II Kings 19:12 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?
Gozan was in the north of Syria, and Israelites had been taken there against their will, Haran was well known to the Israelites as the place where Abraham stayed after he left Ur, until his father passed away, and Jacob lived there with Laban (Gen 30:43). Nearby to Haran was Rezeph – a well-known fortress that the Assyrians captured easily. Telassar is most likely in Babylonia – also mentioned in Isaiah (Isa 37:12).
The enemy is not simply listing a random list of place names off the top of his head to show how powerful they are. Rather each place has a significance to the hearers, which would resonate with them. The enemy is deliberately aiming to erode their confidence, by reminding the Israelites how they, the Assyrians, have won previous battles.
Our enemy has the same tactics for us today – he will remind us of our personal and peculiar failures, mistakes, losses and history. When he does that we can remind him of his future. That at the end of time he will publicly – before all creation – bow down on his knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. After this he, and all his demons will be swept away into the eternity of hell – which was made with him in mind.
He does not like to be publicly reminded of his future – which is why I say it out loud as a prayer – so he and his minions can hear it.
James (Jesus’s brother) reminds us in his writing (4:7) “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Rests the devil, and he will flee from you”.
Two steps for us – first, each day commit our lives afresh to the cause of Jesus Christ, our hearts all in. Second, as I mentioned above – resist the devil. And he is gone.
Hezekiah and his team submitted themselves to God in all their ways – and then they resisted the enemy – let’s keep reading and see how that works out?
Principle of Change 48 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Rests the devil, and he will flee from you
Strength – Consistency – you don’t just talk about your values, you model them.