Put 7.8 billion people together on seven continents and you get the perfect recipe for friction. People argue, fight, war, slander, accuse, lie to, lie about, curse, threaten and yes, even kill and murder each other. Unfortunately the recipe is just that simple, put enough people together and you’ll get a few that just can’t get along. But you know what? God knew this. Why do you think He uttered these commands as the most important?
“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40
Jesus knew. He knew that that one of our biggest problems in this life would be other people. And in order to get along you needed to know two major things. First, God is God and He is in control of everything, and that includes all people. And secondly, we need to love all those around us regardless of what they do or say to us. Why? Well, revert back to number one. God is God and He tells us to.
One of the biggest problems today is that people try to fix their own people problems. They set out to fix their enemies, fix those that disagree with them, fix those they don’t like, and fix those that give them trouble. But I don’t see that when Jesus was asked about the most important commandment that it had anything in it about distributing your own personal vigilante justice to those you don’t care for. In fact, Jesus spoke just the opposite, love them as you love yourself. And folks, let’s be honest, just look around on social media today, we live in a world where people really love themselves a lot. If the people of the world truly loved others as much as they loved themselves, we’d all be skipping around hand in hand singing Kumbaya…a 7.8 billion person conga line.
Today we continue on with the story of good King Hezekiah. He has torn down the altars, broken the idols, and removed the false temples from Jerusalem. And He did it all in obedience to Almighty God. We would want to think that in His great submission and obedience to the Lord that he would be doing nothing but singing to God and playing the harp with nary a problem in the world, but not so. You see, there are other people in the world, and some of those people have a big beef with Hezekiah. Sennacherib is the general of the armies of Assyria and he is tearing through the land destroying and conquering every city in his path. And Jerusalem is next in line.
He rolls up to the city walls with his army in tow and begins to taunt, insult and ridicule not only Hezekiah but Almighty God Himself. Hezekiah is beyond distraught. He tears his clothes, a sign of great emotional agony and in this moment, he goes where anybody should go when the enemies of life come knocking. He went to God. The prophet Isaiah speaks the words of God to him, Jerusalem will not be touched. Not even by one single arrow. Yet the comfort of what God speaks to Hezekiah does not line up with what Sennacherib keeps spewing towards him, his city, and God. Anger, hate, cursing, slander, insults and blasphemy is what keeps coming over the walls and it’s hard for Hezekiah to stay calm. He has the comforting promises of God yet it’s so hard for him to see it and feel it as he deals with the enemy that's right outside. Sennacherib sends Hezekiah a letter that is filed with fiery threatening rhetoric. He is giving Hezekiah one more chance to surrender before he lays siege to the city, kills most, enslaves the rest and that’s after they rape the women, pillage the gold, and destroy the temple. I can only imagine as Hezekiah read, and reread that letter. Focusing on its words and picturing the physical execution of what they said. And in this moment, we get a tremendous life lesson from Hezekiah. For he did something with that letter that is a perfect example of what we should all do with our enemies and critics today.
“Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore, they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” 2 Kings 19:14-19
He spread it before the Lord. He laid it out before God. He gave it to God. He was beat and he knew it. He could not fight his own enemies. He could not hope to prevail against the enemies of this world. But he knew who could. And that is exactly where he went. To lay his problems and his enemies bare before the Lord.
What a powerful image this conjures in my mind. This man in his torn robe, scared, frightened, fearful, and intimidated by the 185,000 Assyrian soldiers that are waiting outside the walls of his city. A city that God has entrusted to his care. An entire city and its people, their welfare hinging on his ability to care for them. And it all sits on a precarious fulcrum in this moment. I can see Hezekiah timidly walking into the outer temple and approaching Almighty God with fear, reverence, and honor. And then he simply kneels down and places that letter upon the altar. He lets that letter pass from his human hands to the Almighty hands of God. The possession of his problem transfers, from his kingdom to God’s kingdom. He laid it down and backed away. He gave it up and did not take it back. His problem was now where he knew it belonged, in the capable hands of God.
Folks, somewhere in still darkness of that night that Assyrian army received and unexpected visitor. An angel of the Lord with the righteous sword of God fell 185,000 soldiers in one night. The entire army that was ready and willing to kill God’s people, gone in the silence of the night. God was able to do for Hezekiah what Hezekiah could not do for himself. And all because He chose not to attempt to fight his own battle. He instead laid his struggle before the Lord.
Friends, today Sennacherib is not in your path, but what is? Do you have an enemy in your life that is threatening outside your city walls? Has that enemy threatened you, slandered you, and made you to look a fool all over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can fight that fight. Retaliation in the same vein will only escalate and prolong the battle. Take those insults, take those posts, and take those comments and spread it before the Lord. Are you battling the enemy of sickness, disease, cancer or surgery? This silent enemy can take all that you have and never speak a word. Lay it out before the Lord. Is your marriage crumbling before your eyes? You and your spouse seeming to have lost the ability to coexist peacefully? Get on your knees and place that marriage on the altar of God. Are you in the throes of fighting the enemy of addiction? An enemy that at times seems to greatly outnumber the Assyrian army? An enemy that has stolen your joy, your freedom, and your peace? Humble yourself before the Lord and admit that you are beat. You can’t fight that enemy on your own. But God can. Spread it out before the Lord and lay bare the requests of your heart.
God is faithful to hear the prayers of His people. He is faithful to hear and respond. And He fights for those that belong to Him, love Him, and obey Him. Do you know God today? More specifically, do you know about the saving grace of Jesus Christ? You see, Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus is the only way to Heaven. In the brokenness of your sin, admit that your life has been greatly affected by that sin in ways that you no longer desire to live in. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and be your Lord. Ask Jesus to be the one that you can lay your letters before. He is faithful to hear and save all those that call upon His name.
Today, may you enjoy the honor of spreading out your letters before Christ. For in that action, you will place your life in the most capable hands the world has ever known.
If you’re reading this, you’re being prayed for.
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