Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Do not let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, The Lord will save us. Has any of the gods of the nations saved their land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, November 20, 2022
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Sometimes our lives become dramatically different through a series of small discomforts. God can deliver us to an even better life.
Assyria was on Jerusalem’s doorstep. The mighty nation had already torn through the countryside conquering lands despite the faith people had in their gods. Now it was God’s turn to be tested. When the Rabshakeh called out Israel, pointing out the futility of trusting in God, Israel’s king Hezekiah crumbled. It was one thing to trust in God when Assyria was still far off. But now Assyria was here. It was time for God to show up.
Hezekiah sent Eliakim and the recorder Shebna to Isaiah covered in sackcloth (the clothing of repentance and despair). Isaiah once again had to reassure the king God would remain faithful to them. God would become the God of all nations one day. We would later learn that Assyria would conquer Jerusalem. We would also learn that God would become God of all nations. Maybe it took their defeat and then restoration for the word of God’s power and reign to reach all the lands. God’s people would one day once again use their weapons as tools for cultivating the land.
Interestingly, when the Rabshakeh threatened Jerusalem, he offered them a way out. If they surrendered (and even if they didn’t), he promised them that they could remain on their land. Until the day they couldn’t. Then they would be moved to another land, but very much like this one. Their lives would hardly change at all, promised the Rabshakeh.
Often, this is how we find ourselves in situations we ought not be in. The change is slow, the discomfort so insignificant we don’t really notice it. Then, slowly, the discomfort grows and one day we wake up and realize we’re nowhere near where we once were. Our lives are dramatically different and we don’t even know how we got here. At that point, there is no way back to what once was. The only way is forward, a long, hard march uphill to reach a new normal. With hard work, this new normal can be rewarding. But it only comes by muddling through the discomfort that we let ourselves become accustomed to, and fighting for a better life, trusting that God will deliver us one day.
