Hello my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
As you reflect back over your lifetime, what has been the most outrageous, hard to believe event that you’ve witnessed or even heard about? Was it a tragedy or a wonderful miracle of great good for many people? Come with me again, back to Jerusalem, about 701bc for one of the most amazing, hard to believe events of all time.
If you’ve been on the journey with us recently you know King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem had been taunted by a vast army and an arrogant Sennacherib, emperor of the Assyrian empire, who was intent on conquering Jerusalem and the southern kingdom of Judah. For Assyrians these military conquests, which had been changing the map of the middle east for the past century, were not simply about military conquest or empire enlargement.
Each victory was a spiritual victory for every army which was forced to surrender, every city which succumbed to Assyrian domination, also watched their religions shattered and humiliated. Their temples burned, their altars and idols smashed, as the Assyrians proved the gods of all nations to be nothing but figments of imaginations and the handiwork of craftsmen.
You’ll recall Sennacherib had sent a blasphemous letter to Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem proclaiming the God of Israel was nothing more than any other false god and would be demolished along with his Temple in Jerusalem when the Assryian army did to Jerusaelm what they had done to so many other cities, including Samaria and the northern kingdom of Israel.
Hezekiah had spread that blasphemous letter out before God in the Temple and asked God to rise up and defend His name and His honor against Sennacherib. Yesterday we saw the prophet Isaiah received a message from God and sent it to King Hezekiah.
The message read: “This is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria. ‘He will NOT enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will NOT come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city’ declares the LORD. ‘I will defend this city and save it for My sake and for the sake of My servant David!” (Is. 37:33-35)
Now friends we have no record of how Hezekiah and the people responded to Isaiah’s message, but we do have Isaiah’s report of the incredible miracle which God did!! Isaiah 37:36 reads: “Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death 185,000 in the Assyrian camp! When the people got up the next morning – there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there…”
Who exactly is this ‘angel of the LORD’? Isaiah doesn’t tell us, but I’ve shared with you before that many Bible scholars believe when that specific phrase is used in the Old Testament, it is none other than a “pre-Bethlehem” appearance of the Son of God, Jesus, in angelic form. By what means this mighty angel slew 185,000 soldiers in one night, we do not have a description. What we do have is the remarkable fulfillment of God’s promised deliverance, accomplished in a most amazing way!
Furthermore, you’ll recall God had told Isaiah to tell King Hezekiah that Sennacherib would abandon his threatened attack plan on Jerusalem and would actually return home to Nineveh taking with him what few soldiers may have survived that terrifying night! Rather than a triumphant march dragging Israelite prisoners of war behind, Sennacherib himself and perhaps his few remaining soldiers rushed down the road as quickly as possible, heading home in humiliating defeat!
2 Chronicles 32:21 describes it this way: “And the LORD sent an angel who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So Sennacherib withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword!”
Now pause right here for a moment friends and try to wrap your mind around the description of this remarkable, unbelievable, almost indescribable, miraculous event. An entire army threatening to destroy Jerusalem, annihilated in one night by an angel of God! The most powerful man in the world, Emperor Sennacherib of the vast Assyrian Empire, slaughtered by his own sons, in the temple of his god as he worshiped before a man made statue!
Do we understand what Almighty, Holy God of Israel has accomplished here? Not one arrow was shot. No Israelite warrior raised his hand. God Himself did to Sennacherib’s army what God had done to Pharaoh’s army which pursued Moses and the fleeing Israelite slaves as they left Egypt and fled through the God opened Red Sea, do you remember? (Exodus 14:23-30)
God defended Jerusalem as He had promised He would. Sennacherib did not set foot inside Jerusalem. His army shot not one arrow at the walls or made any attempt to break down the gates of Jerusalem. I wonder how long it took the people of Jerusalem to bury 185,000 dead enemy soldiers? Can you imagine the stockpile of weapons and uniforms, carts and horses and ammunition which was left behind and collected by the people of Jerusalem? Can you imagine the stories the people of Jerusalem told their grandchildren who then told their grandchildren for decades to come?
The writer of 2 Chronicles summarizes this miracle and this season of time in Jerusalem with these few but very powerful words: “So the LORD God saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. The LORD took care of them on every side. Many people brought thank offerings for the LORD to Jerusalem. From then on king Hezekiah was highly regarded by all the nations.” (2 Chronicles 32:22,23)
Now can you imagine my friends what life was like in Jerusalem for the next weeks, months and even years, as the people lived in the shadow of this remarkable miracle? Can you imagine the family conversations praising God? Can you imagine how busy the Temple was with people bringing their thank offerings and worshiping. Can you imagine what the next Passover was like as the people gathered together to praise the one and only God of Israel?
It stands as one of the most amazing, remarkable, historic events in the history of Israel. I wonder how many Rabbis in Israel have read these chapters lately and called out to God to do it again?
In closing, I have a simple question for all of us,today. Do these last few days of our journey with Hezekiah and Isaiah give you further insight into the wonder of God and His watchcare over His people?
Are you facing something that warrants you bringing it to God with as much faith and passion as both Isaiah and Hezekiah did?
Do you trust God enough to do something similar in your life situation? Here’s a great worship song to help us celebrate our great, miracle working God!
Today’s Scripture: Is. 37:33-38 & 2 Chronicles 32:20-23.
Choose below to read or listen.
Isa. 37:33-38
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2 Chronicles 32:20-23
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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