The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”
Comment: Until now in the twenty first century AD, and in much of the world, clan or tribal chiefs are considered as kings, because they are the head person in what they consider as their nation. Haile Selassie, head of the significant nation of Abyssinia/Ethiopia was called King of kings but under him were many tribal chieftains who were powerful and respected! Thus Sennacherib was King of Assyria but under him were many vassal kings. When Rabshakeh returned from his trip to Jerusalem there was some trouble with vassal kings having rebelled against their overlord, Sennacherib. Sennacherib had also heard that the king of Cush (Ethiopia) was on the march against him also! When he heard the message that Hezekiah was trusting Jehovah to give the Jews victory, he exploded! His reply to Hezekiah is in gold lettering above.
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.”
After Hezekiah had heard God’s promised victory over Sennacherib, when he got the blistering report from the Assyrian King, he immediately went to pray. We are not told if he went with shaking knees or in confidence, but it was a good place to go! I love the way that Hezekiah prayed, I suspect humbly but with confidence, that all the gods which Sennacherib mentions are the work of man’s hands – which made them potentially a good bonfire! God has ears and eyes and is the living God who can truly help in this hopeless situation!
1 Kings 18 – 21 – “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” – then follows a story. If you don’t remember it then I suggest that you go and read it!
Prayer: God You are worthy of all my trust!