Sennacherib, king of Assyria, laid siege to Jerusalem. This was not his first experience of conquering and dominating a fortified city. In fact, Assyria was the current world power of the day. No one had been able to stop them. They had steamrolled across the land and arrived at Jerusalem. On behalf of Sennacherib, Rabshakeh, told Jerusalem’s leaders, “Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?”
This was Sennacherib’s most glaring sin, his most flagrant mistake, his most costly flaw. Sennacherib grouped the Lord along with every other god. Sennacherib failed to recognize the True God among the plethora of false gods. Sennacherib’s conquests led him to believe that he was in control and that no Sovereign God existed. Sennacherib’s pride led him to believe that no power, seen or unseen, could stop him. Sennacherib failed to give the Lord the honor and glory due His name!
The Lord’s response? “Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins . . . I will put My hook in your nose . . . and I will turn you back on the way by which you came” (37:26-29).
We are prone to fall into the same error as Sennacherib, though maybe not on the scale of a world empire. But we, just as he, are guilty of believing and living as if “we” are in control and “we” have accomplished our successes and nothing can stop “us.” We must repent and give glory to God or else one day we may find a hook in our nose!
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