DISCUSSION QUESTIONS | August 2, 2026

The following questions may be used for further personal or group reflection as you strive to build your house on the rock of Christ and his Word (cf. Luke 6:46).  

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Sermon Text: 2 Kings 19:14-19 

Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the House of the Lord, and Hezekiah spread it out before the Lord.  Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord:

O Lord, God of Israel, you are seated above the cherubim. You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.  Bend your ear, O Lord, and hear. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Hear Sennacherib’s words, which he sent to taunt the living God.  It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed these nations and their lands.  They have burned their gods, because they were not gods but only the works of human hands, just wood and stone, so they destroyed them.  But now, O Lord our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, O Lord, are God, you alone.

 

Sermon Theme:    

  Learn from King Hezekiah
    How to React When Facing
  Life’s Most Difficult Circumstances

                                                  
                                                  Seeing the “Big Picture”

We will use this small group Bible Study to see the wider context – the before, during and after of our sermon text.

1) Read all of 2 Kings 18.  You may have someone in your small group read this chapter – or you may have it read to you by a Bible app.  What does 2 Kings 18:3-5 say about Hezekiah? 

2) Now think of the great difficulties Hezekiah will soon experience – even though he was faithful to God!  Sometimes we think things will go smoothly if we are faithful to God.  And if we are having problems, we often think we have been unfaithful to God. How does the example of Hezekiah show the faultiness of this type of thinking?  Sometimes troubles come because of our sin; but we dare not reason backwards and think every time we have troubles, we have sinned.  This type of faulty reasoning can easily lead to despair and undermine our trust in God’s promises.

3) What are some of the points the field general and the King of Assyria make in their speech to the people on the walls of Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:19-37}?  What parts of the speech did you find entertaining?  Surprising?  Frightening?

4) In what two ways does Hezekiah respond when he receives the King of Assyria’s message (2 Kings 19:2 and 2 Kings 19:3ff)?  What is admirable about Hezekiah’s response?  How can we imitate his response when we are confronted by seemingly insurmountable challenges?

5) Isaiah, the prophet sends word back to Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:3,4).  Isaiah’s opening words to the king are: “Do not be afraid!”  Think of how often the LORD speaks these words to his people. On the stormy Sea of Galilee Jesus said to his disciples, “O you of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Mt. 8:26).  Someone counted all of the times God says, “Do not be afraid!”  They found 366 “Do not fears” – one for every day of the year – including “Leap Day”!  The command, “Do not be afraid!” is gospel.  God is comforting his people.  Is there something in your life that is causing great fear?  How can God help you with this?  What promises of God might give you peace in “the midst of this storm”?

6) What is admirable in Hezekiah’s prayer (2 Kings 19:14-19).  (There are several.)  How can we imitate Hezekiah words and actions?

7) How does God deliver the “doomed” people of Jerusalem (See 2 Kings 19:35,36).  The term, “the angel of the LORD” is sometimes used for the 2nd person of the Trinity.  We cannot say with absolutely certainty that the angel in this instance is the pre-incarnate Jesus  – as we can in other stories of the Old Testament (such as Genesis 16:7-13 & Exodus 3,4 & Numbers 22:22-35 & Judges 6:11-24 & Judges 13:3-22).  How many Assyrian soldiers did the angel of the LORD kill in a single night?  Keep in mind that one of the bloodiest conflicts in American history – the battle of Gettysburg which lasted for 3 days – had casualties (killed or wounded) of 51,000).

8) How many angels does Jesus say he could call on to deliver him from the mob that came to arrest him in the Garden of Gethsemane? (Matthew 26:53).  [One Roman legion has 6,000 soldiers.)  Look up Psalm 34:6,7.  Who does God send to protect you and to rescue his people in times of great danger?  What promise do we have if our prayers are not always answered in the way we hoped? (See Romans 8:28).

9) Can you share with the group a time when you were facing great difficulties and God came to your aid by changing your circumstances – or by changing you?

10) Who conquered our greatest enemies for us?  (See Romans 8:31-39 especially verse 37).  In light of Hezekiah’s response, how shall I react when it seems “all the world is against me”?

 

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