WORD STUDY – FORSAKE
II Chronicles 32:31: “Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God, left him, to try him that he might know all that was in His heart.”
Forsake – Hebrew: azavu – to forsake, leave behind, to step back.
The question that surfaces here is what does it mean that God left Hezekiah to try him so he could know all that was in his heart. Doesn’t God know our hearts? Does he really have to leave us to test us so He can know our hearts?
First I need to give a little history lesson. Hezekiah, the king of Judah, was the son of Ahaz and he was a good Godly king. He destroyed all the idolatry he could get his hands on and even destroyed the bronzed serpent fashioned by Moses because people started worshipping the serpent. Here’s the kicker, despite all these Godly acts, Judah went through some of it most trying times to date. The Assyrian army, led by their king Sennacherib, invaded both Israel and Judah and took control of the Northern Kingdom and almost succeeded in taking Judah. According to the clay tablets penned by the old boy himself, we learn Sennacherib, the proverbial politician called his great defeat a victory and said he conquered 46 cities and forced King Hezekiah to pay him tribute. This is all true but he does not mention that in one night, according to verse 21 in II Chronicles 32, an angel brought a plague on Sennacherib’s army. History tells us they came down
with the trots. Nonetheless, 185,000 soldiers died and Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace. Two years later his brothers killed him as he was leaving a pagan temple.
Now the political climate at this time put Babylon in the cross hairs of Assyria and they were having a hard time fighting them off, as was Hezekiah and Egypt. Babylon sent an envoy to meet with Hezekiah, under the ruse of congratulating him on his great healing (II Kings 20:1) and the supernatural deliverance of Jerusalem (II Kings 19:35). Also they were intrigued by the miracle of the sun dial (II Kings 20:1-11) which God sent to confirm that Hezekiah would not die from his illness. This greatly interested the Babylonians who were astronomers and watched the skies where such an event would have made quite an impression on them. Yet, the real purpose of this envoy was to encourage Hezekiah to join in an alliance against Assyria. So what does Hezekiah do? Rather than seize this great evangelistic opportunity and tell them of God’s love and faithfulness, Hezekiah goes and shows off all the wealth and military might that they had and never once
mentions God in any of this. This must have really broken God’s heart.
This brings us to our verse today where we learn that when these ambassadors arrived, God left. God wanted to “try” him so He could know his heart. The word “left” is “azavu” which is in a Qal form. More telling this is in a perfect tense and in a passive voice. In other words, God had already put Hezekiah’s heart to the test. He knew what Hezekiah intended to do and God could not be a part of this great act of disobedience in trying to impress the arm of the flesh. God had already left, or forsook him. Yet, I am troubled by the fact that this word forsook or “azavu” is in a Qal (simple verbal) form and not a Piel (intensive form). Thus, forsook is a little harsh, as Qal has more of the idea of stepping back rather than forsaking. The reason for this stepping back is found within that word “azavu.” It is spelled “Ayin – blindness, Zayin – protection, and “Beth” the heart. Hezekiah was blinded to the fact that his
heart was set upon the arm of the flesh to protect him and not upon God. Babylon was the very nation that in a few years would take Judah captive, yet here was Hezekiah depending upon these people to help him rather than using the great miracles that God performed to encourage these pagan rulers to put their trust in God Jehovah.
The syntax is pretty rough here, but I believe the pronouns point to Hezekiah and the last pronoun points to God. In other words God left Hezekiah to “try” which is a Piel Infinitive for the root word “nasah.” This word does mean to tempt, or to try. But there is another usage; it is to write an essay. “His heart,” in proper syntax is referring to God’s heart. God was leaving Hezekiah so Hezekiah could study (essay) God’s heart.
Here is the picture being painted in the Hebrew. It is a picture of a lover who has faithfully given and cared for his beloved only for her to take all his gifts to adorn herself to impress another lover. God is the forsaken lover, who steps back and lets his unfaithful beloved pursue another lover, hoping that in the process she will understand how she has broken His heart.
You know, you get used to God. He answers your prayers and provides for you and before long you tend to take him for granted. Whenever you need something, God is right there, Johnny on the spot, to help. Then one day He does not come through and you start to feel abandoned by God. I believe He is answering you in this verse. He did not abandon you in the Piel form but in the Qal form. He is merely stepped back hoping you will study (nasah- essay) His heart. Hoping you will see how you have used His blessings to adorn yourself and impress another god (recognition, financial security, pride etc.) rather than just going forward depending on him and finding your comfort in Him and not in the arm of the flesh. That is hard to do as everything in you cries out to get some comfort and encouragement from Babylon rather than declare to Babylon that your trust is in the Lord.
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