Loving God, you continue to teach us through your faithful people – even through those who lived long ago.  May we continue to learn your ways, empowered by your Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

            Today’s reading from Isaiah is interesting in that we get to hear some of what was going on during Isaiah’s lifetime, as well as part of Isaiah’s message during that same time period.  As you may have noticed, there is a marked difference between the two.  Isaiah’s message is full of hope.  It is a vision of a time when the nations will come to Jerusalem, not to attack it, but to learn the ways of God.  It is a vision of a time of peace, when God will be clearly in charge, and war will be a thing of the past.  However, just as the case is today, people’s actual experience was just the opposite.

         In the episode that we heard about today, King Sennacherib was threatening Jerusalem.  Although the king himself was fighting elsewhere, he sent one of his officials, called the Rabshakeh, to try and get Jerusalem to surrender.  In doing so, the Rabshakeh makes quite the speech, which is propaganda at its finest.

         “Thus says the king of Assyria:  Do you think that you can win a war with the great king of Assyria using mere words? Do you think that Egypt is going to bail you out with their horses and chariots?  You seem to think that the Lord your God will save you, but wasn’t it his high places and altars that your king just tore down?  In fact, do you think that I have come without the Lord to destroy your land?  It is the Lord who sent me.  And I’ll bet that even if I were to give you two thousand horses, you wouldn’t be able to put riders on them.

         So don’t believe King Hezekiah when he says that the Lord will save you.  Make your peace while you still can.  That way, you will still be able to eat from your own vines and fig trees and drink from your own cisterns – until I come and take you away to another land that is just as fruitful as yours.  After all, were any of the gods of the other nations able to save them? If their gods couldn’t save them, what makes you think that the Lord is going to save Jerusalem?” (based on Is. 36)

         It was fake news at its finest, and how do you know who to believe?  For Hezekiah’s part, he turns to the prophet Isaiah for help, for Isaiah is known as a faithful prophet of the Lord.  And God’s word to Hezekiah through Isaiah is not to surrender, but to trust in the Lord.  For, the king of Assyria will hear a rumour and will return to his own city and will die by the sword there.  This is, in fact, what happens, as Sennacherib is killed by his own sons in the city of Nineveh.

         While it may be hard for us to relate to having our city surrounded by enemies who are calling for us to surrender, surely we have all faced times of crisis in our lives.  And during those times of crisis, it can be hard to know which messages to believe.  In fact, sometimes the messages in our own head are just like the Rabshakeh. “You’re doomed.  You’re going to die.  You’ve already lost.  God’s not going to help you.  Just give up already, before it’s too late!”  Do we believe these messages, or do we look to God for direction and help?

         In the part of the story that we didn’t hear today, King Hezekiah takes everything that is going on and lays it before the Lord in prayer.  The Rabshakeh has been speaking lies about him and about God.  The people are fearful and wonder if Jerusalem is going to fall to the Assyrian army.  And, to top it all off, King Sennacherib has sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah detailing all of the kings and nations and gods that the Assyrians have already defeated.

         This week I have been drawn to Hezekiah’s prayer, which you can read in Isaiah 37:15-20.  I have been wondering what a prayer for St. Luke’s Zion might sound like, using Hezekiah’s prayer as a template.  Perhaps it might go something like this: “Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth, you have created us and all that exists, and have shown your love for us through your Son, Jesus.  You alone have the power to change people’s hearts and to draw your children to yourself.  Look and see all those who do not know you and who have never been introduced to Jesus. Look and see those who, for various reasons, have left your church behind.  Truly, people are distracted by many things, yet only one thing is needful – to worship you and to walk with you in love.  Turn the hearts of your people to you, and bring them to this place, that all both near and far might know the power of your love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

         In some ways, this is not so different from the vision that Isaiah has of all the nations streaming to the Lord’s house to learn God’s ways.  Surely God is the only one who can make this happen!  Yet, even today, there is a need for all people to learn God’s ways and to become acquainted with God’s love.  And, as we hear in the gospel of Matthew, “you are the light of the world” (Mt. 5:14).

         Of course, there is not one person here who could make this happen without the power of the Holy Spirit at work both within us and through us, for Jesus has not left us orphaned. And so, may the Spirit continue to work through us, lifting up an alternative vision for the world and its people – God’s vision of justice and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pentecost 26 (NL 1)                        Isaiah 36:1-3, 13-20; 37:1-7; 2:1-4

November 18, 2018                        Matthew 5:14

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2018 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved