In the Old Testament readings these weeks, we're listening to stories from the history of God's people in the time of the kings. What have these to do with us in 2002? Is there a message here for our time, for each of us personally? Today it's about the Assyrian threat to the small kingdom of Judah, after the northern kingdoms had been conquered. It was a time of political intrigue, alliances and treacheries. Judah's king decided to face up to the attackers, and Isaiah the great prophet who was living then in Jerusalem supported him in this. The fierce threatening, warning and frightening language of the Assyrians is much the same as the warlike statements of some modern-day state leaders that have been recorded in our daily newspapers this year, and in many recent years, from flash-points of conflict all around the world. Judah's king defied the warnings and threats, and went to pray to the Lord God for deliverance from the terror. Then, through Isaiah, he learned that the Lord had listened to his prayer, and that there wouldn't after all be an attack on Jerusalem: something happened, and the attackers withdrew. Isaiah had always preached faithfulness to the Lord God, and trust and reliance on Him, as He would protect His own.