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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2022

TEXT: 2 Kings 18:28-37

28. Then the Rabshakeh stood and shouted out with a loud voice in Judean (Hebrew), “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.”

29. Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not to be able to rescue you from my hand;’

30. nor let Hezekiah make you trust in and rely on the LORD, saying, “The LORD will certainly rescue us, and this city [of Jerusalem] will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

31. Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: “Surrender to me and come out to [meet] me, and every man may eat from his own vine and fig tree, and every man may drink the waters of his own well,

32. until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and not die.” Do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads and incites you, saying, “The LORD will rescue us!”

33. Has any one of the gods of the nations ever rescued his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

34. Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad [in Aram]? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah [in the valley of the Euphrates]? Have they rescued Samaria (Israel’s capital) from my hand?

35. Who among all the gods of the lands have rescued their lands from my hand, that the LORD would rescue Jerusalem from my hand?’”

36. But the people kept silent and did not answer him, for the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

37. Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the [royal] household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the secretary, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn [in grief and despair] and told him what the Rabshakeh had said.

(Amplified Version Holy Bible)

TOPIC: HEZEKIAH’S LEADERSHIP IS TESTED

As a leader, have you ever found yourself in the kind of situation Hezekiah found himself?

King Sennacherib resorted to intimidation, blackmail and further threats. He used their present circumstances and compared it with his so-called military might along with the various victories he had secured across different people groups. To him, this was a sign that the God of Israel cannot be different.

In other words, King Sennacherib may actually be saying that if he could defeat all these nations in spite of their gods, his gods were most powerful against any other in the entire region. It was an attempt to cast fear and doubts in the minds of the people of Judah and set them against King Hezekiah who at the moment appeared to be helpless against the mighty Assyrian war machine.

As a leader, moments such as these are meant to test your commitment to provide leadership and direction for those you lead.

QUESTION: How did you respond when you found yourself in the same situation with King Sennacherib?

PRAYER: Jesus, You are my Rock and Shield, into Your hands I surrender my heart, guide and strengthen me, in Jesus name, Amen.