Just when it looked like the Bible would be ending prematurely at this point, what with the northern kingdom of Israel wiped out and Sennacherib's Assyrian army threatening to do the exact same to the southern kingdom of Judah, God reveals that He is still in control. Jerusalem slips through the Assyrians' fingers. The nation lives, and Sennacherib dies.
When confronted with the news of the Assyrian challenge, King Hezekiah knows what he must do. He immediately appeals to God and His prophet Isaiah. Isaiah, who is able to deliver the words of God whether the message is welcome or not by the people, reassures Hezekiah with good news. This is not the end. At least, it is not the end for Judah. Instead, the end is coming for the Assyrian king, Sennacherib!
First, God makes sure that Sennacherib hears a rumor that another army, the Ethiopian horde, is approaching for a fight (vs. 9). He abruptly breaks off his assault on Jerusalem. Yet he still threatens the city and mocks the Lord by insisting on his own greatness and the inability of God, any god, to stop him (vs. 10-13).
This arrogance is what the Lord had been waiting for. Through Isaiah, God says, "Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and haughtily lifted your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel!" (vs. 22). Later, God makes the point that He, and not the Assyrians, is in control. "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 make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruin...But I know your rising and your sitting, your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. Because you have raged against me and your arrogance has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth; I will turn you back on the way by which you came" (vs. 25, 27-28).
And this is precisely what happens. God is in charge, as demonstrated by His conviction to save the city. "For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David" (vs. 34). That very night, the angel of death struck down 185,000 Assyrian troops. Sennacherib wisely chose to withdraw at this point and return home to Nineveh. However, he enjoyed a short-lived retirement from battle, as his sons assassinated him while worshiping his false god, Nisroch (vs. 35-37).
Even when things look very bleak and hopeless, never doubt that God is in control!
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