It is a fact that we face multiple challenges in life, and as long as we are alive, we cannot live without them. They can come from family, friends, or even personal issues arising from physical, psychological and mental health problems. Sometimes, these challenges put us in a crisis, making us anxious, agitated or frightened of what might happen next. In such situations, how do we react or deal with these challenges as they arise?
Biblically, Hezekiah has often been presented in times of crisis. His health challenge before now was a major crisis for him. He survived it only by God’s intervention. And in today’s first reading, he faces another challenge, namely the threat of his kingdom’s dominance and extermination by his enemy, which calls for reflection in this writing as we examine Hezekiah’s crisis management and coping mechanisms in dealing with his challenges.
SENNACHERIB’S THREATHENING LETTER AND ARROGANCE
One thing God detests is pride and arrogance. We all detest it too, let alone God himself. In the first reading today, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, falls short of this. He had used his war machines successfully to conquer cities of the Northern kingdom. He continued to advance towards the southern kingdom, Judah, and Jerusalem. As the cities fell, he became arrogant and refused any form of negotiation with Hezekiah, the king who reigned over Jerusalem.
Sennacherib, instead of negotiating a peaceful settlement, wrote a threatening letter to Hezekiah, warning him not to trust in his God, because he would not save him, as he had destroyed nations that had trusted in their own gods. He equated the God of Israel, the living God, with other gods. The letter was blasphemous and sacrilegious. It was humiliating for Hezekiah and his kingdom, who trusted in the Lord. Sennacherib prided himself on his army above the living God, and this is truly what God detests, as it is against the first commandment: thou shalt have no other God besides me.
HEZEKIAH’S REACTION AND HUMBLE PRAYER
The letter was terrifying, and Hezekiah had no option but to take it to God himself. He must have remembered how God had intervened when he was sick and saved him. He took the letter to the temple, spread it before the Lord, and prayed over it, acknowledging him as the only God, the creator of heaven and earth, and asking him to see the words of Sennacherib, which he had sent to mock the living God. He pleaded with God to save Jerusalem from the Assyrian army and from Sennacherib.
THE DIVINE INTERVENTION OF THE PROPHET
Hezekiah prayed to God with faith, and God responded. Through the prophet Isaiah, God reassured him that Jerusalem would be defended for His name’s sake. That night, the Lord’s angel struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, which shocked Sennacherib. The soldiers were struck by a terrible plague and died. God proved His promise to defend Jerusalem. Sennacherib, who had boasted, fled and went to Nineveh, where his own sons murdered him. Jerusalem was saved because Hezekiah prayed, and God acted.
CONCLUSION
When God gives His approval, nothing and no one can stand against it. When He’s by your side, opposition doesn’t stand a chance of success. Hezekiah turned to God during a crisis to protect his kingdom, and God answered his prayer. He stepped in and kept his promise to save him.
God deliberately dealt with Sennacherib because of his arrogance and pride. He prided himself above God and trusted in his war machines. But in the end, he learnt his lesson.
We must be vigilant in preventing wealth and power from replacing God in our lives. Importantly, let us remember to turn to God, especially during times of challenge and hardship, because He holds the answers to our problems. Just as He answered Hezekiah, our eternal Father remains the same and will respond to us when we place our trust and faith in Him.
Peace be with you.
