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For the next few moments, I want to share a passage of scripture with you that I hope will be encouraging to you, especially in this challenging time we find ourselves in with the threat of the Corona Virus.
The fact is, in the past week, life as we know it in America has changed drastically.
I mean, who would have thought a week ago that it would be almost impossible to buy toilet paper.
Who would have thought a week ago that our public schools would be canceled for the rest of the year.
Who would have thought a week ago that the ability for us to come together as a church family would only be possible through a virtual setting, and that our Easter Sunday will more than likely be held online.
Who would have thought that we wouldn’t be able to congregate together in groups of more than 10 people.
Who would have thought a week ago that we could be facing 20% unemployment in our country.
I mean who would have thought?
But here we are, facing all of these realities now. And the fact is, it’s a little overwhelming, confusing, and discouraging to think that it could be weeks, and even months, before life returns to normal.
So, that leaves us with a great question, the question being, “What do we do know? How do we handle such a grim set of circumstances?”
Tonight I’d like to suggest to you that the Bible actually gives us an answer to that question. An answer that I believe is found in an OT story about a King named Hezekiah who with his people faced a similar, but worse situation.
A situation where all hope seemed lost. A situation where they had been isolated and cutoff. A situation where life as they knew it had come to a screeching halt.
The story is found in .
And so here’s what I want to do:
First, I want to read through the story and give some explanation as to what the situation was.
Second, I want to highlight how they dealt with and overcame their situation, and from that determine how we too can deal with and overcome our current situation.
So, with that as our basis, let’s jump into the story and find out what Hezekiah and his people were facing. Beginning in 2 King 18:13 the writer tells us this:
13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
The writer starts by giving us a time frame for the incident, and apparently it happens in the 14th year of King Hezekiah’s reign.
So, a great first question would be, “Why is this time frame mentioned?”
It’s mentioned because what is about to happen has been a crisis in the making. Because if we took the time to look at it, the situation Hezekiah is about to face started 10 years prior to this as a a King named Sennacherib of Assyria invaded the land of Isreal and took a neighboring city called Samaria captive. An event at the time that didn’t affect Hezekiah.
But fast forward 10 years later, and now Sennacherib has come up against Hezekiah and the cities of Judah.
In way, it reminds me of how the Corona Virus started. You may recall, reports of the virus first started surfacing form China towards the end December, about the same same time we were all celebrating Christmas and New Years.
But to be honest, we didn’t think much of it, and why would we, it’s something happening on the other side of the world. Something that wasn’t affecting us.
But fast forward 3 months, and here we are, facing the same problem, as the virus bears down on our borders, our country, our states, and our communities. Like Sennacherib, the virus is at our front door now.
So, what happened next? The writer continues, verse 19:
19 And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? 20 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? 21 Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22 But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?
2 Kings 18:19-
Apparently as Sennacherib surrounds the city of Jerusalem, he sends one of his commanders to give Hezekiah a message. And the message basically is, “Hey Hezekiah, you are in a hopeless situation. In fact, it’s so hopeless Hezekiah, that even your God can’t save you now. Hezekiah, you might as well give up!”
Do you see what Sennacherib is trying to do? He’s trying to create a spirit of fear. He’s trying to create panic. He wants Hezekiah and his people to think that they are isolated with no hope.
And isn’t that exactly what the Corona virus has done? It’s created fear. It’s created panic. Ir’s isolating us, trying to convince us that because there is no toilet paper there is no hope.
So, does his tactic work? Is he able to create fear in Hezekiah and his people? You bet it works. Listen what he writer says happened next, verse 26:
28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!
2 Kings 18:26
26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
2 Kings 18:2
The writer says as Sennacherib’s commander threatens the city of Jerusalem, the messengers of King Hezekiah ask them to speak in Aramaic instead of the language of Judah.
So, a great question would be, “Why would they ask them to do that?” They ask them to do that because they know that kind of fear talk will lead to a panic in the city. That if the people of Jerusalem hear what is being said, it will lead to mass hysteria.
But do you think Sennacherib’s commander cares about that? Of course not. He wants the people to panic. So he begins to speak louder and directly to the people. Listen to what he says in response:
27 But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?”
“Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: ‘Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the King of Assyria. Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria’…And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has any of the gods of the Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’” ;
The writer says Sennacherib’s commander doesn’t hold back. He tells the people they are basically doomed and there is no hope. He tells them if they don’t give up, they’re going to end up eating their own dung and drinking their own urine. He tells them that even their god won’t be able to deliver them. He tells them it’s the end of the world as they know it.
And isn’t that exactly the kind of fear and hopelessness the Corona virus has brought as it threatens our health. As it threatens the downfall of our economy. As it creates widespread panic and fear through rumors, media outlets, social media, and doomsday prophets.
8:1-
That’s exactly what the virus is doing.
So, how do Hezekiah and the people respond? The writer tells us as he continues in chapter 19.
1 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord.
The writer says Hezekiah doesn’t take the threat well. In fact, he tears his clothes and he goes into the temple?
So, why does he go tot he temple? The writer tells us:
2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.”
2 Kings 19:2-
The writer says in his distress, Hezekiah sends a message to the prophet Isaiah. Why Isaiah? Because during that time, Isaiah represented the voice of the Lord in Judaea. In other words, Isaiah is Hezekiah’s spiritual advisor. And so he sends a message to Isaiah, and the message basically is, “Isaiah help us! Please pray for us! For we are in great distress.”
At this point all Hezekiah knows to do is to cry out for help.
And to be honest, that’s exactly where we need to be right now as we too recognize how much we need God’s help in our current situation. That without Him, we may be in for quite a ride.
So, how does Isaiah respond to Hezekiah’s plea for help? The writer tells us, verse 5:
5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’ ”
9:5-
The writer says Isaiah has good news. And the good news is that God is going to deliver Hezekiah. How’s God going to do it? We don’t know exactly at this point, but apparently God is going to create a spirit of fear in Sennacherib that is going to lead him back to his own country where he will die.
And what was true for Hezekiah is true for us as well. Because if we are willing to cry out to God for help. If we are willing to humble ourselves before Him, God stands ready to help us.
And that’s exactly what Hezekiah does. Because listen to what he does when he receives word back from Isaiah, verse 14:
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”
2 Kings 19:14-
The writer says after receiving the letter from Isaiah, Hezekiah went to the house of the Lord, and he worshiped and cried out to God. And he prayed that God would deliver them from the hand of the enemy and that in their deliverance everybody would know that the Lord is God alone.
And just like Hezekiah, that’s exactly what we have to be willing to do. We have to be willing to lay everything before the Lord and put our trust compeltely in Him. To be willing to ignore the dooms day predictions. To be willing to let go of the fear and panic. To be willing to put our trust in the Lord and let the world see that it is our God is a God who is in control and delivers those who cry out to Him.
Because that’s exactly what God did for Hezekiah. Because as Hezekiah began to worship and seek the Lord, God went to work. Listen to what the writer says happened next:
32 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 34 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”
35 And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
2 Kings 19:32-
The writer says as Hezekiah cried out to God, God made a declaration concerning the King of Assyria. And the declaration was, that the King of Assyria would not be able to come up against Jerusalem. And that not one arrow would be shot into the city. And that God would defend with city.
And God did exactly that. Because before the next morning dawned, the Angel of the Lord went out into the enemy camp that surrounded the city of Jerusalem, and He killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and the seige was over.
And such a devastating defeat it was for the King of Assyria, that he packed up and went home where a surprise was waiting fro him. Listen to what the writer tells us:
36 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh. 37 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
:36-
The writer says upon returning home, that Isaiah’s prophecy came true as Sennacherib was killed by sword at the hands of his own sons.
Whoever said the Bible wasn’t exciting, has never read it.
So, a great question at this point might be, “How exactly does this all apply to us?”
Well, as I said, like Sennacherib did to Hezekiah, the Corona Virus has created quite a spirit of fear, panic, and hopelessness in our country as the reality of what it’s doing to our country is beginning to sink in.
Because the fact is, we aren’t out of the woods yet. According to economic predictions, even if the virus is contained in the weeks to come, by May we will begin to feel the economic affects of this virus. In fact, some are predicting in the weeks to come we will be looking at a 25% unemployment rate in our country.
In addition to that, there’s uncertainty on how this will play out for our kids educationally as school officials try to determine how to finish out a school year with no school.
To be honest, we are at a place where we’ve never been before as a country. Some say we are on the verge of a 2nd great depression.
And it’s in times like this where it would be easy to let worry, fear, and panic overwhelm us.
And that’s exactly what the enemy wants us to do. He wants us to give up. He wants us to give into the fear. He wants us to think it is hopeless. He wants us to think we will never have bread or toilet paper again.
But the good news is, it’s not hopeless. And it’s not hopeless because we serve a God of Hope. A God who if we are willing to cry out too, hears our cry. A God, who if we are willing to look too, will fight on our behalf.
But like Hezekiah, we have to be willing to get on our knees and cry out to Him and recognize that He is the only one that can deliver us from the disaster that is upon us.
To be honest church, I believe we are at a critical point morally and spiritually as a country. And I’m going to tell you right now, it’s not going to be American ingenuity, or the American Government, or the American way that delivers us. None of those things have the power to defeat what has surrounded us.
Because what has truly surrounded us, boxed us in, and isolated us, is much more deadly than the Corona virus. What has surrounded us is a spiritual force that has been creeping up on us over the past several years. Something the church has looked at from a distance, but refused to deal with.
So, what is this spiritual force? It’s a lot of things. It’s a Spirit of immorality. A Spirit of greed. A spirit carnality. A spirit of defiance. A spirit of worldliness. A spirit of division. A spirit of hatred. A spirit that has left our country in moral and spiritual shambles.
Now you might be thinking, “Pastor, are you saying the Corona Virus is a judgment of God? Are you saying this is happening because God is judging America?”
Honestly, I don’t know. But what I do know is it’s causing us to slow down. What I do know is it’s removing the facade we’ve created. What I do know is it’s revealing the true nature of many in this country. What I do know is unless something changes, and unless this country finally turns its heart back to God, then there may be no coming back from what lies ahead. Because the reality is, our country is currently bleeding out, and the only thing that has the power to save us is a righteous God who stands waiting for us to call out to Him.
Church, this is a critical moment for the church and our country. A moment where we either rise up, be the church, and cry out to God, or we sink back in fear and hopelessness and let the enemy have his way.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to sink back. I’m not going to let fear and hopeless win the day. Because I serve a God who wins battles. I serve a God who redeems lost people. I serve a God who if His people will cry out to Him, will go before us and deliver us from the enemy.
How will He deliver us? I don’t know. I don’t know how the stock market is going to come back? I don’t know how we will overcome 25% unemployment. I don’t know how industries will be restarted. I don’t know how any of that will happen. All I know is, if we put our trust in God, God will do what only He can do. And at the end of the day, God’s name will be lifted up, and America will know, that the Lord, He is God.
The fact is church, we’ve never had a greater opportunity to point people to Jesus.
And at the end of the day, God’s name will be lifted up, and America will know, that the Lord, He is God.
That being the case, now isn’t the time to shrink back. Now isn’t the time to hold back. Now isn’t the time to worry about political correctness. Now isn’t the time to focus on what we’ve lost. Now isn’t the time to let worry and fear overwhelm us.
No. Now is the time for to get on our faces and cry out to a holy God. Now is the time to point people to the true savior. Now is the time to look to the one who has the power and ability to save and redeem our country, not just from a virus, not just from economic downfall, but from spiritual and moral depravity that surrounds us. Now is the time to turn our hearts back to God.
That being said, as the worship team comes to close out our service, for the next few moments I want challenge you to consider one important question, and the question is this:
In the midst of the our current Crisis, what is your hope in? In other words, as the virus spreads and as doomsday prophets forecast economic downfall, what are you putting your hope in?
In other words, if I were to ask you, “What’s the most important thing in you life?” What would your answer be? Would it be your work? Would it be your children? Would it be some hobby? Or would it be your relationship with God?
Are you putting your hope in social distancing? The idea that if we can just contain the virus that all will be well.
Here’s why this question is so important. It’s important because in the midst of a crisis
Is it in an economic stimulus package from the government? That if the government will just give people more money, everything will be ok?
The reason I ask you
Is it in the development of a vaccine?
Is it in American ingenuity and hard work?
Could it be, that’s part of your problem? Could it be that’s why you feel so empty? Could it be that’s why your life feels so out of control. Could it be, that your priroities are all out of whack,
Or, is it in a God who has the power to overcome any enemy and any obstacle.
My prayer is, that your hope is in God. My prayer is that in this time of crisis, you will begin to recongize that God is our only Hope. that you will begin to pray that God will redeem our country. That you will begin to pray, that through this crisis, God will bring a great revival.
Church, it’s time for us to be the light. It’s time for us to quit playing church and start being the church.
And so if you’re with me, as the worship team comes and we sing this last song, wherever you’re at, I want you to lift up your hands, and declare to the Lord, that He is God. I want you to lift up your hands and declare that regardless of what the enemy says or does, your hope is in the Lord.
Let’s Pray