“Listen! I am going to put a spirit in him so that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.”
~ Isaiah 37:7
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever had a kid thumb his or her nose at you? Have you ever thumbed your nose at another kid? Have you ever had a kid tell you that he or she does not care what you say to or think about him or her – no matter what the consequence will be if he or she does not listen to you? What do you think would happen if you told a kid that you really do not care what he or she says to or thinks about you – no matter what the consequence will be if you not listen to him or her? What do you think would happen to you if you thumbed your nose at your teacher? What do you think would happen to you if you told your teacher that you really do not care what he or she says to or thinks about you – no matter what the consequence will be for you if you do not listen to him or her? What do you think would happen to you if you thumbed your nose at your dad and/or ma? What do you think would happen to you if you told your dad and/or ma that you really do not care what he or she says to or thinks about you – no matter what the consequence will be for you if you do not listen to him and/or her? What do you think would happen to you if you thumbed your nose at God? What do you think would happen to you if you told God that really you do not care what He says to or thinks about you – no matter what the consequence will be for you if you do not listen to Him? Do you think that thumbing your nose at another kid, your teacher, your dad or/and ma and/or God is a good idea to do? Do you think that telling another kid, your teacher, your dad and/or ma and/or God that you really do not care what he (He) or she says to or thinks about you – no matter what the consequence will be for you if you do not listen to what another kid, your teacher, your dad and/or ma and/or God says to or thinks about you, is a good idea to do? Are there times when you really think that you know more than what another kid, your teacher, your dad and/or ma and/or what God knows? Have you ever pulled a Sennacherib?
Sennacherib was a king who ruled over the guys and gals who lived in the country of Assyria. An Assyrian army – that was led by Sennacherib, in 722 B.C. took captive God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, who were living in the northern kingdom of Israel in the land area of Israel. The land of Israel was the land area that God gave to His specially chosen guys and gals to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . God had expectations for His specially chosen guys and gals. God expected His specially chosen guys and gals to not thumb their noses at Him by worshipping manmade, inanimate gods that were handmade from wood, stone, clay and metal instead of worshipping only Him. God’s consequence for His specially chosen guys and gals for not listening to what He had told them through the Mosaic Law that He gave to Moses when Moses met with Him on Mount Sinai was that He would punish them by turning His back on them and by letting other countries overrun them. Because a God-fearing king – who was Hezekiah, was ruling over God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in 722 B.C. in the land area of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem in the land area of Israel and because of an obedient prophet spokesman – who was Isaiah, God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land of area of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem, were maintaining a relationship with God. Sennacherib was not content with just capturing God’s disobedient specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the northern land area of Israel in the land area of Israel, Sennacherib was also wanting to take as captive slaves God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land area of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. Isaiah – who was God’s designated prophet for this time and who your grandpaa thinks mentored Hezekiah, recounts in his Isaiah Book – in Isaiah 37, that Sennacherib sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah – essentially telling Hezekiah that he and God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land area of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem were next on his list for capturing. When Hezekiah received Sennacherib’s letter, Hezekiah sent Eliakim – who was his palace administrator, Shebna – who was his palace secretary, and his leading priests – all wearing sackcloth, to Isaiah for Isaiah’s input and prayers to overcome Sennacherib’s pending assault.
Isaiah had a hot line to heaven. Isaiah knew that God – as God the Father, saw Sennacherib as being filled with himself. Sennacherib really thought that he was more powerful than God. Sennacherib blasphemed God when he did not give God the credit for the victories that the Assyrian people group’s army had had over the people groups and countries that were neighboring his country. Sennacherib despised and mocked the Israelite people group’s God. Sennacherib made God very angry with him. Verse 7 has God giving Isaiah the lowdown on what He was going to do to Sennacherib, “Listen! I am going to put a spirit in him so that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.”’” When Hezekiah heard that Sennacherib was preparing to attack the land area of Judah and the city of Jerusalem, Hezekiah went into the temple of God with the letter that Sennacherib had sent to him. Hezekiah spread the letter out before God and he asked Him to deliver him and His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land area of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem from Sennacherib. God heard Hezekiah’s prayers. A God sent angel killed 185,000 guys who were in Sennacherib’s army. God later had Sennacherib’s kids kill their dad with a sword. It is not a good idea to thumb your nose at God.
Isaiah 37 (873)