NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME SHALL PROSPER

Hello everyone,

I hope that you’re all doing great! I’m deeply grateful to God to share with you a new neoclassical piece called «No Weapon Formed Against Me Shall Prosper.» The title of the music comes directly from the book of the Hebrew prophet called Isaiah, wrote circa 700 years before the birth of Jesus-Christ. (chapter 54, verse 17). The music has multiple contemplations and many messages I want to share with you. As you all comes from different backgrounds, I will try to stay as simple as possible.

Here is a resume of the different layers of contemplations:

1) — The Fear of God

2) — God’s Protection

3)— The Story of Hezekiah and Sennacherib

4)— The application in our everyday life

Let’s start by the Story of Hezekiah and Sennacherib, as it will open and present all the other layers of meaning.

Around 2700 years ago, the biggest empire of that time was the Assyrian one. Their main capitals cities are known under the names of : Nineveh and Assur — Based in modern Iraq. Their Empire was huge. They ruled from south modern Turkey, to Egypt, from Israel to Babylon.

In red: the heart of Assyria with the main Assyrian cities. Orange: the Assyrian empire
Assyrian empire at its territorial peak during the reign of Assurbanipal (668-627
BC. J.-C.). Source

They were famous for their cruelty and  brutality. Known to be merciless, country after country, region after region, town after town, they all fell into the Assyrian’s Dominion. Expect one little city called Jerusalem. They had mighty kings that you might already know. To cite some of the names: Ashurnasirpal II, Shalmaneser, Sargon II, Sennacherib. Let’s zoom in and focus on Sennacherib as he is one of the main character of the message of the music.

Sennacherib was fighting rebels within the empire. The Egyptians, the Babylonians, Phenicians and Israelies to name a few. He did well except In Israel — in Judea —, particualry in the city of Jerusalem. Here was a mighty king named Hezekiah. He refused to pay the yearly and heavy tribute to Sennacherib. It was a common practise back then, to pay heavy taxes to the most powerful ruler their time. But Hezekiah refused and rebelled. He is the second main character of the music.

Cast of a rock relief of Sennacherib from the foot of Cudi Dağı, near Cizre. The cast is exhibited in Landshut, Germany. Source

When Sennacherib heard that Hezekiah rebelled, he went furious and decided to attack Jerusalem. Lakish, one of the most important city of Judea fell into his hands. Next step was Jerusalem. It’s important to underline that our Biblical passage is confirmed by archeology and sources from outside the Bible.

Wall relief found in Sennacherib’s palace describing the siege of Lakish. Source

Before to attack Jerusalem, he sent his messengers and spoke through them with extreme arrogance. Here is some of the words he said, preserved in The Bible:

"Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand? Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!" 

— Second Book of Chronicles, chapter 32, verse 13 to 15.

Sennacherib in his pride, thought that all of his achievements was coming from him. It reached a point of no return when he even blasphemed the God of Hezekiah, as related in the Bible passage above. Shortly after the assyrian ruler sent insulting letters to the king, in the same fashion.

Hezekiah was terrified. His kingdom was already extremely weakened by previous wars, and half of it was already deported to divergent Assyrian cities. In his fear, he even wanted to pay the tribute again to Sennacherib, in which Sennacherib accepted but nevertheless decided to attack Jerusalem.

Isaiah, the prophet we mentioned in the debut of the article, was a contemporary of Hezekiah. He was respected by the king for he knew that God was with him. He knew that Isaiah’s prophecies were true, for Hezekiah himself saw many of them fullfiled during his life time. In his despair, he did two pivotal things :

1) – He asked Isaiah to pray, Isaiah did, and God responded.

2)- He went himself in Solomon’s Temple and show one of the letter from Sennacherib to God and started to pray as well. God heard and responded a second time.

Allow me to share with you few passages of the Bible that describe Hezechiah’s reaction, and how amazing they were.

And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, who dwellest between the cherubims, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth.

Incline Thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open Thine eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to reproach the living God. In truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their countries, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they have destroyed them.

Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the Lord, even Thou only.”

— Book of Isaiah, chapter 37 verse 14

Some of God’s response, the third and key character of the music :

"But I know your sitting down, your going out and coming in, and your raging against Me. Because your rage and arrogance against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’... 

— Book of Isaiah, chapter 37 verse 28.

Sennacherib triggered God’s Wrath. In the night, God sent an angel against his army. The angel arrived and destroyed 185.000 Assyrian soldiers. Sennacherib, learning his defeat, went directly back to Ninevah and died here killed by his chlidren.

"And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies." 

— Second Book of Kings, chapter 19 verse 35. 

What does this historical event teaches us? So many things that are well embodied in our two characters figures., opening the second layer and message of the music : The Fear of God.

Hezekiah had the fear of God in himself. Sennacherib did not. What does it mean? It means reverence, respect and submission to God through Love and respect — Knowing that He has all authority and power upon everything. It does not mean, to be « scared » of him in the way that you want to hide from him. No, but the opposite, you want to give it all to Him. You want to trust Him. You want Him in your life. You want to surrender to Him because He created you and loves you so so much.

Observe that Hezekiah develloped The fear of God very soon in His life. He trusted God and God rescued Him. He could have called help from the Egyptians, or others military forces but He didn’t. He chose God and waited on Him, and God honored the Hebrew King.

If you want to know God, to be saved by Him, to have a relationship with Him based on Love, I have written an article and a music called « Are You Saved », that explains how to get to know God and to live for Him. So, The Fear of God is well embodied in our historical King Hezekiah.

Now, when we observe Sennacherib, rebellion, arrogance, self-sufficiency, pride is completely embodied in him. The more we contemplate Sennacherib, the more we can realize our own arrogance as well. It acts like a moral mirror and it’s good. It really helps to introspect ourselves, to identify our flaws and sins faster — The sooner the better, so that we can end it with God’s Love.

We can be arrogant thinking that we can handle everything, or that we are our own gods. We can be prideful thinking that our past victories or achievements in life are the proof that we don’t need God to achieve anything. Sennacherib was full of victories, and he got all of it wrong. He didn’t know that God allowed him to have them for God’s own purpose. Look what God says to the Assyrian king :

« Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble… » 

— Book of Isaiah, chapter 37 verse 26.

Sennacherib’s end teaches us that pride, arrogance and self-sufficiency leads to a path of shame and destruction, while Hezechiah opens the door for a good life in front of God’s Eyes. A small city, with few habitants, smote the biggest empire of their time without any military actions only through prayer.

Now, the last later and message: God’s Protection.

I used to live without asking God’s Protection in my life, because I simply did not know who He really was. I was exactly like Sennacherib without realizing it. It added so much pain and sorrow to my life. So much suffering that could have been avoided. In my 19’s God sent me a trial that humbled me completely, and since, I gave Him my life. I ask Him to always live under His Protection, and encourage you to do the same, only God loves you and I perfectly. He is worthy of everything.

As you know, we are extremely fragile. We can die at any moment. What path do we want to follow in life? That of Sennacherib, or that of Hezekiah?

Hezekiah, by His devotion to God, not only save himself, but thousand and thousand of lives and family and his kingdom. He was blessed by God’s Protection. You can as well, without maybe realizing now save your family, friends and thousand if not millions of lives by simply following and trusting God. Sennacherib, by his arrogance, got 185.000 of his army killed. When we follow a wrong path, it affects not only us, but everyone around.