In Isaiah 37-38, there is a historical account of Assyria’s attempt to frighten Judah into submission. Having just crushed the Northern kingdom, the threat against Judah and the fear it stirred were very real. The story also appears in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Any story God tells is significant, but one that He records three times bears looking at closely. Here are some things I saw.
1. The opposition was wrong. The Assyrians misinterpreted Hezekiah’s efforts to remove idolatry from Judah as an attempt to remove all religion. Never believe what the opposition says about you, whether you’re dealing with people or when the conflict is more spiritual. Satan lies on purpose. People can purposefully try to deceive or just not have all the facts.
2. The opposition doesn’t know the future. One of the Assyrians scare tactics was a description of what life would be like when Judah was besieged. The siege never came. God intervened miraculously on behalf of His people. Only God knows the future, because only God holds it in His hands.
3. God is more offended than we are. Several times, Scripture mentions Assyria’s reproach of the living God. Judah understood how close their relationship with God and their identification with Him was. In the same way, any attack of any kind against us is an attack against God.
4. Let God fight the battle. Hezekiah went up to the temple and laid his situation out before the Lord and then went home in peace and confidence. I admit, I’m much better at part A, than part B. God took care of the situation in a way that went above and beyond what Hezekiah imagined.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
Infinitely more… than we dare ask or imagine…