What experience have you or someone you know had with going to court
to have a decision overturned (court order, traffic ticket, etc.)? What
is your attitude, your reaction when confronted with what appear to be
insurmountable circumstances? Have you ever felt intimidated or violated
by the people your situation involves you with? Has anyone or anything
vexed your soul to intense frustration? Trouble affects people differently:
it's like hot weather - sours milk or sweetens apples. Are you ever tempted
to give in to despair or revenge in your day of trouble? Do you sour or
sweeten when things become difficult, dear lady? Today we are going to
observe Hezekiah's reaction when he and his ministers were confronted
with the superior might of the invading Assyrians, so turn with me to
Isaiah chapter 37 and we will begin with looking at verses 1 and 2 which
say:
"And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes,
and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe,
and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the
prophet the son of Amoz."
First of all, Hezekiah and his officials came to God with repentant hearts
BEFORE they ever presented their requests for help, which is pictured
by the renting of his clothes. Sound familiar? Ladies, this is something
we must do as well before we ever expect to be heard by the Lord! Be sure
your life is cleaned up - and keep it clean - for the purpose of powerful
prayer.
Next we see that Hezekiah sent a messenger to speak to the prophet Isaiah.
A prophet was the man of God that spoke to the people on God's behalf.
What better person to get to speak to God on your behalf in the day of
your trouble than God's man, amen? We should seek the support of prayer
warriors, those that walk with God and have His ear... I hope you are
never to proud to ask others to intercede in prayer for you and seek the
help of God Almighty! After all ladies, we mustn't forget that He is a
God that knows and hears all - even that which is hidden from us... You
see, our trouble is God's opportunity when we take it to Him! Hezekiah
knew the Lord and Isaiah both would be sensitive to this particular situation
because of the blasphemous words uttered against God on the part of the
king of Assyria. He was trying to intimidate, overpower, and weaken Hezekiah's
trust in the Lord. We are reading here the account of Hezekiah's initial
reaction to such trouble coming into his life, a moment when he felt totally
helpless and powerless. He was wise to seek the intercessory prayer of
God's man, and ask for his counsel as well, amen? Take a moment to consider
what your initial reaction is to overwhelming problems in your life....
Do you typically respond as this man did? Would you say Hezekiah was souring
or sweetening in the day of heat??
Vs. 5-7 go on to say: "So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith
the Lord, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the
servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send
a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land;
and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."
According to the prophet Isaiah, how did God view the words of the Assyrian
field commander? He viewed them just as Hezekiah knew He would - as blasphemous!
Ladies, when our lives are invaded by those that are against the Lord
or the principles of His Word, be assured that God is there to fight against
your enemy, He has everything under control! While it may not always be
because of our righteousness that He gets involved, it is most certainly
because HIS name is at stake that the Lord gets involved, and will defend
it through your trouble! That is why I say our trouble is God's opportunity.
To do what? To inform our enemies of just WHO is boss.... Ultimately,
the Lord is in control and HIS decision prevails in every court room across
America, no matter what the people filling those rooms might say or even
think they can bring about - be they king of Assyria or not!
Proverbs 21:1, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers
of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will."
What God says is what will be, no matter what man may say, and no matter
how intimidating man may appear to us while saying it! It's HIS Word alone
that is sure! If God told Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah that He
would cause the king of Assyria to return to his own land and perish by
the sword, should Hezekiah believe God or not? Of course He should believe
Him! Neither the wicked man nor the wicked nation can stand in the face
of a Holy God, but because of their wicked words against Him, scripture
says they shall utterly fall...
Proverbs 11:11, "By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but
it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked."
As we continue to read verses 9-13 of this story, I want you to look at
what further threats Hezekiah received from the king of Assyria before
he saw a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy.... While you read, I want you
to think about how you would behave if you received continuing threats
via messenger before God's will was finally accomplished in your life.
How do you think Hezekiah behaved upon such continually disturbing remarks
being sent him?
"And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth
to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah,
saying, Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not
thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying Jerusalem shall not
be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard
what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly;
and shalt thou be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them
which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and
the children of Eden which were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath,
and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharavaim, Hena,
and Ivah?"
What an arrogant man this king of Assyria is, amen? He thinks he's invincible
just because the gods of the other nations did not prevent him from defeating
them!
So full of himself, yet empty, Sennacharib is boastfully trying to intimidate
Hezekiah by reminding him of all the others that have been defeated by
him. This hot-aired, insolent king does not know he is up against the
REAL God this time, does he?? False gods bring false hopes to all who
rest in them.... With a false trust in himself, Sennacharib proceeds to
try and cause Hezekiah to become anxious and fearful, and lose hope, as
well as disintegrating his confidence in the Lord. He is boastful, prideful,
and a scoffer! What does a scoffer do? "Am I a scoffer??" Good question!
Better check and see... Psalm 73:11 describes one perfectly:
"And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?"
You see ladies, scoffers subtract from God's character, while lifting
up their own... They are sour on the things of God and sweet on themselves!
Have you noticed how Sennacharib, king of Assyria, tries to break down
Hezekiah's trust in the Word of God, how he continues to blaspheme the
Lord with such methods? Do you know of any other enemy like this? If you
said the devil, you are right, for he tries these very same techniques
on God's children when they are faced with their day of trouble. Ladies,
remember the words of the Lord when your enemy comes knocking - and cling
to them! Don't let go of God's promises - not even for one second. My
favorite verses in this whole story are the ones you are about to read
below. They are verses 14-20, and in reading them we gain an intimate
glimpse of what is going on in Hezekiah's heart while all these darts
intended to defeat him are being sent his way...
"And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and
read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it
before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord...."
Can't you just picture Hezekiah laying the whole matter out before the
Lord from beginning to end? Spread out at the feet of the Lord God Almighty
were all the little annoyances that were said to him, the big things that
loomed over him like a dark shadow, the gnawing fears that he was tempted
to give in to, the disturbing comments that threatened to steal away his
peace, the attacks on his faith in God and the way it troubled his spirit...
Here on his knees, he humbly admitted his deep need for God in the day
of his trouble. All this and probably more Hezekiah took to the Lord in
prayer rather than holding it all in, trying to figure it out on his own,
or even seeking revenge. Prayer is the never-failing resource of the tempted
Christian, whether struggling with outward difficulties or inward foes.
At the mercy-seat of our almighty Friend in Heaven we can safely open
our hearts, spread our case, and like Hezekiah, confidently make our appeal.
Psalm 50:15, "And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee,
and thou shalt glorify me."
While praying, notice in the scripture reference below that the first
thing Hezekiah does is reminds himself of certain attributes of God. So
too, should we remind ourselves of God's marvelous attributes when faced
with foes that threaten us. Are you resting confidently in God's character
today over that which might be troubling you? We must never lose sight
of how great our God is....
"O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims,
thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou
hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open
thine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacharib, which
hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria
have laid waste all the nations, and their countries. And have cast their
gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands,
wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord
our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may
know that thou art the Lord, even thou only."
It is Hezekiah's final, sincere request in prayer that brought the miraculous
answer of God on his behalf. Not only did he remind himself of God's great
qualities, Hezekiah also asked nothing more than but God's name would
be lifted up in the entire matter and that all would come to know Him
as the only true God. Certainly this is evidence that Hezekiah's troubles
did not sour his soul, amen? Praise God when all we want out of our trouble
is for the name of the Lord to be lifted up, and not just our personal
comfort restored and our circumstances changed!! As we focus on glorifying
God, He focuses on delivering us...
In closing, what new way might you pray about a situation in which you've
been awaiting God's help? Have you considered your trouble as HIS opportunity,
HIS Divine appointment to meet with your enemy face to face? What "enemy"
can you seek to view through God's eyes this coming week and become less
intimidated by? What attributes of God do you need to remind yourself
of in order that your confidence in Him might be strengthened and your
spirit remain sweet? This story goes on to exhibit a strong proof of the
strength a firm trust and confidence in God will bring. He will afflict,
but not forsake His people! It is a good thing when our troubles drive
us to our knees, amen? It is better still when trouble reveals how willing
we are (or aren't!) to rest on the Word of God! Often times we are desirous
in prayer to know in what manner the Lord will save us and we are also
able to see how impatient we become when relief is delayed, amen? However,
the answer gloriously comes when we finally want nothing but the name
of the Lord lifted up in our day of trouble as we return to His throne
of grace over and over again, to quietly and confidently rest in Him.
Our troubles are never greater than God's solutions!
Isaiah 30:15, "For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In
returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall
be your strength...."
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
