God Show Yourself
2nd Kings 19
It is chapters like these that I love reading because they encourage me in areas I need encouraging. I am convicted on my lack of faith and how I can ask God for my needs because he will meet my needs.
We continue with our story of Hezekiah, king of Judah and the Assyrian threat that arises.
Hezekiah Reacts to the Threat of the Assyrians
When Hezekiah heard the report of Assyria and how they defied who he was and who God was, he tore his clothes and put ash on his head as it was custom for mourning, repentance, and remorse. The good thing is that Hezekiah knew where to go in this time of distress. He went to Isaiah, the prophet, for help. Isaiah tells Hezekiah not to worry but that God will have the Assyrians leave the same way they came. I am sure this brought some comfort to Hezekiah but when comfort comes the enemy is ready to disrupt that comfort.
Another Threat from the Enemy (8-13)
Again the messenger of the Assyrians came to bring news that they better listen and be obedient to them. He mocked them by saying they were foolish to trust that their God would deliver them. He said, “Look at these other nations, their god did not deliver them, what makes you so special?” The one thing that is different is that Israel’s God, the TRUE God is the real deal, not a statue or idol. He is active and we will see how he deals with threats.
Hezekiah Goes to the Lord (14-19)
Instead of Hezekiah going to Isaiah we see him going straight to the Lord in the Temple. He brings the letter of the threat and lays it out before the Lord. He humbly asks God to act so that the Assyrians would know that he is God.
We need to know that Hezekiah was more concerned about the name of God being dragged through the mud than his own life. This reminds me of David and Goliath (1st Samuel 17). Goliath was making fun of Israel and of God; David would not stand for the name calling of God. He was ready to kill the giant because of his lack of respect to the TRUE God.
God Answers (20-37)
This time Isaiah comes to the king and he brings the word of the Lord. God will not stand for this and Hezekiah and Israel will see God’s hand in the removal of Assyria from their land. We do see that God sent an angel to deal with the Assyrians and 185,000 were killed. The king woke up to the site of thousands dead and he probably was a little freaked out by this so he fled the scene and wanted to go home. The sad thing is, this king who thought he was bigger and better than god, was killed by his own sons.
He received his end and we see that a man who thought he was better than God really was more a tool for God to show his power and glory to the nations.
Lessons from Hezekiah
While reading I could not help but reread Hezekiah’s prayer to God a couple of times. There are some things we need to follow by his example.
First, He went to God with his problem.
Literally he took the letter and laid it before God and said, “Here is the problem.” So many times people do not even do this. Are you quick to go to your friends and family with your problems before going to God the creator of the universe with them? I like that he literally took the threats and said, “Here they are, take care of it” God knows everything and yet he wants us to go to him with our problems. Philippians 4:6 tells us to let loose our problems before God. When need to start going to the Great solver of our problems first before going to someone who may make them worse.
Second, He was humble
In reading the prayer you can just sense the humility that this man had when approaching God. We know we are able to have confidence in asking our requests but that does not mean we need to distort humility before God. I was convicted of this just by reading. Am I humble before God? Or, do I act like God owes me something when I pray? Do I think just because I am Jon, God needs to make my life better? Be humble before our Awesome God. Humility is something that Paul challenges us to put on everyday (Colossians 3:12)
Third, He Prayed for God’s Name to Be Known
Most of our prayers probably are more self-centered. It is not wrong to pray for your own needs. If you are sick or some problem, God wants us to ask him for help. But, have you ever prayed just for God to be known? Hezekiah’s life as well as the whole nation was at risk, but he just prayed for God’s Name and glory to be seen. I know this is something where I need to direct my prayers more; that God would just be known as the TRUE God, the God that is shown in the Bible and not what man makes up.
