Hezekiah’s response to the Assyrian threat is a powerful example of the effectiveness of prayer. Instead of relying solely on military might or political alliances, he seeks divine intervention. We should always make prayer our first response in times of trouble, trusting that God is always listening to the cries of His people. “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, in answer to your prayer for help against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have listened” 2 Kings 19:20.
Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
II Kings 19:9-11, 14-21, 31-36
Matthew 7:6, 12-14
The Books of Kings, 1 and 2, cover 400 years of ancient Israel’s life under the Kings. Kings traces the nation’s journey from a prosperous “Golden Age” under King Solomon to a collapse that led to the division of the Kingdom and the ultimate exile to Babylon. During this time, there were Kings such as David, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah who were spiritual giants despite their flaws. Because of these rulers, the nation was saved from destruction for a long period.
However, many of the kings did not live righteous lives but rather descended into gross sins and idolatry, which brought upon them divine judgments and ended in captivity in Babylon. Last week, John’s reflection was about Ahab, King of Israel, one of the bad rulers who, as it turns out, did repent.
In today’s reading from 2 Kings, we see Hezekiah, King of Judah, faced with an arrogant threat from the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, with an entirely different outcome. Instead of surrendering to fear, Hezekiah turns to God in prayer. This teaches us the importance of Faith and Trust in the Lord, no matter how overwhelming our circumstances may seem. As Hezekiah prays, “Therefore, O LORD, our God, save us from the power of this man, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God” 2 Kings 19:19. This reminds us that our Faith in God can lead to miraculous outcomes.
Hezekiah’s response to the Assyrian threat is a powerful example of the effectiveness of prayer. Instead of relying solely on military might or political alliances, he seeks divine intervention. We should always make prayer our first response in times of trouble, trusting that God is always listening to the cries of His people. When Hezekiah prays, God responds through the prophet Isaiah, providing reassurance and a promise of deliverance. “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, in answer to your prayer for help against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have listened” 2 Kings 19:20.
Sennacherib’s arrogance and blasphemy against God serve as a warning; his pride leads to his downfall, illustrated by the verse in Proverbs, “Pride goes before disaster, and a haughty spirit before a fall” Proverbs 16:18. This lesson reminds us to remain humble and recognize our dependence on God. Chapter 19 in 2 Kings highlights God’s sovereignty over all nations and rulers.
Verse 25 was not included in today’s reading: “Have you not heard? Long ago, I prepared it. From days of old, I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass.” This reassures us that no matter how crazy the world may seem, God is in control!
Skipping back, we get this odd verse — “This is the word the LORD has spoken concerning him, ‘She despises you, laughs you to scorn, the virgin daughter Zion! Behind you, she wags her head, daughter Jerusalem’” (2 Kings 19:21). Scholars tell us: “God begins with a picture of a young girl mocking a much larger and more powerful attacker. An Assyrian messenger threatened Jerusalem in earshot of the city. Now, in ironic symbolism, a helpless child of Jerusalem openly mocks the Assyrian king.”
The miraculous defeat of the Assyrian army is a testament to God’s protection over His people. “That night the angel of the LORD went forth and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp.” 2 Kings 19:35. This dramatic action is an act of divine intervention to deliver Jerusalem from destruction, showing God’s authority over all earthly forces and His willingness to protect His people when they trust Him.
This chapter encourages us to let our faith guide us through life’s challenges, knowing that God is with us every step of the way. We are assured of the certainty of God’s promises. When God declares that He will defend Jerusalem, He fulfills His word. “I will shield and save this city for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David.” 2 Kings 19:34. By defending the city and throne of Jerusalem, the Lord defends His Covenant of Kingship with David. This encourages us to trust God’s promises, confident that He is faithful to fulfill them.
Psalm 48 celebrates Jerusalem as the seat of God’s Kingship, Vs 2 “is the city of the great King.”, and the object of His protection, the Response, “God upholds His city for ever.” is a follow-up and reassurance of the First Reading.
Today’s short gospel passage from Mathew contains three teachings of Jesus, delivered during His Sermon on the Mount.
First, Jesus uses an image that most of us have never used. Jesus tells his disciples, “Do not give to dogs what is holy and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them underfoot and tear you to pieces.” The Ignatius Study Bible offers this explanation, “Dogs were generally undomesticated in Jewish culture, and most were stray scavengers, as we read about in last week’s first reading, ‘the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth’” 1Kings 21:19.
Swine were especially contemptible; to Jews, they were unclean and could not be eaten. (see Lev 11:7-8) Jesus redirects these insulting labels to anyone inhospitable to the gospel, Jew or Gentile. In Judaism, holiness characterized anything consecrated for covenant worship. To treat holy articles in a common manner would profane them (see Ex 29:37: Lev 22:10-16). Consecrated meat from animals sacrificed in the Temple should not be given as food for dogs. Jesus carries this same notion into the New Covenant. The Early Church applied this statement to the Holy Eucharist; a sacrament rightly withheld from the unworthy.
The second saying in today’s Gospel is the famous ‘Golden Rule’, which is not exclusive to Christianity or the Gospel—it is known in other cultures. What we read here is being expressed in positive terms. There is also a negative form that states, “Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you.” There is a difference between the two. You can observe the negative version by doing nothing at all. The positive can only be observed by doing some good action for others. In Jn 13:34, Jesus takes this message even further when He gives us the New Commandment, “… As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”
In the third saying today, St Matthew’s Gospel begins with the word “Enter,” implying the “Kingdom of Heaven.” Jesus contrasts the narrow gate with the wide gate and broad road. To follow the wide road is to do just about anything you feel like doing. It is to follow your likes, your instincts, and whims wherever they lead you. Jesus promises that “this will lead to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.”
The narrow gate is rather to be focused on having one’s life guided by a clear set of truths, principles and values—that form the core of the Gospel’s teaching. In other words, the Way of Christ leads to eternal salvation.
How do the First Reading and the Psalm coincide with the Gospel? Simply put, we should love God by placing our Faith and Trust in Him at all times.