Thurs.’s Devo - The Battle is the Lord’s

Read: 2 Kings 18:13-19:37; Acts 21:1-17; Psalm 149:1-9; Proverbs 18:8 King Hezekiah had rebelled against Sennacherib, the king of Assyria and refused to pay tribute. Sennacherib came to attack Lachish and the fortified towns. King Hezekiah repented of not paying him and offered to give him anything he wanted. He asked for eleven tons of silver and a ton of gold. King Hezekiah had to take all the silver and gold in the treasury and strip the gold from the Temple doors. He gave it all to the king of Assyria but the king still sent a huge army to Lachish. Hezekiah went to meet him. The king of Assyria sent him a message which he shouted to his army. It was very intimidating and told him that trusting in Egypt or God was not going to save them. He went so far as to say that God had told them to destroy Israel. The messenger shouted it in Hebrew so that all of Hezekiah’s army could hear and be afraid. He also offered the people land and provisions once they came to Assyria. He told them not to believe Hezekiah’s promise that God would help them. Other nations had thought that their gods would save them and they couldn’t. When Hezekiah heard what they said, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple to pray. He sent two of his top men dressed in burlap to Isaiah to ask him what they should do. Isaiah sent back the Lord’s reply. They were not to worry about their blasphemous speech because God was going to move against him and the king would hear that he was needed at home. He would return and be killed with the sword. Soon, Sennacherib got news that Ethiopia was leading an army to attack his land so he had to leave. Before he left he sent a message to Hezekiah saying that he was not to think that his God had come through for them because they had destroyed everyone who got in their way. They would be back to finish the job. Hezekiah took his letter and spread it out before the Lord. The Lord replied that truly Sennacherib had conquered all those nations because the Lord had ordained to use him to do that. It was the Lord who fought those battles and won - not Sennacherib. Sennacherib had blasphemed the Lord and his arrogance had determined his demise. As for Israel, the ones who lived through the siege would put down roots in their own soil and grow and flourish as God’s remnant. They would spread out from Jerusalem. Sennecherib’s army would not even shoot an arrow at them. God would defend and protect his city. That night the angel of the Lord went out and killed 185,000 of the Assyrian soldiers. When the survivors woke up the next morning their were corpses everywhere. King Sennacherib returned home to his capital in Nineveh. One day as he was worshipping in his temple to Nisroch, his two sons killed him with their swords and escaped to the land of Ararat and his son, Esarhaddon became the next king of Assyria. In Acts, Paul and his companions sailed to Tyre where the ship docked to unload its cargo. Paul and his friends found the local believers and fellowshipped with them. There were many with the spirit of prophesy. One told them that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem but Paul continued. They stopped at Ptolemais and on to Caesarea and stayed with Philip in his home. Philip had four unmarried daughters who operated in the gift of prophesy. A man named Agabus prophesied that Paul would be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles. The believers begged Paul not to go but Paul was ready and willing to suffer for the Lord’s sake. They left and finally made it to Jerusalem where the believers met them with open arms. Lord, help us to be willing to suffer for your sake. This life is a breath in eternity and we want to spend it living for you.