hold your peace

I bet you have a favorite movie.
One you can quote while it's on.
Maybe it drives someone crazy
as you watch it together.

But you can probably also
conjure it up in your mind...
like it's being acted out
on a tiny screen in your brain
when anyone even mentions it.

And you can hear the dialogue
spoken back and forth
between the characters.

Maybe you even have a friend
or family member that you know...
that you've spent so much time around
that you can almost do the same of them.

You know, like they are a character
in a movie you've seen a bunch.
And you can just conjure up
on a little screen in your brain
exactly what they look like
and every word they might say
in a specific circumstance.

You can probably almost predict
a certain phrase they will use,
or how they will react
in any given moment,
in most any circumstance.

Simply because you know them
and you've spent a lot of time
listening to them.

That's honestly what came to mind
as I read about how well
King Hezekiah predicted
what would happen
when the king of Assyria sent
his messengers to wage war
on the people of his country, Judah.

Like he'd been witness to,
and seen the behavior of,
the king of Assyria long enough
that he could do that same thing.

Did you get that sense today...
when reading about the threat
from 2 Kings 18, or Isaiah 36?

Because actually, I thought
it was pretty amazing.

This awful king of Assyria...
he's basically the bully of the story,
had been going around taking over
all the territories surrounding Judah.

And it would seem that no one
could withstand him, or his army.

So as he approaches Judah,
King Hezekiah begins the preparations.
First he has the water cut off
outside the city so the Assyrian troops
have no access to the springs.

Next...
And he strengthened himself,
built up all the wall that was broken,
raised it up to the towers,
and built another wall outside;
also he repaired the (landfill)... and
made weapons and shields in abundance.
Then he set military captains over the people,
gathered them together to him
in the open square of the city gate,
and gave them encouragement, saying,
“Be strong and courageous;
do not be afraid nor dismayed
before the king of Assyria,
nor before all the multitude that is with him;
for there are more with us than with him.
With him is an arm of flesh;
but with us is the Lord our God,
to help us and to fight our battles.”
And the people were strengthened
by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
2 Chronicles 32:5-8 NKJV

Now, I thought that was a pretty incredible
list of things that the king set about doing
to prepare his people for this threat
of war from Assyria.

But as it turns out...
this encouragement obviously
must have included something more;
some specific instruction to the people
that was not detailed in this text.

​Because the Assyrian king
sent his messengers
to basically bully the people...
Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out
with a loud voice in Hebrew,
and spoke, saying,
“Hear the word of the great king,
the king of Assyria!
Thus says the king:
Do not let Hezekiah deceive you,
for he shall not be able
to deliver you from his hand;
nor let Hezekiah make you
trust in the Lord, saying,
“The Lord will surely deliver us;
​this city shall not be given
into the hand of the king of Assyria.”’
2 Kings 18:28-30

Did you get that?
The message from King Sennacherib,
sent through his military officers...
was shouted from the walls of Judah
to all it's people, telling them not to let
their very own king deceive them.

Good old fashioned mud slinging
at it's best, way back in the Bible.

One king saying that the other king
couldn't be trusted.
That King Hezekiah wasn't shooting
straight with his very own people.

These messengers tried to present
their GREAT Assyrian King,
promising a better life,
deliverance from fear,
if only the people would come willingly.

But they were certain also, to advise them
NOT to listen to local authorities.
And if any mention of God saving them
had been given, they were not to trust it.
For it all had been spoken to deceive them.

"Don’t listen to Hezekiah
when he tries to mislead you by saying...
The Lord will rescue us!’
2 Kings 18:32

And good old Hezekiah...
I'm so glad he'd seen this movie before.
While I'm pretty sure it wasn't
one of his favorities, he sure had
the dialogue memorized.
Because he had played it for his people
on the tiny screens in their brain
before these messengers
ever showed up.

And when this propaganda of fear
was winding up it's conclusion,
comparing Judah to
the fallen nations nearby...
Who among all the gods
of the lands have delivered
their countries from my hand,
that the Lord should deliver
Jerusalem from my hand?’”

But the people held their peace
and answered him not a word;
for the king’s commandment was,
“Do not answer him.”
2 Kings 18:35-36

Good leaders know
good dialogue.

And King Hezekiah
was certainly a good leader.

For he had unified his people
before the threat presented itself.
Strengthen, built up and armed them,
not only with weapons,
but with a right mind and attitude.
These people were prepared
to hold their peace,
to keep thier faith in God.

I wonder how often we too
face circumstances for which
we could better prepare
to hold our peace,
to keep our faith in God?

Determined to not be swayed
by the loudest voice,
the constant chatter,
the comparison of others.

So what if they had given in
to the pressure of what
the nations around them had done?
Didn't the King of Assyria even know
that they depended on lesser gods?

Wouldn't that BE the best time
to prove our God is the one and only...
the Way, the Truth, the Life?

I mean....
my God simply cannot
be compared to any other.
Nor can yours!
He is the Creator of all.
The Hope of the world.
Our Savior.
Our Shepherd.
Our Comforter.
Our King.

And I actually want to trust in Him.
That is my daily struggle.
What better way to grow my faith
and others!

Someone challenging my God
to the comparison of worldly ways...
dependence on self,
money,
people,
fame,
possessions,
reputation,
position,
whatever...
is actually a good thing,
IF I'm prepared.

If I follow the example of King Hezekiah...
and strengthen myself,
unifiy my people
before the threat presents itself.
Strengthen, built up and armed,
not only with weapons,
but with a right mind and attitude.
To hold my peace,
to keep my faith in God.

So so how exactly do I do that?

What if I spent
more time
with Him
so that
each day
is like a prayer...

You know, like He is a character
in a movie I've seen a bunch.
And I can just conjure up
on a little screen in my brain
exactly what He looks or sounds like
and every word He might say
in a specific circumstance.

So I can almost predict
a certain phrase He will use,
or how He will react
in any given moment,
in most any circumstance.

Simply because I know Him
and I've spent a lot of time
listening to Him.

Then I too can hold my peace
​and keep my faith in Him alone.

Word of God
train me, today
To live a life prayerfully considering You.
To hold my peace in preparedness,
not giving in to the pressure
of people standing, shouting
​from the walls of this world.