It’s very dangerous to think we have the power to do God’s work ourselves. This happened with the king of Assyria.
God was using him to discipline Judah. Instead of recognizing God’s role and humbly serving as His tool, the king believed it was his own power at work. As the title indicates, his pride led to a massive fall.
The Setting
The book of Isaiah talks about the sinful nature of God’s people. They were meant to represent Him to the world, but instead, they adopted the practices of nearby regions. They wanted both God and the gods of the world.
God sent the Assyrians to discipline His nation. The Assyrian spokesman spoke to Hezekiah, saying they had defeated all the gods of the surrounding city-states, and that the God of the Hebrews was no different.
God then sent His prophet Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that his prayers for survival had been answered. Isaiah also shared God’s thoughts on what the Assyrians were saying.
Whom have you mocked and reviled?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and haughtily lifted your eyes?
Against the Holy One of Israel!
By your messengers you have mocked the Lord. . . (2 Kings 19:22-23a)
God reminded Hezekiah and the Assyrians through His prophet that Assyria was his instrument.
Have you not heard
that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
crash into heaps of ruins. (2 Kings 19:25)
God revealed His ability to know the heart of the Assyrian’s king, and that pride was at the center of his attitudes and actions.
But I know your sitting
and your going out and your coming in
and your raging against me.
Because you have raged against me
and your arrogance has come to my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth;
I will turn you back on the way
by which you came. (2 Kings 19:27-28)
The Assyrian king, strong like a bull with his powerful army, was humbled by God. God said He would put a ring in the king’s nose and lead him back home.
Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death
God acted on behalf of His reputation and on behalf of His people. In doing so, He fulfilled the prophecy He spoke through His prophet, Isiah.
That very night the angel of the Lord set out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; when morning dawned, they were all dead bodies.
Then King Sennacherib of Assyria left, went home, and lived at Nineveh.
As he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped into the land of Ararat. His son Esar-haddon succeeded him (2 Kings 19:35-37).
Reflections
Pride hasn’t left the scene of our world. It remains a dangerous trap today.
Like the Assyrian king, we can mistake being used by God for personal power and achievement. Over the years, I have had to continually remind myself to turn away from pride and embrace humility.
Humility acknowledges that we are instruments in God’s hands, not self-made successes.
The consequence of pride hasn’t changed: spiritual downfall awaits those who exalt themselves above God.
True wisdom lies in serving faithfully, while remembering that all authority and achievement ultimately come from Him alone.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 