failing in their commission just as their Jewish ancestors did.

Back then, the early Christians in Jerusalem were still tied in some way to the old ways and still showed some sense of nationalism similar to their fellow Jews. Stephen's speech served as an ideological foundation 'for the subsequent movement of the focus of God's work away from both … the sacred city and sacred land of Israel.'

Just like the stiff-necked Jews who refused to look beyond Jerusalem and the Temple to see God's work, the early Christians also failed to go beyond their innate provincialism. They wised to remain as they were, where they were. Stephen's words served as a Magna Carta to step outside the box, hence the beginnings of the Evangelical Mission soon after his death. His threatening words also served a double purpose: first, to counter-accuse the Sanhedrin, and second, to accuse the early Christians of being just as bad.

What does this have to do with the point you made about sin? Actually, a lot. God was made manifest, his words were heard and proclaimed, he became incarnate, the "plan" was fulfilled, and all Revelation was complete in Him. We have no excuse. The finger lies heavy pointing at us ever since Stephen's martyrdom.

This is why it is good to reflect on Isaiah during Lent. His "Fifth Gospel" is a kind reminder how the mind of God works. God allowed Sennacherib to be murdered by his own two sons. 150,000 soldiers of his were also trashed. All I say is be careful of God's right hand. It adds new meaning to Charles Dickens phrase from Great Expectations, "raised by the hand."

One of the most common experiences of those who have commited themselves to doing God's work is an increase of ridicule, temptation and torment. It is a horrendous ordeal. When one claims to take allegiance with God (and really, really wants to) one is given a greater share of spiritual warfare. Sometimes these battles are clearly seen for what they are rather than mere coincidences.

How many of us (and our Churches) still refuse to "step outside the box" when it comes to Evangelization?

How many of us wish to remain within the borders of provincialism? Should our churches exist solely as museums of by-gone eras or a means of handing down the faith?

How many Evangelism meetings does it take to exempt one from Evangelizing?


Cantor Joe Thur
Deacon-student

[ 03-01-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

Mr. Thur,

In my capacity as a Baba I predict you will be a teacher at the Seminary.
As far as stepping outside the box in this Church,the Seminary might do well to teach clases on other cultures. The only person I am aware of trying to deal with other cultures near his church is Monk Elias. The senario usually goes like this. In older neighborhood there is shift in cultures. The Priest is older and through no fault of his own is really not equipped to deal with the situation and I don't believe its an indifference to the locals.Eventually the Church closes. I guess the Church Heirarchy needs to decide if they wish to remain a presence and minister to a local community that is not longer populated by Byzantine Catholics. I apologize for going off course here but you brought the subject up in this thread.

Nicky's Baba

[ 03-01-2002: Message edited by: Nicky's Baba ]