2 Chronicles 32:9 says, After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, After Hezekiah had cut off the water supply to the troops of Sennacherib, he sent word to Hezekiah. He still thought himself to be in the more powerful position. Those who oppose God today often think they are in the more powerful position, but they are cut off from the Living Water and cannot survive spiritually. Verse ten adds, Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem? Sennacherib asked Hezekiah who he put his faith in that he would oppose him and think he could survive the siege. When the people of the world believe they are more powerful than God, they may ask Christians the same thing. Verse eleven continues, Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The Lord our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Sennacherib also asked the people in Jerusalem if Hezekiah had persuaded them to die of thirst and famine in Jerusalem instead of just surrendering to him. We may be asked today how we can put our faith in God when those who deny Him are in power and more numerous than us. Verse twelve states, Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it? Sennacherib then appealed to them on a religious basis, asking if Hezekiah had not taken away many places where they used to worship and by implication the gods that they worshipped. There are still people today who accuse Christians of being narrow minded because they insist that there is only one God and that He cannot be worshipped in the same places where other gods are worshipped along with worshipping those other gods. Verse thirteen adds, Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand? Sennacherib then began to brag about the power of the Assyrians, asking the people in Judah if they had not heard what the Assyrians had done to other people. It may be that those in power become boastful and ask us as followers of Christ if we have not heard of their power if we oppose their gods, but they need to know that we will never turn away from the one true God, no matter what. Verse fourteen continues, Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand? Sennacherib then compared God to all the other gods of the people that Assyria had defeated. People may defeat those who follow other gods, but for the to compare these false gods to the one true God will lead to their downfall one day, and we as Christians cannot begin to think that they are more powerful than our God. Verse fifteen says, Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand? Sennacherib then told them to not be confused by Hezekiah's words and stated that there never had been a god who could deliver them. He made the mistake of trying to compare the God of Judah with other gods, and peoople still make that mistake today and may ask how we can put our faith in Him and those who follow Him. Verse sixteen adds, And his servants spake yet more against the Lord God, and against his servant Hezekiah. Sennacherib's servants then began to speak against God and Hezekiah, who was referred to as God's servant. Many people, and not just those in power, may question how we can serve God today and imply that He cannot save us, but we can never doubt Him and be successful spiritually. Verse seventeen continues, He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand. Sennacherib then said that just as other gods had failed to deliver those who had followed them from the Assyrians, neither would God be able to deliver the people in Jerusalem. Verse eighteen states, Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city. The people of Assyria then begin to cry out against the people of Jerusalem in their own language in order to try to frighten them. The lost people of the world today will often attempt to bring fear into the lives of Christians by claiming their power and the lack of power on the part of God. Verse nineteen adds, And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man. They then spoke against God as if He were just another god made by hand. People often try to convince us that God is just like other false gods and powerless to save us, but His victory has already been established as well as ours if we put our faith in Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment