Insidious lies and empty promises. Destructive power and deceptive actions. Truth degraded and courage demeaned. The tactics that have been on display this past year are not new. Hezekiah faced attacks on his kingdom through these same measures. King Sennacherib of Assyria fought to overthrow Jerusalem with such tactics. He sent Rabshekah to Jerusalem with a message of defeat and despair. It was filled with crafty questions phrased to bring down a cloud of doubt and despondency on the people. Rabshekah pointed out facts that were indeed true, but phrased in such a way that formed an indictment against their own city. Furthermore, he sought to silence Hezekiah’s credibility with lies and made mockery of their trust in the Almighty God.
Turmoil, Tactics and Trust
The turmoil surrounding this last election has brought to many of us despondency and despair. Our long held freedoms are being attacked in deceptive and insidious ways. Although there seem to be many parallels reflected in Hezekiah’s narrative we don’t know God’s plan for our country’s situation. On the other hand, we can learn from Hezekiah’s handling of the Assyrians scare tactics. He leaves us an example in how to engage in spiritual battle against the enemy of our souls.
Hezekiah’s backstory is filled with incidents of careful obedience to God. When He came to the throne, the Kingdom was in turmoil. He chose to place his trust in the Lord, God of Israel. In other words, He placed all his eggs in God’s basket. He engineered a massive cleansing of the temple, reinstated the worship of God throughout the land and oversaw the removal of the pagan altars that had filled the streets of Jerusalem. With vigilance, Hezekiah fortified the cities, strengthened the walls and prepared for battle because he knew He had an enemy. Hezekiah’s story can be found in 2 Kings chapter 18-20, as well as in 2 Chronicles chapters 31 and 32.
Tactics to Ensure Victory
In God’s Word, we are told that we must be vigilant because we have an enemy. Vigilance is a tactic to help ensure victory. With that knowledge in hand, we must fortify our heart, strengthen our soul and prepare for battle against the enemy of our soul.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
1 Peter 5:8
The Enemy’s Tactics Revealed
The crafty way Rabshekah relayed his message to God’s people has similarities to how the devil works to defeat us. He, too, uses insidious lies and deceptive tactics. Little by little the devil works to insert a false narrative in our view of the Almighty God. Empty promises were another way Rabshekah tried to soothe the people into letting go of what they knew to be true. He assured them that no harm would come near them and everything would stay the same as before if they would strike a bargain with the king of Assyria. Take a look at a couple verse found in 2 Kings. This was the message the Assyrians were purporting.
“Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern: until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying The Lord will deliver us.”
2 Kings 18:31-32
Vigilance Required
Sounds like familiar territory to many of us. We have seen the destruction that results when one accepts the insidious lies and deceptive bargains that the devil offers. How many people do we know that have been conned into thinking that there is no consequences for sin and have swallowed the devils lies hook, line and sinker to the detriment of their souls?
Vigilance is a crucial tactical tool when facing off with the enemy of our souls. Hezekiah knew he had enemies and had been careful to search out the weaknesses of his city and fortify the walls. As Christians, we must do the same. We know God’s enemy is our enemy. The devil will use whatever means he has available to bring doubt to our view of God. He will slip in lies that will wreak havoc on our spiritual lives if we do not remain alert to the attacks of the enemy. We each have weaknesses that the devil will use to derail us if we are not vigilant. It is through the tactics of vigilance, God’s Word and daily communication with the Almighty that we can fortify our eternal soul. We must remain vigilant. We do indeed have an enemy, whose purpose is to maim and devour.
Worship Enjoined
When Rabshakeh arrived at Jerusalem and flaunted the power of Assyria and made mockery of God with his “breaking news” message Hezekiah worshipped and petitioned the God of heaven.
When faced with what looks like certain defeat we must choose to worship. It is the pathway to victory. Acknowledgement of the God of Heaven and praise for who He is will bring soul victory whether we see physical victory or not. When we realize who God is we can continue with confidence as we plead for our petitions. Exaltation of God leads to a trust that does not shake in spite of the seen and unseen forces that surround us.
Although the massive Assyrian army encamped around Jerusalem with an army that humanly ensured defeat for the city of Jerusalem and projected the winner as Assyria; Hezekiah worshipped, petitioned and then stayed upon his God. We too must emulate this pattern if we are to find strength for the battle and victory for our soul. Worship is essential in this spiritual battle that we are faced with. Simultaneously, we then can petition the God of Heaven with confidence.
Courage Maintained
Hezekiah not only remained vigilant and worshipped, he encouraged his people. His rallying cry was to have courage and remember that with God they had the majority in spite of the multitude that was seen.
“Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him; for there be more with us than with him; With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles.”
2 Chronicles 32:7-8
As we worship the God of heaven and find the confidence to see the unseen to be just as much of a reality as the seen, we must share that courage with other pilgrims on the journey. The reminder to someone to be courageous may be just the words they need to keep on. Don’t underestimate the value that our acts of kindness and encouraging words have on another warrior fighting for God and the right. We must help to maintain the courage of our fellow soldiers. Together we must unite in worship and petition with confidence.
It was in the dark of the night, that God worked in Hezekiah’s situation. God sent an angel to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. In the morning light as King Sennacherib looked at the devastating loss of his army, he tucked tail and slunk away in defeat. God stepped in, routed the army and won the victory.
Hold on To Hope
I, in no way presume to know the outcome of this political firestorm that our beloved country is facing. Whether the fraudulent allegations will be found to be true or false, only time will tell. But one thing I do know is that the projected winner, as well as the ultimate victor in this life and in the life to come is the Almighty God of Battles. He knows the end from the beginning.
While on this sod, we face a battle of spiritual proportions that we must wage with vigilance as well as worship. Furthermore, we must take courage and then with confidence and kindness we must spread the word that we have the Lord our God to help us fight our battles for us. Consequently, I hold on to hope.
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