2Ki 19:16 | KingComments | STEP | Hezekiah’s response to the threats of the enemy was beautiful and imitable. Hezekiah once again resorted to the LORD. What he did is always God’s great purpose in trials. It is also nice to see how he did it. He did not ask God for an answer to these letters for the king of Assyria, but for a solution for the content. He spread out the letters containing all the threats to the LORD. He acquainted the LORD with its content. In this way, we may lay down all our needs before the Lord, one by one. We can mention by name all the things we care about. Hezekiah acknowledged that God alone is God on earth. With that awareness he approached God. He first addressed God with the name “LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned [above] the cherubim”. This beautiful name of God shows His connection with His people and that He rules. Hezekiah confessed Him as the only God, not only of Israel, but “of all the kingdoms of the earth”. This is He because He is the Creator of heaven and earth. Therefore He is the Owner of it. No such thing is ever said of or to any idol. God is the God of the universe. That almighty God can be approached and addressed and be moved to listen and see, Hezekiah begged him to pay attention to “the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God”. We see that Hezekiah was not concerned about words spoken to him, but about what had been said to the living God, with what He had been dishonored and offended. Hezekiah was not blind to what his enemy had done. It was all true what the enemy had said about peoples and their gods they had conquered. But Hezekiah immediately acknowledged the reason. Of course the king of Assyria could conquer these gods, because they were only dead things of wood and stone, the work of human hands. You could just pick up such things and burn them or break them in pieces. Hezekiah knew that despite all the achievements of the enemy, his God was above all. He alone was able to deliver and judge this enemy. Hezekiah asked the LORD for deliverance. He did not do this primarily for his own salvation, but that “all the kingdoms of the earth”, of which God is God ( ), will actually know that He “alone” is God” ( ).

‏ 2 Kings 19:16

Hezekiah’s Prayer

Hezekiah’s response to the threats of the enemy was beautiful and imitable. Hezekiah once again resorted to the LORD. What he did is always God’s great purpose in trials. It is also nice to see how he did it. He did not ask God for an answer to these letters for the king of Assyria, but for a solution for the content.

He spread out the letters containing all the threats to the LORD. He acquainted the LORD with its content. In this way, we may lay down all our needs before the Lord, one by one. We can mention by name all the things we care about.

Hezekiah acknowledged that God alone is God on earth. With that awareness he approached God. He first addressed God with the name “LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned [above] the cherubim”. This beautiful name of God shows His connection with His people and that He rules. Hezekiah confessed Him as the only God, not only of Israel, but “of all the kingdoms of the earth”. This is He because He is the Creator of heaven and earth. Therefore He is the Owner of it. No such thing is ever said of or to any idol. God is the God of the universe.

That almighty God can be approached and addressed and be moved to listen and see, Hezekiah begged him to pay attention to “the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God”. We see that Hezekiah was not concerned about words spoken to him, but about what had been said to the living God, with what He had been dishonored and offended.

Hezekiah was not blind to what his enemy had done. It was all true what the enemy had said about peoples and their gods they had conquered. But Hezekiah immediately acknowledged the reason. Of course the king of Assyria could conquer these gods, because they were only dead things of wood and stone, the work of human hands. You could just pick up such things and burn them or break them in pieces.

Hezekiah knew that despite all the achievements of the enemy, his God was above all. He alone was able to deliver and judge this enemy. Hezekiah asked the LORD for deliverance. He did not do this primarily for his own salvation, but that “all the kingdoms of the earth”, of which God is God (2Kgs 19:15), will actually know that He “alone” is God” (2Kgs 19:19).