In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion. There He broke the arrows of the bow, the shield and sword of battle. (Psalm 76:1-3)
Jewish commentators interpret this psalm to be an extension of the theme presented in the preceding psalm — the plight of God’s people in exile. However this psalm, so say the rabbis, hints at the climactic war of Gog and Magog which will occur at the end of the exile and by which God’s Name and Power will be manifest for all to see. Interestingly, Jewish tradition teaches that this yet-to-occur battle has a historical precedent — the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib.
Years before this siege, the Assyrians had taken the ten northern tribes into captivity leaving only the tiny kingdom of Judah led by Hezekiah. When Hezekiah refused to adhere to the Assyrian’s dictates, Sennacherib came against Judah with an invasion force comprised of all the nations he had conquered. For a moment, it seemed as if all was lost; the people were losing heart and preparing to capitulate to the will and whim of the invaders. But Hezekiah — whose name means “My strength is in the LORD” — prayed for deliverance. In response the Lord broke the bow of the Assyrians, destroying one hundred and eighty-five thousand to be exact, prompting Sennacherib to tuck his tail and run back to Nineveh. As a result — and this is the point — God’s fame spread far and wide; “In Judah God was known; His name was great in Israel.”
Presently, God’s power and majesty is somewhat concealed by the abundance of wickedness and the fact that Zion’s King has yet to ascend His Throne in Jerusalem. In other words, God’s people are still in exile. However, at the appointed time, God will begin to gather His people from across the world, thus provoking the armies of Gog to come into the land. But as the prophet has foretold, the hostile armies will be decimated and, as the LORD said, “I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” In short, God will display His might by striking the nations and, at the same time, enveloping Jerusalem with divine protection thus causing His fame to spread throughout the earth.
What shall we take away from this? In both accounts, Sennacherib’s siege and the future war of Gog and Magog, we see that God’s people were powerless to save themselves. They knew that and the aggressors knew that. However, just as Hezekiah did not put his trust in military might but in God, when we realize we cannot save ourselves, but instead turn to the Almighty for deliverance, He does not disappoint. To the contrary, He comes to our aid and, in so doing, causes others to take note of our deliverance and then provokes them to seek their own. In other words, the deliverance that is promised to God’s people as a whole is promised to us as individuals. Don’t trust in horses and chariots; trust in the LORD and spread His fame far and wide.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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