Hezekiah did the right thing when he came to the throne by standing up against the Assyrians. He refused to pay tribute to them begun by Ahaz his father. Here in 2 Kings 18:14-16, we see how Assyria retaliated. So in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib another king of Assyria who came to the throne decided to punish Hezekiah for rebelling against Assyria. He came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.
Hezekiah
panicked and sent words to the king of Assyria in Lachish saying, “I have done wrong. Withdraw
from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear.” Sennacherib then demanded
that Judah 300 talents of silver and 30 talents
of gold. Hezekiah then gave him all the silver found in the house of the LORD
and in the king’s treasuries. He removed the gold which he laid over the temple’s
door and gave it to the king of Assyria. Having acceded to the demand of Sennacherib,
Hezekiah was unsure if that appeased the
king of Assyria. Second Chronicles 32 adds details to what other things Hezekiah
did to protect Jerusalem. He repaired the Jerusalem wall and ensured they
had a water supply during the Assyrian's siege.
Shouldn’t
Hezekiah have immediately turned to consult the LORD instead of panicking and responding
so hastily? Proverbs 29:25 tells us that the fear of man brings a snare. Bear
in mind that we belong to the LORD and our lives are in His hand. He
will not allow suffering more than we can take. First Corinthians 10:13 assure us that “No temptation has overtaken you, but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what
you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also so
that you will be able to endure it.” If we walk faithfully with God, He
will make it His business to protect us. What a glorious blessing!
No comments:
Post a Comment