The Way to Victory – Part 1

If you have followed the last couple of my blogs, we talked about the City of God, in Isaiah 22, representing the church. The City of God (Jerusalem) was in trouble, completely surrounded by the enemy. Tragically, the people in the City of God looked everywhere but God to get them out of trouble.

 That was the bad news!

 But there was an earlier time in Israel’s history, before Isaiah 22, when Hezekiah was king. The City found itself in the same predicament.

 When he had first become king, Hezekiah rebuked the nation for their neglect of the house of God. The temple of God was in total disrepair. Hezekiah told the people, “This is why we are under the wrath of God because you have neglected the house of God. You’ve treated with contempt the holy things.”

 He opened the house of the Lord for the first time in decades. He rebuilt the ruins of what had been Solomon’s temple, where God’s presence had dwelt with His people.

Hezekiah restored the priests and Levites to their posts in the house of the Lord. He ordered them to cleanse the house of the Lord from its defilements (Chronicles 29:28-30).

 He restored worship in the cleansed temple. 2 Chronicles 29:28 -30 says, “The whole assembly worshipped and the singers sang and the trumpets sounded…with gladness.”

 Old Testament scholars say this was a national revival, during King Hezekiah’s reign.

 2 Chronicles 30 ends with, “So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon there had been nothing like this in the city. Then the priests and Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to His holy habitation in heaven.”

 Revival in the City of God!

 And they lived happily ever after, right?

Unfortunately not!

 “After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib, King of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself.” (2 Chronicles 32:1)

 Isn’t that Satan’s trademark strategy?

 The Assyrian horde not only surrounded the City of God, the king sent messengers to taunt the people of God about their predicament. (2 Chronicles 32:10-15)

 This was the exact predicament the people of God faced in Isaiah 22, some years later.

Except this time, the response of the people of God was different. They did not look first to human weapons, defensive walls, demolished houses and protected water supplies.

 The first place Hezekiah goes is…well, that will have to wait until next week!