Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, was afraid of the combined forces of Israel and Syra, so he asked the Assyrians to protect him.
That wasn't so smart! Now the Assyrians have an invitation to become your next door neighbor!
And now, a few years after Ahaz's invitation, the Assyrians are coming. The most brutal war-machine known to man has set its sights on you.
And what are you doing?
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As we saw last time, Hezekiah is cleaning the temple, offering sacrifices, singing praise to God!
Worship is the most potent political act imaginable. No, worship will not prepare the troops for battle. Worship will not mobilize people for an election.
But battlefields and election booths are not the places where history is made!
Many kings have sought to dethrone God and oppose his purposes. Not one has ever succeeded.
If you worship the LORD your God and serve him only, then you have nothing on earth to fear! Everything else flows out of our worship of God.
As Wilcock puts it, “Was God's temple open, clean, glorious with offerings and praise? The result was that when the invaders did reach Jerusalem the presence of God filled it, and was impregnable.” (p247)
In the same way, when the church of our Lord Jesus worships him wholeheartedly – entirely – devoted to him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, then the glory of the Lord fills his church – and no foe can possibly stand against that! |
