Scripture Reference: 2nd Chronicles 31:20-21
“Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.”
What a site to behold. Beyond God’s people and many historians, it’s safe to say that most people have never heard of one of the most remarkable stories in ancient history, that of King Hezekiah and his tunnel of faith and life. I believe that one of the most amazing things one can see on this planet is Hezekiah’s Tunnel in Jerusalem. There are few places on earth that bring ancient history to life as well as this remarkable hand-chiseled tunnel. Let’s see why.
Once again, today’s devotional was nowhere in the planning. Last night I received a call from a dear friend of more than 50 years who lives down in Southern California. It was a welcomed call, (one that I refer to as a rescue calls), due to the relentless burning that gets worse late at night. It was a comforting hour of delight as we talked about our lives, past and present, and how God’s grace has sustained and preserved our lives over so many years.
He was excited as he told me that he and his wife had a trip planned, along with 100 friends from their church to the Holy Land in June. We have never been to Israel but have spoken to so many friends who described it as the trip of their lives. Everyone I’ve spoken with have talked about one thing or another that they most looked forward to seeing.
My buddy had two things at the top of his list. One was the Garden of Gethsemane, and the second was the amazing tunnel of King Hezekiah, one of the archeological wonders of the ancient world. I look forward to his return and hearing about the highlights of the trip. I know they will come back with treasured photos. Thank you Benj for the inspiration for this devotional.
Anyone not familiar with the riveting account of King Hezekiah’s brilliance in building this tunnel and how it kept them safe from the invading armies of Assyria needs to read this spectacular account in Kings and Chronicles. In today’s devotional, I want to take a closer look at this riveting story.
Judea and the Assyrians
Around 2,600 years ago, the Assyrian Empire was on a conquering streak. At the time, it was the largest kingdom in history, and the little Kingdom of Judah was no match, losing most of its territory in waves of attacks. The legendary Judean King Hezekiah was forced to humble himself before the Assyrians and pay them an inordinate amount. He even sawed off the golden doors from the Holy Temple and had them shipped to Assyria, in the hope that whatever little remained of his kingdom would be left alone.
But the Assyrians were not satisfied. An army of nearly 200,000 amassed at the outskirts of Jerusalem, threatening to snuff out the last morsel of Jewish independence. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent a Jewish renegade to curse the Jews and insult their King in Hebrew, which struck terror into the Israelites’ hearts. It looked like their case was hopeless. Hezekiah turned to God in prayer, and in response, the prophet Isaiah came with a Divine message:
Therefore, so has the Lord said concerning the king of Assyria: “He shall not enter this city; neither shall he shoot there an arrow, nor shall he advance upon it with a shield, nor shall he pile up a siege mound against it.”
In what remains one of the great mysteries of history, the mighty Assyrian army perished overnight on the foothills of Jerusalem on the first night of Passover, and Judea was miraculously saved. Listen to this bone-chilling verse in 2 Kings 19:35. “And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE THOUSAND; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses, – all DEAD. Sennacherib, King of Assyria learned a powerful lesson; Don’t mess with the Lord God of Israel!
Every time I read this amazing account of how God protected His people from what would have surely been a massacre. I’m reminded that God’s Angel’s are anything but cute cuddly creatures who watch over and protect us. After reading this account, you will never forget that you don’t mess with Angels. God sent his Angel on a single night to obliterate an entire army of soldiers that were coming against God’s people. Never forget that God can call upon His Angels to execute Judgment when necessary.
The King got what was coming to him. “The Destruction of Sennacherib” retells a biblical story in which God sends an Angel to destroy the Assyrian army that is about to lay siege to the holy city of Jerusalem. The mightiness of God could be considered the poem's central, overarching theme. The story's climactic ending is not what you might expect. Sennacherib's two sons betray him, stabbing him in the back as he prays before a pagan idol. His death saves the Israelites from Assyrian occupation.
Hezekiah’s Tunnel
Anticipating a devastating attack by the Assyrians, King Hezekiah fortified the walls of Jerusalem and bolstered its defenses. But one thing troubled him in particular: Jerusalem’s main water source lay outside the city walls. Not only would they lose access to their water supply, but the enemy would enjoy an unlimited amount of water for its troops. Under such circumstances, Jerusalem was in the gravest danger.
According to the Biblical story, Hezekiah launched one of the most technologically complex operations in all of ancient history. He decided to reroute the water source into the city limits, thereby securing his own water supply whilst depriving his enemy access. But how could this be done? Only by boring a lengthy tunnel through solid rock!
Here is how the incredible project is described in the Book of Chronicles:
Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and his face was directed to wage war against Jerusalem. So he took counsel with his officers and his mighty men to stop up the waters of the fountains that were outside the city, and they assisted him.
And a large multitude gathered and stopped up all the fountains and the stream that flowed in the midst of the land, saying, "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?"
He, Hezekiah, stopped up the source of the waters of the upper Gihon, and he led them straight down on the west to the City of David, and Hezekiah prospered in all his works.
Some 500 years later, the Romans laid ruin to Jerusalem. The city became virtually uninhabited, and gradually the tunnel became hidden. The astonishing feat could only be read about in the Bible: the legendary tale of a heroic king who made water flow through rock.
A Great Discovery
History records that in 1838, American researcher Edward Robinson discovered the tunnel and conducted the first modern study. The work of researchers over the years has revealed that this accomplishment was even more astonishing and breathtaking than anyone could have imagined. It turned out that the full length of the water tunnel is approximately 534 meters (1,752 feet) —over a third of a mile—through solid rock!
One of the most amazing discoveries was that the tunnel had been cut by two groups of workers approaching each other from opposite ends. How could they have been able to meet up at the exact same spot without sophisticated, modern equipment? To this day, no one has been able to provide an adequate explanation for how they could have navigated through the rock with such precision.
Another mystery is how the workers had had enough oxygen to breathe, and for their lanterns. The long tunnel has virtually no inlets for air or light. How could they have breathed 150 feet into a mountain, many hundreds of feet from the entrance, without becoming asphyxiated?
Moreover, when the tunnel was fully scoped out, researchers were astonished to discover that the entire length of more than half a mile is almost perfectly level. The height difference between the entrance and the exit is hardly more than one foot. It is nearly impossible to imagine how this could have been accomplished without modern-day equipment.
A Look To The Past
In 1880, researchers discovered that the workers had not only left a record of their efforts, but provided vital insight into how the project was undertaken. For the first time, it became clear that two teams were working towards each other from either end. It even records the moment when, on the day the tunnel became complete, each group could hear the other approaching. Reading their inscription, it is hard not to sense their overwhelming excitement at having pulled it off. Here is what they inscribed (with missing words in brackets):
The tunneling [was completed]. This is the narrative of the tunneling: While [the stone-cutters were wielding] the picks, each toward his co-worker, and while there were still three cubits to tunnel through, the voice of a man was heard calling out to his co-worker, because there was a fissure in the rock, running from south [to north]. On the (final) day of tunneling, each of the stonecutters was striking (the stone) forcefully so as to meet his co-worker, pick after pick. Then the water began to flow from the source to the pool, a distance of 1,200 cubits. And 100 cubits was the height of the rock above the head of the stone-cutters.
Shortly after its discovery, this remarkable inscription was chiseled out and removed by the Ottoman Turks, causing some damage. It is currently housed at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. To this day, that inscription remains one of the most significant finds of ancient Hebrew writing. It gives testimony to a unique moment in history, and provides a compelling voice for the people who participated in this momentous project.
Archeologists have debated for decades whether the tunnel is indeed the one described in the Bible as constructed by Hezekiah. In 2003, a radiometry test was conducted by researchers from the Hebrew University in Israel and Reading University in England, and they set the tunnel in the timeframe of Hezekiah. The matter is now pretty much settled: our tunnel is indeed the one constructed by Hezekiah.
If You Visit The Holy Land – Take a trip through Hezekiah’s Tunnel
Any visitor to Jerusalem can see this historical site for themselves. In an immersive experience that allows one to feel the all-encompassing history, the visitor can descend into the tunnel, and walk – partially wading in knee-deep water – through the tunnel. One can see all the markings from the pickaxes that made their impression on the stone millennia ago. One can stand at the exact spot where the two groups of workers finally broke through and imagine their excitement at coming together. I hope my friend and his wife are able to walk through the entire tunnel. I read an article that said on a good day, without too much foot traffic, you can walk through the tunnel in around 20 minutes. With a huge crowd is may take as long as 40 minutes.
The tunnel culminates in a pool, called the Shiloach Pool, which is where the priests would immerse before ascending to the Holy Temple.
What Did the Rabbis Say?
Having accomplished such an amazing feat, Hezekiah’s tunnel received undiluted acclaim, right? Well, not so fast.
The Talmud lists the stopping up of the Gihon river as something that the rabbis did not approve of. Rashi explains that the rabbis felt that “Hezekiah should have trusted the Holy One Blessed is He, who promised ‘I will protect this city, to save it.’ ” As it turned out, there was no need for the tunnel because the whole Assyrian army was wiped out anyway.
Nevertheless, other classical sources state that Hezekiah’s “mind aligned with that of the Omnipresent,” and is listed as something for which Hezekiah was praised. In fact, in the Hoshanot service on the seventh day of the festival of Sukkot, Jewish people invoke Hezekiah’s righteousness. Among the deeds referenced is how he stopped up the streams of water in the face of the Assyrian “desecrater.”
I checked out one of my histories of the Old Testament and read about the great Sephardic scholar, Rabbi Chaim Yosep David Azulai (the Chida, 1724-1806), suggesting that both positions can be reconciled. The sages in the times of Hezekiah did indeed mostly disapprove of his actions, but God nevertheless approved of what he did, since he had a valid reason for doing so. The Talmud advances the view that given the majority of the sages at the time were against the idea, Hezekiah should have heeded their advice. It can still be true – as the other sources say – that having gone with his own judgment in this instant, his decision was met with Divine favor.
Final Thought:
What does Hezekiah's tunnel prove?
"Hezekiah's tunnel, which still brings water into Jerusalem to this day, was an incredible feat of engineering; along with the epigraphical evidence - the accompanying Siloam Inscription - Hezekiah's tunnel demonstrates once again the historical reliability of the Biblical account."
Hezekiah was one of the few kings of Judah who was constantly aware of God’s acts in the past and His involvement in the events of every day. The Bible describes Hezekiah as a king who had a close relationship with God, one who did “what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God” (2 Chronicles 31:20).
God grant that we would ‘dare to be a Hezekiah’
From: Fight the Good Fight of Faith & Life Journal: By Gregg Harris
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