Faith unguarded is armed by God. Hezekiah, through the power of faith, proved stronger with his puny force than Sennacherib, king of Babylon and rich Nineveh, with his thousands. Sennacherib had enlisted the forces of Assyria and the realm of the Medes. Laying waste with his huge legions all the neighbouring kingdoms, he proceeded towards the city sacred to the Lord and against it alone concentrated his whole massive war machine. But as he made preparations for this, God hindered him, for warfare delayed his unholy designs. He sent to Jerusalem a letter brusque in its arrogant threats. Hezekiah received it with grief and bore it to the Lord before the altar. There in prostrate prayer accompanied by his people in mourning black, he read out those harsh words and bedewed the letter with abundant tears, and so he prevailed on God. By prayer alone, though absent from the scene, he won a shattering victory over the Assyrians, who suffered a grievous death when God warred on them. This favour he won was so considerable that he did not even clap eyes on the enemy he conquered. Once his tears of complaint had passed above the constellations, once his lament from a humble heart had risen beyond the stars and his devoted words had assailed the ears of highest Father, the lofty doors of heaven swung open and a winged angel glided down, breathing the fragrant air on his smooth descent. Armed with the sword of the Word, he smote that wicked army, and glorying in the silent slaughter of the sleeping foe, he brought simultaneous death to one hundred and eighty thousand men. A single night was the accomplice engagement on that scale. Next morning the king arose still threatening but then took flight with his depleted column, wretched because his army was thus stripped of its slaughtered soldiers. He fled from Hezekiah, though the prophet was far removed in another district, and though he had only recently in his presence threatened to clap his fetters on him. At that time Isaias was mediator for Hezekiah.

Prayer sometimes brings the dead back to life, but sometimes it may slay the living, as happened with the godly Peter: he brought Tabitha back to life^[1] by prayer, but he effected the death of Ananias and Sapphira.^[2] Elisha, that spiritual man, brought to life the young son of the Shunammite woman,^[3] but he brought to their end the wicked children, through the bears that he brought out against them with the course.^[4] The case of Hezekiah was also astonishing: through prayer he added to the days of his life as king^[5] and routed the mighty army of the Assyrians with the help of a spiritual being.

When eyes are ascribed to God, it is implied that he sees all things;^[1] an ear, to show that he hears all things; a finger,^[2] to reveal a certain signification of the will; nostrils, to show that he is aware of our prayers as one is of odors;^[3] hands, to prove that he is the author of every created thing; an arm,^[4] to make it known that no nature can resist his power; and finally feet,^[5] to make it clear that he fills all things and that there is no thing in which God is not.

The Lord’s goodness is immense, and frequently he finds his way to grant the salvation of the majority on account of a few just people. Why do I say on account of a few just people? Frequently, when a just person cannot be found in the present life, he takes pity on the living on account of the virtue of the departed and cries aloud in the words, I will protect this city for my own sake and the sake of my servant David. Even if they do not deserve to be saved, he is saying, and have no claim on salvation, yet since showing love is habitual with me and I am prompt to have pity and rescue them from disaster, for my own sake and the sake of my servant David I will act as a shield; he who passed on from this life many years before will prove the salvation of those who have fallen victim to their own indifference.

For the blessed David also had a fall like that which has now happened to you; and not this only but an-other also that followed it. I mean that of murder. What then? Did he remain prostrate? Did he not immediately rise up again with energy and place himself in position to fight the enemy? In fact, he wrestled with him so bravely that even after his death he was the protector of his offspring. For when Solomon had perpetrated great iniquity and had deserved countless deaths, God said that he would leave him the kingdom intact, thus speaking: I will surely rend the kingdom out of your hand and will give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do this in your days. Wherefore? For David your father’s sake, I will take it out of the hand of your son.^[1] And again when Hezekiah was about to run the greatest possible risk, although he was a righteous man, God said that he would aid him for the sake of this saint. For I will cast my shield, he says, over this city to save it for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.

Since the evil spirits have no power, they play as on a stage, changing their shapes and frightening children by the apparition of crowds and by their changed forms. This is why they are to be despised the more for their powerlessness. The true angel sent by the Lord against the Assyrians had no need of crowds or apparitions from without, or loud noises or clappings, but he used his power quietly and destroyed 185,000 at one time. Powerless demons such as these, however, try to frighten, if only by empty phantoms. LIFE OF ST.

But the Jews will say, Where is the evidence that God has turned away from us? Does this still need proof in words? Tell me this. Do not the facts themselves shout it out? Do they not send forth a sound clearer than the trumpet’s call? Do you still ask for proof in words when you see the destruction of your city, the desolation of your temple and all the other misfortunes that have come on you? But people brought these things on us, not God. Rather it was God above all others who did these things. If you attribute them to people, then you must consider that even if people were to have the boldness, they would not have had the power to bring these things to accomplishment, unless it were by God’s decree.

The barbarian came down on you and brought all Persia^[1] with him. He expected that he would catch you all by the suddenness of his attack, and he kept you all locked in the city as if you were caught in the net of a hunter or fisherman. Because God was gracious to you at the time—I repeat, at that time—without a battle, without a war, without a hostile encounter, the barbarian king left 185,000 of his slain soldiers among you and fled, contented that he alone was saved. And God often decided countless other battles in this way. So also now, if God had not deserted you once and for all, your enemies would not have had the power to destroy your city and leave your temple desolate. If God had not abandoned you, the ruin of desolation would not have lasted so long a time, nor would your frequent efforts to rebuild the temple have been in vain.