God's Answer to a King's Plea

King Hezekiah is facing an invading army that is not known for showing mercy. It is an invading army that instills fear in people, and brings even the greatest kings down to their knees trembling.

It is also an army led by a man named Sennacherib who has little use for God, or those who attempt to elicit God's help. He is unafraid of God and has no hesitation when it comes to mocking other people's faith.

Nevertheless, Hezekiah prays to God.

Here is God's response:

"And this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
'His armies will not enter Jerusalem.
They will not even shoot an arrow at it.

They will not march outside its gates with their shields
Nor build banks of earth against its walls.

The king will return to his own country
By the same road on which he came.
He will not enter this city'
Says the Lord

'For my own honor
And for the sake of my servant David
I will defend this city and protect it.'

That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp
And killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.

When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning
They found corpses everywhere

Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp
And returned to his own land.
He went home to his capital of Nineveh
And stayed there."

-- God responds to Hezekiah's prayer (2 Kings 19:32-36)