II Kings 18:22 – “But if you say to me, “We trust in the LORD our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?”
For the Assyrians it seems like everywhere they had gone till now, they had triumphed. Assyrian writings dated from that period suggest that Assyrians had captured and destroyed 46 other cities in Judah before besieging Jerusalem. They had already marched through Israel and destroyed city after city there as well.
Hezekiah has tried to buy a season of peace, and it had cost him all the Gold and Silver in the city – and no result. He has considered an agreement with Egypt (Judah was sandwiched between Egypt to the south and Assyria to the north, the two main world powers) – no result.
Hezekiah then set the people of the city to construct a tunnel – it was 533m long and curved continually bringing water from a spring to the pool within the main city, and subsequently denying the enemy any supply of water. He also set the people to fortify the city walls, towers and gates.
Hezekiah did everything he could think of to fulfil his role as King in the practical aspects of his responsibilities. He declared days of repentance, and long before the approach of the enemy he had stripped the city of idols and foreign gods. Hezekiah put on a sackcloth and covered himself in ashes to signify his repentant heart before God, and he sought God’s word through the prophet Isaiah. So we see Hezekiah setting out to do everything spiritually that he can as a leader as well.
The enemy is well aware that the Israelites had been mixing their worship of God with the worship of foreign gods for many years and now tries to depict their understanding of God back to them. Sowing doubt if possible.
What principles are available for us today as we consider this story –
One – we can do everything possible practically and spiritually when our backs are to the wall without losing any faith in God – who of us knows what He will use to set us free?
Two – the enemy will look to exploit areas of compromise in our life, sowing doubt, discouragement and making false promises.
Does any of this register with us today? Have we left things undone, practical or spiritual? Is it time to get involved and real with God? What areas have we allowed our culture or friends to influence that do not resonate with the gospel truth?
My prayer for you today is that your faith and wisdom will walk hand in hand ahead and behind you, keeping you safe and preparing you for blessings.
Principle 26 – we have a part to play in trusting God.
Strength - Theme Dynamics: analytical and achiever: Your mind works overtime to understand how something works, and your hands work overtime to get something accomplished. Achiever: you are a pace-setter, dependable, and a strong finisher. You break large tasks into manageable sections and work with stamina and capacity. Analytical: you have a gift of asking the right questions at the right time from the right sources. You can help bring calm in the storms.
There was a lot to do and a lot to understand – the gold and silver had to be stripped from the temple and gathered and transported safely to the king of Assyria – the walls and gates had to be fortified, the idols and high places had to be cut down and destroyed, and 500-metre underground tunnel needed digging and had to connect to two exact points at each end. These are what we know about – but food had to be gathered and stored and so many other things.
And while everyone was busy doing that, God had to be sought, his word understood, and his leading followed.