Survival



2 Kings 18:13-16
13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me. Whatever you impose on me I will bear.” And the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house.
16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord and from the doorposts that Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Historically, the person of Sennacherib looms fairly large. His campaign across the middle east was all-encompassing and for a long time, Assyria was the world power. Hezekiah was weak. While he did a good job spiritually of leading the people, his hands were pretty much tied in terms of military power. Judah was simply too small to withstand an onslaught from a power like Assyria. Instead he did the only thing he could. He bought the bully off with all the gold and silver he could find. It holds Sennacherib off for a short while.

I’m not sure there’s a big spiritual lesson here today. Assyria is simply a part of Judah’s story. It is not yet time for Judah to experience the judgment that befell Israel. (That happens about 125 years from this point in the story.) While Hezekiah faces the giant, he still holds onto his faith and continues to lead the people into true worship. For that he must be admired.

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