"The God of All Nations" Eastminster by Rev. Dr. Ben Sloan 2 Kings 19:10-19, 32-37; 1 Pt. 5:6,7
Here is the vimeo video of the sermon: https://eastminsterpres.org/sermons/the-god-of-all-nations/
Picture of King Sennacherib mentioned in this passage:
Below is the transcript:
Hezekiah was in some ways, the greatest king of Judah. 18:3 says he did what was right in the eyes
of the Lord just as David did. Verse 5
even says, “Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, God of Israel. There was no one like
him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.” Ironically, he was sandwiched between two of
the worst kings. His father- King Ahaz-
had shut down the temple nailing its doors shut and then put up false idols in
it. His son, Manasseh sacrificed his son
to foreign gods and rebuilt all the altars to other gods that his father had
destroyed. Manasseh was blamed for the
exile of Judah and the first destruction of the Temple. But Hezekiah tried to reform the faith. He built up the Temple. He had a nationwide Passover. He is
responsible for the writing down of 5 chapters of the BIBLE (PROV. 25-29) He built up the defenses of Jerusalem in 1838
Edward Robinson found the tunnel to the springs that he built to make sure
Jerusalem had water and that those surrounding Jerusalem did not. We know it is Hezekiah’s because of a Hebrew
inscription dating back to his day. There
are many who are skeptical about almost everything the Bible says. But this passage in particular has a lot of
archaeological backing. For almost 100
years (1750-1840) top critical scholars could find no evidence of the existence of the
Assyrian kingdom. Yet the Biblical
stories of Jonah, the book of Nahum, are all about them. The Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom
and here they were defeated by Hezekiah- in what seems to be an unbelievable
story. But Austin Layard unearthed
Nineveh and found a relief- picturing the king we are talking about- and 70
years later they found an inscription that Sennacherib says “I caged Hezekiah
up in Jerusalem like a bird.” And descriptions of his conquering all but
Jerusalem- and then there is also evidence of his army’s sudden defeat and his assassination
as described exactly in 2 kings 19 and Isaiah 37 and 2 Chronicles 32. We have found references in Herodotus (a 5th
century Greek historian) to the Assyrians being destroyed by the work of a
plague of field mice that stopped their Egyptian campaign. and Berossus (a 3rd century Babylonian
historian) the Assyrian army was destroyed outside Jerusalem by a plague. I am saying you to encourage you to not be
like those who doubt because they couldn’t see what scripture was talking
about. In fact, that is one of the great
lessons of this great passage- to trust in God.
How do you feel about a Tropical Storm hitting today? 52% of Americans and 60% of all people
experienced high stress in the last year to the point that they felt they could
not cope (IPSOS 2024). Where do you go
in your stress and anxiety? According to the NIH, One in five Americans
experience an anxiety disorder in a given year.
Anxiety is something all have some times. It can be helpful to be anxious in a
stressful situation, it is not good to be continually paralyzed so that you
cannot live your life. 94% of Americans
talk to others to relieve anxiety; 77%
listen to music to calm anxiety; Exercise,
meditation, and more can be tools, creative activities can help, 20% use anti-anxiety
drugs to help them; Many go to counseling.
I am not against any of these at all.
But the Christian has another tool that has proven itself across
cultures, across horrible problems and across time- that we often neglect- deep
prayer. An NIH study says in general
prayer lowers heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate- and puts us in a
state of relaxation- if we believe God is not distant and cold toward us. Scripture says Cast your cares on Him for He
cares for you. Paul said it like this-
“Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which
passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Today’s story from Kings is a true story of
high anxiety. Hezekiah was told by his enemies that prayer
is a waste of time- putting confidence in God is a losing proposition that has
failed so many. Hezekiah’s father and
son would also give up on trusting in God and both times their kingdoms were
ravished by enemies. But Hezekiah called
out to God anyway- and did not give up.
There were probably about 200,000
Assyrian soldiers lined up against Hezekiah’s small army of about a tenth of
that size. Already every other fortified
town of Judah had fallen. The sister kingdom of Israel had fallen 722 BC 21
years before this happened.
Sennacherib’s messengers basically
said, “No other god could save their people out of King Sennacherib’s hand- why
should your god be any different? Then
they gave a false prophesy- that God had even told them to conquer them.” This was clear blasphemy of the God of
Israel. There may be times when you feel
like you have no strength, no power on your own. Your mighty resources that you thought would
last forever have disappeared- like in when the Trade Towers fell, or like in
2008’s housing crisis, or the Columbia flood, or whenCOVID took away all
relationships, or uncertainty about AI or AGI, or even possibilities of nuclear
war or terrorism…or maybe you have been told you have some illness, or lost
your job, or lost the ones you depended on.
Then you are beginning to get a taste of what Hezekiah was feeling.
But Hezekiah cast his cares on the
Lord- believing that God still cared for him.
Job cast his cares on the Lord believing God still cared for him. Jesus cast his cares on the Lord though he
was the suffering servant. The disciples
gave themselves fully to God. The word
“cast” is like “cast a net.” The same
word is used when they cast their coats before Jesus as he came into Jerusalem
on Palm Sunday. They gave their coats
up. They cast their cares- giving
control of them up to God. Hezekiah
tore his clothes- He asked God to hear their cry for mercy- and he humbled
himself just as 1 Peter 5:6 says and as James 4:10 says- humble yourselves
before the Lord and He will lift you up.
To call on God in times of anxiety is
not a passive act but an act of defiance against despair. We are as someone described it “”grasping for
God. Like a drowning person lunges for air.
We reach out not because we are strong but because we are wired to need
Him.” (David Zuccolot- Christian Post
6/9/25). To call on God is not some kind
of Christian stoicism. It is not a
surrender to fate- but to the One who cares for us. This is countercultural. The world will tell you to escape, to numb, to
distract- maybe go on a vacation to someplace cooler and prettier- or “You NEED
a shot, a pill, or whif of something.” But
when you come back from your escape- reality still awaits you. Call out to Jesus.
Some scholars say that in Mesopotamia and in much of the
world each country had their own private god/goddess. This is called henotheism or
ethnotheism. So Athens had Athena. So Assyria had Asher; The Babylonians had
Marduk;; So Egypt had Amon-Re; Troy had Apollos; Amaterasu for the Japanese. The messengers of the King of Assyria said no
other god could stand against the mighty kings of Assyria. The lesson of this
passage is that the God who made the heaven and earth is not like every other
idol. No ruler can stand against the
living God. It makes a difference what you believe. There is no doubt that Isaiah and Hezekiah
promoted the idea of monotheism- that God is the God not just of Jerusalem or
Judah- but He is the Maker of Heaven and earth.
This is based on other scripture: Abraham’s promise (Gen 12) is that all
nations would be blessed through him. Psalm 67 says, “May the peoples praise
you- may all the people praise you.” Hezekiah
says (vs. 15,19) says, “You alone are god over all the kingdoms of the
earth…19-Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand so that all kingdoms on
earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God.” A pretty bold statement in an anxious
situation. In this story- Hezekiah and Isaiah and the
people all called out to God- casting their cares on Him for he cares for them. The lesson here is not about military strategy
as much as reliance on God to help us. Scripture does not say things like- mice
came and gave the army disease, or they drank poisoned water because Hezekiah
had blocked all the clean water. Instead
it says, “That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185,000 men
in the Assyrian camp.” To the writers of
Isaiah, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles- it is not the means that is important- but it is
seeing the hand of God working that is important. Sure Hezekiah built up the walls, built water
tunnels and stored food- sharpened spears.
But in the end Hezekiah wanted to give God the glory. This story is amazing. It is also testified to by archaeology and
historians as well as three different chapters of the Bible that all say the
same thing. But it is not just a story of the past. It is a story of the living God who invites
us to trust in Him.
[Read Passage- 2 Kings 19 and 1 Peter 5:6,7] Parallels 2 Chronicles 32; Isaiah 37
Do you believe God able to save us- to help us- protect
us? Is God able to bless us? Do we want God to bless us- and do we believe
God can-without choosing political sides?
Can I tell you some stories of the American Revolution without offending
you? There is no doubt that many in
American leadership during the American Revolution called on God- and believed
that God’s providence blessed them. American
general and later first president, George Washington, was a colonel for the
British in 1755 in the French and Indian War under General Braddock. Braddock was killed and every officer on
horseback was shot except for Washington.
Washington wrote to his brother afterwards, “But by the all-powerful
dispensations of providence I have been protected beyond all human probability
or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot
under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on
every side of me.” Early writers in the American Revolution credited God’s help
with the American army’s escape though surrounded by twice the force at Long
Island by a sudden dense fog that hid the escape of the American army. Or the
absolute surprise when Washington crossed the Delaware in a snowstorm to win a
vital victory.
Henry Laurens-born and baptized in
Charleston SC, was the grandson of French Huguenots- John Calvin the founder of
Presbyterian or Reformed theology is a French Huguenot. Laurens considered entering ministry. He also was one of the few leaders in SC who
opposed slavery. He was the President of
the Continental Congress during most of the American Revolution. He was the only American put in the Tower of
London and later exchanged for British General Cornwallis. Upon his release he learned he was part of
the commission to negotiate the Peace Treaty of Paris with Great Britain ending
the war with the United States. He is buried at Mepkin Abbey. The Continental Congress was formed in part when
the British abolished the Virginia House of Burgess in May 1774 because they
called for a day of fasting, humiliation and prayer as the British blockaded
Boston Harbor. Talk about anxious
times. The British had the best navy,
the most up to date weapons, and the largest army in the world- and America was
beginning a war with them. In June 12,
1775 the Continental Congress, led by Laurens, proclaimed July 12 a national
day of public humiliation, fasting and prayer.” The congress proclaimed three
other similar days. In some ways, I
cannot help but think Laurens was influenced by Hezekiah’s humiliation, fast,
and prayer that God clearly answered in a positive way. Laurens
credited God with helping us- and He believed in calling out to God.
God has helped this country in the
past. I believe despite our sin and
failures God still is at work today. I believe we must as individuals,
families, a church, community, nation- call out to God. The God who made the heavens and the
earth. I also believe that despite my
sin and failures- despite your sins and failures- God is still at work today in
our individual, family, church and community lives. Let us humble ourselves before the One who
is the lifter of our heads and hearts- Let us cast ALL our anxiety on Him- and
then see God at work through His providence.
