What does "by the way he came" reveal about God's sovereignty? Verse Under Consideration “By the way he came he will return, and he will not enter this city, declares the LORD.” (2 Kings 19:33) Parallel: Isaiah 37:34 Backdrop: Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem • Assyria, the superpower of the day, had swallowed every nation in its path. • King Hezekiah’s Jerusalem stood next in line, humanly powerless to defend itself. • Hezekiah spread the enemy’s blasphemous letter before the LORD (2 Kings 19:14-19). • God answered through Isaiah, promising divine intervention and utter failure for Assyria. Key Phrase: “By the Way He Came” — What It Meant Then • Literal prediction: the invader’s path of advance would become his path of retreat. • Total reversal: the army that marched in triumph would slink back in disgrace. • Sealed certainty: “declares the LORD” underscores that this was not probability but decree. Sovereignty Spotlight: How God Rules Enemies’ Movements • Command of geography: God set the exact route both into and out of Judah. • Control of timing: in a single night the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 soldiers (2 Kings 19:35). • Mastery over rulers: Sennacherib’s will bowed to God’s will; he “returned to Nineveh” and later died by assassination in his own temple (2 Kings 19:36-37). • Protection of covenant purposes: Jerusalem had to stand so that David’s line—and ultimately the Messiah—would remain unbroken (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Micah 5:2). Faith Takeaways: Trusting the God Who Directs Every Step • No threat outruns God’s decree; even the fiercest enemy is on a leash held by the Almighty (Job 38:11). • Humiliation of the proud is certain; the LORD “mocks proud mockers” (Proverbs 3:34). • God’s people may rest: “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him” (Psalm 34:7). • What God speaks, He performs—down to the route an army’s sandals touch (Numbers 23:19). Cross-References That Echo the Same Sovereignty • Proverbs 21:1 — “The king’s heart is a watercourse in the hand of the LORD; He directs it wherever He pleases.” • Isaiah 14:24-27 — The LORD of Hosts swears that His plan against the nations “will stand.” • Acts 17:26 — God “marked out their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.” • Psalm 46:8-10 — He “makes wars cease to the ends of the earth… Be still, and know that I am God.” |
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