Humanly speaking, there was no way out. Sennacherib, King of Assyria has wiped out many nations, (including the northern kingdom of Israel) and he is now threatening Judah (the southern kingdom). He has more soldiers and better weapons, what hope is there for Judah? The surprise is that this is happening when a godly king, Hezekiah is on the throne. Living a godly life doesn’t keep you free from trouble in this world, but it does mean that you have someone to turn to when trouble comes.
When Hezekiah learns of the threat, he goes straight to the Lord (2 Kings 19:1). He goes humbly, tearing his clothes and covering himself with sackcloth is a sign of repentance. He has been a godly king, but he is still aware of his and the people’s sin. You come humbly to Almighty God. And Hezekiah turns to God’s prophet Isaiah. He tells Isaiah the problem, the heart of the problem is that Sennacherib is mocking the living God (19:4). He is saying He can’t rescue. Hezekiah is concerned for the glory of God. He wants all to see God for who He is.
What a relief it must have been to hear from Isaiah that God has this under control (v7)! Hezekiah knew this, but it’s so good to be reminded from God’s Word that this is the case. Isaiah says that Sennacherib will hear something that will make him return to his own land and he will die there.
Hezekiah has a promise from God, but the threat is still very much there! Nothing has changed yet, in fact he gets yet more threatening messages (v8-13). So Hezekiah turns to the Lord again. Look how he addresses the Lord in prayer:
“O LORD, the God of Israel, you alone, of all the kings of the earth, you have made the heavens and the earth…” (v15).
What a blessing to be able to tell the creator God who holds all things in His hands what your concerns and problem are, and more than that, that He cares! Once more he gets a response from Isaiah, and this time He is reassured that God has planned all of this! All of Sennacherib’s proud victories have been given by the Lord! He is just a pawn in the Lord’s hand, He is using him even in punishing Israel for their disobedience, but he will not destroy Judah, God will lead him by the nose (v28) back to Assyria. God will defend for the sake of His name, and for the sake of His servant David – remember the promises to David about an everlasting kingdom, God hasn’t forgotten!
God totally wipes out Sennacherib’s army – overnight (v35)! And Sennacherib will die back in his own land, just as God said.
It’s so encouraging to know God is in control of all things, working for His glory and the good of His people. He is able to rescue from impossible situations. He will act for the good of His servant David. Our Lord Jesus was born in the line of David, and He rescues us from our impossible situation of sin and death. He reigns forever, and even though we will face trouble for living godly lives, He will deliver us. Our job, like Daniel’s friends as they faced the furnace (Daniel 3) is to trust that God can deliver us from impossible situations, but that even if that’s not His will, we won’t compromise in our obedience to the Lord. What a great thing to know, whatever the situation, we can turn to the Lord who holds all things in His hands.
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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