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An Angel Destroys the Assyrian Army
When the armies of Assyria were invading Judah and it seemed
as if nothing could save Jerusalem, Hezekiah rallied the forces of his
realm to resist the oppressors and to trust in the power of Jehovah to
deliver: “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed
before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is 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
.
The boastful Assyrian, whom God used for a time to punish the
nations, was not always to prevail. See
Isaiah 10:5, 24-27
. In a
prophetic message given “in the year that King Ahaz died,” Isaiah
had declared: “The Lord of hosts has sworn, ... ‘I will break the
Assyrian in My land, and on My mountains tread him underfoot. ...
For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it?’”
Isaiah
14:28, 24-27
.
In the earlier years of his reign, Hezekiah had continued to pay
tribute to Assyria, in harmony with the agreement Ahaz had made.
Meanwhile the king had done everything possible for the defense of
his kingdom. He had made sure of a plentiful supply of water within
Jerusalem. “He also made weapons and shields in abundance. Then
he set military captains over the people.”
2 Chronicles 32:5, 6
. He
had left nothing undone in preparation for a siege.
When Hezekiah came to the throne of Judah, the Assyrians had
already carried captive a large number from the northern kingdom;
and while he was strengthening the defenses of Jerusalem, the As-
syrians captured Samaria and scattered the ten tribes among the
Assyrian provinces. Jerusalem was less than fifty miles away, and
the rich spoils in the temple would tempt the enemy to return.
The king of Judah determined to resist. Having accomplished all
that human planning and energy could do, he told his forces to be of
good courage. With unwavering faith the king declared, “With us is
the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.”
2 Chronicles
32:8
.
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