The passage of scripture above takes place at the time of Hezekiah and Isaiah. A few days ago we talked about how if Baal wanted to defend himself let him, in the study of Gideon. Where did that attitude come from, it came from the knowledge God could destroy and defend his power himself. This is a different time period it is before the fall of Israel but a time when Israel kings were beginning to brag about their wealth and power and God would bring them also to there knees. The knowledge of God being longsuffering into the third and fourth generation is nothing knew, be lenient when it came to sin. Does not mean God did not correct his people, but he was not harsh on them. Yet when God's people were in trouble, and the heathens around them sought to harm them God was willing to protect his people as long as they continue to follow him.

In this story we see the King Assyria wanted to destroy Jerusalem, but the Lord said this king would not destroy the city of Jerusalem for his servant King David sake. 5100 fighting men were destroy by angel of the Lord. King of Assyria departed went ot Nineveh and prayed to his god Nisroch and his sons killed him with a sword and they escaped in to the land of Armenia and Esarhaddon and his sons ruled his kingdom. The destruction of Assyrian king at the time of Hezekiah, was destroyed, but Assyrian would arise again, with other military force and take Israel. What the point God protection is long suffering until the problems of Israel gets to great. God protection over his people is with longsuffering, but for those that bow to another idol his long suffering is not.

God desire to redeem his people is the same of a family redeeming their children, and their parents in a crisis or any situation that occurs. God's grace for his those he adopts and choose to protect as to do with those He is in alliance with. If we look at the political world and if you are a Democrat or a Republican you in a group that will protect only if you one of them, or some reason they just happen to have compassion on you, other wise you are out of luck of being protected. It no secret that groups segregate who they work with and who they do business with. It matters not if you do go business with everyone, it only matters you do it with your alliance. Is that stupid. It certainly is, to use politics like the mafia, and not to solve the issues of the nation, but only to solve their political agenda, to put money in their pocket.

Yet are they mimick what they see in scripture as far as God's alliance verse other alliances for battle. I sitting looking at the long suffering of God and wonder why He did not stop the political destruction of the world of the devil seeking total control. Yet I remember God is a God not only jealousy, but a God that warns of destruction, does destruction, and rebuildings his people. God only uses the enemy to show the evilness of the enemy, so his people will draw near to him.

I ran across a statement the other day about a minister son that fallen recently from grace and become atheist. Never heard of the name, but anyway, I wonder how far does someone have to do before faith must be reestablished in a person that once served God, and once sang the songs of God. Not everyone that falls lands in a gutter, sometimes they land in a castle, only to find themselves in the need of God because all the things around them is not of God. There is no divine peace, no divine, hope, no divine intervention in times of crisis, there is no divine healing, there is no miracles, and there is no longer protection against he evil in the land. It a constant battle ground of gossip and lies.

Here is my point the need of God is more then protection, more then comfort, more then truth, but longsufferance of God during our failures. Hezekiah had submitted to the will of the Assyrian king to the point it was destroying Israel, the wealth of God had been given to the Assyrian king and they were not of God but of greed. Greed will destroy the enemy, when you give him the wealth from God's temple he will destroy you. It happened more then once to the enemy, it will happen again. God is a God then if you break into his house and steal his gold he will force the enemy to return it one day. The Philistines stole the ark once and people got sick and they had to return the ark and did so and the people were healed. It sounds like a story of legends, but we have to ask if God is able to strick the enemy dead in the night without a weapon of war, maybe we need to fear God a little bit more. Our nation underseige by God, or by man. Disease was man made disease. Something that can be cured. God's pandemic is not one that can be treated without repentance to him. Looking to God during the pandemic is seeking for his protection during the storm of the enemy. We have ask if God is willing to save the people by wisdom of our leaders and scientist, and a few miracles I do not doubt, then why are we to argue with the power of God being in our mist. He loves his children, and those that believe in His Son. Devil can not cure you, only God can.

Dear Heavenly Father, be ever so long suffering as even my own country needs your patience to allow each generation to seek you. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Numbers 14:18 KJV
18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

1 Samuel 5:9-12 KJV
9 And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.
11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.
12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.