Taking our BURDENS directly to GOD
April 20 Bible
Reading: 2 Kings Chapters 19-21
Taking our BURDENS directly to GOD
"And so it was, when King
Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with
sackcloth, and went into the house of
the Lord"
(2 Kings 19:1) "And Hezekiah
received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord,
and spread it before the Lord." (2 Kings 19:14)
When King
Hezekiah was threatened by an invasion from Sennacherib the king of Assyria, he
tore his clothes in anguish, covered himself with sackcloth as an outward
expression of grief and took his burdens
directly to God. He tore his clothes to express horror at the daring
blasphemy of Sennacherib and put on sackcloth to show his mental distress. He
went into the temple to pray to God for refuge from his affliction (2 Kings
19:1). He then sent his people to Isaiah
to obtain the prophet's counsel and comfort, and received an immediate answer
from God through Isaiah. And Isaiah said
to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, 'Thus says the Lord: "Do
not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the
king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Surely
I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own
land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."
(2 Kings 19:6-7)
However,
when Sennacherib sent a letter to King Hezekiah threatening him again with
total destruction, he again took his
burden directly into God’s presence. Hezekiah
went into the temple of God, spread the letter before God and prayed to God for
deliverance. "Now therefore, O
Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth
may know that You are the Lord God, You alone." (2 Kings 19:19)
God answered King Hezekiah’s prayer by giving a verbal assurance of
deliverance (v. 20-34), and sent His angel to the Assyrian camp to kill 185,000
during the night time (v. 35). This caused Sennacherib the king of Assyria to
return back to Nineveh (v. 36, compare 2 Kings 19:7), where he was murdered by
his own two sons in cold blood while he was worshipping his god (v. 37).
When we face any burden in our life - like King Hezekiah - let us take it directly to God who has promised to answer our prayers. Let us join with the Psalmist in seeking God’s help for He will never let us down. "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.” (Psalms 34:4-7)
