Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Opening Scripture

After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, he appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword. So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side. 2 Chronicles 32 (selected)

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for rest and the promise of a new day. I praise You for Your loving kindness, Your thoughtful provision, and Your comforting presence. Help my hope and security be in You today, not in what I do, or what I have, or what others think. May Your Spirit guide me in the way I should go. Help me to appreciate Your blessings and see You at work around me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

2 Kings 18:9-16

In King Hezekiah’s fourth year, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah’s sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. The king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes. This happened because they had not obeyed the LORD their God, but had violated his covenant – all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened to the commands nor carried them out.

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: “I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.” The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace. At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Reflection  

As we read yesterday, Hezekiah “held fast to the LORD and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.”

That short summary barely touches on the significant events of the time. In 2 Chronicles 29-32, we are given a much more extensive record of the spiritual reforms that Hezekiah undertook, including the cleansing and reconstruction of the temple, and reinstituting the Passover Festival. We also gain a fuller description of Assyria’s continued threat against the Southern Kingdom.

Judah had become a vassal to Assyria under Hezekiah’s father, King Ahaz. In exchange for protection from the Aram and Israel alliance, “Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria” (2 Kings 16:8).

Sargon II honored the agreement by destroying Samaria (722 B.C.) and Damascus (720 B.C.), but Judah remained in a vulnerable position. King Sargon II continued to actively expand Assyria’s territory and dominate its conquered nations. His son, Sennacherib, who succeeded him, was viewed as a less capable ruler. Hezekiah saw his chance when Assyria’s military attention was focused on Babylon.

Hezekiah formed an alliance with the Phoenicians, Philistines, and Egyptians, in hopes of fending off an Assyrian attack. It was a failed effort! Sennacherib quickly defeated the Phoenicians and then the Philistines before attacking all the fortified cities in Judah (701 B.C.). That is when Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib at Lachish saying, “I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.”

The price was high – one ton of gold and eleven tons of silver – but Hezekiah was willing to pay it. Of course, he had to clean out the temple and treasury, then strip the gold off the doors to do it. Presumably, Hezekiah gave Sennacherib everything that remained after Ahaz (Hezekiah’s father) had paid off Sargon II (Sennacherib’s father) twenty years earlier.

The ransom turned out not to be enough. Sennacherib wanted more, so he demanded a complete surrender. That is when Hezekiah “rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.” Which brings us to our Opening Scripture.

King Hezekiah, the prophet Isaiah, and everyone else in Jerusalem cried out to God, and He delivered them in a mighty and miraculous way.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

The only way to know for sure that something is reliable is to test it. That can be a frightening thought when the thing in question is intended to keep you alive.

How do you know if a parachute will work? You must jump out of a plane.

How do you know if a seat belt or airbag will work? You must experience a significant car accident.

How do you know if a climbing rope will work? You must lose your grip and fall.

How do you know if a fire extinguisher will work? You must be threatened by fire.

Our faith in God works much the same way. Think back throughout Scripture at how people’s faith was tested and proven. Noah. Abraham. Sarah. Joseph. Rahab. Daniel. Hannah. The prophets. The apostles. The early Church martyrs.

Even the Lord Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness after His baptism for a time of testing. For forty days, Jesus fasted and prayed, tempted by Satan and trusting the Father. That testing provided an important time of clarity, strengthening, and refinement. It confirmed Jesus’ identity, established His mission, and set the tone for His public ministry.

Certainly, the Assyrian threat tested the faith of Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. Would they depend on their own strength? Would they submit themselves again to their attackers or seek to form another alliance? Or would they trust fully in Almighty God? Time would tell.

How do you typically respond to the challenges and calamities in your life?

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

This week’s collective prayer: Father, create in me a true desire to share your love with others. Amen.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!