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Hezekiah got the Victory by Relying on God

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[II Kings 19:35]

"That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning-there were all the dead bodies!"

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Among the great kings of Judah, there was a king named Hezekiah.
One day, Hezekiah met a very difficult situation.
A country named Assyria attacked his country.

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The king of Assyria heard that Hezekiah was staying close to Egypt rather than them. So he made a plan to conquer Judah and ordered his army officers. "Go right away and attack Judah. Make them realize what they have done. Let them know that ignoring us, Assyria and getting close to Egypt is a big mistake."

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The army commander of Assyria brought hundred and eighty-five thousand men and attacked Judah. Upon hearing the coming of the army commander of Assyria, the royal servants of Assyria went out to calm their anger. At that time, on top of the castle, all the people of Judah were watching the royal servants as they went out to greet the army commander of Assyria.

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The army commander of Assyria knew this, so he started to speak in a very loud voice which could reach the people on top of the castle.

"Go tell Hezekiah. On whom are you depending, that you betray us? I think you are relying on Egypt but they are like a broken staff. They cannot win over us."

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The army commander even ridiculed God and said,

"Also, your king is saying that God is helping you but that is also not true. God has allowed me to destroy you. I came by permission. The God you believe in told me to destroy all of Judah. Ha ha ha."

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The army commander continued speaking to the people of Judah, "I tell you the words of the great king of Assyria. Do not be fooled by Hezekiah. Hezekiah tells you that God is going to help you but that is a lie. Instead, give up and come to me. Then, you will live."

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The royal servants of Judah heard the army commander insulting God.
So they tore their clothes. Hezekiah heard this news and he also tore his clothes.

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King Hezekiah was very sad so he wore sackcloth and went up to the temple of God. Then, he sent Eliakim the palace administrator and Shebna the secretary to the prophet Isaiah.
He wanted to know the will of God.

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The leading priests, who got the order of the king, also wore sackcloth and went to the prophet Isaiah. God spoke to them through Isaiah. "Go back to your king and say. Do not fear the words of the army commander of Assyria. They can never win over Judah."

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King Hezekiah spread the letter of the messengers on the temple floor. Then, he prayed eagerly in front of the letter. He believed that they could win over the hundred and eighty-five thousand men if God was with them so he faithfully prayed.

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"God is Almighty. God, hear my prayer. Hear Sennacherib insulting the living God.
They are destroying all the nations and kingdoms. Save us from the hand of that king."

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While King Hezekiah was praying, a man sent from the prophet Isaiah came and said, "God has heard your prayers about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. They will not enter this kingdom. They will not be able to shoot even one arrow here and return to their country." God heard the earnest prayers of Hezekiah.

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That night, God did a very amazing miracle.

God sent the angel of the Lord and killed all of the hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers of Assyria. They were not able to shoot even one arrow and all became dead bodies.

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When the Israelites woke up in the morning, the soldiers that were as many as the sand were all dead. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria believed his army and insulted God. However, his sons killed him by a sword while worshiping his idol in the temple called Nisroch.

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God gave the victory to Hezekiah, who relied on God and prayed earnestly. The people of Judah realized that becoming God's people is a very big blessing. No matter how strong an army is, it cannot win over a man of God. I hope you will also become people of faith. Whatever happens to you, rely on God and get HIS answer by prayer.

(You can change the conclusion of this sermon best suiting to your listeners of this sermon. We want to make it clear that the provided conclusion is only a sample conclusion provided by CTM.)