2 Chronicles 32:10-12

"Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem? Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it?"

Jerusalem was surrounded. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, decided that he wanted Jerusalem for himself, and sent his army to lay siege. Among the things that he did in this effort was to send one of his chief princes to speak to the people of the city. Being surrounded, they had little else to do except to listen to what this man had to say. And the verses above are a part of his message. What he says is a challenge to the God of Israel. He goes on to recount how that the gods of other nations were unable to save them from the mighty army of the Assyrians. What was it that made them think that the LORD God would protect them? Scripture tells us that the LORD sent an angel, killing all of the mighty men of Sennacherib's army. So Sennacherib went back ashamed to his own country, and was there assassinated by his own children.

He found out the hard way that to defy God is risky business. The way that someone comes to such a place is to think more highly of himself than he ought. Sennacherib had so many successes that he figured nobody could defeat him. But what he failed to take in was there is a God in the universe in Who's hand was his very breath. Nebuchadnezzar found out that God is ruler over all, and sets up on the throne whoever he chooses. Sennacherib did not perceive that. He uses bold words, recorded above, to defy the LORD God of Israel. He essentially calls Hezekiah, king of Judah, a fool for persuading the people to trust God!

He also shows an lack of understanding concerning what God desires. For he points out that Hezekiah had taken away all of the altars in the land, and commanded the people to worship God only in Jerusalem. Sennacherib wrongly concludes that God would not be pleased with this action. He implies with this statement that he is actually fighting for God because Hezekiah has made Him angry by removing the worship to Jerusalem only. But this is exactly what God wanted, and not the other. Worship at any place other than Jerusalem was idolatry, and idolatry does not please God. The Israelites were told on numerous occasions that they were to worship at Jerusalem only. Sennacherib also attacks the integrity of King Hezekiah, implying that destroying the altars in the land and moving the worship to Jerusalem was a foolish thing to do.

And so He defies God by claiming that other gods could not defeat him, and neither could the God of Israel, and by setting aside God's clear command concerning worship. He was a proud man. His pride lead him to a sad ending. For in his pride he became ashamed. His army wads defeated without winning Jerusalem, and even without the satisfaction of taking up battle against the army of Judah. His army was struck dead by God Himself. He was defeated without a fight. So he returned to Assyria in shame, and found death at the hands of his own children.

"Be not deceived, God is not mocked, that which a man sows, that shall he also reap." By modern reckoning God is out of the picture with regard to the events of this life. Someone who claims to follow Him is branded as a fool. Some claim to have higher understanding about God and His ways, which, in the light of scripture, is shown to be false. Many also think that He is simply not able to do anything about their behavior. But the promise of scripture is that He will show Himself to be God. There will be a day of judgment, and scripture clearly states that those who are wicked will receive for their wickedness. Sennacherib's end was shameful. But he then stepped into eternity where he came face to face with the God he had defied. He certainly fell on his face as dead before the Great King of the Universe. One day we will all do the same.

And when we do, the only question that will matter is what we have done with Jesus. God judged Him for our sin. Nothing more needs to be done. Nothing more can be done. Do we take that as true or do we think that we need somehow to do enough good to please God? Scripture tells us that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. It is simply not possible for us to please Him with our deeds. Our only resort is to throw ourselves upon God's mercy, which He gives on the basis of the death of His Son. Having done this, we find that His mercy is everlasting. And we are secure in His arms until we close our eyes in death, and awake in His glorious presence. When we get there, the only thing that will be of consequence will be what we have done with Jesus.

Only trust Him now!

HJK