Learning From The Assyrian Invasion – Part 1
Isaiah 33:1-24 (1-12)
November 26, 2023
I read a quote this past week that I thought was pretty funny.
It said, “Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.”
Someone else said that “Experience is what allows you to recognize a mistake when you make it a second time.”
Either way, you all understand the idea that
We are supposed to learn from our mistakes.
The beauty of this life is that we live in a society where
Sometimes we get the opportunity to learn from other people’s mistakes.
I’ve heard Peggy say many times that the reason she was the best kid in her family growing up is because she saw all the spankings that Ronnie, Donnie, and Leo got growing up.
When things happen in life we gain experience
And we are all called to learn from it.
You may have even had one of those parents growing up who would sit you down after you made a mistake and ask you what you learned from it.
Well, that is exactly what is happening here in Isaiah 33.
By now you are aware of THE MAIN EVENT of Isaiah’s day.
Assyria is ravaging the world (or at least Isaiah’s world).
• They are attacking and destroying everyone.
• They already toppled the Northern Kingdom
• Now they have even invaded the southern kingdom.
At the point when Isaiah 33 was written
• Assyria had already toppled of number of Judah’s cities
• And was now sitting outside the gates of Jerusalem threatening her too.
So at this point there has been a lot of explanation
That has been given by Isaiah.
We know Isaiah’s ministry with his vision of the Holy One.
• That encounter changed Isaiah’s life.
• That encounter changed Isaiah’s focus.
• And that encounter began Isaiah’s ministry.
He would immediately confront the hypocrisy of his people.
• He would confront their useless religion that had done more to irritate God than please Him.
• He would talk about their lack of righteousness and justice.
• He would point out that God had raised up Assyria to punish them for it.
• Isaiah would then warn them not to trust in the Philistines or the Babylonians, or the Egyptians, or the Ethiopians.
• He would tell them to repent and trust in God.
JUDAH WOULD REFUSE
And God would continue to send Assyria to afflict them.
And now, here is Assyria, with a literal strangle hold on Jerusalem.
They have reached right up to the neck, just as God said they would.
And it is as though Isaiah has called a town meeting
Amongst the survivors to ask them, “So what have you learned?”
Has your recent experience taught you anything?
• God didn’t raise up Assyria on a whim.
• This was not random or accidental.
• God had a purpose in mind.
• There is a lesson to be learned here.
• What have you learned?
And that lesson bleeds all the way down through the ages TO US as well.
We weren’t living in Jerusalem in that day,
It is not our experience that we are studying.
We have merely been granted the opportunity
To examine the experience of those who live in Jerusalem
And learn from their experiences.
And the question then comes to us as well:
What have you and I learned from this?
Well, that is what we are going to discuss this morning.
There is a message here to 4 distinct groups.
• Each of these messages reveals what they should have learned
• Or what they should learn from all that is going on.
Let’s look at these 4 lessons.
#1 TO THE DESTROYER
Isaiah 33:1
Here Isaiah speaks first to the “destroyer”
And the message of verse 1 is quite simple: “YOU’RE DEAD!”
• God used you.
• You were evil.
• And now, you’re going to die.
• No wonder the message starts out with the word, “Woe”
If you read commentaries on Isaiah 33 there is a general consensus that
The “destroyer” in verse 1 is a reference to Assyria.
It’s not hard to understand why they come to that conclusion.
Assyria was both a destroyer and treacherous.
The destruction they brought to the region is well chronicled, as we saw when we studied all of those oracles.
Isaiah 10:5-7 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hands is My indignation, I send it against a godless nation And commission it against the people of My fury To capture booty and to seize plunder, And to trample them down like mud in the streets. Yet it does not so intend, Nor does it plan so in its heart, But rather it is its purpose to destroy And to cut off many nations.”
Their treachery is also seen in the book of the Kings in they way they manipulated Hezekiah.
2 Kings 18:13-16 “Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong. Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear.” So the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. Hezekiah gave him all the silver which was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house. At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.”
First things first,
• This is really a despicable decision by Hezekiah.
• We know that Isaiah has been preaching for years in Jerusalem calling for Judah to trust God,
• It is apparent that the message had still failed to reach the king.
For when Assyria threatens Hezekiah decides to try and pay them off
And he even robs God’s temple to do so.
As Raymond Ortlund put it:
“It is humiliating to Judah and doubly dishonoring to God. His people treat Him as a worthless ally and then make him pay the bill for their disloyalty.”
(Ortlund, Raymond [Preaching The Word Commentary Series: Isaiah, God Saves Sinners; Crossway; Wheaton, IL; 2005] pg. 188)
When all other efforts at salvation had failed this is the last resort.
• Let’s just send Sennacherib everything valuable out of the city and maybe then he’ll leave us alone.
But if you know Satan at all, you know he is not content just to steal.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”
• Stealing is only part of his objective.
• He also desires to kill and destroy.
And so did Sennacherib.
So even though he took the money and perhaps agreed in principle to retreat upon payment; Sennacherib changed his mind.
He broke the agreement and decided to wipe them out anyway.
He was destructive and he was treacherous.
And so when commentators speak of the “destroyer” being Assyria,
We have no objections. Certainly Isaiah saw it this way.
And certainly God is going to deal with him.
• We have mentioned on several occasions already how God will go out and kill
185,000 in the Assyrian camp in one night.
• We have mentioned several times how Sennacherib will retreat home to
Nineveh and be assassinated in the temple of his false god.
It certainly fits.
AND YET, I think chapter 33 asks us to widen
Or perhaps deepen our gaze here a little.
• For when Isaiah confronts the enemy he does not refer to him as “the king of Assyria” which he has been prone to do.
• Isaiah merely calls him the “destroyer”.
• Furthermore, it is clear to us that this particular message of Isaiah will reach beyond the gates of Jerusalem and is preached for the nations.
We see references in verse 9 to “Lebanon”, “Sharon”, “Bashan” and “Carmel”.
Later in verse 13 Isaiah will address “You who are far away…”
Chapter 34 begins like this:
Isaiah 34:1 “Draw near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples! Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.”
My point simply is that you should not limit the application of this verse to only Assyria.
I think it is certainly true that the power behind Assyria is in view
AND THAT IS MOST CERTAINLY SATAN.
Satan is the ultimate destroyer and the ultimate committer of treachery.
We remember God addressing him back in chapter 14.
Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.”
AND THIS IS THE MESSAGE THAT ISAIAH STARTS WITH.
Of all the people participating in or witnessing this Assyrian invasion,
The first one who should learn a lesson here
Is the one who is at work to destroy God’s people and that is Satan.
And the simple message to him is: YOU’RE DEAD!
“Woe to you, O destroyer, While you were not destroyed; And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him. As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.”
Martin Luther taught us in his timeless hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
“And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us. We will not fear for God hath willed, His truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim; we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure; FOR LO HIS DOOM IS SURE; one little word shall fell him.”
We know even from the mouth of Jesus that hell itself was created for Satan and his horde of treacherous fallen angels.
Matthew 25:41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;”
And the book of Revelation reminds us that he will most certainly go there.
Revelation 20:10 “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
As we read this saga unfolding of the Assyrian invasion,
Don’t let it escape your notice that
Those who rise up to afflict God’s people will be destroyed.
• While it is true that God’s people have defected…
• While it is true that God’s people are not relying on Him…
• While it is true that God has raised up Assyria to discipline them…
It is also true that God will never abandon His people…
As you study this Assyrian invasion you should see that.
It does not end well for the destroyer.
But that is not the only person Isaiah asks what they learned.
To The Destroyer
#2 TO JERUSALEM
Isaiah 33:2-12
Just to go ahead and break any confusion.
The simple message that is basically given to Jerusalem is this:
The LORD is coming to save and to judge; FEAR HIM!
That is made clear to us in the final 3 verses of this segment.
(10-12) “Now I will arise,” says the LORD, “Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up. “You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble; My breath will consume you like a fire. “The peoples will be burned to lime, Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.”
This segment which is meant primarily for the inhabitants of Jerusalem
Is that God is about to arise from His throne
And come to intervene in the situation surrounding Jerusalem.
• He is coming to render judgment upon the wicked.
• He is doing this in order that He might save the righteous from their hand.
The call to the city is that it is time for you to start fearing the LORD.
• It is time for you to start showing reverence to the God of your salvation.
• It is time for you to stop trusting every other Savior and start trusting God.
That is the basic and simple message that is proclaimed,
But obviously there is more here than just that.
This segment of the message needs to be broken down a little further
To grab the full effect of what Isaiah has to say.
So let’s break this message to Jerusalem down into 4 points.
1) THE PRAYER (2-4)
If you are familiar with the narrative of the Assyrian invasion
From the book of 2 Kings you won’t have trouble
Spotting where this prayer took place in Isaiah’s day.
WE ALREADY SAW
How Hezekiah tried to pay off Sennacherib and how that didn’t work.
• Sennacherib surrounded the city anyway
• He threatened the inhabitants of the city not to listen to Hezekiah, not to trust God, and not to run to Egypt.
• He told the citizens of Jerusalem that they should come out of the city, surrender to the Assyrians,
• And he would let them live on their own land until the time in which he would deport them to his own country.
This announcement from Assyria terrified Hezekiah.
• He was out of options.
• Egypt hadn’t been able to help.
• The bribe had not worked.
And in a last-ditch effort Hezekiah finally turned to God.
2 Kings 19:1-4 “And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD. Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and rejection; for children have come to birth and there is no strength to deliver. ‘Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that is left.’”
FINALLY!
We’ve spent 32 chapters waiting for Jerusalem to seek God even a little.
The inhabitants of Judah have done everything but that.
Finally, Hezekiah sends for Isaiah and asks him to pray.
• You sense how foreign it is even to Hezekiah at this moment
• For when he summons Isaiah he refers to God as, “the LORD your God” (as opposed to my God).
BUT IT IS A START NONE THE LESS.
Isaiah is tasked to pray that God would intervene.
In verse 2, we see a prayer that certainly would have fit that moment.
(2) “O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their strength every morning, Our salvation also in the time of distress.”
It is an interesting prayer that is offered here.
For in his prayer Isaiah references two groups of people.
He speaks of “us”
• When he prays, “be gracious to us; we have waited for You.”
And he speaks of “their”
• When he prays, “be their strength every morning”
And then he speaks of “our”
• Which would be both groups together when he prays, “Our salvation also in
the time of distress.”
Having studied the book of Isaiah up to this point
It seems obvious to us who those two groups are.
The “us” Isaiah references are the remnant.
• It is those who have waited for God.
• It is those who have trusted God.
• It is Isaiah and that small remnant who have believed him.
The “their” Isaiah references are the unbelievers in Jerusalem who are now seeking God.
• It is those who have thus far failed to seek.
• It is those who have run to Egypt.
• It is Hezekiah and those who have only now begun to seek God.
Isaiah speaks of both groups together because
They are both together in the middle of this Assyrian invasion.
Perhaps that brings a little clarity even to how the church should pray in the midst of a godless nation when the Lord brings discipline to our land.
Isaiah prays for all.
• He prays for God to be gracious to those who have been faithful as they
have waited on God and trusted in Him alone.
• He prays for God to provide a new found strength for those who are just now
starting to seek God
Ultimately he prays that God would intervene and save them all.
That is a good example of how to pray.
And the reason Isaiah wants God involved is because of
The ability God has to totally fix this situation.
(3-4) “At the sound of the tumult peoples flee; At the lifting up of Yourself nations disperse. Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; As locusts rushing about men rush about on it.”
• When God intervenes the enemy flees.
• When God intervenes the destroyer runs for cover.
• When God intervenes His people rush upon the spoil.
I like the analogy.
“Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;”
That is, slowly.
• There will be no rush, there will be no threat.
• They can take their time and get it all.
He also says, “as locusts rushing about men rush about on it.”
That is, thoroughly.
• Locusts get everything when they come and so will God’s people.
It reminds a little of a story that occurred several years prior in Samaria.
• It is when Aram besieged Samaria and was literally starving the city.
• That is where we get that story about the two women who appeal to the king
because they ate one woman’s son, but the next day the other woman hid
her son.
• They were selling dove poop for 5 shekels of silver.
• But God intervened and routed the Arameans in the night.
• The next day some lepers stumbled upon the spoil.
2 Kings 7:3-8 “Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die? “If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there; and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, we will but die.” They arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there. For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.” Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life. When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them.”
Those lepers then went and told the inhabitants of the city and the whole city came out and slowly and thoroughly gathered the spoil.
That is how God intervenes.
Isaiah says that this is why he is appealing to God.
God can do what no one can do.
God can deliver in ways that no one can deliver.
• God can show grace to the remnant.
• God can give strength to the hesitant.
• God can save them all.
So at Hezekiah’s request Isaiah prays.
AND THEN Isaiah preaches.
Here’s a second thing to see here.
2) THE SERMON (5-6)
It’s only two verses, but what a mouthful of a sermon!
(5-6) “The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is his treasure.”
WHO IS GOD?
He is the “exalted” One.
• He is not like any other savior or deliverer you have ever sought or known.
• While they pretend to have power, God does have power.
• He is transcendent.
• He is exalted.
Isaiah said that when he saw Him, “the train of his robe was filling the temple” as the “temple was filling with smoke.”
Angels surround Him and cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.
This is no ordinary savior you have just appealed to.
He is the real deal.
WHERE DOES GOD DWELL?
“He dwells on high”
• He is not a man that man should defeat Him.
• He is not a man that He is prone to mistake.
He sits above the earth.
He sits above the heavens.
He does whatever He pleases.
WHAT HAS GOD DONE?
“He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness”
Why is righteousness the expectation of the day?
Why is justice so important?
Because God has decreed it so.
• God loves justice.
• God loves righteousness.
• He can do no other.
AND HE WILL DO NO OTHER.
WHAT WILL GOD DO?
“He will be the stability of your times.”
• God will fix this situation.
• He alone can take the chaos and settle it.
• He alone can make what is about to fall stable.
Isaiah says that He’ll be: “A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;”
He will provide what no other savior can provide.
The simple sermon of Isaiah is that you have finally made a wise decision.
You have finally chosen what is best.
You have finally chosen a real and bona fide savior.
And I love the final statement of this short sermon.
It is the ultimate encouragement to those who are living in this besieged city.
“The fear of the LORD is his treasure.”
A man should probably make an entire sermon out of just that phrase.
What does it mean?
Put yourself in Hezekiah’s shoes.
Or try to identify with the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
• Foreign powers have invaded and wiped out every other city in your land.
• They have now surrounded the capital, the city in which you dwell.
You are trying to figure out how to survive.
• All your money has already been given to him.
• All of your allies proved to be of no help.
• Your soldiers are gone.
What things are the most important to you right now?
What is your treasure at this point?
• Are you holding on to those barrels of water to help you survive when the water supply is dried up?
• Are you holding on to those chickens to provide you with eggs when the food supply is cut off?
• Is that closet full of ammunition valuable now as you seek to protect your family?
You can imagine all the thoughts traveling through their minds.
And Isaiah says, YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING IN THIS CITY
AS VALUABLE AS THE FEAR OF THE LORD.
“The fear of the LORD is his treasure.”
The most valuable thing you have is your faith.
Consider the book of 1 Peter.
It is written to persecuted believers who are scattered all over the region.
• They have lost their jobs, their homes…everything.
• They are on the run.
When you have to flee, what do you pack to take with you?
What treasures are of such importance that you must take them as you escape?
Peter told those people the same thing Isaiah did.
There is nothing more valuable than your faith.
1 Peter 1:3-7 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”
Peter said that your faith is “more precious than gold” because it results in “glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
That is what Isaiah says.
• Your gold couldn’t save you, Hezekiah tried that.
• Egypt couldn’t save you, many of you tried that.
• Your fast horses couldn’t save you, you are surrounded.
But there is one thing that still can.
You must fear God and trust Him…He can save you!
THAT IS THE SERMON.
• Hezekiah told Isaiah to pray and he did.
• And then Isaiah turned to encourage the people to trust God.
Then comes another aspect of the sermon.
Isaiah is not finished addressing the people.
3) THE OBSERVATION (7-9)
This should be seen as Isaiah’s explanation
Why God alone should be trusted.
It is as though Isaiah asks his congregation to pause and look around
At all the people who refuse to trust God.
And Isaiah asks, “How’s that working out for them?”
(7-9) “Behold, their brave men cry in the streets, The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly. The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased, He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, He has no regard for man. The land mourns and pines away, Lebanon is shamed and withers; Sharon is like a desert plain, And Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage.”
How did it work out for those “brave men” who were going to fight?
• They “cry in the streets.”
How did it work out for those “ambassadors” skilled in negotiation who were going to take money and negotiate with Assyria?
• They “weep bitterly.”
How about those people that were going to flee on horses down the highway?
• “the traveler has ceased”
How about all those surrounding allies that were going to help?
• “Lebanon is shamed and withers; Sharon is like a desert plain, and Bashan and Carmel lose their foiliage.”
WHAT IS THE POINT?
NOT TRUSTING GOD HAS NOT WORKED WELL.
Isaiah is emphasizing his point.
“We are in a city who has trusted in
Our strength, our wisdom, our horses, and our neighbors
And everyone who has done that is totally disillusioned right now
Because they couldn’t save.”
There is only one Savior.
“The fear of the LORD is his treasure.”
Until you learn to fear and trust God above every other there will be no salvation.
• How pitiful to think you are strong enough to endure it.
• How pitiful to think you are wise enough to negotiate it.
• How pitiful to think you are fast enough to escape it.
• How pitiful to think you have other allies that will deliver you.
Jesus said it like this:
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Peter reiterated it:
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Paul said it too:
1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”
I realize you don’t easily see it today.
• I realize that today even those who don’t trust in Christ seem totally at ease.
• I realize that today even self-righteous men feel totally secure in their pride.
But listen, there is coming a day
When all of those things will be shown for what they are.
There is coming a day of judgment so severe
That no man will be able to escape it.
On that day there is but one thing of value to you and that is Jesus Christ.
Your faith in Him is all that is of value during the day of judgment.
AND ISAIAH REMINDS THE CITY OF THAT.
I hope you see this church.
THERE IS NO OTHER SAVIOR.
Brave men and ambassadors end up weeping at their own inadequacy.
But only those who trust in Jesus Christ are saved.
Isaiah 40:28-31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
Church, drop every other idol!
ABANDON your would-be saviors!
Take everything you’ve got and place it all on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Your soul – Your eternity – Your tomorrow – Your finances – Your health
Your protection – Your relationships – Trust Him with everything.
HE IS THE ONLY LEGITIMATE SAVIOR!
There is one more point Isaiah makes here in his message to Jerusalem, and we’ll only have time to introduce it.
But very simply this: GOD ANSWERS ISAIAH’S PRAYER
4) THE ANNOUNCEMENT (10-12)
(10-12) “Now I will arise,” says the LORD, “Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up. “You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble; My breath will consume you like a fire. “The peoples will be burned to lime, Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.”
• Hezekiah finally showed a smidget of faith.
• Hezekiah had only a mustard seed of faith when he, in absolute desperation, asked Isaiah to pray to his God.
Isaiah did and God answered.
I’M ON MY WAY!
2 Kings 19:5-7 “So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. “Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”
The King of Assyria had “conceived chaff” and he would “give birth to stubble.”
That is to say, “You planned that which was foolish and empty and I’m going to show you how pointless it all was.”
“My breath will consume you like fire, the peoples will be burned to lime, like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.”
“Everything you have accomplished
Will soon be nothing but white ash on the ground!”
2 Kings 19:35 “Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead.”
There is more to say in this regard,
But surely you can see that God has proven Himself holy and mighty!
Surely you can see that there is no other Savior.
Now, we are asking what you have learned from the Assyrian invasion and we can already think of several things.
1) It does not end well for those who afflict God’s people.
2) Trusting in ourselves or other men for salvation is stupid.
3) God is a true and trustworthy Savior.
4) Faith in God or fear of the LORD is the most valuable thing you can possess.
5) It is not difficult for God to conquer the foe.
6) Even a little faith is effective when we are talking about God.
And those are just a few of the things we have learned.
Perhaps you can start assessing this over the next couple of weeks.
