"Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 'O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
"It is true, O Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands.
They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men's hands. Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.'" 2 Kings 19:14-19
Monday: Hezekiah; 2 Kings 18-19; Symbol: An Empty Tent
In the time of Hezekiah, king of Judah (after Judah and Israel had split into two nations), the king of Assyria (the most powerful empire at that time) had captured Israel and "deported Israel to Assyria...This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated His covenant," 2 Kings 18:11-12.
The Assyrian king was now knocking on Judah's door, insulting God's name and telling the people that they would be defeated. "'Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, "Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria." Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them,'" 2 Kings 19:10-12
When Hezekiah heard this, he was troubled. But, instead of panicking, he took the letter, went to God's temple, spread it out before the Lord and prayed. Interestingly, the first words out of his mouth are not "Save us!" Instead, he speaks of God's majesty and power and of the insult that Assyria is committing against God. "Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God." 2 Kings 19:16
The Jewish race had been chosen by God to show the nations of the world God's power and majesty. Hezekiah realized this. His first concern was that God's name was being insulted and mocked. God's reputation was being attacked and Hezekiah was jealous for God's name and reputation. Why? Because Hezekiah loved God. He stood in awe of Him and desired that all nations would hear of the Lord and follow Him.
God, too, wants His name to be praised and honored. One reason is that He knows that we are created to love and praise Him. For more on this, read Why Does God Want Our Praise? God also knows that the only way to eternity with Him is by believing in the name that is above every name. 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Ezekiel 33:11
One thing Sennacherib did not realize is that "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." Proverbs 21:1 God caused Sennacherib to suddenly fear another attack on his kingdom. In addition, "that night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men 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. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there," 2 Kings 19:35-36. When those in Judah looked out on the morning scene before them, all they saw were the bodies of their enemies and empty tents. Those empty tents represented the emptiness of Sennacherib's threats towards the only true God.
God desires that His name be known and worshipped. He chose Israel to carry out this calling but they were not always committed to this. To ensure that the people of the world would know His name, God Himself came to earth. Not with any royal fanfare but in gentleness and love.
Jesus' greatest desire while on earth was to glorify the Lord...to make His name and His character known so that all people would turn to God and be saved. "Jesus...looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you,'" John 17:1
That is what our mission on earth, as Christians, involves. We are to glorify God. To shine the light on Him so that others will want to know Him and follow Him. At Christmas time we have a wonderful opportunity to share with our family and neighbors the story of God come to earth and why it is that we love Him so much.
The above commentary on 2 Kings is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree
When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. They are worshipping false gods, with no knowledge of the one, true God. We need to pray that they will hear about Jesus and follow Him before He returns.
Two great websites to help you do this are:
Operation World go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile
Some of the churches in Charleston that are using a Jesse Tree as part of their Advent celebration are: Charleston Sanctuary
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