DCLM Daily Manna 2024: DCLM Daily Manna 18 December 2024: Where is Your Faith?
Text: 2 Kings 18:13-25 (KJV)
13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.
14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house.
16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field.
18 And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.
19 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
20 Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?
21 Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
22 But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?
23 Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
24 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
25 Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
KEY VERSE: 2 Kings 18:14
“And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear…”
We talk about faith when you are up on the mountain,
Talk comes so easy when life’s at its best
But down in the valley of trials and temptations
That’s where your faith is really put to the test.
These lines from the song, “God of The Mountain” clearly describe the faith of many of us. When things are going on well with us, it appears our faith is strong. But when we come face to face with the fierce and boisterous storms of life, that is when our faith is really put to test.
That was the case of King Hezekiah here in our text. His faith and courage disappeared as he was confronted with the military might of the king of Assyria. He had previously revolted against the Assyrian king, but now had to plead for mercy and forgiveness, pledging to pay whatever tribute was levied on him. While Hezekiah’s action on the one hand may be viewed as an act of fear and cowardice, it actually appeared the best option open to him at that time to avert heavy defeat. Why did he not call upon God in prayer like he had to do later?
Fear paralyses faith, making us seek carnal alternatives to solve our problems. The moment we decide to pay attention to the threats and the size of the enemy instead of focusing on the omnipotence of God and His never-failing promises, we become weak in faith. We need to work on our faith and always put it to work when faced with challenges. Later on in the life of King Hezekiah, he renewed his faith and decided to pray when the king of Assyria came bragging again. In answer to that prayer, God sent Sennacherib back to his country where he was killed.
So, when next you are confronted with a challenge that seems to swallow you up, face it with faith and you will be sure to win.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Unrelenting faith in God is the midwife of unending victories.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Ezekiel 3-5
Daily Manna 18 December 2024
