Hezekiah and Judah faced a serious threat from a powerful military foe, Sennacherib, King of Assyria, but he gave the people of Judah Hope.
7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the PEOPLE GAINED CONFIDENCE from what Hezekiah the KING OF JUDAH SAID. 2 Chronicles 32
There were three voices in the account of the Assyrian attack on Jerusalem and Judah.
The first was the voice of the aggressor telling the people of God all the bad things he was going to do to them. Boastful, proud men who wanted to quench the words of Hezekiah and induce fear in the people. (FEAR, Forsake Everything And Run OR ‘FACE EVERYTHING AND RISE!)
16 Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. 17 The king also wrote lettersridiculing the Lord, the God of Israel, … 18 Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, TO TERRIFY THEM AND MAKE THEM AFRAID IN ORDER TO CAPTURE THE CITY.19 They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—THE WORK OF MEN’S HANDS. 2 Chronicles 32
The voice of the enemy may be the first voice we hear and if it brings fear, then we should RESIST IT!
The text in 2 Chronicles 32 is very short, a single verse, regarding Judah’s response;
20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this.
In 2 Kings 19 we’re told that Hezekiah and his officials, ‘tore their clothes and put on sackcloth’, they humbled themselves greatly. Hezekiah sent them to Isaiah the prophet to tell him all the enemy messengers had said. There follows a lengthy word from the Lord through Isaiah the Prophet, 2 Kings 19:20-34;
21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him:
‘“Virgin Daughter Zion
despises you and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem
tosses her head as you flee. (Exactly what the Assyrians did)
28 Because you rage against me
and because your insolence has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
by the way you came.”
29 ‘This will be the sign for you, Hezekiah:
(God have a miraculous sign that He was with Judah, two years crops without planting. A REVERSAL OF THE CURSE THROUGH ADAM)
33 “By the way that he came he will return;
he will not enter this city
declares the Lord.
34 I will defend this city and save it,
for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
35 That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp.
A wonderful example of God’s faithfulness but what can we learn from it today?
The First voice we hear may be the enemy or our uncrucified flesh, especially if it brings fear. RESIST fear and Ask God for His Word for our situation.
Its not the first to speak, Goliath challenged the armies of Israel every morning and evening for 40 days and nights and they were paralysed with fear. (Mainstream Media broadcasts Fear News every morning and evening and people’s lives have been greatly affected by it) We must get God’s perspective on what’s going on.
Its not the first to speak, but the last left standing that counts!
God bless and keep you today and every day. Immanuel, God is with us.