2 Kings 19:27

 2 Kings 19:27 says, But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.  God said He knew everything that Sennacherib did, even if he questioned God's power.  There is nothing that anyone can do that God is not aware of.  This I believe is especially true of those who openly defy Him and even deny His existence.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.  God then told Sennacherib that He was going to put a hook in his nose and a bridle in his lips and send him back the way he came, because God had heard his rage against Him.  In other words, God was going to show Sennacherib how limited his power was and how great God's power is.  One day, everyone will acknowledge this, but for too many it will be too late to do them any good.  Verse twenty-nine continues, And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.  This is a promise to Hezekiah and the people of Judah.  Even though provisions had been few because of the Assyrians, God was still going to provide all that they needed that year.  The next year was a sabbatical year, so they were not to plant anything, but God was still going to provide for them, and the third year they were to plant their crops again.  God is always going to provide for us if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, and He expects us to live by faith in that promise.  Even if times get hard, we need to simply keep living by faith.  Verse thirty states, And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.  God promised Hezakiah that those who were left of the house of Judah would once again take root and bear fruit.  We as Christians need to be rooted in our faith in God and bearing fruit for His kingdom.  We should never allow worldly concerns keep us from doing this.  Verse thirty-one adds, For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.  God said a remnant would escape out of Jerusalem because God was with them.  If we get down to a remnant of Christians in the world, we should be a part of that remnant because we have remained faithful to God.  Verse thirty-two continues, Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.  God then gave Hezekiah assurance that Sennacherib would never attack Jerusalem.  God did not need an army to cause this to happen.  No matter how outnumbered we may feel that we are as Christians, we will never be defeated spiritually as Christians, as long as we continue to put our faith in God no matter what.  Verse thirty-three says, By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.  God repeated the promise that the Assyrians would never come into Jerusalem, but instead, they would depart the way they came.  If we are faithful to God through our faith in Jesus Christ, all our enemies will be turned away from us.  I believe this to be a spiritual promise more than a physical or material one, because at times the enemies of God may defeat us physically or materially.  Verse thirty-four adds, For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.  God said He was defending Jerusalem for His sake and for the sake of David and His promise to him.  God is always going to preserve His people for the sake of Jesus Christ, Who was the fulfillment of His promise to David.  Everlasting salvation is assured to all who put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-five declares, And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.  That night, God sent one of His angels into the camp of the Assyrians, and he killed one-hundred and eighty-five men of the Assyrian army.  The people of Judah were still shut up in Jerusalem in fear of Sennacherib, but God did not need them to bring about victory.  Though God doesn't need us to ensure victory over sin and death in the world today, since Jesus Christ defeated the power of these by His death on the cross, He still expects us to be involved in the ongoing battle until Jesus Christ returns again to claim the everlasting victory.  Verse thirty-six adds, So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.  Sennacherib then returned and lived in Ninevah.  Those who defy God and refuse to accept salvation through faith in Jesus Christ will one day be sent away to everlasting punishment.  Verse thirty-seven continues, And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.  While Sennacherib was worshipping his god, two of his sons killed him and then fled.  He had seen how powerless he was against God, and now knew too late how powerless his god was.  People who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord while worshipping other gods will one day find out how powerless those gods really are.  Two of Sennacherib's sons killed him and fled, but a third son ruled in his place.  Even though we aren't specifically told this, we know that he was just as powerless against God as Sennacherib had been and as the two brothers who had fled were at that time.  No matter how powerful a person may be in the world, they will always be powerless against God.