May 27, 2024

Hezekiah was overcome with grief and tore his clothes because he heard that the king of Assyria was coming after his people to take Judah into captivity. He put on sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. The priest sent word to Isaiah, the prophet, about what was happening. 

And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. 2 Kings 19:6-7

Then, the king of Assyria sent a letter telling Hezekiah not to believe what the Lord said and not to trust him; that was a bad idea! Hezekiah took the letter and spread it out before the Lord in the temple. He prayed for God to see the letter, hear what he said in private about Him, and save them from his hands. Isaiah told Hezekiah that God had heard his prayer and would defend this city, to save it, for His own sake and His servant David's sake. Then, an angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and sent the king of Assyria running back home where two of his sons killed him with a sword. 

We must never underestimate what God can do or how much he loves us and righteousness. Hezekiah had brought the people back into the good graces of God, and he defended them vehemently, to the destruction of the Assyrian king and his soldiers. You would be wrong to think he will not defeat the enemy of the people in this day and age. Those who love Him will receive His mercy, and those who deny Him will receive His wrath. We can trust God and count on Him to defend those he loves.