15And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. 16LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. 17Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, 18And 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. 19Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only (2 Kings 19: 15-19).
2 Kings is, at times, difficult to read. Israel and Judah are separate kingdoms and they both struggle with being faithful to God-they generally do very poorly. Hezekiah King of Judah is an exception; he follows the commands of the Lord. In this passage Hezekiah is praising God as Creator, ‘ thou hast made heaven and earth’. Hezekiah compares the Creator God to the gods of Assyria-there is no comparison.
The Creator God is able to deliver because he exists and is the maker of Man. The gods of Assyria do not exist and are the makings of Man. The distinction is profound. Profound distinctions are usually important. The importance to us is to distinguish between the gods of this world, and the God that made this world. We like Hezekiah should praise the maker of heaven and earth, the one true God.
2 Kings is, at times, difficult to read. Israel and Judah are separate kingdoms and they both struggle with being faithful to God-they generally do very poorly. Hezekiah King of Judah is an exception; he follows the commands of the Lord. In this passage Hezekiah is praising God as Creator, ‘ thou hast made heaven and earth’. Hezekiah compares the Creator God to the gods of Assyria-there is no comparison.
The Creator God is able to deliver because he exists and is the maker of Man. The gods of Assyria do not exist and are the makings of Man. The distinction is profound. Profound distinctions are usually important. The importance to us is to distinguish between the gods of this world, and the God that made this world. We like Hezekiah should praise the maker of heaven and earth, the one true God.
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