I will be away for the next two weeks. Brenda and I are going camping in the Karoo. I will resume EmmDevs after that...
Desperate Trust
In the fourth year of Hezekiah's reign the Assyrians attacked the Northern Kingdom and after three years of war, Samaria, their capital fell and the Northern Tribes were scattered. It must have been devastating.Some four years later Assyrian forces moved south and captured all of the Southern Kingdom's (Judah) cities. You can imagine the terror in Jerusalem - all their defenses were overrun. Hezekiah pays a heavy tribute to Sennacherib king of Assyria.
But the Assyrians want to push their point and so a field commander goes down to Jerusalem (which was heavily fortified) to intimidate Hezekiah and the Israelites.
We need to understand what is going on here... The defeat of the Northern Kingdom took 3 years. Jerusalem alone was a very tough nut to crack. It was on a hill and had good city walls. The Assyrians wanted to try and break the spirit of the nation and not just rely on superior military might.
And so, in their "parley", the field commander addresses the Israelite commanders but he speaks loudly and in Hebrew so that the people hanging over the city walls can hear. His speech is a masterful example of psychological warfare. He points out that their alliance with Egypt was useless. He ridicules their military resources ("If we gave you a thousand horses you wouldn't be able to put riders on them") He tells them that Hezekiah is giving them false hope and that God had instructed the Assyrians to conquer Palestine and he trots out their list of victories, basically asserting that "our God is bigger than your God".
What do you as a leader do in the face of such overwhelming force and such intimidation?
Let's see what Hezekiah does:
| Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said. When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives." (2Kings18:37-19:4) |
What does Hezekiah do in the face of overwhelming odds?
He tears his clothes (expressing grief and a sense of helplessness), he goes to the temple to pray and he consults Isaiah the prophet. The message he sent is desperate and you can see how helpless he feels and yet he believes that God will act.
The good news is the Isaiah prophecies that the army will quickly be withdrawn and that there will be a reprieve and this is exactly what happens.
May we be good leaders in challenging times:
- Humble enough to admit our struggles and inadequacies
- Ready to turn to God
- Willing to ask for counsel
