God disgraced Sennacherib the king of Assyria because he disrespected him and threatened Israelites. The brutal king besieged Jerusalem with his army in an attempt to block welfare supplies and overthrow the city. He also wrote an open letter to King Hezekiah of Jerusalem to weaken his strength. In his letter, Sennacherib compared the living God with small gods and said,
“Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?” (2 Kings 19:10-13).
However, God responded to an arrogant King Sennacherib who challenged him to fight.
“It came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place” (2 Kings 19:35-37).
Lesson:
No human being can fight against God and prevail. Since he is Jehovah, he will do whatever is necessary to protect his name. Therefore, all people ought to fear God and honor his holy name. We must respect him and dare not compare him with any other deity. Everyone must understand that an act of disrespect can provoke God to wrath a high-priced punishment.
Prayer:
Dear God, please enable me with grace to give you due honor at all times. Do not let me disrespect you, but let me serve you with dignity and honor. Let your supernatural power bring me a blessing, and let it be well with me throughout the days of my life. For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.
