“But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?” – 2 Kings 18:22 (Context: 2 Kings 18-19)

I had an atheist friend in college who always challenged me to prove God exists. My argument was always based on faith of which he always shot down as irrelevant and not the hard evidence he was looking for. Recently, someone close to me who doesn’t want to believe God exists (though I’m pretty sure he does) has renewed the atheistic challenge. I’ve tried the same old arguments, Pascal’s Wager, Moral Law, Origin of Existence, et al, and have even tried a few new tricks now having a little seminary under my belt.

This passage in 2 Kings reminds me of something. People are always going to challenge God and God is always going to be God. Sounds pretty simple, but I think it is pretty deep. When you look at the reaction Rabshakeh gave to King Hezekiah’s messengers when they confirmed their defense against the strongest army of the time was based on their faith in God, you realize their were many nations before Judah who had claimed the same defense and failed. How then would anyone expect a powerful nation to react to the idea of God when they consistently conquering people groups who supposedly on God’s team? If God is so powerful, then why does He let his own people be ravaged and overtaken?

But Hezekiah, as well as his father, Ahaz, and many other Judean leaders from the bloodline of David lead their people in the way that was pleasing to the eyes God. Their defense was not superficial, or based on current religious fads, or established out of need to fit in with the society or culture of the region. Their faith and worship was genuine and the Assyrian armies would soon realize this group of God-fearing people was different than the rest.

So what was different this time? God showed up and was God defending his servants. Before Sennacherib could send his armies to invade Judah, 185,000 men were struck down during the night by “an angel of the Lord.” Sennacherib retreated to his homeland to worship his god (2 Kings 19:37) probably to try and figure out why his god let him down. Ironically, but justifiably, he was assonated by his own sons while worshipping his false god.

When people really worship God truthfully and with sincerity, everyone, even atheists who don’t believe in the all powerful, all knowing, eternal, loving, wrathful, grace offering, and forgiveness giving God of the universe, will see the difference. They may not understand it and may be almost impossible to drive the message home, but there will be no denying the true worshippers believe in something real.