By: Sarah Apgar
“Don’t panic. I’m with you.
There’s no need to fear for I am your God.”
Isaiah 41:10a (MSG)
The Bible study Trustworthy by Lysa TerKeurst has blessed me tremendously this week. It is a study about the various kings of Israel and Judah and how they followed the Lord. Or for some of them, they did the exact opposite. Today I am reflecting on King Hezekiah and the King of Assyria, Sennacherib.
King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18:5 is stated as a godly king who . . . “put his whole trust in the God of Israel. There was no king quite like him, either before or after.” (MSG) Hezekiah was not without enemies, however. During Hezekiah’s reign, the King of Assyria became a threat as he was on a mission conquering many countries throughout what is now called the Middle East. Hezekiah was the current king of Judah, so Sennacherib’s encroachments were significant and alarming. In a scare tactic, Sennacherib sent three messengers to Hezekiah to intimidate Hezekiah and his people with the hope of adding Judah to his conquests. These three messengers held nothing back. They taunted, jeered and outright lied to everyone within earshot as they made their public, deceitful pronouncements, “The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’” 2 Kings 18:25 (ESV) They continued their verbal assault, “Listen carefully to the words of the Great King, the king of Assyria: Don’t let Hezekiah fool you; he cannot save you. And don’t let Hezekiah make you trust the Lord by saying, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of Assyria.’ “ 2 Kings 18:29-30 (ESV) It is amazing that these messengers went on to promise fruitful vineyards, clean water and a “land of olive trees and honey” if the people would give in and surrender their lives to Assyria.
Hezekiah immediately went to the house of the Lord and prayed, “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) The good news is that Isaiah in return prophesied to Hezekiah and to the people of Sennacherib’s fall and he did indeed fall. He was killed while worshipping his god, Nisroch, by his own sons in the palace.
As I read the above in the bible study, I was actually battling some intense fear. The kind of fear these three messengers brought to the people of Judah. What is interesting to note is that the lies from these 3 men are also laced with promises and deceit. Isn’t that what fear does? If we could see right through the fear, then we would not be afraid. Yet the enemy knows our weaknesses and the places in our hearts where deceit just might work and take hold. Lies such as “The Lord can’t save you now because you have really messed up this time” or “Give up, you know you are already so lost why try?” and “God can’t pull through for you every time you have a struggle. You need to solve this one on your own”. Then once we believe the lie, we begin to drift further from the Lord feeling the guilt and shame that fear inevitably produces. As I continued to reflect on these thoughts, , I also remembered the lyrics to a Zach Williams song, Fear is a Liar, “Fear, He is a liar. He’ll take your breath, stop you in your steps, he will rob your rest, steal your happiness . . . “ This is so incredibly true. Fear can masquerade as truth, have promises included and completely lead us away from the Lord and the truth He has for us.
I love how Isaiah’s words confront the King of Assyria with boldness, courage and clarity, “Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One Of Israel!” 2 Kings 19:22 (ESV). What great verses! The Lord boldly comes to our defense in times of need. He is a big God ready to do battle on our behalf! Isaiah 41:13 confirms this, “That’s right. Because I your God have a firm grip on you and I am not letting go. I’m telling you, ‘Don’t panic. I’m right here to help you.’” (MSG)
The Lord truly set me free from fear this week as He showed me what fear “looks like” and then He said to me, “I have just what you need right when you need it”. And He does! And He did! His provisions of peace and rest was amazing and timely, but most of all I am reminded that He is with me, He is for me and He sees me. What treasures and priceless gifts He gives.
But I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way,
Who can’t see where they are going.
I’ll be a personal guide to them through unknown country.
I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take.
Make sure they don’t fall into the ditch.
These are the things I’ll be doing for them-
Sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute.
Isaiah 42:15-16 (MSG)