2 Kings 19:1-7
As soon as king Hezekiah heard the words of Rabshakeh, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. It was much more than expressions of distress and penitence. At last Hezekiah realised that the Lord was his only resource and at once turned to Him. At the end of human and military strength, there is repentance and confession of sin. Hezekiah realised that the response he received from Sennacherib even after giving a huge amount of tribute is a rebuke from the Lord, and they now have no more strength. The only thing left for them is the God of Israel. Hezekiah turns to the Lord and seeks His favour.
The act of seeking the Lord by Hezekiah is certainly commendable. He went to the house of the Lord and brought the matter before the Lord. He acted out of his personal conviction. We should not assume that one will naturally seek the Lord, even in their desperate situation. Many still rely on their own strength and resources. Some even turn to idols instead of the living God. Ahaz is a very good example of this. Instead of returning to the Lord, he embraces the gods of Assyrians.
Hezekiah’s words to prophet Isaiah reveals his understanding of the issue and his concern.
He has a deep concern for God’s honour. The king of Assyria has sent his messengers to mock the living God. He understands that he is unable to drive the Assyrians back home, but he rejects the notion that the God of Israel is unable to do so. He prays that the Lord will stand by his own honour and rebuke the Assyrians.
He has a deep concern for the Lord’s people. He makes no reference to himself, but recognises that the needs of the Lord’s people are always a valid ground of appeal to the Lord. Hezekiah clearly knows that the identity and the existence of the remnants solely depend on God.
Our deprived hearts and minds tend to drive us to self reliance, or to seek any help that our eyes immediately see. Our natural instinct is to do whatever ways that will bring immediate result in solving the problem. We do not naturally inquire the Lord, seek His will and guidance in the Scripture. We need to train our spiritual eye to see beyond the mountain of our problem, beyond the limitation of ourselves, and focus on the Lord and His majesty.
Another point to ponder is whether we rush into God’s presence only when we are in trouble? Does the Lord hear our voices, in prayer, at any other time when our life is good? Sadly, many rush into God when they are in trouble, yet the Lord never finds them seeking Him in good times. Should the Lord send crisis into our life in order to draw our attention to Him? Do we have a concern for the church and pray for her?
“I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently find Me.” (Proverbs 8:17)
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