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.

2 Kings 19:20

2 Kings 19:20 says, Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.  Isaiah sent word to Hezekiah that he had prayed to God about Sennacherib, and God had given him an answer.  We can be sure that if we pray to God sincerely that He will hear us and answer, even though we may not like His answer and refuse to believe that He has answered us.  Verse twenty-one adds, This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.  Isaiah then gave Hezekiah God's answer saying that Sennacherib had despised the people.  I believe this could have applied to the people of Judah as well, though.  We cannot be a Christian and despise the commandments of God and live a successful Christian life.  Verse twenty-two continues, Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.  Isaiah continued by saying that God had said Sennacherib reproached and blasphemed God by acting out of his own self-pride.  People of the world today are still often full of self-pride and put themselves above God.  Verse twenty-three states, By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.  Isaiah then told Hezekiah that God knew of the actions of Sennacherib in thinking he was more powerful than God.  As followers of Christ, we are often told by people of the world that we are foolish to believe in God, while those in power in the world put their faith in things of this world instead.  It doesn't matter how big an army may be or how powerful their weapons may be, those who deny God will never win in the end.  Verse twenty-four adds, I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet I have dried up rivers of besieged places.  Sennacherib had boasted of his power over those that opposed him, and he seemed to think he had that same power over God.  People of the world still like to boast of their powerful weapons and large armies, but God is still in charge and thy will one day see this, if not in this life, then in the one to come. Verse twenty-five continues, Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.  God then reminded Hezekiah of what God had done in the past, and there was therefore no reason to believe that Sennacherib was more powerful than Him.  As Christians, when we look back at the power of God, we should first acknowledge that through Jesus Christ, He proved Himself more powerful than anything, even death itself.  So, if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, we should never be worried even about anything, even death itself.   Verse twenty-six concludes, Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the house tops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.  Isaiah said God had been the one Who allowed Sennacherib to have the success that he had, but now he was boasting that he was more powerful than God.  As Christians, if we experience victory over sin in our lives, we must always give God the glory and not become full of self-pride. Matthew Henry says that some of this was not in the letter that Sennacherib sent to Hezekiah, but that God knew of it by other means.  God does nt need us to tell Him what is going on in our lives or the world, but I believe He expects us to share our cares and concerns with Him.

2 Kings 19:8

2 Kings 19:8 says, So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.  When Rabshakeh returned to Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, he found him at war with Libnah.  Matthew Henry says that it is unclear whether he had taken Lachish before leaving or given up believing it would be too hard.  Even though they might not believe in God and fight against Him and His people, people of the world are still often at war with each other.  Verse nine adds, And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,  The king of Assyria then heard that Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, was coming to fight against him.  Whether this was true or not didn't really matter at this time, but it gave him a sense of urgency to take Jerusalem.  Even rumors of war can cause people to take certain actions to defend themselves today, and we do hear of alliances being rearranged and causing problems.  Verse ten continues, 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 delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.  Sennacherib then sent a message to Hezekiah telling him not to believe that God could deliver Judah from him.  People would still like to have Christiians believe that God cannot deliver us from the powerful nations or even powerful people of the world.  Still, we must never lose faith in God, no matter how bad our situation may be.  Verse eleven declares, Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?  Hezekiah was to be reminded of what the Assyrians had done to other nations, utterly destroying them.  It doesn't really matter what other countries may have done to other nations.  They have never defeated God and never will.  Verse twelve adds, 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 Thelasar?  He then said the gods of these lands had not saved them, but what the people of Judah needed to realize was that these other gods were false gods to begin with.  There are many false gods today who cannot protect those who believe in them, but they are not the true and living God.  Verse thirteen continues, Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?  Sennacherib then asked where the kings of some of these defeated lands were, and the implication was that they were dead or at least no longer in power.  Again, this really had nothing to do with the power of God and His ability to protect His people.  If leaders of the world today proclaim their power over other people who followed other gods, that should not cause the followers of Christ to fear them.  Verse fourteen states, And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.  When Hezekiah received the letter, he went up to God's house and spread the letter before Him.  If we are in a bad situation today as Christians, we need to take our fears and concerns and lay them out before God.  Verse fifteen adds, And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.  Hezekiah then acknowledged the God of Israel to be the only God, just as we as Christians must do today.  Verse sixteen continues, Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.  Hezekiah asked God to see and hear what Sennacherib had said.  We never have to fear that God is not aware of what is going on in the world today, so instead of trying to infom Him, we just need to continue to live by faith in Him.  Verse seventeen says, Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,  Hezekiah then informed God of what the Assyrians had done to other nations, but God already knew.  We don't need to tell God about powerful enemies we may have because He already knows.  Verse eighteen adds, 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.  Hezekiah then said that the Assyria had cast the gods of these defeated nations, who were no gods but simply manmade things, into the fire and destroyed them.  The God Who controls everything is not a manmade god though and cannot be destroyed by people that He made.  Verse nineteen continues, Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.  Hezekiah then asked God to save Judah so that the world would know that He alone was God.  One thing we as followers of Christ must never forget is that God is the only God, and no matter how many other false gods may be destroyed, He never will be.  

2 Kings 19:1

 2 Kings 19:1 says, 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.  Hezekiah had a great concern about the dishonor done to God by Rabshakeh's blasphemy and torn his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth.  We as Christians often seem to be unconcerned when people blaspheme God today instead of becoming distressed by this.  We should never allow this to happen without letting the world know that it is wrong, though.  Verse two adds, And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.  Hezekiah sent Eliakim and Shebna the scribe, who had heard Rabshakeh's speech, and the elders of the priests to Isaiah seeking help form God.  It really doesn't say that he repented and asked God for forgiveness, though.  We may send others to inquire about God when we are in a bad situation, but we must put our faith in God by coming to Jesus Christ personally by faith if we want to be saved from our sins and the death that they bring.  No one else can do this for us.  Verse three continues, And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.  Eliakim and the others carried Hezekiah's message to Isaiah.  We should always seek out Christians to pray with us in times of distress, but we are all equally capable of praying to God to ask for His guidance and help.  Verse four states, It may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.  They were to ask Isaiah to lift up the remnant of God's people in prayer, even though they had not been acting like His people.  It was also stated that in case God had heard what Rabshakeh had said, and we should never doubt that God knows whenever anyone is speaking blasphemy against Him.  Verse five adds, So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.  These servants of Hezekiah came to Isaiah as he had asked them to do.  Still, we are not told that Hezekiah was looking to obey God, but it seems he was more interested in what God could do for him.  We can never be successful in our relationship with God if we are only coming to Him looking for what He ca do for us materially.  Verse six continues, And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.  Isaiah said that they were not to be afraid of what the servants of the king of Assyria had said in blasphemy to God.  When people today proclaim God to be anyone other than Who He is, we as Christians have no need to fear them, but we must simply remain faithful to Him.  Verse seven concludes, Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.  God said that he would send a blast on the king of Assyria and a rumor that would cause him to return home where he would die by his own sword.  No matter how big the threat today, we never need to be afraid if we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord

2 Kings 18:26

1 Kings 18:26 says, Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”  Eliakim was the gatekeeper of the temple and he asked those who were coming to attack Jerusalem to speak in Aramaic and not Hebrew so that those on the wall wouldn't understand what was being said and they Shebna, Joah, and he would.  I don't believe that we should ever attempt to keep the truth of any situation away from Christians even if we are leaders in the church.  Verse twenty-seven adds, But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”  The commander asked if what he had to say only affected these three and their master or if it would cause great suffering to all the people, including those sitting on the wall.  Once more, I would say that every Christian needs to understand that sometimes following Christ is going to cause them great problems in the world, but they need to know and accept this if they are going to be faithful to God no matter what.  Veres twenty-eight continues, Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!  The commander then stood and cried out in Hebrew, so that they could all understand, that they needed to hear the word of the great king, who he said was the king of Assyria.  What the people of Israel should have realized was that they served the only great King, which is God Himself.  So must we today.  We should never elevate any ruler or anyone desiring to be a ruler to a status equal to God.  Verse twenty-nine states, This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you from my hand.  The commander then told them not to believe Hezekiah, because He, or God, could not deliver them from the hand of the king of Assyria.  Those who do not believe that God is the all-powerful God will still tell us to not put our faith in Him because He cannot save us.  Still, the people of Israel should have known that God was more powerful than any earthly ruler, and they should have responded by putting their faith in Him.  Verse thirty adds, Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’  The Assyrian commander went on to state even more emphatically that God could not save them as Hezekiah had said He could.  He was basically saying that the king of Assyria was more powerful than God.  This is a lie that is still proclaimed by people of the world today.  Verse thirty-one continues, “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern,  The commander then made promise to the people that if they came out of the city and subjected themselves to the king of Assyria that the would have plenty to eat and drink.  Still, they would have been better off repenting and putting their faith in God even if they suffered materially, and so will we as Christians today.  We cannot allow the promise of more material wealth if we turn our back on God to cause us to do so.  Verse thirty-two states, Until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death! “Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, 'The Lord will deliver us.’  The Assyria commander told them that they would be taken to a land of grain and new wine, of bread and vineyards, of olive trees and honey, and that should choose life there instead of death in Jerusalem.  Of course, they were already in God's promised land, and it was a land flowing with milk and honey until they turned away from Him.  What they really needed to do was repent and listen to Hezekiah, but the commander then told them that Hezekiah was lying to them.  We have the same choice today.  We can either believe God's word and put our faith in Him no matter what, or we can believe the promises of the world, which are based on the fact that God really isn't Who He says He is.  Verse thirty-three adds, Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?  He then expanded his claim by asking if the god of any nation had ever delivered them for the hand of the king of Assyria.  Of course, this was equating the God of Isarel with all other gods. and this was a false premise to start with.  What we have to realize is that we can never compare what God can do with what false gods can do.  Verse thirty-four continues, Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand?  He then listed some cities in Samaria that had been defeated by the king of Assyria, which implied that God could not save them.  Of course, they had not been putting their faith in God by being obedient to Him.  The great Deceiver, Satan, would like to have us believe that God cannot save us today, and if we do not put our faith in Jesus Christ, He can but we will not benefit from it.  The choice is always up to each individual.  Verse thirty-five says, Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” He then continued by asking if God had not delivered these cities, how could He deliver Jerusalem.  We can never base our faith on the fact that many people who refuse to acknowledge or put their faith in God even if they profess to do so are defeated by the world but must always look to God from faith given to us to put that faith in Jesus Christ alone.  It doesn't matter what false gods may or may not have done.  Verse thirty-six adds. But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”  The people of Jerusalem remained silent, because the king had ordered them to and they were still being obedient to him.  On the other hand, God our King has commanded us to go into all the world and share the gospel.  Verse thirty-seven continues, Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said.  Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes, which would have been a sign of repentance at least normally and went and told Hezekiah what the field commander had said.  We should never attempt to hide the truth from people today, even if it may cause them further distress.  We must come to God knowing the truth of our situation if we do accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  We may be persecuted if we do, but we should never allow the promise of an easier life to turn us away from the truth of God. 

2 Kings 18:18

2 Kings 18:18 says, And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.  When Rabshakeh wanted to speak with Hezekiah personally, Hezekiah sent three emissaries to speak with him instead.  This was all after Sennacherib's agreement to leave Jerusalem after Hezekiah paid him to.  We can never expect people of the world to always live up to their promises to us as Christians, even if we have paid them some kind of tribute, which we should never do really.  Instead of trying to bribe Sennacherib, Hezekiah should have turned to God in repentance and faith to find deliverance, and so must we today if we have strayed away from God.  Verse nineteen adds, And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?  Rabshakeh told these three to go to Hezekiah and ask him what kind of confidence he was showing in the king of Assyria if he didn't trust him enough to come out and meet with him.  We may be asked what kind of faith we are showing in the leaders of the world today if we don't obey what they command us to do, and the answer is that we should never rely on anyone but God to guide our lives.  We are called on to obey the government, unless it calls for us to do something that opposes God's word, but we should never put our faith in seeking peace in any man-made institution.  Verse twenty continues, Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?  Rabshakeh said that Hezekiah had said he would put his trust in Sennacherib, but if he now refused to even come out and talk, the words must have been in vain, or for nothing but show.  I do know that if we profess faith in anyone other than God, whether we follow through in obedience to them or not, to God our words will be vain, or worth nothing.  We cannot find deliverance from sin and death in anyone other than Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-one states, Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.  Rabshakeh then asked if they were going to put their faith in Egypt, whom he referred to as a bruised reed, or a country without much power.  Anyone we make an alliance with today to keep us safe is going to be without much power when compared to God, and since God had shown His power over Egypt, His people certainly shouldn't have been putting their faith in them instead of Him.  Verse twenty-two adds, But if ye say unto me, We trust in the Lord our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?  Rabshakeh then asked them to question God.  He said that they professed to put their faith in God, but that Hezekiah had taken away all the places to worship Him except at the altar in Jerusalem.  People of the world today still want people to question God and the fact that He tells them that there is only one way to salvation, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.  They would like us to believe that God is just limiting us in who or what we can worship because He wants to be seen as better than other gods.  Though that is correct, God does this for our benefit and not because He is afraid of any other god.  Verse twenty-three continues, Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.  Rabshakeh then promised them two thousand horses to be used in battle if they could find the men to ride them.  No matter what armament we may have in the battle against sin and evil in the world today, if it is not the armor of God, it is going to fail us.  Verse twenty-four says, How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?  Rabshakeh then asked them how they could turn away from Sennacherib and put their faith in Egypt.  Again, the were not going to be victorious by putting their faith in anyone other than God, and neither will we.  Verse twenty-five adds, Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.  Rabshakeh then claimed to be acting under God's direction, and there are still people today who will be doing everything that God's word opposes and still claim to be representing God.  I don't believe that we should ever put our faith in them by thinking that they alone are God's representative.

2 Kings 18:9

2 Kings 18:9 says, And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.  Four years into Hezekiah's reign in Judah and seven years into Hoshea's reign in Israel, Shalmaneser the king of Assyria besieged Samaria.  Sometimes, the rulers of other countries were for Judah or Israel, though not necessarily at the same time, and sometimes they were openly their enemies.  I say openly, because as people who worship other gods, they could never really be committed to seeing Judah and Israel in a place of power.  People of the world may support Christians at times today, but we should never believe that they want what is best for us.  This doesn't mean that we shouldn't be friendly toward them, though.  We just need to realize that even if we are, they may turn against us if it benefits them.  Verse ten adds, And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is in the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.  Three years after besieging Samaria, the Assyrians took it.  I believe that had the people of Samaria used this time to repent and turn to God that this would never have happened.  If we are besieged by sinful thoughts or actions today as followers of Christ, we just need to turn to Him in faith.  As long as we are faithful to God, we will never be defeated spiritually.  Verse eleven continues, And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:  The people of Israel were once again taken away in captivity.  God had freed them, giving them a land flowing with milk and honey, and they had rejected Him and found themselves captive once more.  God offers us salvation and freedom from the power of sin and death today, and if we accept His gift of salvation, we should never be held captive to sin anymore, but sometimes we allow ourselves to be.  Verse twelve states, Because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.  It is stated very plainly that they were taken away captive because of their failure to keep their covenant with God and not following His commandments that were given by God to Moses.  We will never be saved by simply going through the motions of being a Christian but can only be saved by entering into a covenant relationship with God by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and then we should live by the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Though we are forever saved by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, we can still give in to the power of sin at times.  Verse thirteen adds, Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.  A few years later, Sennacherib took the fenced cities of Judah as well.  I believe there were two reasons the cities of God's chosen people were falling captive.  The first is their failure to live up to their covenant relationship with God, and the second was that they had become a divided people.  As followers of Christ, we should never quit following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and we should never allow ourselves to become a divided people.  Verse fourteen continues, And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.  Hezekiah sent word to the king of Assyria saying that he had offended him.  As Matthew Henry points out, he should have put his faith in God instead of allowing himself to become subject to the king of Assyria and attempting to buy his good will.  As Christians, if we find ourselves at war with the world today, we should never attempt to just appease those who are opposing us, but we need to draw closer to God instead.  Verse fifteen says, And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house.  Hezekiah gave Sennacherib all the silver found in the house of the Lord, or the temple, as well as all the treasures in his own house.  We should never surrender anything that we have given to God to anyone but Him, and we certainly should not do so out of fear.  Verse sixteen adds, At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.  Hezekiah began to strip the temple of its gold and give it to Sennacherib, but it really wasn't his to give.  It belonged to God.  Whatever we give to the church today belongs to God and should never be used for our own selfish desires, and I personally believe that as Christians, everything we have belongs to God, and we need to be careful that we don't begin to use it for our own selfish desires.  Verse seventeen continues, And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.  Still, Sennacherib sent forces to besiege Jerusalem.  All the gifts Hezekiah gave him did no good.  We can never buy safety in the world by turning away from God's will and attempting to buy security by giving the things that belong to Him to the people of the world who oppose Him.