#847

Outnumbered But Not Alone

Long Odds

Everybody loves a good underdog story. I remember seeing the movie Rocky back in the 1970s and the audience in the theater literally stood and clapped when the Philadelphia boxer rose from obscurity to fight for the world title and more than hold his own. It was a truly exhilarating moment. And there would be more movies like this. Another one is Hoosiers where a small town Indiana high school basketball team went to the state championship game against a big city team that had all the odds in their favor. And the little city won. This story plays out in so many settings and really makes audiences feel good after watching them. I also remember watching the 1996 science fiction film Independence Day where the entire earth was imperiled by a highly advanced alien race using military technology vastly more powerful than any known to man. And predictably, mankind won mostly by one misfit pilot accidentally exposing a flaw in the alien’s weaponry. However, the film that actually makes my eventual point is the 1953 film War of the Worlds which uses the novel written by H. G. Wells who was dubbed as the "Shakespeare of science fiction” by another science fiction writer. In the Wikipedia article we see what stopped the invaders from Mars when even nuclear bombs failed when the hero and heroine of the film reunite in Los Angeles:

Stranded in Los Angeles, Forrester seeks Sylvia. Based on a story she told him earlier, he guesses she has taken refuge in a church. After searching through several, he finds Sylvia among many praying survivors. Just as the invaders attack near the church, their machines lose power and crash. As Forrester sees one of the aliens die, he reflects, "We were all praying for a miracle." He and other survivors look heavenward. An off-screen narrator explains that the aliens had "no resistance to the bacteria in our atmosphere to which we have long since become immune [and] which God in His wisdom had put upon this earth."

But God

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us… (Eph 2:4, KJV)

Two simple words sum all of the incredible ways the creator of the universe intervenes to do the impossible in our lives and in our circumstances. Just like those underdog stories whether they’re based on real stories or fully fictional accounts they echo what the Apostle Paul told the Ephesians about the love of God making a way where there is no way for us. In this case it points to Him using His Son Jesus to cover our sins past, present, and future so we can one day stand before Him in glory forgiven, redeemed, and with a resurrected body free from all the cares and failings of this current life. However, that’s not all. His divine intervention extends to all the life we have between now and glory. This sounds a lot like the capstone of a lesson that will end with shouts of hallelujah but stay with me since I want to give you an example of God supernaturally protecting Jerusalem from certain destruction to make not a cinematic but a Biblical point. For this we need to turn to the book of 2 Kings where one of history’s strongest and cruelest armies came to destroy God’s holy city. Before we turn to that Scriptural narrative, let’s take a moment to fully grasp the dire situation the Jews faced then.

They Were Barbarians

The Assyrians controlled a large portion of the ancient Middle East as detailed in this article:

Assyria was the region located in the ancient Near East which, under the Neo-Assyrian Empire, reached from Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) through Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and down through Egypt.

According to one source the Assyrian kingdom existed for a long time:

The Assyrian Empire was one of the most powerful and feared empires of the ancient world. It lasted for over 1,500 years and became the first true military superpower in human history. Known for its fierce warriors, advanced weapons, and impressive cities, the Assyrians also made contributions to administration, architecture, and learning.

Based in northern Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq, the Assyrians went from a small city-state to ruling a vast empire that stretched from Egypt to Persia. Their story is one of ambition, brilliance, and brutality.

And it is that last word that made Israel pause. They were not humanitarians at all. The Assyrian army that came to lay siege to Jerusalem was during the reign of Sennacherib did things his way and he wasn’t humane as we see in this quote:

If anything, Sennacherib surpassed his predecessors in the grisly detail of his descriptions:

“I cut their throats like lambs. I cut off their precious lives (as one cuts) a string. Like the

many waters of a storm, I made (the contents of) their gullets and entrails run down upon

the wide earth. My prancing steeds harnessed for my riding, plunged into the streams of

their blood as (into) a river. The wheels of my war chariot, which brings low the wicked

and the evil, were bespattered with blood and filth. With the bodies of their warriors I

filled the plain, like grass.

I left off the last sentence of that quote due to it’s graphic nature. If you want to read it, feel free to go to the cited source. Suffice it to say that Sennacherib was a vicious ruler and one you didn’t want to come against. And he taught his military to be just like him. It was this kingdom under that ruler who sent a massive army to route Jerusalem as we read in an article from biblehub.com:

The Assyrian invasion and siege of Jerusalem is a significant event in the history of Israel and Judah, recorded in the Hebrew Bible. This event is primarily chronicled in the books of 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah. It occurred during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah, around 701 BC, when the Assyrian Empire, under King Sennacherib, sought to expand its dominion over the region.

They Wanted It All

Among the other aspects of the Assyrians is that they were not content with what they had and especially under Sennacherib it wasn’t enough that they controlled all the rest of Israel and had them paying them exorbitant tributes, no they wanted to destroy the crown jewel of the Jews, the city of Jerusalem itself:

The Assyrian Empire was a dominant force in the Near East during the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Known for their military prowess and administrative efficiency, the Assyrians expanded their territory through conquest and subjugation. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already fallen to Assyria in 722 BC, leading to the exile of many Israelites. Judah, the Southern Kingdom, remained independent but was under constant threat from Assyrian expansion.

But King Hezekiah honored God and he had them spiritually strong. He also did his best to strengthen the city’s defenses as best he could:

King Hezekiah, noted for his faithfulness to Yahweh, initiated religious reforms to purify worship in Judah, removing high places, cutting down Asherah poles, and destroying the bronze serpent Moses had made (2 Kings 18:4). Hezekiah also fortified Jerusalem, constructed a tunnel to secure the city's water supply, and strengthened the city's defenses in anticipation of an Assyrian attack (2 Chronicles 32:2-5).

But Assyria wasn’t content to just dominate the area and even though King Hezekiah tried to appease them with money a huge army was sent to obliterate Jerusalem and kill Hezekiah (see

2 Kings 18-19, 2 Chronicles 32, Isaiah 36-37, and 2 Kings 18:15-16):

Despite this, Sennacherib sent a large army to besiege Jerusalem. The Assyrian field commander, the Rabshakeh, delivered a message to Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem, mocking their trust in God and urging them to surrender (2 Kings 18:19-25). The Rabshakeh's speech was intended to demoralize the inhabitants by questioning the power of Yahweh compared to the gods of other nations that Assyria had conquered.

He Sought God

King Hezekiah, rather than trust his military or his security measures which he knew couldn’t stop the army of 185,000 Assyrians who possessed the most advanced weaponry and chariots, he wisely sought out the prophet Isaiah and then prayed to the Lord Himself (see 2 Kings 19:1-4).

Isaiah then told the king what God told him about Assyria basically saying that the Assyrians were only allowed to conquer what He allowed them to all along. But when they challenged Him and his power they went too far and that He would fight against that army:

“‘And my command concerning the king of Assyria is that he shall not enter this city. He shall not stand before it with a shield, nor build a ramp against its wall, nor even shoot an arrow into it. 33 He shall return by the road he came, 34 for I will defend and save this city for the sake of my own name and for the sake of my servant David.’” (2 Kings 19:32-34. TLB)

They won’t even get off one arrow against Jerusalem. And only one angel was needed to wipe out the entire army assembled against them:

 That very night the Angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian troops, and dead bodies were seen all across the landscape in the morning. (2 Kings 19:35, TLB)

Not only did God defend Israel supernaturally, but the arrogance of King Sennacherib cost him his kingdom and even his life:

Then King Sennacherib returned to Nineveh; 37 and as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him. They escaped into eastern Turkey—the land of Ararat—and his son Esarhaddon became the new king. (2 Kings 19:36-37, TLB)

And for those who don’t think it really happened, check out this video where they show there is archeological evidence of it happening apart from the Bible account. But how does that affect us today?

But God – In Our Lives

I can connect the dots a little for us and when it comes to the things that make us feel like an underdog, well you don’t get more of an underdog status than Israel and King Hezekiah. But the elements are all there in our lives, too. The person who looses a spouse to cancer or suddenly in an accident. You have a boss who just has it out for you or a company that downsizes and puts you and yours in a financial bind. Attacks come from all sides and it doesn’t seem like they discriminate at all. Sure we have those times when all we see are blue skies after a storm and a double rainbow that makes it all better. But that storm is when we need His comfort and His protection and provision. The really difficult times never come when we expect or can prepare for them adequately if at all. And there are times when we see the approaching storm and there is no way we can handle it on our own. It’s in those time that God shines through if we, like King Hezekiah simply put our trust in God, pray and listen to His Godly counsel through those who hear from Him. The account of King Hezekiah and the Assyrian army is summed up well going back to the biblehub.org article:

The Assyrian siege of Jerusalem is a testament to God's sovereignty and faithfulness to His covenant people. It underscores the power of prayer and reliance on God in times of crisis. Hezekiah's faith and the subsequent deliverance of Jerusalem serve as a powerful reminder of God's protection and the futility of opposing His divine will. The event also highlights the role of prophets like Isaiah in guiding and encouraging the people of God during tumultuous times.

When things look grim and like Peter and the disciples despairing in their boat as they are bailing out water during the worst of storms, Jesus is either in the boat or walks to the boat on the water to calm them and the storm. In any event, He will be there for us to defeat the enemy and take us from underdog to victory.