The Zeal Of the Lord Will Accomplish It
“So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” 2 Kings 19:19 (ESV)
We continue to recount the story of Hezekiah and his conflict with Sennacherib, King of Assyria. The conflict had escalated to the extent that a high-ranking military officer in the Assyrian army came with a delegation to Jerusalem, intimidating and mocking the people of Judah. I imagine the representatives Hezekiah sent to meet the Assyrian envoys feeling intimidated. I imagine the recorder shaking while he records the officer’s words. I can imagine fear settling in their hearts. When they reported back to Hezekiah, he too became fearful. Instead of acting impulsively, He sends his servants to the prophet Isaiah to hear what the Lord has to say. Isaiah assures him that God, Yahweh, has everything under control and will rescue them.
In the meantime, Sennacherib becomes distracted with other wars, but does not forget Judah. He sends messengers to Hezekiah again. This time with a letter in which he says,
“Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered?” 2 Kings 19:11
When Hezekiah reads the letter, he spreads it before the Lord. He starts by worshipping God. He then tells God the challenges he faces with Sennacherib. He ends his prayer by asking God to save them from the Assyrians, not for Judah’s sake, but for the glory and honour of the Lord (2 Kings 19:14-19). Soon after this, Isaiah prophesies the downfall of Assyria. He says, “The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this.” 2 Kings 19:31 This is the guarantee that God’s faithful love and sovereign power and not their own strength or efforts, will accomplish it.
He Will Be Honoured
When we, like Hezekiah, face challenges that seem insurmountable. Challenges that we, in our own strength, cannot deal with, we can go to the lord and unload our burdens on Him. This is what Hezekiah did. He basically said, “This is the problem. You deal with it. Get us out of this mess so that Your name can be honoured.” He was saying, “Your name is at stake here. Do something!” Hezekiah spread the letter before the Lord. We can also do this with issues that we face - a doctor’s report, a debt repayment letter, an eviction notice, or a letter of termination of employment. When we spread it before the Lord, we declare we trust Him to rescue us from these challenges. We declare He is a loving and omnipotent God who does miracles on our behalf. We declare that His zeal will accomplish it.
This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23
Reflection:
Are you facing impossible situations? Why not spread it before the Lord as Hezekiah did and trust Him for a miracle?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I unload all my burdens on You. I spread them before You. I trust You, the omnipotent, miracle-working God, to deliver me from these challenges. Thank You, Lord, that You are a faithful God and will do it. In Jesus’ name, amen.
