King Sennacherib of Assyria was obliged to break camp at Lachish, first to quell (presumably) an uprising at Libnah and then to meet the forces of Egypt as they came out against the southern portion of Assyria. But he sent a letter to King Hezekiah of Judah threatening to come back and take the city of Jerusalem. Today we see what Hezekiah does when he receives the letter.
"Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord." (Isaiah 37:14) This is one of my favorite scenes in the Bible! I picture him bowing down on his knees, spreading the letter out on the floor in the temple, and resting his forehead on the floor in front of the letter in a position of supplication and humility.
Of course the Lord knows what's in the letter and Hezekiah doesn't have to open it up for Him. Of course Hezekiah could have prayed to the Lord from the royal palace. But sometimes, in seasons of deep distress, we feel better when we pray in the house of God, don't we? It's not as if the Lord can't hear our prayers anywhere else but there is just a sense of closeness when we are in His house. We might compare this to the difference between seeing our doctor in person and seeing our doctor by virtual visit; some conditions just seem to call for a personal visit. I believe Hezekiah feels better about talking to the Lord in the Lord's house than he does about talking to the Lord in his own house.
Spreading the letter out before the Lord symbolizes bringing the matter to the Lord. Hezekiah could simply bring the matter to the Lord in prayer at the palace but spreading the letter out in His house adds another layer of intimacy to this interaction. It is as if the two of them are reading the words together.
By the way, I highly recommend this method! I have prayed over bills in this manner by spreading them out before the Lord. I have prayed over family members in this manner by placing printed pictures of them on my floor and bowing down over them. I have prayed over written prayer lists in this manner. If you have never tried it, I guarantee it will add an extra layer of intimacy---and power!---to your interactions with the Lord.
"And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 'Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.'" (Isaiah 37:15-16) Hezekiah begins his prayer by reminding himself who God is. God is all powerful. Nothing in heaven or on earth is beyond His control. Reminding himself of this gives Hezekiah the confidence to ask the Lord to act on behalf of Jerusalem and the people of the city. He knows that the Creator of all things is more than able to handle the threats of the enemy.
"Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God." (Isaiah 37:17) When we studied this message yesterday we found Sennacherib ridiculing the Lord by comparing Him to the gods of the nations---gods that do not exist. Sennacherib announced that the God of Israel would be no more effective against his army than the gods of the other nations. Hezekiah is saying something like, "It's not only for our sake that we ask You to intervene. For Your own sake, intervene on behalf of Your reputation. This heathen king has blasphemed Your holy name and Your perfect character and Your unlimited power."
The king of Assyria was not lying when he bragged of all the nations he's conquered. Hezekiah is well aware of this. But he is also well aware that the gods of those nations could not protect those who worship them because those gods are false gods. "It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these people and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You, Lord, are the only God." (Isaiah 37:18-20) To paraphrase the king's words and intentions: "Put them to shame, Lord, who trust in false Gods! Prove to them that You are the only God! Then they will be afraid to attack those who have committed their hearts to you. Then some of them may even give their own hearts to You."
When we remind ourselves who God is and how powerful He is and how much He loves us, the problems of this life fall into perspective. Our human enemies don't seem so powerful anymore. Our spiritual enemy (Satan) doesn't seem so scary anymore. The daily problems that plague us reduce in size in our eyes, just as Goliath was reduced in size in David's eyes when he visualized the Lord in his mind's eye. Take all those problems to the Lord, whether in your house or at a house of worship, and lay them at His feet.
No comments:
Post a Comment