Letters From the Enemy
by Elin Henderson
“And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the LORD.”
2 Kings 19:14 (NKJV)
"Letters from the Enemy" sounds like the title of a novel or television drama, doesn’t it? It really was a real-life drama for Hezekiah and has a real life lesson for us today. Early in his reign, it was evident that Hezekiah was a good guy. “He trusted in the LORD God… held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him… (and)… the LORD was with Him” (2 Kings 18:5-7). Then came the king of Assyria, an enemy nation. He threatened to take over and began to spread doubts about Hezekiah’s leadership and Hezekiah’s God. “Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you… nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD saying, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us.’” Furthermore, after hearing that the prophet Isaiah prophesied victory for the Israelites and not defeat (2 Kings 19:6-7), the king of Assyria sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah reiterating what he planned to do to the nation of Israel (2 King 19:9-13).by Elin Henderson
“And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the LORD.”
2 Kings 19:14 (NKJV)
Have you ever received a letter from the enemy? Now, it may not have been in paper form, but has our enemy ever sent you a message that said, “There is no hope. God isn’t going to save you! You are foolish to even think that!” Condemnation, guilt and despair; those are his messages to us. And he is on the prowl, sitting on the outskirts of our heart, sending in letters to see what we will do. Any sign of giving in to the pressure and he has a foot in the door!
But, what do we do with these letters? May we follow Hezekiah’s example and immediately take them into the presence of the Lord, lay them at His capable feet and say, like Hezekiah, “You are God!” After all, victory is ours! Our enemy has been rendered powerless by the work of Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to send us threatening letters! What will be our response? Will it be fear, anxiety, hopelessness… footholds for the enemy to invade our hearts? May we instead go to the Lord, spread it before Him and say, like Hezekiah, “You are God… You are the LORD GOD, You alone” (2 Kings 19:15a, 19b).
GOING DEEPER:
1. Can you think of a specific “letter” you have received recently from the enemy that has caused you despair?
2. What does “You are God… You are the LORD God, You alone!” mean to you? How can that truth help you overcome the threats of the enemy?
FURTHER READING:
1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Romans 8:1; 1 John 5:4
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to ten-year-old Callie and eight-year-old Elias.
