Isaiah 36

But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?

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Assyria invaded Judah (701 BC)  because of a rebellion led by King Hezekiah (backed by Egypt and Babylonia). Sennacherib sacked a number of cities in Judah. He laid siege to Jerusalem, but soon returned to Nineveh, with Jerusalem not having been sacked, in order to put down an attempted coup. This event was recorded by Sennacherib himself, by Herodotus, Josephus and by several Biblical writers. According to 2 Kings 19:35  Sennacherib also withdrew because the "angel of Yahweh went out and put to death 185,000 in the Assyrian camp" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sennacherib

In this chapter we have an account of the king Sennacherib's Field Commander speaking to the elders, in Jerusalem, attempting  to discourage the subjects of Hezekiah from continuing to resist. On the surface it would appear he was graciously attempting to avoid further bloodshed by offering a bargain. So he reminds them of the futility of their resistance with this question: But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?

Not so fast...

This sounds reminiscent of an earlier question. Genesis 3 tells us "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?” We know this was a lie because God gave access to all but one tree. Eve was pretty smart herself. She said "God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”

And, of course, Satan said “You will not certainly die.” From question...to lie! When a person intending to do me harm stands in front of me and begins asking questions...I should be sceptical...

We know that Hezekiah was a good King. He did right in the eyes of the Lord. 2nd Chronicles tells us Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old and was king in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years.  In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah, having first repaired the doors of The Temple of God, threw them open to the public. He assembled the priests and Levites in the court on the east side and said, “Levites, listen! Consecrate yourselves and consecrate The Temple of God—give this much-defiled place a good housecleaning. Our ancestors went wrong and lived badly before God—they discarded him, turned away from this house where we meet with God, and walked off. They boarded up the doors, turned out the lights, and canceled all the acts of worship of the God of Israel in the holy Temple. And because of that, God’s anger flared up and he turned those people into a public exhibit of disaster, a moral history lesson—look and read! This is why our ancestors were killed, and this is why our wives and sons and daughters were taken prisoner and made slaves.  “I have decided to make a covenant with the God of Israel and turn history around so that God will no longer be angry with us. Children, don’t drag your feet in this! God has chosen you to take your place before him to serve in conducting and leading worship—this is your life work; make sure you do it and do it well.”

When we know this about Hezekiah we know that Sennacherib's general could not be trusted. He was a deceiver.

So, here's the question: When we face difficult choices do we immerse ourselves in God's word and fortify ourselves with the truths found there? Or, do we listen to the voices in front of us that are intent on our destruction?

"You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free"

Live boldly out there today...