Day 277.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are 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.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. (2CH 32:7-8 ESV)
When Senacherib led the Assyrian army to Jerusalem, he was positioned to take captive Judah. He had already succeeded with their sister Israel and all of the nation’s in their path. Hezekiah had made built up the fortifications and stopped up the water sources outside the walls in order to prevent capture. But more than these was his prayer and faith in God to deliver. Though the Assyrians were vastly bigger and, humanly speaking, had more than enough soldiers and weaponry to take the city, God intervened,
And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. (2CH 32:21 ESV)
Isaiah gives a more detailed account and reports that God killed 185,000 men. Indeed, Hezekiah was right, there are more for us than our enemy, though we cannot see them.
May we remember when we face fire circumstances and grow discouraged.
