The Situation Room

Hola amigo blog. I know it's been a long time since i rapped at ya, but the crashing waves have been fast and furious on lake andy (what does that even mean?). Anyway, in my previous post, i mentioned an interest in exploring the story of the children of israel. my interest has not waned, nor have i totally neglected reading the old testament, it's just that to combine the reading i have done with supplemental research of rabbinical and historical commentary has proven to be more time-consuming than i had planned. in short, i have not been reading like i had wanted, either from the old testament or from complementary material that's out there. today, i'm going to try and put something down.

I read II Chronicles 32, the story of Hezekiah's resistance to the Assyrian Empire. It is an interesting story for a number of reasons. first, i have read about the assyrian empire before and they were one of six major empires of the land between the rule of the Egyptians and the rule of the Romans. (Egyptians, assyrians, babylonians, persians, greeks, romans [mnemonic device: Eat At Bob's, Pasadena's Great Restaurant]). They dominated the region at the decline of the egyptians during the years between the 9th and 7th centuries bc. so, to me it is interesting to read about a king of a lowly, little group of people who stood up to a dynasty with power probably equivalent to that of the romans, greeks or egyptians.

second, hezekiah was a very close follower of god. i read that his name means either "strengthened by yaweh" or "he who made a firm alliance between the israelites and yaweh." when the general of the assyrian army (sennacherib) sent the israelites a letter proposing either the surrender of jerusalem or its hostile takeover, while also pointing out that the gods of other peoples had not protected them, hezekiah, for some reason, declined the general's offer and instead consulted the lord. what confidence this must have taken! i particularly enjoy verses 7-8 where hezekiah tells the people of jerusalem, "be strong and courageous. do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. with him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the lord our god to help us and to fight our battles."

i wonder if, as a leader, hezekiah was faking it a bit. in other words, leaders of companies, or nations, or households often have to be the ones to be excited about certain policies in order to encourage others (e.g. steve jobs and the macbook air). i imagine that sometimes this takes some fake enthusiasm. despite his proclamation to the children of israel, i'm sure hezekiah must have been plagued with doubts, as we all are, and was fearful for his own survival and for that of his people at the hands of an infinitely greater army. i also wonder how many citizens of jerusalem were outwardly critical of hezekiah's choices once they heard the rationale (see: propaganda) of sennacherib. i wonder how often my skepticism gets in the way of trusting god to guide me through various choices i have to make.

some verses that this passage helps me to recall:
- "seek ye first the kingdom of god and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." - matthew 6:33
- "trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight" - proverbs 3:5-6

abuch out.