In Isaiah chapter 36 a mighty army of Assyria comes against Jerusalem. It is an army that the people have no hope of repulsing. It is so bad that the messenger from Assyria says to the people “How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants?”
What is worse, this message is delivered:
Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.
This is a message delivered by the messenger of a pagan nation to the people of God in Jerusalem. You see distance that the people have made between themselves and God in how Hezekiah, the King in Jerusalem, makes his request to Isaiah the prophet. The people, apart from God
It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.
The king of the nation of God’s people is saying “the Lord your God”, not “our” God, not “my” God or any such thing. He knows of the distance he himself created.
Isaiah sent the king back a message of encouragement. After that the king responded well in Isaiah 37:14-20.
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 20 So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.
This is Hezekiah returning to God. There is no deal making here, only acknowledging the truth about the situation and the truth about God himself. The truth about God always trumps our situation. Humbly returning to God allows him to close the distance between us.
Good news, the people were saved and you can see that Hezekiah re-entered a personal relationship the true God of all creation.
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