2 Kings 19:32-37 ESV

32 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD. 34 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

35 And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh. 37 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

GOD WORKS ACCORDING TO HIS WORDS.

Through Isaiah, the Lord has declared, “He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city.” The Lord’s words happened exactly as He said.

Indeed, Hezekiah’s weeping was just for a night. The next day was a day of rejoicing. And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. The angel of God was a little too many than the multitude of the proud Assyrians. God did not need the instrumentality of man. Did it cross to Hezekiah’s mind that God will do this miracle? Thus Jer 33:3 and Eph 3:20 are truth about God that we can lean upon.

The saying is true that “When we work, we work; When we pray God works.” How many times we fail because we don’t trust and commit our needs to God? According to S.D. Gordon, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” Prayer is effectual.

And the particular prayer that God hears is that which centers solely for His glory. God did it for “His own sake and for the sake of His servant David.” We should never be in the equation. It should be all for His glory.

As Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” We have to have a faith to believe that God is absolutely trustworthy as He revealed Himself in His words. Like Hezekiah, let us be like the centurion that Jesus commended. “When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.”[Matt 8:5-10,13]

Today, let’s rest that God works according to His words. When God said it that settles it.

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2 Kings 19:29-31 ESV

29 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same. Then in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this.

29 “At ito ang magiging tanda para sa iyo: sa taong ito ikaw ay kakain ng tumutubo sa kanyang sarili, at sa ikalawang taon ay ang tumubo roon; at sa ikatlong taon ay maghahasik kayo, at aani, at magtatanim ng ubasan, at kakainin ninyo ang kanilang bunga. 30 Ang naiwang ligtas sa sambahayan ni Juda ay muling mag-uugat pailalim at magbubunga pataas; 31 sapagkat mula sa Jerusalem ay lalabas ang isang nalabi, at sa bundok ng Zion ay isang pangkat ng naiwan. Ang sigasig ng PANGINOON ang gagawa nito.

THE REMNANT SHALL BLOSSOM

In the aftermath of the soon Assyrian invasion, the kingdom may experience hardships. Life will be bleak. Their will be tightening of the belt for food production would be reduced. But, they should not be in despair.

They just to endure the first two years when there would be fragility of both human and economic conditions. But, they will survive. Why? The crops will spring up from what is already in the ground. Specifically, in the third year, it would be possible for them to resume their normal agricultural practices. “For you need patience that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.”[Heb 10:36]

There is a lot of optimism in God, who is sovereign. As the psalmist articulated;

“Those who sow in tears

shall reap with shouts of joy!

He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him.”[Psa 126:5,6]

Armed with the sure promises of God, let us be faithful in active and productive waiting for God to fulfill His promises. God’s growth might be slow but it is sure. As Paul had admonished us, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”[Gal 6:9] “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”[1 Cor 15:58]

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2 Kings 19:25-28 ESV

25 “Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should turn fortified cities into heaps of ruins,

26 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, are  dismayed and confounded, and have become like plants of the field and like tender grass, like grass on the housetops, blighted before it is grown.

27 “But I know your sitting down and you’re going out and coming in, and your raging against me.

28 Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in our nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.

THE LORD IS IN CONTROL

After King Hezekiah prayed, the Lord answered him through the prophet Isaiah. Surely, the Lord does hear and answer the prayers of a righteous man. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”[Jas 5:16] We should not be surprised when God answers our prayers, should we? However, we should be alarmed if the Lord is not answering our prayers.

Proudly, Senacherib did argue that it was through his ability that he was able to conquer kingdoms and territories. Unbeknownst to him, that God had determined it beforehand. God said;

“Have you not heard

that I determined it long ago?

I planned from days of old

what now I bring to pass,” [see v 25]

Isaiah had articulated this, saying;

“Remember this and stand firm,

recall it to mind, you transgressors,

remember the former things of old;

for I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like me,

declaring the end from the beginning

and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

and I will accomplish all my purpose,’”[Isa 46:8-10]

There is no such thing as an accidental or incidental event in our lives. Senacherib’s life and deeds were absolutely subservient to God’s plan and purposes. Isaiah said;

“But I know your sitting down

and your going out and coming in,

and your raging against me.”[v27]

Because the Lord is in absolute control, in every need and circumstances that happen in and through our lives are interconnected or interrelated. We should, then, be at rest and in reverence to Him in prayer always. Whatever lack we experience in life, Jesus has assured us, saying, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”[Mat 5:32]

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2 Kings 19:14-19 ESV

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”

YOU, O LORD, ARE GOD ALONE.

Upon receiving the letter from Senacherib, he went into the house of God and spread it before Lord. This time, he did not ask Isaiah’s prayer but did it by himself. This is a wonderful blessing about our relationship with the Lord. Neither one has the monopoly nor somebody is deprived. Specific revelations are provided to the prophets but prayer is available for all.

Jesus has invited all of us to go to Him. He said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”[Matt 11:28-30]. We could ‘cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us.”[1 Pet 5:7]

Upon receiving the letter from Senacherib, he went into the house of God and spread it before Lord. This time, he did not ask Isaiah’s prayer but did it by himself. This is a wonderful blessing about our relationship with the Lord. Neither one has the monopoly nor somebody is deprived. Specific revelations are provided to the prophets but prayers are available for all [v.15]

It could be true that Senacherib had wrought success and destroyed the gods of the other pagan nations around. But they were just powerless idols made of wood and stone. But, Yahweh is the only true God, holy and incomparable. That all the kingdoms of the earth shall know the difference, Hezekiah asked God to defeat the Assyrians. He was so zealous to exalt God in his darkest hour, saying, “ You, o Lord, are God alone.”

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2 Kings 19:1-7 ESV

As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” 5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”

THE PRIORITY OF PRAYER

The threat was overwhelming. King Sennacherib and his army were closing in to Jerusalem. The kinng was informed about the threat of Assyria spoken by the Rabshakeh. Instead of panicking, King Hezekiah opted to “tear his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord.”

As the king in the time of need, he sought the prophet Isaiah to plead for the Lord’s mercies. He believed that the Lord must be sought for, first and foremost. Do we recognize our desperate need of God, especially in our time of need? He described their situation to Isaiah as a laboring mother with no strength to deliver their child – powerless and helpless. On the other hand, he believed that the enemy should not continue to mock or ridicule God.

In the same manner, in the book of Acts, the apostles, particularly Peter and John, were rounded up and reprimanded not to speak for Christ anymore. Although they were threatened, they asserted boldly to continue to preach Christ. Upon their release, they went back to the brethren. And the first thing they did was to pray in praises and thanksgiving before God. “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”[Acts 4:31]

Prayer should be the priority because it’s God’s means to show His power. “When we work, we work. But, when we pray, God works.” Prayer is not the last option. It is our first and only option. When we are doing ministry, we don’t stop praying. As Paul had said, “pray without ceasing”[1 Thess 5:17]

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2 Kings 18:28-37 ESV

28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” 33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.” 37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

SILENCE DESPITE SARCASMS.

Having had success in his conquest against Samaria, King Sennacherib of Assyria had his eyes turned to Judah. He attacked it and sent the Rabshakeh [chief of princes or field commander] to Hezekiah. Thus, Rabshakeh, with his great army, went to issue a challenge to Hezekiah. Isaiah had recorded this, saying, “And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me?”[Isa 36:4-5]

The Rabshakeh’s message to the people of Jerusalem was full of lies, boasts, and blasphemies:

• he questioned the object of their trust

• he ridiculed Hezekiah’s strategy as weak and ineffective

• he discounted any help they might receive from Egypt

• he told them the Lord had turned against them

• he claimed the Lord had sent him to destroy the land of Judah

• he crudely reminded them of the horrors of being under siege

• he accused Hezekiah of deceiving the people

• he scoffed at the notion of trusting in the Lord

• he offered gifts of land and peace to anyone who would surrender

• he reminded them that no nation’s gods had yet been able to deliver it from Assyria

• he equated the Lord with the impotent gods of the other nations

[from https://www.gotquestions.org/Rabshakeh-in-the-Bible.html]

The people’s response was an amazing silence. Why? “The king's command was, “Do not answer him.” Hezekiah’s silence was golden. Paradoxically, his silence was both a sign of weakness and strength. It’s when silence is marked with confidence. As David had expressed;

“Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”

The Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.”[Psa 46:10,11]

Today, it’s not the threat of the enemy that should control us but the truth of who God is to us. It’s not that we are helpless before our enemies but that our enemies are helpless before our God. May we learn to wait upon God with silence and confidence today.

2 Kings 18:1-8 ESV

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). 5 He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. 7 And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. 8 He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

SPIRITUAL REFORMS.

The kings of Judah had followed the footsteps of Israel so that they were heading for an exile, too. Until, King Hezekiah assumed the throne. He made drastic spiritual reforms. At a young age of 25, he began his reign following after his father David. According to v4,5, “He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.”

Spiritual reforms means going back to the basics. It was so sad that they continually offered their sacrifices to Nehushtan [the bronze serpent that Moses had made] instead to God. Perhaps like the pillars and poles of Asherah, they made the Nehushtan as an idol of worship. Yet, Hezekiah was neither intimidated nor hesitant to remove everything. “He held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses.”

It was C.S. Lewis who said, “We can’t change the past but we can start a new start and change the ending.” Instead of cursing and complaining our past, let us start to get rid our hearts from any idol. As John has exhorted, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”[1 John 5:21] Let us not expect for God to use us if our hearts are full of dirt and weeds. As Paul said, “Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”[2 Tim 2:20-21]

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2 Kings 17:29-33 ESV

29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived. 30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 33 So they feared the LORD but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

SYNCRETISM

The settlers who arrived had brought with them their religion and culture and introduced these to the people in the different villages in Samaria. The Sepharvites, in particular, had burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. But, they did not remove out the worship of Jehovah. Instead, they included him in the pantheon of gods to worship. And this mixed worship was very far from the true worship anymore. As v34,35 had declared, “To this day they do according to the former manner. They do not fear the Lord, and they do not follow the statutes or the rules or the law or the commandment that the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel.”

God is a jealous God. And His name shouldn’t be treated us equal to their gods. But in this Assyrian captivity, God had allowed it for He had used the Assyrians to chastise them. Somehow, this had served the purpose of God. As the psalmist had said,;

“Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;

the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.”[Psa 76:10]

Truth mixed with error is as a glass of mineral water with a drop of cyanide. The water may appear clean and harmless but it’s deadly. Let us seek, therefore to worship God with purity of our hearts. As David declared;

“For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”[Psa 51:16,17]

Today, there is only one acceptable sacrifice. It’s God’s way and provision. And we must not dillute it with anything or else it will be defiled. According to Heb 10:19-22, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

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2 Kings 17:24-28 ESV

24 And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the LORD. Therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land.” 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there and teach them the law of the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

AN APPEASEMENT.

After the fall of Samaria, the king of Assyria brought settlers from Babylon, that is from Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim. These settlers went and took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. Being pagans themselves, they did not fear the Lord when they came in. But, God raised lions and killed some of them, which prompted them to inform the king. The king had thought of appeasing the god in Samaria, who they angered. Thus, he commanded one of the Jewish exile priests to go back and teach the settlers to fear the Lord. Somehow, they equate Jehovah as one of their gods.

At one time the Jews had gravitated the temple worship as an obligation and duty. There wa no motivation of love to God anymore. Perhaps, the fear of moral retribution was the reason. Thus God rebuked them saying;

““Hear, O my people, and I will speak;

O Israel, I will testify against you.

I am God, your God.

8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

9 I will not accept a bull from your house

or goats from your folds.

10 For every beast of the forest is mine,

the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know all the birds of the hills,

and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

for the world and its fullness are mine.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

and perform your vows to the Most High,

15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”[Psa 50:7-15]

Today, some believe a Jesus they need to appease. Should He is a god to be appeased, He is far different than the biblical Jesus we know. Our Jesus doesn’t need to be bribed, does He? He isn’t one who is eccentric being but a selfless one. As Paul, declared, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”[Rom 5:6-8] How could we explain a king who died for His subjects if not of an indescribable love.

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2 Kings 17:14-18 ESV

14 But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. 15 They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. 16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. 17 And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. 18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.

OBSTINACY

Israel had provoked the Lord to so much anger because of their idolatry. It is an abomination that was rooted deeper and deeper into their lives both individually and nationally. God had been wooing them back through the prophets. “But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them.”[v.14,15] They spiralled down in sin until they hit rock bottom. They “made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD”[v.16,17]

“You can’t stop a bird from landing on your head. But you can keep it from building a nest” [ Martin Luther King Jr.] Christians aren’t sinless, are they? We couldn’t prevent our impulses from sinning at all times, could we? That is why, Jesus has told us to pray for forgiveness. [Matt 6:12]. And, John also declared the need of confession, saying, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”[1 John 1:9]

God doesn’t expect us not to sin but not to make it as a lifestyle. We may sin but must settle it by confessing it right away. Hence, it’s our continual refusal to listen from His rebuke and correction that is the concern. The problem of Israel was not that they “could not” listen but they “would not” listen. “They went after false idols and became false.” They became obstinate and stoic as the idols they worshipped. A tragic reality that the psalmist had articulated in Psa 115:4-8;

“Their idols are silver and gold,

the work of human hands.

They have mouths, but do not speak;

eyes, but do not see.

They have ears, but do not hear;

noses, but do not smell.

They have hands, but do not feel;

feet, but do not walk;

and they do not make a sound in their throat.

Those who make them become like them;

so do all who trust in them.”

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