7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. 8 With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. – 2 Chronicles 32:7-8
Sennacherib was on a rampage.
As King of Assyria, he was on a military mission. His war campaign included attacks against Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah. (2 Kings 18:33-34) His victories over these cities emboldened him to attack Jerusalem. If the gods of these defeated cities could not save them, what hope did Jerusalem have? Certainly, the gods of these cities were more powerful than the God of Jerusalem. Like a cat playing with a mouse, Sennacherib toyed with Jerusalem.
While Hezekiah was trying to encourage his people and give them confidence, Sennacherib was practicing psychological warfare. He sent men to Jerusalem with a message undermining the leadership of Hezekiah. Sennacherib wanted to arouse discontent with Hezekiah. He accused him of being an abusive leader looking out for his own interests. Specifically, Hezekiah was charged with heresy, forced labor, deception, and endangering the lives of his subjects.
Sennacherib didn’t only attack King Hezekiah’s reputation, he also attacked Judah’s God.
Sennacherib not only wanted to instill discontent with the king, he wanted to instill fear by causing doubt about the power of God. No god has stopped me yet, why do you think your God will be any different?
13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand? 14 Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? 15 Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!’” – 2 Chronicles 32:13-15
Can you hear Satan’s roar behind Sennacherib’s taunts?
Our metal is tested when the enemy comes roaring. In this case, the army is surrounding with the intent to lay siege. Outside is a powerful enemy who knows how to fight, and how to use dissension and fear to weaken an enemy. The cat playing with the mouth is a lion who shows off his teeth when he roars. These tactics may have been effective against his other opponents, but Hezekiah wasn’t conceding. Sennacherib may be powerful, but his is an arm of flesh. His horde may be large, but we have God on our side. Despite the blasphemy of Sennacherib, our all-powerful God is more than able to defeat any enemy. Including Sennacherib.
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or dismayed. With these simple words from King Hezekiah, the people took confidence. But Hezekiah didn’t just give them comforting words. He took action.
20 Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. – 2 Chronicles 32:20
While Sennacherib was employing psychological warfare, Hezekiah was going before the throne of God. And he did not approach God alone, he prayed with the prophet Isaiah. I know we are not supposed to worship our fellow man, but I sure would have felt some comfort just hearing Isaiah pray for deliverance. Just as the people found confidence in the words of their king, Hezekiah found confidence in the prayers of the Prophet Isaiah. And Isaiah’s confidence was in God, the ultimate source of Hezekiah’s bravery.
Hezekiah knew Sennacherib’s army was powerful, but not as powerful as prayer.
While the mighty enemy is without, we have the privilege of addressing the Almighty God of Heaven. Sennacherib was right about one thing. The battle really isn’t fair. An arm of flesh is nothing before Yahweh. Sennacherib’s horde was no match for God’s angels.
21 And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. 22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side. – 2 Chronicles 32:21-22
35 And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. – 2 Kings 19:35
One angel comes down from Heaven and 185,000 men are struck down.
Sennacherib goes home without shooting an arrow, just as the Lord promised (2 Kings 19:32). Sennacherib goes home and is later killed by his sons as he is worshipping Nisroch, his false god. A god who was helpless when Sennacherib most needed him.
How sad it is that when Satan roars it is so much easier to see the arm of flesh than remember the God who helps us and fights our battles. Hezekiah was far from being a perfect man, but we can learn from his bravery in this incident. Despite the overwhelming size of the enemy and the fear they were trying to instill in his people, Hezekiah kept his focus on God, and encouraged his people to do the same. But he did more than talk, he believed in the power of prayer. Imagine what the people must have thought when they rose early in the morning and instead of seeing the enemy marching at them, they saw the enemy lying dead all around them.
Do you hear Satan roaring? Be strong and courageous. And pray. There are more with us than with him.
32 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 34 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” – 2 Kings 19:32-33
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