2 Chronicles 32:16-20: a reflection

When an enemy mocked God himself, comparing him to the worthless gods of the nations, and threatened the people, Hezekiah and Isaiah did not despair or answer in kind; they prayed and cried out to heaven. The enemy's servants spoke against the LORD and against Hezekiah, the account says, and wrote letters insulting the LORD, the God of Israel, saying that as the gods of the nations had not delivered their people, neither would the God of Hezekiah. Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet prayed because of this, and cried to heaven. The enemy not only threatened the people but mocked God himself, treating him as no better than the powerless idols of other nations. And Hezekiah and Isaiah, faced with this insult to God and threat to themselves, turned to the one right response: they prayed, and cried out to heaven. This shows taking insults to God and threats to us to God in prayer. When God is mocked and you are threatened, take it to God in prayer. Cry out to heaven rather than despairing or answering in kind. Prayer is the right response to what insults God and threatens us. Bring the mockery of God and the threat against you before God himself.

Notice the situation Hezekiah and Isaiah faced, and their response. The enemy did two things: they threatened the people, seeking to frighten them into surrender, and they mocked God himself, insulting him, comparing him to the worthless idols of the nations that had not been able to save their peoples, as though the God of Israel were no different and no more able to deliver. It was both a threat and a blasphemy. And how did Hezekiah and Isaiah respond? Not by despairing, not by frightened surrender, not by trading insults with the enemy; they prayed, and cried out to heaven. They took the whole matter, the insult to God and the threat to themselves, and brought it before God in prayer. This holds a lesson for us when God is mocked and we are threatened. There are times when God himself is insulted, mocked, treated as nothing, and when we ourselves are threatened or afraid. In such times, we can be tempted to despair, to be paralyzed by fear, or to answer the mockery with mockery of our own. But the right response, the response of Hezekiah and Isaiah, is to pray, to cry out to heaven, to bring the whole matter, God's honor and our own need, before God himself, who can defend his own honor and deliver his people. We do well, when God is mocked and we are threatened, to take it all to God in prayer, crying out to heaven, rather than despairing or answering in kind. When God is mocked and you are threatened, take it to God in prayer. Cry out to heaven rather than despairing or trading insults. Bring God's honor and your own need before God, who can defend both. Prayer is the right and effective response to what mocks God and threatens you.

That is worth taking to heart, for when God is mocked and we are threatened, the right response is to pray and cry out to heaven, as Hezekiah and Isaiah did. We can despair or answer mockery with mockery; but Hezekiah and Isaiah, faced with insult to God and threat to themselves, prayed and cried to heaven. Take it to God. When God is mocked and you are threatened, do not despair or trade insults; pray, crying out to heaven, bringing the whole matter before God who can defend his honor and deliver you. When God is mocked and you are threatened, take it to God in prayer, crying out to heaven rather than despairing or answering in kind, as when an enemy mocked God himself, comparing him to the worthless gods of the nations, and threatened the people, Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed and cried to heaven, since the enemy insulted the LORD, saying that as the gods of the nations had not delivered their people neither would the God of Hezekiah; for the enemy not only threatened the people but mocked God himself, treating him as no better than the idols of other nations, and Hezekiah and Isaiah, faced with this insult to God and threat to themselves, turned to the one right response and prayed and cried out to heaven, which holds a lesson for us when God is mocked and we are threatened, since there are times when God himself is insulted and treated as nothing and we ourselves are threatened or afraid, and in such times we can be tempted to despair, be paralyzed by fear, or answer mockery with mockery, but the right response is to pray and cry out to heaven and bring the whole matter, God's honor and our own need, before God himself who can defend his own honor and deliver his people, so that we do well to take it all to God in prayer.