Welcome to this Daily PBJ devotional. Read 2 Chronicles 32 and Zechariah 14 today. This devotional is about 2 Chronicles 32. After all these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, intending to conquer them for himself. When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come to make war against Jerusalem, he consulted with his leaders and mighty men about stopping up the waters of the springs outside the city, and they helped him carry it out. Many people assembled and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water, they said. Then Hezekiah worked resolutely to rebuild all the broken sections of the wall and to raise up towers on it. He also built an outer wall and reinforced the supporting terraces of the city of David. And he produced an abundance of weapons and shields. Hezekiah appointed military commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square of the city gate. Then he encouraged them, saying, Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater one with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh. but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles. So the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. Later, as Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces besieged Lachish, he sent his servants to Jerusalem with a message for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem. This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says. What is the basis of your confidence that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to death by famine and thirst, when he says, The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria? Did not Hezekiah himself remove his high places and his altars, and say to Judah and Jerusalem, You must worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn sacrifices? Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Have the gods of these nations ever been able to deliver their land from my hand? Who among all the gods of these nations, that my fathers devoted to destruction, has been able to deliver his people from my hand? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, and do not let him mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand, or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand? And the servants of Sennacherib spoke further against the Lord God, and against his servant Hezekiah. He also wrote letters mocking the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying against him, Just as the gods of the nations did not deliver their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand. Then the Assyrians called out loudly in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order to capture the city. They spoke against the God of Jerusalem as they had spoken against the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of human hands. In response, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, cried out to heaven in prayer, and the Lord sent an angel who annihilated every mighty man of valor, and every leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he entered the temple of his God, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hands of King Sennacherib of Assyria, and all others, and he gave them rest on every side. Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts for Hezekiah, king of Judah, and from then on he was exalted in the eyes of all nations. In those days, Hezekiah became mortally ill, so he prayed to the Lord, who spoke to him and gave him a sign. But because his heart was proud, Hezekiah did not repay the favor shown to him. Therefore wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart, he and the people of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah. Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable articles. He also made storehouses for the harvest of grain and new wine and oil, stalls for all kinds of livestock, and pens for the flocks. He made cities for himself, and he acquired herds of sheep and cattle in abundance, for God gave him very great wealth. It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the spring of Gihon and channeled it down to the west side of the city of David, and Hezekiah prospered in all that he did. And so when ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon were sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone to test him, that he might know all that was in Hezekiah's heart. As for the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of loving devotion, they are indeed written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And Hezekiah rested with his fathers and was buried in the upper tombs of David's descendants. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem paid him honor at his death. and his son Manasseh reigned in his place. This is God's Word. Hezekiah honored the Lord from his heart, led Judah to honor and seek the Lord, and God blessed the nation with spiritual renewal. That did not mean, however, that Hezekiah had it easy. Here in chapter 32, he had to deal with a significant military threat from Sennacherib king of Assyria. The Assyrians had built a powerful army and were intent on subjugating as many other nations as possible to their control. In verse 1, Sennacherib picked off some of the smaller fortified cities in Judah, then set his sights on defeating Jerusalem. Remember that David chose Jerusalem to be his capital because it was built on a high hill and surrounded by other mountains, which made it difficult to attack successfully. Hezekiah did what he could to prepare Jerusalem for Sennacherib's attack. He blocked off the springs of water outside the city so it wouldn't be easy for the Assyrian army to camp there indefinitely. We saw that in verses 2-4. He also fixed the broken sections of Jerusalem's wall and built some towers to improve surveillance around the city. We saw that in verse 5a and b. He manufactured large numbers of weapons and shields, according to verse 5D in the NIV, and built an outer wall and reinforced the terraces of the city of David, according to verse 5C. Hezekiah also prepared his army for the attack, as we saw in verses 7 and 8, and held fast against the propaganda war that Sennacherib waged. We saw that in verses 9 through 19. Most importantly, though, he prayed. He and Isaiah the prophet waged war on their knees in this moment of crisis, as we saw in verse 20. And God honored them by miraculously delivering Judah from Sennacherib, as we saw in verses 21 through 23. Later, when he contracted a fatal illness, God honored his faith and his prayers by healing him. We saw that in verse 24. What an amazing life this man led. Yet because he was a man, he was not immune from sin. He had many victories and much success, as we saw in verses 27 through 29. But he also struggled with pride, according to verses 25 and 26. This temptation of pride follows many people who achieve everything or most things they want in life. And we tend to forget how much God and others contribute to our success, and we start thinking that we have all the answers and deserve everything we've received. God hates pride, and those who succumb to its temptation usually find themselves humbled in some way before him. The ultimate test of pride is whether or not one is repentant when God deals a blow to their pride. Hezekiah did repent according to verse 26, and God was merciful to him to a degree as we saw at the end of verse 26. Hezekiah's story reminds us to be careful about our thoughts when things go well for us. If you've had a great year this year, I'm happy for you and wish you even better things in the new year. But remember to thank and praise God rather than taking too much credit in your heart. God loves humility and rewards the humble, but the proud he usually brings to humility. So take some time here and thank the Lord and humble yourself before him. And I'll see you next time. May God bless you. Hope you have a great day today.