King Hezekiah, one of the good kings, was threatened by the king of Assyria, the enemy whose spokesman was Rabshakeh. He spoke to them in the Hebrew tongue so all listening would fear. “This is what the king says: Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you from my power. DON’T LET KING HEZEKIAH FOOL YOU into trusting in the LORD by saying, ‘The LORD will surely rescue us. This city will never fall into the hands of the Assyrian king! King Sennacherib’s chief of staff said, “…when we put this city under siege, YOU WILL SUFFER. You will be so hungry and thirsty that you will eat your own dung and drink your own urine.” (2 Kings 18:27-30)
“When King Hezekiah heard this report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, all dressed in burlap, TO THE PROPHET ISAIAH.” (2 Kings 19:1-2) This was Isaiah’s response, “Say to your master, ‘This is what the LORD says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers. Listen! I MYSELF WILL MOVE AGAINST HIM, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So, he will return to his land, where I WILL HAVE HIM KILLED WITH A SWORD.’” (2 Kings 19:6-7)
And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! YOU ALONE ARE GOD of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O LORD, and listen! Open your eyes, O LORD, and see! LISTEN TO SENNACHERIB’S WORDS OF DEFIANCE AGAINST THE LIVING GOD.” (2 Kings 19:15-16)
“That night the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons KILLED HIM WITH THEIR SWORDS.” (2 Kings 19:35-37)
“EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR YOU ARE (always) WITH ME; YOUR ROD AND YOUR STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME.” (Psalms 23:4)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham