READING: Isaiah 36-37, 2 Kings 18:9-19:37, 2 Chronicles 32:1-23, Psalm 76
“Now, Lord our God, please save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are God—you alone.”
2 Kings 19:19
The king of Assyria and his forces had laid siege to fortified cities in Judah. He even sent his servants to Jerusalem to warn King Hezekiah and his people of their impending doom. In so doing, he and his servants ridiculed the God of Israel by reducing him to the equivalent of other false gods who had seemingly been powerless against the Assyrians. The Assyrian king Sennacherib sent to Judah this comment and question: “. . . no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my power or the power of my fathers. How much less will your God rescue you from my power!’” (2 Chron. 32:15). So confident were the king and his servants that they continued to mock the Lord, even sending a letter stating, “Hezekiah’s God will not rescue his people from my power” (2 Chron. 32:17). That God, the Assyrians claimed, was no more powerful than false gods made with human hands.
Such statements, of course, were both wrong and dangerous. When King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah prayed for God’s help, “the Lord sent an angel who annihilated every valiant warrior, leader, and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria” (2 Chron. 32:21). Sennacherib returned in disgrace to the temple of his own god, where his god was so powerless that he could not prevent the king’s own children from killing him. The king had ridiculed God, “the holy One of Israel” (2 Kgs. 19:22)—and that move is never a smart one.
There is only one God, and He will not be mocked.
ACTION STEPS:
- Evaluate whether you are mocking God with your life today.
- Pray for a people group somewhere in the world who are worshiping false gods.
PRAYER: “God, You are worthy of my praise. You alone are God.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Review and catch-up day