Do Not Fear!
"And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians." – Isaiah 37:36, ESV
I was driving back from the Bay Area and decided to listen to my Bible app. I had spent most of the day watching our grandson, who lives about two hours away, and I hadn’t had the opportunity to truly fill my soul with the Word.
I asked God what I should listen to, but when I opened my app, it was already in the book of Isaiah. I remembered that I had started listening the night before, so I continued from where I had left off. I must admit, as I was driving, I struggled to understand some of what I was hearing. I got lost in the battles—who was fighting whom and why. I told the Holy Spirit, "I’m listening, but I don’t understand. I trust You to bring clarity."
I felt the Holy Spirit say, "Just keep listening." God always has something for us if we just wait. When the reader reached the thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh chapters, I was drawn in. I was blown away by the attack that came against Judah for their disobedience to God. The King of Assyria had captured them and had become arrogant and full of pride because God had given him victory over the fortified cities of Judah. They were not honoring God or obeying His teachings. Scripture says this was part of God’s plan from the beginning (Isaiah 37:23-29).
Because God had given Assyria so much victory, the king thought he could conquer Jerusalem. He sent a royal spokesman, Rabshakeh, to tell the people of Jerusalem to surrender to Assyria because they would not be able to defeat them. He warned the people of Jerusalem, saying, "Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us.’ Has any one of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria?" The people of Jerusalem did not answer him. But King Hezekiah, in sackcloth and ashes, turned to the Lord and sent word to the prophet Isaiah regarding what Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, had said.
Isaiah sought the Lord on behalf of Jerusalem, and God said, "The Lord says this: Do not be afraid because of the words you have heard, with which the king of Assyria’s attendants have blasphemed Me. I am about to put a spirit in him, and he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword." – Isaiah 37:6-7, CSB
God did exactly what He said. But even after this, King Sennacherib sent a letter to Hezekiah, saying, "Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the King of Assyria." What? This man was crazy! But I love that Hezekiah went straight back to God in sackcloth and ashes and laid the letter on the altar as he prayed.
Scripture says Isaiah sent word to Hezekiah, telling him what the Lord had said: "They will not have to fight this battle. The King of Assyria will 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. I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David." The very next verse says, "The angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians." – Isaiah 37. Did you see that?! The angel of the Lord took care of their enemy!
Do not fear! No matter what you see, hear, or feel, take it to the Lord, and He will take care of you!
Key Points:
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore." – Hebrews 13:8, ESV
"Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass." – Joshua 21:45, ESV
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways, know Him, and He will direct your path." – Proverbs 3:5-6, CSB
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19; Isaiah 55:11
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