What does "I have dug wells" reveal about human pride and self-reliance? Setting the Scene 2 Kings 19:24: “I have dug wells and drunk foreign waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.” Spoken by King Sennacherib of Assyria, these words capture the swagger of an empire that thought nothing could stop it—not Judah’s walls, not Egypt’s rivers, not even the living God. The Boast “I Have Dug Wells” • “Dug wells” = securing water in enemy territory—vital for long-term campaigns. • Sennacherib claims total self-sufficiency: he even dries up Egypt’s famous Nile-fed channels “with the soles of my feet.” • No mention of the LORD who “established the fountains of the deep” (Proverbs 8:28). The king credits every success to himself. What This Reveals About Human Pride • Pride assumes autonomy: “I can create my own sources of life.” • Pride rewrites history: victories become personal achievements instead of God’s allowance (cf. Isaiah 10:13). • Pride exaggerates: drying up Egypt’s streams is hyperbole, showing how self-inflated the human heart can become. • Pride forgets limits: a mortal king claims power over water—yet Psalm 104:6–10 says water obeys the LORD alone. • Pride provokes God: “Pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18). Self-Reliance Exposed • Dependence on technological skill (well-digging) stands in for dependence on God. • Strategy replaces supplication; armies replace the Almighty. • Jeremiah 17:5 warns: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength.” • Self-reliance blinds: Sennacherib never imagines that a single angel could wipe out 185,000 troops in one night (2 Kings 19:35). God’s Answer to Arrogance • Immediate rebuke: “Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it” (2 Kings 19:25). God reminds the king that every conquest occurred under divine decree. • Swift judgment: Assyria retreats in disgrace, and Sennacherib is later slain in his own temple (2 Kings 19:36-37). • Enduring principle: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Takeaways for Today • Skills, resources, and achievements are gifts, not grounds for self-exaltation (1 Corinthians 4:7). • Wells we dig—careers, savings, plans—cannot replace the Fountain of Living Water (Jeremiah 2:13). • True security is found by trusting the LORD, not by boasting in our abilities (Proverbs 3:5-6). • Humility aligns us with God’s favor; pride aligns us with Sennacherib’s downfall. |
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