Hezekiah has a real crisis at hand. Jerusalem was under siege and fighting for her life.
• In chapter 18 they were confronted with a psychological warfare at the wall, bombarded by depressing words from the Assyrian field commander.
• Hezekiah commanded his people at the wall not to answer the enemy.
• That’s wisdom in the face of mockery and intimidation. We don’t always have to argue or debate with our adversary.
What could Hezekiah do? In chapter 19, we see him going into the Temple of the Lord twice, in verse 1 and then again in verse 14.
• That’s what we need to do in a crisis. Keep our focus right. Read 2 Kings 19:1-4.
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The first thing Hezekiah did was to go into the Temple of the Lord.
• He sought God and refused to be distracted by the difficult circumstance and discouraging words. He directed his focus on God and prayed (most likely).
He needed to hear from God and so he sent his men to look for prophet Isaiah at the same time. God speaks through His prophet.
• For him, it’s Isaiah; for us, it’s the Scriptures today.
• Hezekiah related his plight and asked Isaiah to plead with God.
• He was without strength, like a pregnant woman who finally goes into labour but cannot deliver because all her strength has been drained by the long struggle.
Hear God’s response through Isaiah - 2 Kings 19:5-7.
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Isaiah responded immediately with the Word from the Lord.
• God assures the King - 19:6b-7 “Do not be afraid of what you have heard - those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Listen! I am going to…”
• You’ve been hearing these words of man and you are afraid. LISTEN to another voice. LISTEN! Pay attention to what the Lord says!
What are we allowing to enter our minds? If we listen only to the words of man and pay attention to them, we will be misled and afraid.
• LISTEN to what God says. “I am going to…” the Lord says.
• He revealed a plan. God has a plan! In a hopeless situation, God already has a plan. This is what the Lord will do, Isaiah declared.
It is a revelation of what is to come, and it’s quite unbelievable!
• God will step in and cause King Sennacherib to hear a certain report and he will retreat to his own country upon hearing it (19:7). Assyria will retreat on its own.
• And not only that, but the King Sennacherib will die a violent death when he reaches home.
This is entirely an act of God. Nothing that Hezekiah can do. He just has to stay put and watch it happen!
• Why didn’t God act earlier? Why didn’t God announce this at the beginning, before all the troubles?
• We don’t know. What we do know is that through the crisis Hezekiah learnt that God’s Word is true and he can trust God.
• Trust in God comes, not APART from trials, but THROUGH them.
See how God unfolds His plan - 2 Kings 19:8-13.
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See map. While the field commander was at Jerusalem mocking Hezekiah, his King Sennacherib left Lachish and was fighting Libnah.
• It was at this time they heard a report that Egypt was marching out to fight them.
• The field commander has no choice but to leave with his men to defend his King.
And because this would look like the Assyrians are withdrawing from Jerusalem, the field commander issued his final ultimatum to Hezekiah, a written one.
• He added more places to the list of victories (totally 10) that the Assyrians had conquered in ALL the countries, adding 5 new names that he had not previously mentioned in his first threat (18:33-34).
• Again Hezekiah responded in the same way – he went into the Temple of the Lord.
• Listen to his prayer - 2 Kings 19:14-19.
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Spreading the letter before God, Hezekiah prayed.
• And it turned out to be less of a petition but more like a praise of God. He was acknowledging how great God is.
• For someone in such a state, we expected him to plead with God and tell Him how BIG his problem is. Instead, we have him telling us how BIG his God is.
Hezekiah acknowledges the greatness of his God.
• He is the God of ISRAEL. He is enthroned between the cherubim (angels), which is the picture of the mercy seat above the Ark of the Covenant.
• Exo 25:22 “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.”
• It signifies the Lord’s presence and Hezekiah recognises God’s presence and that He is a Spirit, enthroned between the cherubim, and not a piece of wood or stone.
• He alone is the living God and the Sovereign Lord over all the kingdoms of the earth (including Assyria). He’s the mighty Creator of heaven and earth.
What exactly are we looking at in a crisis? Our hopeless situation? Our difficult circumstances? Or are we looking up to God?
• We pray and focus on our problems; Hezekiah prays and sees the sovereign God enthroned.
• We pray and focus on our circumstances; Hezekiah prays and sees God’s rule over all the kingdoms of the earth.
• We pray and focus on what we want. Hezekiah prays that through God’s deliverance all kingdoms on earth may know that He alone is God. (19:19).
When we pray, we tend to tell God our big problems. Turn it around. “Tell” the problem that we have a BIG God.
• Pray with our eyes on God, not the problems. The longer we stare at our difficulties, the bigger they become, in our minds. The bigger they seem.
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The Lord responded AGAIN (second time) to his prayer.
• 2 Kings 19:20-21 20Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 21This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him…
• 19:21-34 is the prophecy of Sennacherib’s fall. We read that also in Isaiah 37 (1st Sunday of July as our Scripture Reading).
• We’re not going to read through. I just quote you the last part.
• 19:32-34 32"Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: "He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. 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."
The Lord hears our prayers. We may sometimes feel otherwise because of prolonged silence or that nothing seems to be moving.
• The truth remains. God is watching over us and He hears our prayers.
• We keep on praying and trust God to do what is necessary to accomplish His own will.
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See how God executes His plan - 19:35-36
• 35“That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning - there were all the dead bodies! 36So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
Hezekiah did what he possibly can, in defending Jerusalem. He prayed and entrusted to God for what he cannot do.
• 2 Chron 32 tells us what Hezekiah did during the siege.
• 32:2-5 2When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem, 3he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. 4A large force of men assembled, and they blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?" they said.
This tunnel is now called the Siloam Tunnel, also known as Hezekiah's Tunnel - a water tunnel that was carved underneath the City of David in Jerusalem, redirecting the spring water into the city. So that Jerusalem can withstand a long siege.
Hezekiah did what he possibly can, but ultimately, trusted God to do what he could not – defend Jerusalem.
• He did nothing in the final deliverance. He just watched the deliverance of God!
• His prayer was answered, not just the part about the deliverance but also that all glory and praise be given to God.
We can take heart today because the God who is enthroned above is also the God who is at work on earth.
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When Isaiah and John both saw a glimpse of the heavenly throne and the Lord enthroned, it wasn’t something that will happen one day in the future.
• It wasn’t a preview of what is to come. It was real right then.
In fact, it is real for all time! It has been that way from eternity past and will be for eternity to come.
• God’s supremacy is a fact, from eternity to eternity. It is a fact even so right now, today in 2018.
• That scene won’t change. God has been, is and forever will be, firmly on His throne, in charge and in command.
So let us see that with eyes of faith, and believe that the mighty Hand of God is at work in the midst of the chaos of life.
• “Under the shadow of Thy throne, Thy saints have dwelt secure. Sufficient is Thine arm alone, and our defence is sure.”
• That comes from a hymn. We shall sing this hymn in closing: “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”.
May this perspective of God, captivate us and steady our hearts today.
• Let us keep our focus right.
