2 Chronicles 32:9 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, “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting, that you endure the siege in Jerusalem? 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”? 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”? 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? 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? 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!’”
And his servants said still more against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. 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.” 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. 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.
Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side. And many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from that time onward.
Contempt for God. Disregard for God. Speaking against God. Disrespect toward God. These are the actions of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Mocking God and His followers come from deep in a heart that has chosen to reject God and the testimonies of His creation. Having power, influence, money, success, and a means to take what you want will occupy an empty and void heart. Pride, greed, and arrogance will capture the mind, harden the heart, and deafen the ears to a point where eternity in Hell is your permanent future destination. There is no redemption from Hell. The choice of where we spend eternity is made while we live in these earthly bodies. We don’t get a second chance once we are dead. Our fate is determined by our heart, mind, and soul choice to either yield humbly before and to God, serving, following, honoring, obeying, and trusting Him, or by a choice to harden our heart, deafen our ears, and blind our eyes to Him and His worthiness of honor, glory, praise, worship, obedience, and trust.
Hezekiah and Isaiah, the prophet, were living day after day with the taunts from Sennacherib. They heard and saw the effects this had on the people of Jerusalem. The doubts, worry, anxiousness, and faint-hearted effects were all evident from this constant reproach from the king of Assyria and his army. The people of Jerusalem had to have heard of all of the victories of this king, and it certainly did not help to have it repeated day after day by that very king. They prayed and cried out to God because of this merciless, boastful, and arrogant king. And like that, an angel of the Lord destroyed 185,000 warriors. Overnight they were dead at the hand fo God. Overnight judgment was made, the verdict declared, and the sentence carried out on this king and his mighty men. Overnight the great distress, worry, and fear were taken away and replaced with joy, peace, and rest. Such things are possible for God. There is no limit to what He can do. We will do well to live in humble service honoring, glorifying, worshiping, following, trusting, obeying, and relying on Jesus Christ.