Articles . Volume 13 | Issue 06

The World Is Waiting for One Spiritual Rebel

Written by: Bill Elliff

Can I read the newspaper for you today, but use a slightly different historical context? The people of the nation had sinned against the Lord (2 Kings 18, the Israelites). Everything God told them not to do, they did. Even when God sent prophets to warn and counsel them they did not listen. And so, as always, God sent his judgment. Oppression came into the land. Things did not go well in the nation. Sound familiar?

God brought His judgments in this case through the Assyrians. But there was one man who stood up. When Hezekiah became king of Judah, he broke the chain. He followed the Lord and the remaining story is a beautiful reminder of what can happen when one man follows God.

For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. (2 Kings 18:6-7)

RIGHTEOUS, SPIRITUAL REBELLION

It seems there is a right time to rebel against a godless oppressor (a fact we would do well to remember). Hezekiah stood up against Assyria and its pagan king. So Assyria sent a huge army against Hezekiah. Assyrians commanders try to intimidate Hezekiah into surrendering and it made every bit of military sense to surrender.

But, there was an ally on Hezekiah’s side that the Assyrians did not comprehend. An unseen army led by the Angel of the Lord.

Any military leader knows when its time to quit. But Hezekiah knew God. He had been walking with Him, clinging to Him for a long time and something about this moment didn’t seem right. And so, He called on the Greater Force. Twice in the ensuing conflict Hezekiah models for us what must be done when we are besieged by God’s enemies and His name is being blasphemed in the land.

And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the Lord. (2 Kings 19:1)

Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. (2 Kings 19:14)

SUPERNATURAL VICTORY

God heard an answered. He always does. Isaiah prophesied that the Lord would return the Assyrians to their own land. In three short verses we read the end of the story.

Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh. It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place. (2 Kings 19:35-37)

Boom! Done! Problem solved in a matter of a few sentences. Why? One courageous man said, “I’m not going to let this wicked ruler blaspheme my God.” Then, he turned in the one direction that mattered. He prayed in humility and brokenness and the Great Defender of His People answered.

OUR CURRENT BATTLE

What are we facing right now in our land? Are we in a time of judgment because of our sins? Are there enemies blaspheming the name of our God? Making a mockery of His truth? Are pagan practices (like the killing of children) flooding our land? Is the land groaning under the rule of unrighteous men?

Will we stand up and rebel? Not with military might, but by clinging to our God and calling on the One who stands above all and who can change the course of a nation in an instant. And, when God’s enemies confront and intimidate us, will we lay it out before God and seek Him so He can do what no human force could ever accomplish? Or will we try to fight those battles with the arm of the flesh?

We are waiting for God to come in revival and awakening and change our land. Others put their hope in a political leader or process that would magically usher in massive spiritual reform. Some think if we will just work a little harder, everything will be changed. I wonder if God is waiting for one courageous rebel who will bow down in spiritual rebellion against God’s enemies and cry out to Him?

(copyright Bill Elliff, All Rights Reserved)