David Bahn – Reflections

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Today’s readings: 2 Chronicles 32-33, Nahum 1, Psalm 53.

2 Chronicles 32:9-19

After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria, who was besieging Lachish with all his forces, sent his servants to Jerusalem to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰ “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting, that you endure the siege in Jerusalem? ¹¹ Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, “The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? ¹² Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, “Before one altar you shall worship, and on it you shall burn your sacrifices”? ¹³ Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand? ¹⁴ Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? ¹⁵ Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!’”

¹⁶ And his servants said still more against the LORD God and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ And he wrote letters to cast contempt on the LORD, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who have not delivered their people from my hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand.” ¹⁸ And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city. ¹⁹ And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men’s hands.

I’ve listened to a number of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache novels, and one thing I’ve appreciated is that, while there is some coarse language, I haven’t found the constant barrage of God’s name being used as an expletive that seems common in much contemporary fiction. It may occur occasionally, but it has been infrequent enough that it hasn’t distracted from the story. As someone who reveres the name of my Savior, I’ve found that refreshing.

But that certainly isn’t true of the Assyrian king Sennacherib! Not only does he fail to revere the name of the LORD (YHWH); he openly mocks God’s name and those who put their trust in him. He is brazen in his contempt, bold without wisdom. We read:

“He wrote letters to cast contempt on the LORD, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, ‘Like the gods of the nations of the lands who have not delivered their people from my hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand.’”

Sennacherib is preparing to attack Jerusalem. He is emboldened by his success in conquering other nations and defeating their gods. He assumes the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is no different from those so-called gods—mere idols, good-luck charms, excuses for excess, or symbols around which people rally as a nation.

But the LORD is no idol. He is no rabbit’s foot or talisman. He is the Creator and King, the First and the Last, the only true God. His power is not confined to wood and stone or to the boundaries of a kingdom. He will not be mocked.

I would be afraid to speak of God as Sennacherib did. The Second Commandment has taken root in my heart. I want to use God’s name to praise him, call upon him in prayer, give thanks to him, and bear witness to the one true God in whom I trust.

Jesus bears the name that is above every name. And one day, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9–11). He is the True God, our Savior, Redeemer and Lord. May his holy name evermore be praised!

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.