THE WORD THE LORD HAS SPOKEN. 2nd Kings 19 Isaiah had been ministering to the people of Judah for around forty years when Hezekiah sought him out for wisdom and understanding from God. He needed to know how to respond to the invasion of the Assyrians. In the past, Isaiah had reached out to ungodly Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah, to give him advice and then prophesied the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ [Isa.7]. Likely, Hezekiah was the son who was with Ahaz at that time. Now, godly Hezekiah was seeking a message from God through Isaiah. He knew God knew what was happening and wanted God to act on behalf of His people.
Attitude in prayer is not just demonstrated by the words we speak or the tone of voice we use but can be recognized by our posture and the sincerity evident by the respect we see in these put together. Hezekiah needed support in the national crisis he was facing and gathered those he trusted in the house of the Lord. Isaiah had been a significant voice for God for forty years, and Hezekiah needed his intercession. Isaiah's spiritual understanding brought divine light to Hezekiah, and his prayer was answered.
It is often a reassuring and strengthening aspect of fellowship when we let others who know the Lord, particularly mature believers, know our problems. They can join in intercessory prayer on our behalf, and we are comforted when the burdens we bear are shared by those we trust. Prayer should be our first response to any situation that arises. When we understand that God is involved in every activity of our lives, we will not wait until things seem hopeless but recognize that God can use these difficulties for His own opportunities. One earnest, effective prayer can change the course of a nation, let alone our own life.
God knows everything we face in life, and it must satisfy Him when we take each matter and spread it before Him. No secrets remain when we open the whole thing before the Lord like Hezekiah did when he opened the threatening letter before the Lord. Speaking of a matter openly and letting Him know we have confidence in His word and promises indicates our dependence and faith in Him. His guidance is given as a result of praying in faith.
God dwells with His people even though He is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. The insults and blasphemy made against Him by unbelievers are known by Him, and He will deal with them in His own time and way. The ranting and ravings of ungodly people against those who believe in and love the Lord are no more effective than the howling of a dog at the moon. Our responsibility when the "heathen rage" is to leave the matter with the Lord, who waits in grace for their repentance. He will "have them in derision" and act with divine justice when or if repentance does not come.
The threatening letter Sennacherib sent to Hezekiah moved the king to go to the temple, spread out the letter before the Lord, and, in faith, seek the Lord himself. With reverence, he confidently addressed the living God of Israel, knowing that God was sovereign over all nations. His sovereignty is related to the fact that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things in contrast to the gods of man’s imagination. Not only is God the Creator, but He owns and controls all that happens in the universe.
Every issue in life that concerns us can be brought to the Lord with confidence that any situation is not beyond His knowledge and sovereign control. When we approach God, we must come with respect for who He is and what He can do. “The kingdoms of the earth” learned that the Lord our God delivers us when His people trust Him, obey Him, and live by faith in Him.
Hezekiah acknowledged the sovereignty of God when he prayed in dependence and faith. We should never take God for granted in any way and pray as if He owed us anything. Nor should we be casual or off-hand when we speak to our heavenly Father. He is the Supreme Authority and has power over every situation. Isaiah sent an unsolicited message to Hezekiah that assured him the Lord heard his prayer. How wonderful it must have been to him to get that message in his time of need.
Isaiah was given a message from God to deliver to Hezekiah in the form of a “taunt song” that pronounced judgment on the pride of the Assyrians. Sennacherib seemed to think his empire grew because of his efforts and personal strength instead of God allowing him and his kingdom to be the means God used to deal with the sins of His own people.
The Assyrians ridiculed the people of God and God Himself. In the lengthy answer Isaiah sent, he told the king of the judgment of God that was coming on the Assyrians. He was reminded that God rules over nations and people. God's family relationship with Israel was that of a father and his daughter. Every father wants to protect and defend his daughter from those who would do her harm. More than that, God identified Himself with them as the "Holy One of Israel." The Lord's reply noted the Assyrian king's boasts, arrogance, and presumption. The same things he had done to others would be done to the Assyrians.
The sign of God’s grace was given to Hezekiah in the return of food production from the land produced by the fullness of God. Seedtime and harvest would come again, and the “remnant” would remain as God’s plan of redemption would unfold despite the sins of His chosen people. For the children of Israel, Hezekiah was told by Isaiah there would be a difficult year ahead. The people could live on what was "volunteer" grain that grew without being planted. Seeds that fell during the previous harvest would produce enough to survive. God would sustain them by giving them from the "fullness" of the earth.
By the time they could plant and harvest a crop, the Assyrians would be gone, and they could return to normal living. There would be "a remnant" that would survive throughout the years and be involved in God's plans for the future. If a spark (remnant) exists, a fire can be started again.
Only a small remnant may live by faith, but God can use that to bring a real commitment to Him, both in assemblies and in individual believers in Christ. Catastrophic events cannot always be explained, no matter how hard people try. There are divine principles of life and death in the universe that are beyond human control because they are under the authority of the One who "created all things by the word of His power."
At times, our faith may be faint as we look around us at the sin and departure from the holy standards of God and the unrighteousness that prevails in some of the highest government positions. A society follows the course of failure when its citizens become slaves to sin and are addicted to evil practices that control the minds and hearts of those who follow their leaders. Even then, if our faith is nurtured through the word of God and our open communication with Him, we can “be more than conquerors through Him who loves us.”
The word of the Lord assured Hezekiah that the Assyrians would not enter Jerusalem because the Lord God would defend it Himself for the sake of the promise He made to David. How He carried out that defense cannot be explained as an act of nature or any explanation people try to make. In this extraordinary event, the death of 185,000 soldiers without any human agency was surely a supernatural action taken against those who mocked, ridiculed, and despised the Living God and those who belonged to Him.
Sometimes, the things that happen are not only that we might call - "Save Thou us out of his hand," but are done that "All the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the Lord God, even Thou only." Prayers of desperation are not out of line when they are made in faith with the assurance that our requests are in the range of God's will. Not only were the children of Israel saved by God's intervention, but the arrogance and boasting of Sennacherib ended when his sons murdered him when he was bowing before his idol-god.
It is a lesson for us to learn that when the Lord speaks, every word is true. Every promise will be fulfilled, and every pronouncement of judgment will take place. There are no idle words with God. We can count on what He says and act on what He commands even when we do not know the outcome. By faith, we step ahead confidently because He opens the way before us even when we are afraid. We can trust His word without any reservation.
The enemy of Judah, the Assyrians, gathered there intending to capture Jerusalem, but God turned them back. They were trying to point out they were defenseless against them and everything they lacked. The same practices and challenges are made available to the people of God today who do not join in the religious world’s activities and are separated from the ways and goals of the secular world. We need to be aware that the pressure will always be on us to conform to the ways of the majority of society. Not every action will be the same. When they come again, they’ll take a different tactic to try and defeat God’s people.
It may be in a letter like one that came long ago to Hezekiah, the king of Judah, to let him know they would not be satisfied until there was no testimony left of God’s people in Judah. The Assyrians wanted them to be dispersed throughout the empire so they would lose their identity, the same as had happened to the ten northern tribes of Israel.
We can learn that God already has a plan for us, as well as the Jews, that He will carry out despite the power of society, religion, or nationality, trying to do with strength or deception. To discourage the work of God’s people and the furtherance of the Gospel to lost souls is the objective of the god of this world. But the Lord is not confused; He can read the mail. He knows and allows what enemies do and how they rail against the word of God and those who represent His kingdom. We also know that those who trust in the Lord do not want to fail to fulfill the needs of God’s people.
Let those who intimidate when they roar with loud opposition or slyly seek to undermine the work of God stop to consider when they oppose God; they can’t win. When God’s people plant their feet on the promises God made to His people, they are more than conquerors through Christ. For the sake of His Son, God will protect His “city” and deal with those who show no interest in His full and free salvation. He will leave behind forever all those who were unwilling or ready to be identified with God’s people.