Our God Is Greater

July 25

2 Chronicles 31-32

Psalm 84:1-7

Proverbs 19:1-2

I Corinthians 4

Our God Is Greater

“He also put military commanders over the people and gathered them to him in the square at the city gate, and spoke to their hearts, saying, ‘Be strong and courageous.  Do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the multitude that is with him; for the One with us is greater than the one with him.  With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is Yahweh our God to help us and to fight our battles.’  And the people were sustained by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”  2 Chronicles 32:6-8 LSB

Hezekiah took over after his father, Ahaz died.  He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  In the first month of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple and repaired them.  He brought in the priests and asked them to consecrate the temple and reestablish the service of the temple.  They celebrated Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread with great joy and God heard their prayer.  After this, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah and smashed all the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.  They destroyed the high places and every altar that had been set up to worship foreign gods.  Sennacherib, the king of Assyria came and invaded Judah.  He set up camp against the fortified cities and planned to invade and destroy them.  Hezekiah called the people together and encouraged them to remain strong and trust that God would protect them.  Sennacherib then sent messengers to the people in Judah questioning whether they should listen to Hezekiah. He pointed to the fact that he had already destroyed the nations around them and their “gods” and surely they didn’t believe that their God could protect them against him.  He was trying to persuade them to turn against Hezekiah and surrender to him.  Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed to God and the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the Assyrian fighting men and the king withdrew in disgrace.  When he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons cut him down with the sword.  God saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Judah and He protected them on every side. 

Hezekiah understood that God was greater than anyone who might come against them.  He encouraged his people and was able to lead them and strengthen their faith as well.  The people of Judah did not even have to lift a finger against Sennacherib because God “wiped out every mighty man of valor, ruler and commander in the camp of the King of Assyria.”  Sennacherib questioned the power of God and God demonstrated His power clearly to him.  It is interesting that Sennacherib was not struck down by God’s angel.  Perhaps God wanted him to see and understand His power and then have to retreat in humility before being struck down in the house of his fake god by his own children.  We can be assured that God will not be mocked.  His justice doesn’t always come so swiftly but we can be confident that God is greater than any person or power that will ever come against us.  We can rest on the words of Hezekiah to his people and trust that the One who is with us is greater than the one with them.