I never knew the Bible could be so good! Overall, it makes for good reading to build our confidence and trust in God. It also gives us an opportunity to know and have a deeper love and appreciation of our God. How can you say that you TRULY love God if you do not know who He is? We can have surface love, surface faith, but the abundant, victorious life God has promised us is found in the SPIRIT. It is the deeper things of God that you cannot find on the surface.
The Holy Spirit will show up as YOU start to read the Bible. That is the other significance of reading the Bible. So, as I am reading this fascinating story of how King Sennacherib of Assyria is trying to overthrow Jerusalem and Judah along with the other fenced cities in the land. King Hezekiah has prepared his people though. He strategically fortified the land as best he could. He then spoke to his people about how God will fight our battles. After you have done your part and did things the way God has asked, he says, then God will step in and do his part. However, there is always Satan who will come along and try to convince you to doubt God. He tells you God is not going to do anything for you. The same happens in this story.
After Hezekiah has encouraged his people, in II Chronicles 32: 8, King Sennacherib sends his servants to discredit everything Hezekiah tells them. Sennacherib’s servants tell the people Hezekiah is setting them up to die by thirst and famine. Further, he asks who are they putting their trust in, the Lord God? Then they start to undermine Hezekiah’s leadership by “reminding them” Hezekiah took away their high places and alters. Moreover, they could only worship one alter and burn incense upon it (v. 11-12).
Next, Sennacherib uses intimidation. He reminds them of what he and his army have done to other people and their land and how their gods were not able to stop them (v. 13-14). He goes on to say in versus 15 to not let Hezekiah deceive or persuade them. They ramped it up by telling them not to believe Hezekiah. That no other gods have been able to stop them and our God was no different.
It turns a little comical for me because in their arrogance they go on and on. The Bible says that they wrote letters to the people to rail against God and Hezekiah. They then cried and used loud speech in the Jewish language to affright and trouble them that they would take the city (v. 18).
This, my friend, is one of the best examples of psychological warfare I have seen! It worked to a certain degree because it caused Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah to pray and cry to heaven (v. 20). God heard them and EVERYTHING that Sennacherib and his servants were saying, too. The Bible says in versus 21 God sent and angel to cut off the mighty men of valor, leaders, captains in the camp of Sennacherib. When Sennacherib returned to his land, his people, and his god, he was slain with the sword. Holy wisdom tells us psychological warfare does not work in the face of our Lord! Love & Blessings!