Sat.’s Devo - God Will Establish His Word

Read: 2 Kings 18:13-19:27; Acts 21:1-16; Psalm 149:1-9; Proverbs 18:8
Hezekiah, king of Judah was a good king who had rid the land of the high places and told the people to serve God in Jerusalem and he had told the king of Assyria he would not pay him tribute. The Assyrians had taken Samaria, the capital of Israel and now they wanted Jerusalem. Assyria good all their fenced cities first, and once they were taken, Hezekiah decided to buy them out to save Jerusalem. He gave them the gold from temple doors and the pillars but the Assyrian king wanted more. He wanted the city. He sent back three men: Tartan which means “release the dragon”, Rabsaris which means “chief eunuch” and Rab-shakeh which means “chief cup-bearer”. They came with a host of soldiers. Hezekiah sent three men to meet them: Eliakim which means “God will establish his portion”, Shebna which means “wait, I pray to those who built” and Asaph which means “their brother is a gatherer”. So, God was saying by sending these men that the ones who built this city just needed to wait and see that their brother, Jesus is a gatherer, not a scatterer and He had established his name in this place.
The three men from Assyria spoke very intimidating words in their Hebrew tongue so all the soldiers could hear. When they asked him to speak in a language only the officers knew, they refused. They knew what they were doing and they wanted to weaken their army so they wouldn’t be able to fight. They had the gall to say that God had sent them to destroy Jerusalem.
When Hezekiah heard he humbled himself and went into the temple to pray and sent his priests to the prophet Isaiah to find out what to do. Isaiah told him that the Assyrians would hear a rumor and leave and be killed in their own land.
But, things didn’t change and their threats became worse. Hezekiah received a letter naming all the nations they had brought down and were now serving them. Hezekiah took the letter and spread it out before the Lord in the temple. Isaiah sent him another word. God knew that the Assyrians had destroyed other nations and burned their gods, but Judah didn’t serve a dead god, they served the living God. They might have been strong against these nations but they will be no match for God’s army. Then he gave king Hezekiah a sign. They would eat crops that grew of their own the first and second year, then they would plant in the third and reap the fruits of it. And about the king of Assyria…he will not enter Jerusalem or shoot one arrow against it. He will lead the way he came because God would defend this city.
God sent his army and they killed 185,000 men that night. The king of Assyria was killed by his own people in the house of one of his gods.
This is a long story but we see how the devil uses intimidation and threats to weaken our defense. We have to stay strong and hear God’s heart. In Acts, it was the Christians who were trying to dissuade Paul from going to Jerusalem because of the hardship they saw he would have to face. Paul refused to be intimidated or pampered. He was not afraid of a little persecution. He walked toward the roar.
We need to be like Paul and face the devil unafraid.
Lord, help us to do that in the face of uncertainty and fear. You have a whole army ready to fight for us.