Thursday, March 15, 2007
Who do we think He is?
[7]"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. [8] With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles."
Later in the chapter, the Bible records that "the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king." (ref. 2 Chron. 32:21 NIV)
Why did God do that? Isn't God supposed to be this "anything goes, push-over" kind of God that we can all feel good about regardless of how we live our lives? Apparently not. God apparently opposes the proud. Not only does He say that ... He's been known to display that through earthly events. Sennacherib (the Assyrian King that was coming against Israel) and his officers spoke and wrote letters to Hezekiah and his leaders. Apparently Sennacherib didn't think too highly of the God of Israel ... comparing Him to the gods and idols of every other country the Assyrians had defeated. So God decided to call his bluff.
"Yeah, yeah!" you say. "Just another pesky Bible story!" Maybe. But read the following and check out the source for yourself .........
Excerpt from Encyclopedia.com:
Hezekiah , in the Bible, king of Judah, son and successor of Ahaz. During his reign Sennacherib of Assyria routed (701 BC) the rebellious Jews and exacted a high indemnity from them. However, a plague in the Assyrian army saved (690 BC) Judah from a second invasion by Sennacherib.
Hmmmmm, that plague sounds like an "Act of God" to me.
Later in the chapter, the Bible records that "the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king." (ref. 2 Chron. 32:21 NIV)
Why did God do that? Isn't God supposed to be this "anything goes, push-over" kind of God that we can all feel good about regardless of how we live our lives? Apparently not. God apparently opposes the proud. Not only does He say that ... He's been known to display that through earthly events. Sennacherib (the Assyrian King that was coming against Israel) and his officers spoke and wrote letters to Hezekiah and his leaders. Apparently Sennacherib didn't think too highly of the God of Israel ... comparing Him to the gods and idols of every other country the Assyrians had defeated. So God decided to call his bluff.
"Yeah, yeah!" you say. "Just another pesky Bible story!" Maybe. But read the following and check out the source for yourself .........
Excerpt from Encyclopedia.com:
Hezekiah , in the Bible, king of Judah, son and successor of Ahaz. During his reign Sennacherib of Assyria routed (701 BC) the rebellious Jews and exacted a high indemnity from them. However, a plague in the Assyrian army saved (690 BC) Judah from a second invasion by Sennacherib.
Hmmmmm, that plague sounds like an "Act of God" to me.
# posted by jono : 5:29 PM
