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Bible story · 2 Kings 18:13–19:37
Spread It Before the Lord
Read it yourself in the King James Bible: 2 Kings 18:13–19:37 ↗
“And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.”
2 Kings 19:14 (KJV)The Story
The Assyrian Empire was the superpower of its day, and it had already swallowed up nation after nation. Now King Sennacherib had his army camped near Jerusalem.
His field commander stood outside the city walls and shouted up to the people in their own language, so everyone could hear. Don’t let King Hezekiah fool you, he said. No god of any nation has saved it from Assyria. Why would yours be any different?
Then Sennacherib sent Hezekiah a letter repeating the same threats. Hezekiah read it, went up to the temple, and did something simple and beautiful. He spread the letter out before the Lord. Then he prayed, asking God to hear the insults against His name and to save His people, so that all the kingdoms of the earth would know He alone is God.
God answered through the prophet Isaiah: the Assyrian king would not enter the city or even shoot an arrow there.
That very night, the angel of the Lord went through the Assyrian camp. In the morning, 185,000 soldiers lay dead. Sennacherib packed up and went home to Nineveh, and never returned.
Reflection
Hezekiah received a letter full of threats, and he didn’t hide it, ignore it, or try to handle it alone. He took it into God’s presence and laid it out, every word.
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Day 24 of Book 1
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