When Fear Comes Stalking
WHEN FEAR COMES STALKING
Isaiah 36 & 37
What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? 5 I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? 6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him. 7 But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?
How do we deal with fear? Where is our security? This week as we’ve been reading in Isaiah, we saw King Hezekiah deal with some great threats and we saw him respond with great security. Let’s look at Isaiah 36 and learn some lessons about fear.
I. Satan’s Temptation to Fear
A. Under King Ahaz of Judah, the southern kingdom faced conflict with the Northern kingdom of Israel. Ahaz turned to Assyria for help. But that help had it’s price.
B. Assyria decided it would like to conquer both the North and the South kingdoms of Israel. Following the reign of Ahaz, his son Hezekiah came to the throne.
C. Hezekiah is a good man, a godly king. He worships the Lord. Hezekiah destroys the altars of the idol worshipers. He even destroys all the altars to worship Jehovah, the true God, except for the altar at Jerusalem where the Jews were supposed to go to worship.
D. Hezekiah decided he would not pay tribute to Shalmaneser, the Assyrian King. Shalmaneser doesn’t like this, so he decides to invade Judah. Hezekiah then pays him the tribute he wants, but Shalmaneser still decides to attack.
E. The Assyrian army has destroyed the towns of Judah - 46 fortified cities have been captured, 200,000 people have been taken into captivity, and the army comes to the gates of Jerusalem. That’s enough to make anyone fearful.
F. Why would Hezekiah be tempted to be fearful? Let’s look at what he was facing.
1. Physical threats:
a) The Northern kingdom, Israel, fell to Assyria 19 years before these events. This was a nation that had defeated Israel.
b) All the cities of Judah had fallen (vs.1). Jerusalem is the only city left that hadn’t fallen.
c) The army is right outside the city (vs.2). They could look out from the city walls and see the hundreds of thousands of soldiers right outside the city.
2. Emotional Discouragement - Intimidation
a) Three high ranking officials have come from the enemy. The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.
b) They are accused of having no strategy or strength
c) They are hoping for Egypt to help, but they are told Egypt will not help, but in fact will actually harm the Jews
d) They are told even God is against them.
e) The Jews had no skilled cavalry - The Assyrians mock them - saying they will give them horses to fight with if they could come up with the men to ride them.
f) They claimed that God had sent the Assyrian army - they were there in response to God’s will
g) They said Hezekiah was being deceitful with the people. They said he was just giving the people a false hope.
h) They were given great tempting promises if only they would give in.
i)They said that God was powerless against the Assyrian army.
3. Peer Pressure
In vs. 13 we see them trying to incite the people of Jerusalem against Hezekiah.
Did Hezekiah have a reason for fear? We might certainly think so. But let’s look as his response.
II. Hezekiah’s Security
A. Hezekiah found strength in memorials of God’s faithfulness.
B. Hezekiah finds strength in humbling himself and worshiping.
C. Hezekiah gains strength from the encouragement of others.
III. Be prepared for Satan’s attacks to continue
A. Even when the king sees he is losing his hold, he continues to threaten. B. Satan will continue to attack us, even when he knows he is fighting a losing battle. And he roars like a lion, seeking to devour us.
IV. In spite of continued attacks, God can still give the victory.
A. Once again Hezekiah responded to threats by turning to God. Read 37:14-20 “And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their countries, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.
B. He appeals to the power of God, the honor of God, the uniqueness of God, the triumph of God
As a result of Hezekiah’s faithfulness, Jerusalem is spared. read 33 - 38
The Assyrians did not come into the city
They departed
The people of Israel had plenty of food to eat
God provided them with a miraculous deliverance.
How do we respond to threats? Are we fearful? Or do we trust in the Lord?
Let’s learn from Hezekiah to always turn to God when we are tempted to fear. Our God is big enough to handle any problem that might come our way!