One of the great, dramatic escapes of Jerusalem was the encounter with Sennacherib in 701 B.C. In those days the Western part of Asia was in a tremendous state of upheaval. Assyria was mighty, and the smaller nations lived in fear and trembling, never knowing which of them would be savagely attacked and devastated by her next.

The land of Judah had suffered several attacks from nearby Edomite people and as a result Judah's king had done a terribly naïve thing. He had appealed for help to the great tyrant, Assyria. So Assyria took Judah under her wing, but it was a wing of treachery. She took Judah's wealth, made Judah a subject nation, set up pagan worship in Judah's cities, and then left her unprotected from local enemies.

Judah, with Jerusalem her capital, was down. Her prosperity, peace and freedom had gone. And all this misery and folly had really come about because of a succession of godless Kings, and because the people had thrown aside their respect and service to the Lord.

Then King Hezekiah came on to the scene. At twenty-five years of age Hezekiah took over the helm of the 'puppet' government which ruled Judah as a satellite of Assyria. Here was the man for the hour. There was no one to approach him among all the kings of Judah before or since. Hezekiah probably served as joint-king with Ahaz for thirteen years, and in those early years of power he saw terrible things happen. The land of Israel, immediately north of Judah, was invaded by Assyria. For three years the capital city was besieged and then it fell. The Assyrians struck without mercy and drove the people in their thousands to slavery in Persia. Hezekiah knew that these people of Israel had lost the care and protection of God because they had rejected Him and scorned Him. The young king was determined to change things for the people of Judah. For many years the great Temple of Jerusalem had been closed and the services abandoned. The giant doors on the porch hung in decay. Inside, lumber had been dumped and dust and dirt covered everything. Hezekiah ordered the immediate cleaning and restoration of the Temple. Then he stirred the priests into action and urged a total reconsecration of everyone to the Lord.

He sent messengers along the hot, dusty highways of Judah to every town and village to evangelise the people, "Serve the Lord," was the call, "for the Lord is gracious and compassionate and will not turn away his face from you if you return to Him." He even sent messengers across the border to Israel saying, "Don't be like your fathers or brothers who transgressed against the Lord...for as you can see, He turned them over to desolation." The vast majority of people left in Israel made fun of the messengers and ridiculed them, but in Judah, the people humbled themselves before God as one body, and vast numbers of them travelled to Jerusalem for a truly amazing Passover.

Once again Judah was trusting in the Lord and seeing great blessings as a result. So Hezekiah repudiated the authority of Assyria over his land. This was rebellion. From that moment, Hezekiah became a marked man, high on the list for punishment.

Meanwhile, the king who was to be Hezekiah's most terrifying enemy ascended the Assyrian throne. King Sennacherib became outright King of Assyria in 705 B.C. and he soon established himself as a deadly expert in the science of warfare. His records, chipped out of stone prisms, have been recovered from the ruins of his great palace at Nineveh, and are solid evidence for the Biblical narrative. In them he makes no secret of his opinion about himself.

He calls himself "Sennacherib, the great King, the mighty King, the King of the Universe, favourite of the great gods, perfect hero, mighty man . . . the wise ruler, lover of justice." In another place this great lover of justice describes how he dealt with a rebel king. "The warriors I cut down with the sword, not one escaped . . . the corpses of his warriors I hung on stakes surrounding the city."

Sennacherib was, in fact, an evil, high-handed bully whose incredible conceit was only exceeded by his ability to massacre people in their thousands. The extension of his kingdom was his main interest, and when he conquered, he drove countless fatherless families back to Nineveh to become slaves in the building of his great palace. His wallpaper consisted of huge pictures of his victories cut out of slabs of stone and now to be seen in the "Nineveh Gallery" of the British Museum. No one can look at these slabs of stone and doubt the reality of the Biblical history.

As the years went by Sennacherib gained momentum at the head of his armies. He would deal with some rebels, and then some new challenge would present itself and he would launch out into fresh aggression. Sennacherib became one of the most successful commanders ever. Assyrian kings had never managed to defeat certain tribes in Persia. But Sennacherib was a brilliant and ruthless general, and he conquered where others had failed. "I destroyed, I devastated, I turned into ruins, and their houses I set on fire."

He marked all his records "Sennacherib ‑ 'King of all the Universe'" and he meant it. He certainly meant to deal with all those people who had dared to rebel against him. The programme was arranged.

Firstly, Sennacherib disciplined Babylon. Then he turned his attention to Tyre, only 110 miles north of Jerusalem. His fury and military power struck the King of Tyre hard, and Sennacherib boasted on records of stone. "The terrifying splendour of my sovereignty overcame him and far off into the midst of the sea he fled."

Who was next? The great army turned south. Southward they marched heading for Samaria, and then . . . Jerusalem. In their path rebels were crushed. The obedient subjects went trembling to him with numerous presents and great sums of money. They bowed down to him and kissed his feet. There could be no resistance to Sennacherib. He was the invincible King of the Universe.

Finally, when Hezekiah was in his fourteenth year as King, Sennacherib arrived in the land of Judah and began his operations.

The valleys of Judah filled with chariots and horsemen, and the numerous walled cities that formed the protection of Judah were besieged and taken by Sennacherib one by one. Hezekiah hardly knew what to do. The defences of Jerusalem were in a hopeless state. The walls were full of gaps, all the foreigners in the army had become terrified and deserted and it was too late for Hezekiah to help the smaller cities.

It wasn't long before Sennacherib arrived in Lachish and surrounded it with his entire Imperial Force. Lachish was a strongly fortified town only twenty-five miles south-west of Jerusalem. It commanded a position over the road from Egypt, and this may have been why Sennacherib besieged it. If so, it was perfect military strategy. If Jerusalem had by any chance hoped for help from Egypt, they were now cut off.

Hezekiah in a moment of panic, tried to make a settlement. It was a long shot but he thought it was worth a try. He sent out a messenger to Lachish with this message: "I have offended you and done wrong. If you will withdraw from me I will bear whatever you demand from me." Sennacherib replied demanding a tremendous sum of money in silver and gold. Hezekiah struggled to pay. He took all the money in the Temple as well as his personal treasury. But he realised that the Assyrians would never honour their bargain. So while Sennacherib besieged Lachish, Hezekiah sprang into action at Jerusalem.

Hezekiah called together his rulers and fighting commanders and they made their plans. Where the walls of the city were broken down they rebuilt them. So urgent was the work that houses were knocked down to get brick. Hundreds of men worked feverishly to extend the wall "along the South East Hill to shield the new suburbs of the city". Again archaeologists can confirm the Biblical record to the hilt. The new wall was double, with a middle-moat thirty-eight feet wide. It can be seen today and research has established that it was definitely built in King Hezekiah's time.

Inside the City there was a special stronghold built by king David three hundred years before and called 'The Millo'. This was now reinforced and probably became the headquarters of those officers who were building up a good supply of weapons and shields.

But the crowning masterpiece of all Hezekiah's defensive measures was his tunnel. The two main sources of water for the city were situated outside. Hezekiah guaranteed a constant, secret supply of water inside the City by blocking up the ground level outlet of the Gihon Spring (The Virgin's Well) and diverting the water deep down into a new tunnel running through solid rock under the west side of the City. The tunnel was brought into a pool inside the City called the Pool of Siloam. This tunnel is amazing evidence for the Biblical record. It is one of the tourist attractions in Jerusalem today, and water still flows through it to the Pool of Siloam. Hezekiah's workmen produced a tunnel a quarter of a mile long and four-and-a-half feet high. The miners started working at opposite ends and met in the middle.

One last minute panic measure remained to be carried out. The Kedron Brook and all the remaining water sources needed to be blocked up. A great number of people went to work, hurried along by their commanders who said "Why should the Kings of Assyria come and find good water supplies?" Most of these places have since been excavated and found to be full of large stones and mortar obviously put in very hastily.

God's people were facing tremendous odds and they were stirred to work as never before. What a testimony against the tendency to lie still in the face of difficulties. Like the great host of true men of faith Hezekiah trusted in God, and acted. Combat Commanders were appointed and a massive briefing meeting was held just inside the City gates. Hezekiah addressed the people.

"Be strong, stand firm. Do not be afraid or disheartened because of the King of Assyria or because of all his forces, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh ‑ but with us is the Lord our God to help us and fight our wars for us."

Before very long Sennacherib made his next move. While his main forces continued the siege at Lachish, he sent three senior officials with a large force to Jerusalem, and when they arrived they assembled on the road to the Fuller's Field on the south side of the City. At the head of the force were a Field Marshal, the Chief of Staff, and the head of the Assyrian Treasury.

The Assyrians took stock of the towering City walls. Did they have enough men to overpower Jerusalem? They were only a detachment from the main army. Was Hezekiah so weak that a mere show of power would bring about his surrender? After a while the officers signalled to the City asking for representatives to come out to them. Three Judean officials went out.

The Assyrians were very cunning diplomats. Their officers spoke several languages fluently and their intelligence service was very effective. Speaking in Hebrew the Chief of Staff gave his message for Hezekiah. Hezekiah had rebelled like a strong man, but as soon as Sennacherib came near he pleaded for mercy and offered money to be pardoned. The Chief of Staff's words were full of scorn.

"What were you trusting in?" he asked. "You think lip service is strength enough for war!" He laughed at the lack of trained soldiers in Jerusalem and he certainly seemed to know that the hired foreign soldiers had deserted.

"Make a wager with my master," he jeered, "I will certainly give you 2,000 horses if you are capable of finding riders for them. How can you drive away one of the least of my master's soldiers when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?"

Then the Chief of Staff conveyed the most taunting part of Sennacherib's message to Hezekiah. This was the way, he thought, to speak to these religious people.

"Have I come up against this place to destroy it without the Lord's consent? The Lord said to me: Go up against this land and destroy it."

When he spoke the three officials from Jerusalem grew increasingly uneasy. This Assyrian Chief of Staff spoke Hebrew, and with a very loud voice. If the Jerusalem people sitting on the wall heard his words it would be all round the City in no time and public morale would collapse.

The situation was very dangerous. Jerusalem had strong defences, but humanly that was all. The great Assyrian army had never been defeated, and Jerusalem didn't have any soldiers for offensive work. How long would Lachish hold out before being crushed by Sennacherib? How long could Jerusalem survive when her turn came?

Sennacherib anticipated an overwhelming victory from the luxury of his camp twenty-five miles away. Hezekiah, "shut up like a caged bird" in Jerusalem, waited, and prayed…...

[We came upon this article among some papers. It had apparently been torn out of the Evangelical Times some fifty years ago and is incomplete. For what happened next we need to go to the Bible. Refer to Isaiah chapters 36 and 37.
For the sequel we rely on an account in 'Chronicles—News of the Past'.]

3 week Siege ends as Sennacherib's Army is struck down by Plague.

The siege of Jerusalem is over. King Sennacherib's once-mighty Assyrian army has been dealt the deadliest blow in all its history: It has been struck down by plague.

Overnight, a swaggering, threatening horde of battle-eager fighting men has been turned into a mass of black-faced corpses. Those who were fortunate enough to escape the disease are fleeing the camp in all haste, taking with them what they can, leaving the rest behind.

King Hezekiah, accompanied by the Prophet Isaiah ‑ whose sublime faith and confidence throughout this crisis are now being recalled ‑ appeared this morning on the wall to proclaim the city's release to the people and to give thanks to the Lord for His timely intervention. The two men were loudly acclaimed by the populace.

Jerusalem's salvation, after three weeks under siege, caught the city by surprise. The first intimation that something had gone drastically wrong in the enemy camp came at dawn this morning, when the Commander of the Northern Watchtower despatched the following message to the Commander-in-Chief:

"Assyrian foot-soldiers retreating rapidly in westerly direction, manner and speed of retreat suggest flight. Several siege machines being taken along. Riderless horses roaming the fields, untended. Awaiting your orders."

Half an hour elapsed before the following reply came back from the Commander-in-Chief, who in the meantime had held a hurried consultation with His Majesty:

"Send patrol to enemy camp immediately to investigate. Take all precautions: Withdrawal may be enemy trick. Stand by for further instructions."

Presently, a patrol of seven men left the city and headed for the Assyrian tents. The group included two fleet-footed runners, who returned to Jerusalem an hour later with a startling report, the essence of which may be summed up as follows:

- The enemy camp is filled with the bodies of thousands of Assyrian soldiers.

- It is evident ‑ from the black lumps on their faces, the distorted features, and the almost unbearable stench that pervades the camp and its vicinity ‑ that they died of the plague.

- The entire camp is in a state of utter disarray, indicating that those of its erstwhile occupants who were still alive had taken their departure in a great deal of haste.

- There can be no question of an enemy ruse. The catastrophe that has befallen the Assyrians is genuine. The bulk of their army has been put out of action for good. The few that escaped will not return.

Rumour Spreads quickly.

Rumours of our deliverance were quick to spread through the slowly waking city this morning, and people clambered onto rooftops and the city wall to gain a glimpse of the enemy camp.

Many rushed to the gates that had been closed tight for three weeks, trying to leave the city and take in the spoils. But the King had issued stern orders not to allow anyone to leave Jerusalem ‑ for two reasons:

1. It was feared the whole affair might be an enemy trick (this was before we had received the report of our men.)

2. Even if it was not, there was danger of contamination.

The King's message

After our runners had brought in their report, and this had been confirmed by the rest of the patrol, the King made his appearance on the wall and addressed the people of Jerusalem.

The King intoned a prayer of thanks for the city's miraculous deliverance, urging the people to try to be worthy of the divine grace that has been bestowed upon us.

His Majesty announced the resumption of normal water distribution but warned against extravagance and waste in the use of this precious commodity.

Shipments of fresh food, the King promised, will soon be rolling into the city once more.