Letters can be wonderful! Especially when we receive them from a loved one. A son whose far away fighting in a war; a father or mother who writes to tells us the illness has passed; a sister who informs us the baby has finally arrived. But there are also those letters that we would never like to receive, such as those that tell us of the death of a loved one, or maybe the one that informs us our spouse has left to find “something better.” And what about the doctor’s letter telling us that the illness is so serious he can only predict a few more months of life? What about the letter from the bank telling us there is no more time and it’s time to repossess the house? It’s as if these letters were sent from enemies themselves.
The Bible teaches about an instance in which king Hezekiah received a letter from Sennacherib, king of Assyria and his most determined enemy. Sennacherib ordered complete surrender, but not without first diplaying his military prowess and personal pride. Sennacherib even had the guts to difame God and compare him with the other gods of the peoples he had conquered. What a terrible situation for Hezekiah! And it became worse when he recieved, at a time like this, letters from the enemy. Under what conditions did Hezekiah receive this letter?
I. HEZEKIAH RECIEVED THE LETTER AFTER DOING THAT WHICH WAS GOOD
“After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself.” (2 Chronicles 32:1)
A. What were those things he had so faithfully done?
1. He reestablished the service in the Temple
a. He repaired and purified the Temple (2 Chronicles 29:3)
b. He gathered the priests and Levites and ordered them to prepare to worship and serve in the Temple (2 Chronicles 29:4-11)
c. He supervised the sacrifices and offerings (2 Chronicles 29:20-24)
d. He led the peopl in worship (Chronicles 29:25-29)
2. He celebrated the Passover
a. Messengers were sent to invite the people (2 Chronicles 30:6)
b. The people came, but they had not been purified (2 Chronicles 30:18)
c. Still, the king did not cast them out, but he prayed for them (2 Chroniles 30:18, 19)
d. God was pleased and He healed the people (2 Chronicles 30:20)
e. The people returned home and they purified their cities (2 Chronicles 31:1)
3. He established a system of contributions for the Temple
a. Contributions, tithes and dedicated gifts were brough (2 Chronicles 31:11)
i. Contributions were offerings
ii. Tithes were the tenth part of a person’s earnings and were used to provide for the needs of the priests and the Levites
iii. The dedicated gifts were given for a specific purpose
b. All this was good and right before the Lord (2 Chronicles 31:20)
4. Today, the enemy will await our decision to do good before he sends us letters
a. When we determine ourselves to serve God
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)
i. In attending services at the church regularly
ii. In preparing our family to worship the Lord
iii. In worshipping God actively along with others
b. When we share with others God’s wonderful works
“I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done – by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.” (Romans 15:18, 19)
i. We’ve been sent as messengers to testify of what God has done for us
ii. We should not feel offended by those who mock us
iii. We should invite people to come just as they are
iv. We do not force anyone to change since God will do that in His own way
c. When we contribute to God’s plan
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6, 7)
i. Through our tithing
ii. Through our offerings
iii. Through our time and effort
II. HEZEKAIH RECEIVED THE LETTER AFTER THE ENEMY SURROUNDED HIM
“Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem…” (2 Chronicles 32:2)
A. This brought serious consequences to Hezekiah and his people
1. The fear of experiencing physical pain
a. 46 fortified cities of Judah had been captured (Isaiah 36:12)
b. Around 200,000 people had been taken captive
c. The kingdom of Israel had been defeated 19 years before
d. Now the Assyrian army was at the doors of Jerusalem
2. Great emotional tension
a. Three high-ranking officials visited Hezekaih (2 Kings 18:17)
i. The supreme commander
ii. The chief officer
iii. The field commander
b. They knew Hezekiah did not have a plan for attack
i. Egypt could not provide support (Isaiah 36:6)
ii. Hezekiah’s kingdom could not even provide warriors for the battle (Isaiah 36:8)
iii. Worst of all, they informed him even God was against him (Chronicles 32:16, 17)
c. They accused Hezekiah of deceiving the people (2 Kings 18:29)
d. They proposed a tempting offer to those who would surrender (2 Kings 18:31, 32)
3. Today, the enemy will send us letters to bring upon us great anxiety
a. He will threaten us with physical harm
i. He will remind us of others’ sufferings and how they were defeated
ii. He will mention his experience in battle and his apparent victory
b. The enemy will make us emotionally unstable
i. He will make us think no one can help us
“I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support” (Isaiah 63:5)
ii. he will make us feel we have no strength to fight
iii. He will tempt us with a quick exit to avoid the fight
iv. He will make us think that even God is against us
III. AFTER RECEIVING THE LETTER, HEZEKIAH PRESENTED IT TO GOD
“Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.” (2 Kings 19:14)
A. Hezekiah seemed to be a very religious person
1. He had obeyed the law of Moses as an expression of his beliefs
a. He had destroyed the altars to the false gods
b. He had purified the Temple
c. But he had not experienced a true encounter with God
“They told him, ‘This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.’” (2 Kings 19:3, 4)
2. The problems he now confronted required complete trust in God
a. He showed his faith by going to the Temple of the Lord (2 Kings 19:14)
b. He showed his faith when he consulted with God’s prophet (2 Kings 19:2-4)
c. He showed his faith when he did not request anyone else’s help
3. In his prayer, Hezekiah did not ask for revenge for personal offenses
“And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: ‘O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.’” (2 Kings 19:15, 16)
a. He recognized God had been offended by Sennacherib’s words
b. He recognized all the other gods had been destroyed by the enemy because they were false
c. He asked for God’s help to save him
4. God was pleased with Hezekiah and He promised salvation
“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. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the LORD.’” (2 Kings 19:32, 33)
5. God will do the same for us today
a. He does not desire that we be simply religious
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelations 3:20)
b. He desires for us to have an encounter with Him
6. This requires that we have complete trust in Him
a. Our trust will be shown by attending His house
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
b. Our trust will be demonstrated when we consult His Word
“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19)
7. God will be pleased with our attitude and action and He will save us
a. Though it may seems as if everything were lost, God will still save us from the letters of our enemy
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9)
It does not matter if you find yourself today trying to do what is right and to serve God with all your heart and strength. Without a doubt the enemy will try to force your surrender. He will surround you with all sorts of evil things and will threaten to defeat you. Not without first offering you an option to surrender and provide you with an apparent peace. But this is only a trap to make you fall faster than what you hoped for. Ultimately, the enemy will send letters in which he will make his threats a lot more certain and he will make you think there is no hope. Yet, take the letters and present them to God. He will remember you and save you. And the enemy’s letters will be cancelled by the words that God spoke to Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah, “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. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the LORD.”
