Peace in Our Time (Isa. 38-39)

What do you make of Hezekiah's "there will be peace and security in my days"? I think most people find it rather selfish and disturbing. What about your children!? Your grandchildren?!

In September of 1938, the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, announced that he had entered into a treaty with Germany, resolving "the Czechoslovakian problem" (Germany had taken over part of Czechoslovakia, and Chamberlain hoped that a policy of appeasement would contain Hitler)

Chamberlain declared that he believed that the Munich agreement would provide "peace for our time."

A year later, Germany invaded Poland, launching World War II.

We tend to laugh at the Chamberlains – and the Hezekiahs – who seem to be blithely indifferent to their offspring, so long as we have peace for our time!

But how long has peace ever lasted? Chamberlain was actually quoting from an earlier Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli who had gone to German in the 1870s, and managed to achieve a peace that lasted for 40 years!

Forty years. How often has a region seen peace for more than 40 years?

The United States is an oddity in human history. It has been 150 years since we have seen a full-fledged war on this continent.

For most parts of the world, to go for a generation without war was impressive! And especially in the light of the Assyrian invasion, one could forgive Hezekiah for expressing such relief!

Because – as we'll see – the Assyrian invasion hadn't happened yet...