How did it make you feel?Scared, unsure of yourself, defeated, uncertain, fearful, angry, frustrated, mad…
In many ways, that’s what we have in this section of Isaiah (chapters 36-37).God’s people are being challenged, intimidated, and on a very large scale, bullied.The Assyrian army is coming to destroy them and take them into exile.Today, I would like to let God’s Word speak for itself.So, we are going read the story from 2 Chronicles 32 and Isaiah 36-37.
2 Chronicles 32:1-9 (The Message) 1 And then, after this exemplary track record, this: Sennacherib king of Assyria came and attacked Judah. He put the fortified cities under siege, determined to take them. 2 When Hezekiah realized that Sennacherib’s strategy was to take Jerusalem, 3 he talked to his advisors and military leaders about eliminating all the water supplies outside the city; they thought it was a good idea. 4 There was a great turnout of people to plug the springs and tear down the aqueduct. They said, “Why should the kings of Assyria march in and be furnished with running water?” 5 Hezekiah also went to work repairing every part of the city wall that was damaged, built defensive towers on it, built another wall of defense further out, and reinforced the defensive rampart (the Millo) of the old City of David. He also built up a large store of armaments—spears and shields. 6 He then appointed military officers to be responsible for the people and got them all together at the public square in front of the city gate. Hezekiah rallied the people, saying, 7 “Be strong! Take courage! Don’t be intimidated by the king of Assyria and his troops—there are more on our side than on their side. 8 He only has a bunch of mere men; we have our God to help us and fight for us!” Morale surged. Hezekiah’s words put steel in their spines. 9 Later on, Sennacherib, who had set up camp a few miles away at Lachish, sent messengers to Jerusalem, addressing Judah through Hezekiah:
Isaiah 36:4-22 (The Message) 4 The Rabshekah said to them, “Tell Hezekiah that the Great King, the king of Assyria, says this: ‘What kind of backing do you think you have against me? 5 You’re bluffing and I’m calling your bluff. Your words are no match for my weapons. What kind of backup do you have now that you’ve rebelled against me? 6 Egypt? Don’t make me laugh. Egypt is a rubber crutch. Lean on Egypt and you’ll end up flat on your face. That’s all Pharaoh king of Egypt is to anyone who leans on him. 7 And if you try to tell me, “We’re leaning on our God,” isn’t it a bit late? Hasn’t Hezekiah just gotten rid of all the places of worship, telling you, “You’ve got to worship at this altar”? 8 “ ‘Be reasonable. Face the facts: My master the king of Assyria will give you two thousand horses if you can put riders on them. 9 You can’t do it, can you? So how do you think, depending on flimsy Egypt’s chariots and riders, you can stand up against even the lowest-ranking captain in my master’s army? 10 “ ‘And besides, do you think I came all this way to destroy this land without first getting God’s blessing? It was your God who told me, Make war on this land. Destroy it.’ ” 11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah answered the Rabshekah, “Please talk to us in Aramaic. We understand Aramaic. Don’t talk to us in Hebrew within earshot of all the people gathered around.” 12 But the Rabshekah replied, “Do you think my master has sent me to give this message to your master and you but not also to the people clustered here? It’s their fate that’s at stake. They’re the ones who are going to end up eating their own excrement and drinking their own urine.” 13 Then the Rabshekah stood up and called out loudly in Hebrew, the common language, “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 Don’t listen to Hezekiah’s lies. He can’t save you. 15 And don’t pay any attention to Hezekiah’s pious sermons telling you to lean on God, telling you ‘God will save us, depend on it. God won’t let this city fall to the king of Assyria.’ 16 “Don’t listen to Hezekiah. Listen to the king of Assyria’s offer: ‘Make peace with me. Come and join me. Everyone will end up with a good life, with plenty of land and water, 17 and eventually something far better. I’ll turn you loose in wide open spaces, with more than enough fertile and productive land for everyone.’ 18 Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you with his lies, ‘God will save us.’ Has that ever happened? Has any god in history ever gotten the best of the king of Assyria? 19 Look around you. Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? The gods of Sepharvaim? Did the gods do anything for Samaria? 20 Name one god that has ever saved its countries from me. So what makes you think that God could save Jerusalem from me?’ ” 21 The three men were silent. They said nothing, for the king had already commanded, “Don’t answer him.” 22 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, tearing their clothes in defeat and despair, went back and reported what the Rabshekah had said to Hezekiah.
This field commander is crafty and deceiving God’s people.Church, I want to remind you that we are in a spiritual battle against the evil one.In a battle for truth, righteousness, and the family.Genesis 3:1 (NIV) 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
This field commander was not the only one in Scripture to antagonize people for trusting in God.You may recall when Jesus was on the cross theses words from the religious leaders, Matthew 27:43 (NIV) 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
My friends, these are some exciting days for the Berlin Christian Church.Attendance is growing, relocation is moving slowly, but surely in the right direction.Don’t be mislead.The evil one is trying to disrupt the growth of God’s church.We should not be so ignorant to think that troubles will not come.Hopefully, and I pray that they will not.
Isaiah 37:17-20 (The Message) 17 Listen, O God, and hear. Look, O God, and see. Mark all these words of Sennacherib that he sent to mock the living God. 18 It’s quite true, O God, that the kings of Assyria have devastated all the nations and their lands. 19 They’ve thrown their gods into the trash and burned them—no great achievement since they were no-gods anyway, gods made in workshops, carved from wood and chiseled from rock. An end to the no-gods! 20 But now step in, O God, our God. Save us from him. Let all the kingdoms of earth know that you and you alone are God.”
Isaiah 37:36-37 (The Message) 36 Then the Angel of God arrived and struck the Assyrian camp—185,000 Assyrians died. By the time the sun came up, they were all dead—an army of corpses! 37 Sennacherib, king of Assyria, got out of there fast, back home to Nineveh.
Application:
Key Verse:2 Chr. 32-7-8, “the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.”
When God Fights Our Battles, we have…
1)Peace in the midst of intimidation and conflict.
2)Confidence when we are attacked and face deception.
3)Victory because we can’t win on our own, but with God.
Exciting things happened for the people in the book of Acts when they prayed.
Acts 4:29-31 (NIV) 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Galatians 4:8-11 (NIV) 8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
Remember:7 “Be strong! Take courage! Don’t be intimidated by the king of Assyria and his troops—there are more on our side than on their side. 8 He only has a bunch of mere men; we have our God to help us and fight for us!” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8, The Message)
