185,000 ASSYRIAN SOLDIERS
Imagine awakening tomorrow and discovering your neighborhood is filled with tents— thousands of them, as far as you can see. Stepping out, you identify North Korean flags flapping in the breeze. (Relax, I’m not hating on North Korea). Soon you learn, their plan is to destroy your city. Would you be more than a tad bit freaked-out?
Let’s step back in time, 2700 years ago. Hezekiah, a righteous king, ruled Judah from Jerusalem. Second Kings eighteen tells us that Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent his army against Jerusalem, demanding unconditional surrender. Through Isaiah the prophet, God told Hezekiah not to give in.
To intensify the terror, many historians consider Assyria to be the most bloodthirsty nation in history. One of their practices was to build a pyramid of human heads outside cities they conquered. Survivors could expect to be brutalized and dragged into captivity, with hooks through their noses (better not slow down as you’re walking). The conquered king, Hezekiah, would be publicly flayed alive.
Imagine the terror this would invoke in the peoples’ hearts, especially Hezekiah. But he stood strong, and even in his fear, trusted God. Second Kings 19:35-36 reveals the results of his seemingly-foolish choice. “That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew.” Wow! I’ll bet no one saw that coming.
Even in the midst of our scary times, we must admit, we’re nowhere close to facing that level of terror. Yet, the fear-filled prognostications rolling off the lips of newscasters are enough to prompt to us to believe that if we open our doors, we’ll be greeted by 185,000 enemy soldiers.
What’s the answer? At the risk of sounding overly-simplistic, two simple words: “Fear not.” Our God is the same God who delivered Hezekiah, the same God who freed Israel from Egypt, the same God who rescued the apostles from prison, the same God who… I could keep going. And he still lives today! Let’s look to him for strength. Let’s run to him for refuge. Let’s trust him for deliverance. We don’t have to wait for 185,00 enemy troops to dot the landscape before we turn to him. Fear not!
Principle: Fear not. Our God lives today!
Ponder:
At this point in time, what is your greatest fear?
How do the principles in this story help you deal with this fear?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study 2 Kings 18-19.
Prayer: “Almighty God, I praise you for your awesome power. I confess that so often I look to human solutions to solve my problems rather than running to you. Forgive me.”