"He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand."
2 Chronicles 32:17
This is interesting to me, as it relates to life today. It is easy to become disenchanted with religion when you read and see all of the conflicts and actual wars that are being fought over it. Arabs and Jews, Serbs and Bosnians... and things all around us. People being persecuted or discriminated against because they belong to one religion or another. Or, religious people persecuting and discriminating against people who choose not to participate in a religion. I remember one incident in my own life, meeting a woman who I thought was intelligent and funny. We had a great conversation at work, and later she came over to my cubicle and started making fun of religious people. Because she thought I was "smart," she just assumed that I didn't believe. Unfortunately, that difference between us proved to be an insurmountable hurdle to developing a friendship.
In this verse Sennacherib, king of Assyria, is speaking, and understandably, he doesn't believe that the Lord God of Israel will save the Israelites... none of the rest of the gods of the people he has conquered have come to save them. But four verses later, he returns home in shame, unable to conquer the Lord God of Israel. :) There is a difference. :) ... And there should be also be a difference in our lives. God will always save us if we are true to him. ...As worshippers of the true God, there is no reason for us to rail on other gods or other people. Instead of perpetuating persecution and discrimination, we can be broadcasting a different message, of love and peace to the world. God loves everyone, whether they believe in him or not. Today, let's show that. :)
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