Trusting God in Perilous Times

2 Kings 19:16: "Give ear, O LORD, and hear, open your eyes, O LORD, and see . . . "


The setting of this verse is the kingdom of Judah, under the reign of King Hezekiah around 701BC. Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, was known as a king who "did what was right in the eyes of the LORD" (18:3). Unlike his royal predecessors, Hezekiah was a king to "trusted in the LORD . . . there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him" (18:5). Hezekiah was the first king who removed all of the pagan worship sites around the kingdom; he wanted his people to worship the One True God exclusively. Although I'm certain that this decision was not a popular one, it still was the right one in that it removed the temptation of worshipping other gods.



After just a few years of Hezekiah's reign, the Assyrians made a dominant military push into the region. They invaded the northern tribes of Israel and conquered them, sending many of its people into exile. Within a few decades, these same Assyrians moved into the land of Judah to expand their territories. The Assyrian forces were able to capture all of the fortified cities in Judah, causing Hezekiah to contemplate his defense against such a formidable foe.

With the threat of invasion looming on the horizon, the king of Judah implemented strategies in order that his people in Jerusalem could sustain an attack. After consulting his military advisers, Hezekiah built an underground tunnel from the Gihon Spring outside the city to the Pool of Siloam within the city walls to provide his people with an abundant water supply. Hezekiah also reinforced the city walls and made large number of weapons for his people. When all of these attempts seemed ineffective, the king sought a truce with the invading army. Hezekiah offered to Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, the gold and silver from the temple treasuries, and the king of Assyria took full advantage of the situation. He was able to acquire 11 tons of silver and 1 ton of gold from Hezekiah. Still, this tribute was not enough to keep the Assyrians away. As the army reached Jerusalem, they called out to the king of Judah inquiring of whom these helpless Judeans were placing their trust. The Assyrians pompously cried out that no god of any people had yet delivered his people from the mighty Assyrian army, and the Judeans should not expect that their God should help them either. The king of Assyria also wrote letters to Hezekiah, insulting the LORD by questioning His ability to provide protection to His people (2 Chronicles 32:17).

When the word reached Hezekiah, he went straight to the LORD in prayer. He acknowledged that God was the Sovereign Creator and Ruler over all the kingdoms of the earth. Although Hezekiah affirmed that the Assyrians were a mighty nation who could not be defeated by physical force, the king did profess that victory was possible through God.

God honored the petition of Hezekiah and sent the prophet Isaiah to communicate the promise of Divine protection for the descendants of David. Isaiah told the king these words of the Lord: "Listen, I am going to put a spirit in him (the king of Assyria) that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country and I will have him cut down with the sword" (Isaiah 37:7).

God was true to His Word, for that very night the angel of the LORD went out and slew the Assyrian army. When the Judeans awakened the next morning, they saw thousands of dead soldiers outside the city walls. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria was shakened to the point that he withdrew the remainder of his army to Nineveh (his homeland). About twenty years later (681BC) while Sennacherib was worshipping his god, Nisroch, two of his sons assassinated him. The king who once believed himself invincible was struck down by his own family.

This story of God's deliverance should be a word of encouragement to us as we face the overwhelming enemies in our lives. These enemies are packaged differently for each of us, but they are no less painful. And although we may attempt to solve our problems through our own devices; still, we know that ultimate deliverance only comes through our Sovereign Lord. We would do well to follow Hezekiah's leading by taking our concerns to the Lord, trusting in faith that He will deliver us in accordance with His Will. And we can rest in the assurance that God will provide victory for us, no matter how impressive our enemies might be.