Deliver Us

Passage: 2 Kings 19

The Book of 2 Kings is punctuated by moments in which God’s people – the nations of Israel and Judah – are faced with insurmountable adversity. From the beginning God’s people have been smaller and weaker than any of their neighbors (see Deuteronomy 7:7-11). They have often been insulated from this harsh reality because God has protected them from their stronger, more ruthless enemies. But one of the consequences of Israel and Judah’s sins (the most prominent of which is the worship of substitute gods) is that the one true God withdraws his protection and allows his people to fend for themselves. Following the reigns of David and Solomon, the periods of harmony between God and his people become fewer and farther between. Israel and Judah are overrun by their enemies, and the Israelites are eventually conquered and exiled by the Assyrians (see 2 Kings 17). During the reign of Hezekiah, it seems that Judah’s exile is imminent, too. Sennacherib, king of the merciless and innumerable Assyrians, has given Hezekiah’s people an ultimatum: surrender or be crushed. Neither option is particularly appealing – surrender will involve the execution of many of Judah’s fighting men and the enslavement of everyone else; the alternative is siege and slow starvation followed by brutal and painful death at the hands of sadistic soldiers. The Judeans are in a jam, and there’s nothing they can do.

Or so it would seem. Fully aware of his grave predicament, Hezekiah does something surprising: he prays. Here’s what he says:
O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
"It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men's hands. Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God.”
You can read the rest of the passage to see how things turn out.

This passage reinforces a message given throughout Scripture: God hears the prayers of his people, and God is able to deliver them from the impossible. Hezekiah’s prayer provides insight into when and how God provides such deliverance. The precipitating situation involves two things: first, God’s people are up against something they can’t possible overcome on their own; second, they have been confronted by an adversary who has misrepresented God (see 2 Kings 18:25). God has something invested here. Hezekiah appeals to God’s own interest in maintaining his reputation. Next, Hezekiah stipulates that the God to whom he appeals is the one true God – the “God of heaven and earth”. He declares that there is no God but his God. Finally, Hezekiah prays that God’s deliverance would serve the purpose not simply of rescuing Hezekiah and his people, but proving to the world once and for all that God is God. Hezekiah demonstrates that he understands God, and is committed to God’s purposes.

We regularly pray, “God bless me” or “God bless us.” Sometimes we do so believing that we’re entitled to God’s blessing. Sometimes we do so as an empty truism – we know it’s not really God making things happen, but rather our own efforts or resources that will deliver us. Neither position reflects a real relationship with God. God doesn’t owe it to us to help us out. But God is more than willing to do so – so long as God gets the credit. God’s hand is most visibly at work when he delivers us from stuff we can’t conquer on our own. What separates God’s people from everyone else is that God’s people acknowledge their weakness and failure, and make it clear to the world that their help comes from God alone. If you’re in a jam you can’t get yourself out of, don’t be ashamed. Don’t be afraid. Say the prayer: “God of heaven and earth, deliver me.” Say it out loud; say it so loud that people can hear it. See what God can do. Then tell the world.