Times of Trouble —

Isaiah witnessed an existential threat to God’s people firsthand. King Hezekiah worked hard to clean up the small southern kingdom of Judah from false gods and pagan worship practices. God usually rewards such dedication and devotion and often relents any incoming judgment. But Hezekiah was troubled. The nation to the east came knocking on their door.

Every single Judean town and village outside of Jerusalem had been toppled by Sennacherib. There was no stopping him. He was powerful, worshipped demons, and could roll over anyone who got in his way. He knew it, too. So, he sent a man called Rabshakeh to tell the men of Jerusalem to give up, and if they did, he would show mercy. This was horrifying. Hezekiah had moved the people Israel toward the proper worship of God, and now this? And his son, Manasseh, was connecting the dots––in the wrong order.

When we read this story, we need to hear and understand how that God is testing Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. The king would spend the night sleepless, while thinking through this impossible dilemma. To give up Jerusalem was not God’s will, and to die was not God’s will. So what was God’s will?

The answer to their trouble was not in anything they could do––it was entirely in God’s hands. All Hezekiah and Jerusalem could do was rest their faith in God alone.