Click HERE to read the passage.
Wow! Today’s reading is FULL of powerful insights,
veritable truths, miracles, and lessons on how our enemy (Satan) likes to
work! Honestly, in my opinion, if you
can just read and re-read these chapters daily for about a week, you’ll have
more faith in our wonderful God!
Let’s take a look at what we can learn!
In the 14th year of Hezekiah’s reign as king
of Judah, tragedy strikes! The powerful
Assyrian army has sent it’s ambassador, Sennacherib, to Judah to inform King
Hezekiah’s ambassadors of impending doom through warfare. However, at the same
time, in order to avoid the unnecessary headaches of war – death, financial
costs, etc - Sennacherib offers mercy as well.
He tries to bargain with King Hezekiah. He offers the inhabitants of
Judah an escape from a horrible death by sword - if they would simply surrender
and allow them to be carried as exiles to Assyria.
Notice how Satan works!
We have to keep in mind that behind evil plans are the
works of Satan and his demonic forces (which can be found in my book via Amazon,
“Angels: Unlocking The Mystery”). The
Assyrians don’t worship God, they worship man-made idols – which God hates! They
are simply being used as a tool that God is using to get Judah’s attention and
to a place of repentance from sin. You can easily see that behind Sennacherib’s
words is the message of deception – which Satan uses to destroy us! Notice how
subtle it works:
First, Sennacherib (under the influence of demonic
forces) asks a great question! Note 36:4
– “This is what the great king of Assyria says: What
are you trusting in that makes you so confident?” Even though
Sennacherib asks this question under the influence of demonic forces, it’s a
GREAT QUESTION! When trouble comes, this
is probably the greatest question you could ever ask yourself, “What or Who am
I putting my trust in?” Often times we find ourselves looking to medication,
doctors, the advice of close friends, etc. for help. During those times we often
forget God and the need to put our trust in Him. Can you not agree that this is perhaps the
greatest place to start – asking WHO or WHAT you’re trusting in?
Second, Sennacherib ((under the influence of
demonic forces) reminds them that “mere words” can’t deliver you (36:5)! And,
guess what, these demonic forces are right!
Essentially, Sennacherib is saying, “You can’t scare us or deter us with
anything you say, so don’t even try! Your words mean nothing!” So many people
think if they can just talk themselves through or create positive thoughts then
problems might go away. It may be true for some things, but not for difficult
events like the one Judah is facing. So, please capture this important
lesson! Words do matter – but only if
they’re directed to God! Satan will tell
you that your words (praying) to God won’t gain you anything. Don’t believe him!
Words do matter when couched in prayer to the Living God!!
Third, Sennacherib (under the influence of demonic
forces) reminds them that “your allies” can’t help either (36:5). Again, these
demonic forces who are influencing Sennacherib are right! Satan and his demons
know the truth! They just don’t follow the truth or want us to follow God’s
truth. But, here’s the lesson…how often
do we turn to friends and family for help when problems arise? While it’s not wrong to seek the help of
others, the point is “where are you putting your trust for deliverance?” God
wants us to put Him first! Remember
Matthew 6:33 – “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you
everything you need.”
Fourth, Sennacherib makes an attempt to cause the
people of Judah to lose faith in their leader, King Hezekiah! (36:7) He
ingeniously tries to implant a lie saying that God is angry with King
Hezekiah. When I read this passage, it
reminds me of how often I’ve heard people say, “I believe God must be angry
with me, and that’s why I’ve got this problem. So what’s the use in praying?” If Satan can make you lose faith in our
Leader – God – then he’s on his way to winning the battle in your life. Don’t
let him have that edge!
Fifth, notice how Sennacherib then causes the
people to look at their own frailties and weaknesses (36:9). Look how he
diminishes the power of Judah’s army by making fun of them. He calls them, “your
tiny army.” That’s exactly what Satan
does to us today! He causes us to focus
our attention on our frailties and weaknesses. When we do that, we tend to lose
all hope. The fact is, we are weak, but our God is strong!
Sixth, now Sennacherib is creating a untrue narrative
about God for the ultimate purpose of causing them to lose faith in their God
(36:9-10)! Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever said, “I don’t believe God can
help me.”? That’s the whisper of Satan. If he can cause you to doubt God’s
ability, he’s WON!!!
In fact, in 36:18-20, Sennacherib tells the people of
Judah that their army has destroyed every god of every nation that they’ve
encountered in battle. Then, he proceeds to mock Judah’s God – the One True God
of Heaven! This last incriminating statement from Sennacherib infuriates the
God of Heaven to the point that it becomes the death penalty for Sennacherib,
as you’ll see in 37:38. Never make fun
of God!
And notice how personal God takes this! He takes
vengeance on Sennacherib…
-
“Listen! I
myself will move against him, and the king will receive a
message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I
will have him killed with a sword.’” (37:7)
The Godly Reaction In Desperate Situations!
Hezekiah, fortunately, begins a process that ends in a
miracle from the hand of God! Notice what Hezekiah does that grants such favor
from God:
-
He humbled himself! He acknowledging his
weakness and need before God and the people!
(37:1)
-
He prayed to God! (37:1) Instead of worrying and fretting, he went to
God first!
-
He asks the leaders to humble and pray! (37:2)
-
He sought Godly advice! (37:2)
-
He desired God’s glory! (37:20)
The Amazing Miracle – 185,000 Assyrian soldiers die!
The miracles of the Bible never cease to amaze me! In 37:36-38, we read about one of the most
amazing miracles of the Bible. God sends His angel to destroy most of the army of
Assyria. There’s only a few soldiers God spared to serve as witnesses to this
miracle from God. Over 185,000 soldiers die in one night! And, Sennacherib is
killed by his two sons! Just like God
says in Romans 12:9 – “Beloved, do not avenge
yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”
2 More Amazing Miracles Happen!
As we finish out chapter 38, we see
two more incredible miracles. King Hezekiah has contracted a deadly disease,
and He sends Isaiah to inform him to get his affairs in order for he was going
to die. But Hezekiah, when hearing this, turns to the wall and begins days of
praying – begging God for healing and reminding God of the good he’s done for
His glory and the desire to continue this good work. God relents, and gives
King Hezekiah 15 more years of health. And as proof, God causes the sun’s shadow
on a sundial to go backwards! Only God can do this! It happened once before when Joshua was
fighting against the Amalekites, and God causes the earth to go backward on it’s
rotation around the sun!
The Sad Attitude of King Hezekiah!
Sadly, Hezekiah was living too
haphazardly. He had forgotten that distant lands could still invade, and probably
fell into a false sense of security. He entertains some ambassadors from Babylon
– a long distant land from Judah – showing them everything within the walls of
Jerusalem. These ambassadors, as we’ll soon find out, were simply military
scouts looking to see what was available for the taking. Eventually, the
Babylonian empire will conquer the Assyrian empire, but Hezekiah doesn’t know
this yet. At least, not until Isaiah tells him what God has told him about the
Babylonians.
Even more sad, is that after Hezekiah
hears about the eventual invasion of Babylon who will not only destroy Jerusalem
and the entire nation of Judah, but Hezekiah’s own grandchildren and great grandchildren
will be taken into captivity and become slaves. In spite of this horrible news,
Hezekiah reacts with joy! Why? Because he’s glad it won’t happen to him and during
his reign. Talk about self-centeredness! Wow!
What do you think of today’s reading?
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