A Promise of Deliverance

KEY VERSE: Hezekiah prayed, “Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.” —II Kings 19:19

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: II Kings 19:14-20, 32-34

TODAY’S LESSON CONCERNS the manner in which Hezekiah met an Assyrian invasion of Judah under the leadership of Sennacherib. The Assyrians had entered the land and were encamped against the fortified cities, and Sennacherib was particularly determined to capture Jerusalem. Seeing this, Hezekiah consulted with his princes and decided on a course of action. First they cut off the water supplies that would in any way be a help to the enemy. Then they strengthened the walls of the city, and reorganized their army as best they could.

But Hezekiah did not rely too much on his army, or on the strength of Jerusalem’s walls. His real trust was in the Lord. This is brought beautifully to our attention in his message of comfort to the people. He said to them: “Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him; for there be more with us than with him: with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles.”

What wonderful words of encouragement! The record is that the people “leaned themselves upon the words of Hezekiah.” (Margin) So may all the Lord’s people lean upon his promises of grace to help in their every time of need, for there has never failed one word of all his good promises. On the other hand, those who lean on the arm of flesh have no assurance of victory.

Sennacherib made an effort to instill fear into the heart of Hezekiah and his defenders of the city. The argument was that Israel’s God would not be able to protect them, that the gods of other nations had failed to stop the Assyrian army, and therefore Hezekiah could not hope that his God could successfully fight against such a powerful force. Thus it was a challenge of the ability of Jehovah to defend his people.

Because “they spoke against the God of Jerusalem,” placing him in the same category as the gods of the heathen—which were no gods at all—we are told that Hezekiah and the Prophet Isaiah “prayed and cried to heaven.” (II Chron. 32:19,20) As a result of their petitions, we read, “The Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land.”—vs. 21

In this experience of Judah being attacked by their enemies, the Assyrians, and the defeat of the Assyrians, we have an illustration of the ‘warfare’ in which the followers of Jesus, the spiritual Israelites of this age, are engaged. It is a ‘good fight of faith’. Our enemies are the world, the flesh, and the Devil. The Lord has provided us with an “armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.”—II Cor. 6:7

The Lord sent an angel to protect and save Israel on this occasion, and through him the whole camp of the enemy was either slain or caused to flee away. So we have the assurance that “the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” (Ps. 34:7) These ministering spirits, therefore, in the providence of God as in the deliverance of Judah, stand by to give us that extra help which we need to be victorious.

The Lord wants us to make faithful use of the armor of truth which he has provided, and always to be on the alert to meet the attacks of our enemies. But like the people of Judah, without the Lord’s direct help we too would fall before our adversaries.

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