“Who
among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand,
that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (v.35)
Here in
chapter 18 scripture introduces the new king of Judah, Hezekiah and tells us in
verse three, “he did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his
father David had done” (v.3). Moreover, Hezekiah “trusted in the LORD,” “held
fast to the LORD,” and “did not cease to follow him” (vv. 5-6). In turn, “the
LORD was with him” (v. 7) and gave him success in everything he did.
However
this faithful servant is about to be severely tested. Sennacherib king of
Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and raising the
question, “In whom do you trust? Can you really depend on your God?”
With this
echo of the wicked serpent himself (cf. Genesis 3), the messengers cast doubt
on God’s promises, contradicted God’s word, lied about God’s purposes, promised
a better life under their terms, and reminded them that no other gods have yet
stopped the Assyrians. It is here that the chapter ends with the questions
hanging in the air: will Hezekiah and the nation continue to trust God or buy
into the lies?
This is
exactly how satan works, through lies, twisted logic, half truths. Through
multiple voices he pulls at your mental state from every angle. If he can get
you to give up your faith, your hope, your soul, and give in to his desires, he
wins. However, it is during these times of satanic testing that we need to
listen to the voice of truth.
The band
“Casting Crowns” put it best in their song, The Voice of Truth:
“Out of all the voices calling out to
me,
I will choose to listen and believe the
voice of truth.
Do not be deceived by the lies of satan. Listen to the still, small voice of truth.
Do not be deceived by the lies of satan. Listen to the still, small voice of truth.
The Truth
Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king
then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this
cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone
who is of the truth hears My voice.”
(John 18:37)
