HE STRENGTHENED HIMSELF January 2023
Scripture Reference: 2 Chronicles 32: 1-11 (NKJV)
32 …, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his leaders and commanders to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city; and they helped him. 4 Thus many people gathered together who stopped all the springs and the brook that ran through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” 5 And he strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired the Millo in the City of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance. 6 Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, and gave them encouragement, saying, 7 “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.9 After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: ‘In what do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem? 11 Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? ….
and 2 Chronicles 32: 20-22 (NKJV)
20 Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven. 21 Then the Lord sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there. 22 Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.
King Hezekiah of Judah in the southern Kingdom of Israel, was attacked by Sennacherib, Assyria’s king in the north. We can imagine Hezekiah saying, “This is war!” What a stance to take, instead of retreating or surrendering! When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19)
Words from a positive perspective from Henry Smith (1978), encourage us: Let the weak say, I am strong. And let the poor say, I am rich, because of what the Lord has done for us. Such motivating words remind us that with God on our side, we can build our faith in His ability.
Under Sennacherib’s leadership, the Assyrians, conquered many cities, so they saw Judah as another target. This caused Sennacherib to forge forward, without realizing that he was headed for defeat. He was not deterred, although Hezekiah had forts around the city, Judah.
When Sennacherib’s plan became evident, Hezekiah did not sit by idly. He gathered his cabinet of princes and devised a plan. He cut off one source of a basic necessity, water, thus hampering the enemy’s existence. If the life source had been left intact, Sennacherib’s army would have had full access to the city. What is our strategy when we face overwhelming situations? Do we give the enemy a pathway to our existence?
Hezekiah sought God sincerely and as a result he prospered. His princes, captains of war, cooperated with him, but he acknowledged his own weakness, and decided to strengthen himself. There comes a time when we must realize that we need not just personnel to assist us, but also, divine help to fortify us. In our weakness, God’s strength sustains us (2 Corinthians 12:9). On the contrary, he could have whimpered under the threat, and allow the reality of his inadequacy to immobilize him. He had to strengthen himself. How did he do that?
The cities were fenced, but there was a broken wall. If we leave an entrance for the enemy, it doesn’t matter what else we repair. Little foxes spoil the vine according to the Song of Solomon 2:15. So, Hezekiah identified the breach, and determined to give no place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27). Hezekiah’s vigilance allowed him to recognize that there was a loophole. Then he decided to act. He refurbished the wall in such a way that it was heightened above its former state.
As we mature in Christ, our go-to must be the Scriptures. To demonstrate deeper depths and higher heights in God, our responses to incidents must change, in accordance with Scriptures. Rightly dividing the Word, requires that we have it in our memory bank and appropriately use it. When we use that lamp, light, hammer, sword and balm for life and health, our stash of arsenal will increase, and the enemy will be surprised.
Also, we must surround ourselves with people who have a common interest. In our Christian walk, therefore, let us be mindful of those with whom we closely associate. Hezekiah symbolized this by building another wall outside of the wall that had already been repaired. His army used both offensive and defensive tools: darts and shields. These allowed them to gain more momentum in the battle. Our tools are explained in Ephesians 6:11-18.
The adversary’s only goal is to destroy and discourage us to the extent that we quit believing that God always hears and answers prayers. Tenacity and confidence in God, are our captains of war. (2 Chronicles 32: 6, 7). The gates, symbols of entrance to the city, were protected. Our close encounters, then, should be with those who are armed, watchful, and determined to run the race with us.
Hezekiah’s, strength, and courage qualified him to command the gatemen to follow his example. He eliminated fear because that causes us to focus on our circumstances. Instead, he minimized Sennacherib and his army’s power, and maximized his dependence on God, who is always the majority. Hezekiah was resolved to defend the city. Therefore, in his weakness he relied on God, who remains constant, according to Hebrews 13: 8.
Mankind has the tendency to be fickle, and as such may change his mind in response to circumstances. However, Hezekiah’s decision was based on his past experiences with God. He could have retreated because the task seemed insurmountable when he heard Sennacherib’s boasting about all the past conquests. This was more than enough to let Hezekiah become anxious. Instead, he sought God wholeheartedly and strengthened himself physically.
We must realize that with God on our team, we have divine assistance. The people believed Hezekiah’s words. They remembered how he had matched the Israelites according to their expertise, (2 Chronicles 31:2) and destroyed the very root of idol worship in Judah. This brought new determination to Hezekiah’s team.
With an abundance of weaponry, Hezekiah delegated responsibilities to his princes. When he sensed fear, discouragement, and concern among the captains, he admonished them to be strong and courageous. Support and encouragement were needed to motivate them. The warriors had to envision themselves as mighty men, moving with the majority. Why? Fear would have inhibited the fortitude that God had provided for them.
When Jeremiah, the prophet became fearful of his mockers, he decided to stop prophesying. After a while, he said that he felt like he would explode, (Jeremiah 20:8,9). Could it be that when we decide to find our own solution, and exclude God’s mediation, we frustrate our efforts and sink in despair? Jeremiah recognized his mistake, then he disregarded the people’s negativity and went back to exposing their evil practices.
Sennacherib, the enemy, was envious of Hezekiah’s resolve, so he undermined Hezekiah. This was a great opportunity for the faint-hearted to retreat, surrender, and quit. Sennacherib’s bragging could have been convincing, because everything that he boasted about, focused on his abilities. He reminded the Jews of man’s basic need for food and water. These things appealed to the people’s desire to survive so he seemed very credible, but what he failed to realize was that to compare himself with God, was to tread on dangerous ground.
If that were not enough, Sennacherib communicated with the Jews in their own language. He hoped this would make him seem credible enough for the watchmen on the wall to transfer their loyalty. He further discredited the God of the Jews. This brought deep discontent to Hezekiah and Isaiah, the prophet, so they both wept and prayed. They knew that any situation could be defeated by using the weapon: PRAYER. A praying Christian is like a released keg of dynamite that exudes explosive and destructive forces.
Can we imagine their tears being bottled up in heaven? (Psalm 56: 8, 9) The result was that God dispatched an angel to defeat the enemies. Even Sennacherib was killed by his own men. We have angels who war on our behalf, so let us remember that our fight is against spiritual wickedness. Therefore, we must don our armor, well. (Ephesians 6:11-12)
Hezekiah’s men stood on their walls. We also have erected walls around us, and we sometimes function like prisoners, but we can stand on the created walls and use them as our lookout. Walls of: comparison; doubt; What if?; our own voices ; and people’s declarations over us and our offspring, can either protect or inhibit us. Robert Frost’s poem entitled, Mending Walls, says, “Before I build a wall, I’d ask to know, what I was walling in or walling out…?”. We can wall in positivity and wall out negativity. Walls, affect our mind, but we can be freed by renewing our thoughts. (Romans 12;1, 2).
When unwelcome walls bombard us, we can make a conscious decision to ask ourselves, “Of what value is this thought? If it does not fit the bill of building faith, then that thought should be dismissed. Negative thoughts may scare us into questioning whether God can. We demolish those walls by refocusing on things that are virtuous and praiseworthy. It is only when we gird up the loins of our mind (1Peter 1:13) that we are protected from the onslaught of the enemies lies.
Sennacherib implanted in the Jews mind that God was no match for him. He began to perpetrate that fraudulent thinking until it got to Hezekiah’s ears and he realized the urgency of the situation. The enemy of our souls is vigilant in familiarizing himself with our habits, therefore he attacks our weakness. Hezekiah’s core was so disturbed at this, and rightly so. He had one weapon that the enemy did not have: prayer.
Hezekiah shared his vision when he heard Sennacherib’s threats, surrounded himself with supporters and strengthened himself with perseverance and prayer. Physical exercise profits our bodies, but it takes time and effort. Therefore, we may be apprehensive about exercising. If our shield of faith and sword of the spirit are tarnished, it takes time and determination to polish them and brandish them before the foe, even if we are our own adversary. Hezekiah did that to strengthen himself in the Lord.
As believers, we should be aware of the enemy’s devices, and build our prayer wall, thus strengthening our inner man. Time, coupled with a conscious effort to pray, will allow us to strengthen ourselves.
Dr. O. A. James
REFLECTION
- What are some things that we may allow to weaken our faith?
- How can we mend any opening that enables negativity?