The Fight of Your Life

I’m in 2 Chronicles 32, a chapter that gets to me every time I read it.

It follows 3 whole chapters jammed full of King Hezekiah (seemingly at his own initiative, reacting possibly to witnessing the collapse of the nation under the weight of his father’s sin) rebuilding the temple, restoring worship, destroying shrines and pagan altars throughout the land, reinstating the priesthood and God’s altars (all the things I want my life to count for).

Three chapters full of revival…but then, 32:1 says, “After Hezekiah had faithfully carried out his work, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah.”

And the fight of Hezekiah’s life was on!!!

It looked like the whole nation would be lost.

Sennacherib quickly established his control over all the major cities in Judah. Only Jerusalem was left to conquer.

What?

No reward for all Hezekiah’s hard work with a time of peace? Didn’t he deserve a better break than that?

The text doesn’t say explicitly but I wonder if this wasn’t Hezekiah’s grand test.

At moments like this Hezekiah’s father had solicited help and struck alliances with the enemy to stave off an attacking army.

But the work of God in Hezekiah was the real deal.

He sends for a word from the Lord from the prophet Isaiah.
He humbles himself in sackcloth.
And when Sennacherib sent him a letter mocking his God and demanding capitulation…Hezekiah takes the letter straight into the presence of the Lord.

And God answers!

By the end of the chapter, Sennacherib and his whole occupying army is routed, Judah is freed and when he goes back to Assyria he is assassinated…and Judah gets a reprieve from the enemy through the rest of Hezekiah’s reign.

All because Hezekiah sought the Lord first in the time of crisis.

O, it is also true that he reinforced the defenses of Jerusalem and secured its water supply.

But the Lord was his priority and first resort.

That’s a lesson for me today!!