When The Levee Breaks                                     05-13-16

2 Kings 19:30 (ESV) ³⁰  And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.

A couple of weeks ago I was sent a video of one of my favorite rock and roll bands from back in the day, singing one of my all time favorite songs. For some reason I looked up the history of the song and that history caught my attention. Seems the song was written in the 1920's, talking about the levees along the Mississippi River breaking, with the ensuing flooding sweeping everything away. That however, is just the prelude for the message today.

While thinking about the song I was reminded about something my friend Joshua Drucker has said from time to time. He has talked about strengthening the things that remain. Many times life and its' circumstances, like the Mighty Mississipp, will overflow the levees in our lives, sweeping  all away. The enemy of our souls, hell bent on flooding our lives with pain, seeks our destruction. It was with this mindset that the Lord spoke that verse to me this week past. In the 18th and 19th Chapters of Second Kings, we are told about a levee breaking in the life of King Hezekiah and indeed in all Judah.

The King of Assyria was approaching Israel like a raging torrent, intent on conquering the land.The Assyrians had destroyed all in their path and Judah along with Hezekiah and it's inhabitants were in the Assyrian King's crosshairs. Not only that, He defied Hezekiah and mocked Hezekiah's trust in the God of Israel. It seemed that none could resist or stand in his way. With that in mind, let's get to the heart of the matter.

Hezekiah was a man, with all of a man's failings. He did a lot wrong and made mistakes. I and probably you also can relate. But, Hezekiah had something going for him. No, not something, ONETHING, going for him. You can read about it in the intro of his story. 

2 Kings 18:5-7 (ESV) ⁵  He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.
⁶  For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses.
⁷  And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him.

Trusted. Held fast. Hmmmmm.....And the Lord was with him. Look at this.

Israel was in a mess when Hezekiah came on the scene. The land and people were ruled by evil kings, rife with idolatry and unbelief. Both Israel and Judah were following foreign gods. Enter Hezekiah. He began ruling in Judah and was determined to strengthen what remained of God in the land. He did all kinds of stuff. Broke down the altars and high places of idolatry. Instituted  Godly reforms etc., etc.

When the flood, in the form of the King of Assyria came against Hezekiah, what do you think he did? Unlike what we hear from our leaders today, Hezekiah didn't unsheath his sabre and rattle it. He didn't confront the Assyrian with idle threats and false bravado. He didn't blame the other leaders in Judah and Israel for the attack of the enemy. What did he do?

He stengthened the things that remained. He got alone with God. He prayed.  

2 Kings 19:14-15 (ESV) ¹⁴  Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD.
¹⁵  And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said: “O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.

Read the whole story and prayer..........185,000 gone..... phoosh.....The King of Assyria, the Bible declares, DEPARTED AND WENT HOME... The levee held and the flood waters were diverted. Why? Because Hezekiah had rooted and grounded himself in the Lord His God. He had strengthened his "levee" if you will.

God spoke the title verse to me this week while thinking about Hezekiah being rooted and strengthening that which remains and whatnot. How so Ronnie? Just this.

Brothers and sisters a relationship with God Almighty, or anyone else for that matter, isn't built overnight. Neither is it built in the sight of man. It requires time. It requires solitude and undivided attention. A faith and relationship that will sustain us when the levee breaks in our lives demands that we take root. We allow the Holy Spirit to take root in our hearts. The time we spend alone with the Lord Jesus won't garner the world's attention,but like King Hezekiah, it will move Him to strengthern us where it counts..on the inside. Gettin' my drift? And just as the Lord spoke to the children of Israel, if we will take root downward in God, our fruit will be borne upward. Our levee will hold.

 Psalm 138:3 (ESV) ³  On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.



God Bless