“In whom do you now trust?” (v 20). This is the important question set before God’s people in 2 Kings 18-19. Perhaps we easily trust in the LORD when our days are comfortably rolling along and every need is met. But in whom do we trust, really trust, when we encounter the great trials of life? Major change came to Judah about 715 BC when Hezekiah took the throne. His commitment to God was not marked by the compromise typical of previous kings. Others maintained an allegiance to the LORD at some level, but were also willing to tolerate the high places and other sites of pagan worship. Hezekiah cleaned things up entirely. Here was a new David, walking in wholehearted obedience to God. He not only demolished pagan idols, he even recognized that the bronze serpent Moses had made had now become a superstitious snare, and he destroyed that too. And the premier virtue of Hezekiah’s reign? “He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel” (v 5). As a man holds fast to his wife, Hezekiah “held fast to the LORD” and “did not depart from following Him.” He was a unique leader, a breath of fresh air (v 1-6). So it may seem surprising that a faithful man like this also encountered great trials. A quick rehash of the northern kingdom’s fall (v 9-12) serves to remind us of the kind of climate in which Hezekiah’s trust must operate. Though he boldly rebelled against the king of Assyria (v 7-8), this godly king of Judah lived under constant threat of attack. True to form, Sennacherib eventually comes to take possession of the principal towns of Judah also (v 13). So please note: you can hold fast to the LORD and the Assyrians will still come. You can know the blessing of GOD and still encounter severe trouble and grief. Despite Hezekiah’s desperate attempt to pay off his attacker, Assyria’s king is not satisfied. He sends his agents to demand Jerusalem’s surrender. Three of Hezekiah’s cabinet ministers come out to face the mockery and intimidation (v 13-18). Even a gift of 2,000 horses couldn’t help them at this point, because there weren’t 2,000 men able to mount them and defend their land (v 23). By any human estimate, Judah doesn’t stand a chance against an army of 185,000 warriors. So on behalf of “the great king” of Assyria, his men organize their taunts around a definite theme: “On what do you rest this trust of yours?... In whom do you now trust?... Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD...” Some form of the word “trust” (or “rely”) appears seven times. Speaking in the Judean dialect, their clear intent is to undermine faith in God and strike fear in the hearts of all (v 19-37). So in whom do you now trust? For further meditation: