Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 37-39; Psalm 76.
When Assyria invaded Judah, King Hezekiah sought help from the Lord. After receiving assurances from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 37:5-7), he went to the temple and prayed:
“O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God” (Isaiah 37:16-20).
There are a few important points to notice from the Hezekiah’s prayer:
- God was over the kingdoms of the earth – God’s throne was in heaven. Therefore, He held a greater position of power and authority than any human king, even the one who threatened Hezekiah.
- God was the creator – This is important to remember. If God is powerful enough to create the heavens and the earth, as well as mankind, it would be no trouble for Him to protect Judah and destroy Assyria.
- The Assyrians devastated the other nations and destroyed their “gods” – Hezekiah acknowledged that he faced a legitimate foe. He was humble enough to know that without God’s help, they would fare no better than the other nations.
- God was able to deliver His people – Hezekiah had placed his trust in the God of heaven, the creator of the world. He knew that God could defeat the Assyrians.
- Hezekiah’s request was meant to honor God – While there would certainly be an obvious benefit to Hezekiah and the people for the Assyrians to be defeated, the king prayed for God’s help, not just so they could be spared, but so the kingdoms of the earth would know that the Lord was the one, true, living God.
The list above is not exhaustive but includes some of the highlights of the king’s prayer. They can be summarized in this way: Hezekiah trusted in God alone and wished to honor God as the only true and living God. May we have this same attitude today.
Tomorrow’s reading: Isaiah 40-43
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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