July 20th~The Enemy's Lies

Micah 6:1-7:20


2 Chronicles 32:1-18

2 Kings 18:13-18

Isaiah 36:1-3


2 Kings 18:19-37

Isaiah 36:4-22

We finished the prophecies of Micah and read of the invasion of the Assyrians into the land of Judah (703 BC). Reading these prophecies next to the deliverance of Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem can seem a bit confusing, even contradictory. On the one hand, Micah forewarned God’s people, “Listen! Fear the Lord if you are wise! His voice is calling out to everyone in Jerusalem, ‘The armies of destruction are coming.’ The Lord is sending them... ‘I will wound you! I will bring you to ruin for all your sins! Your judgment day is coming swiftly now. Your time of punishment is here’” (6:9, 10, 13; 7:4). On the other hand, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem were spared of the devastation at the hands of the Assyrians.

What happened? Was Micah wrong? Were his prophecies misleading? No, while Hezekiah, a righteous leader, was king of the land, no evil would befall God’s people. However, the prophecies of their fall would come true, not with the Assyrians but with another nation — Babylonia.

In the meantime, we witnessed the tactics of the Assyrian King, Sennacherib, as he attempted to pressure Hezekiah into surrendering Jerusalem. For centuries, besieging armies have tried every trick in the book to get cities to cave in to their demands. As if it weren’t frightening enough to see thousands of troops surround the city, to see arrows of fire launched into their houses, to see battering rams constructed to break down the gates, or to watch day after day as ramps were built to scale the walls, the most effective tactics were psychological. Enemies used their words to insult, to threaten, or to undermine hope and confidence.

Sennacherib did all of these things, sending his messengers to stir up rebellion among the people. “What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?” he asked. “Do you think mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Which of your allies will come to rescue you? If you do not surrender, you will become so hungry that you will eat your own dung and drink your own urine... Don’t let Hezekiah fool you, saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us!’ Have the gods of the other nations ever saved their people from our hands? What god of any nation has been able to save his people from my power? Name just one! So what makes you think the Lord will rescue Jerusalem?” (2 Kings 18:19-37).

Daily Reflection

Wow! How effective must these words have been to demoralize God’s people? Sadly, our spiritual enemy does the same thing to us today — undermine our confidence and trust in the Lord with his lies.

What lies has the enemy whispered to you, to get you to abandon the Lord, to trust in your own power or in something or someone else, or to get you to surrender to temptation?

Words are powerful; lies are effective. What must you do to protect yourself from them?

BiAY.org |Day 201 — 164 Days to Go