The Curve Ball

“After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself.” -2 Chronicles 32:1

After…these acts of faithfulness.

Well, if that don’t smart!

King Hezekiah was a good king. He followed the Lord with his heart. He kept the commandments. Chronicles reports, “Hezekiah…did what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God.”

Ah, but then the curve ball.

What does Hezekiah get next? More riches and honor? Peace on every side? No, no, and no. He gets a siege. A mighty king surrounds Jerusalem and shouts taunts and threats.

If I were Hezekiah, I’d be wondering what went wrong. What did I do to deserve such a punishment? But Hezekiah was not being punished. God just had other plans.

What looked like a hopeless siege would become a stage for God’s glory. The taunts of Sennacherib would be turned against him. (See 2 Kings 19:20-28).

So two takeaways come to mind…

One, calamity does not equal culpability. Just because you suffer wrong does not mean you’ve done wrong.

Two, gloom does not equal doom. It’s not over till it’s over. God is up to something.