And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword. – 2 Chronicles 32:21

Today's Scripture Reading (April 23, 2023): 2 Chronicles 32

Winston Churchill is often thought to have said that "History is written by the victors," although the actual origin of the saying is unknown. And in some ways, it is also incorrect, at least to a point. Maybe a more truthful way of phrasing it is that history is written by people who have a stake in what history tells those who come later. Losers also write history, but they write it from their own perspective and give their own reasons for what has happened. The bottom line is that conflict is recorded with a bias; therefore, the history we believe also reflects that bias.

So, in the end, what we think happened reflects the side of the story to which we are willing to listen. As the conflict in Ukraine continues, what is happening there depends on which version of history to which you are listening. For those inclined to believe the Russian version of events, the United States and the West are intruding on Russia's ability to run events within their own country. The Russian version of events insists that Ukraine was a threat that demanded a response, and Russia was entirely within its rights to do what they have done. If you listen to the West, Russia is the aggressor and already has a blueprint to re-establish the reign of the Soviet Union. The truth just might be somewhere in the middle.

Chronicles tells us that an angel was sent from heaven to interfere with the Assyrian military efforts at Jerusalem. Men and commanders died. The Assyrian history of the events concurs. Something strange happened in the Assyrian camp outside of Jerusalem. Modern experts have tried to explain what happened by talking about rats and diseases that quickly spread throughout the camp. But there is no question that soldiers died in what was then an unexplainable way.

But that is where the agreement ends. In reading Chronicles, you couldn't be blamed if you believed that Sennacherib went home, walked into the Temple, and was killed. But that is not quite true; twenty years are piled into this verse. Sennacherib went to his capital and ruled for another two decades. During those two decades, the King had resolved a problem that had arisen in Babylon, devoted significant time and assets to renovating the capital city of Nineveh, and struggled through two separate succession crises. The first crisis was with his eldest son, Ashurnadin-shumi, who disappeared mysteriously and is assumed to have been executed.   Arda-Mulissu, Sennacherib's eldest remaining son, replaced his brother as the heir apparent, but he too fell out of favor and was replaced by his younger brother Esarhaddon. As a result of the removal, the popular Arda-Mulissu led a revolt against his father. Sennacherib sent Esarhaddon into exile for his protection, and the King was killed by Arda-Mulissa and one of his younger brothers in a Temple in Nineveh. Unfortunately for Arda-Mulissu, the revolt seriously cut into the young prince's popularity, and most of his army defected to join Esarhaddon. Esarhaddon's forces came back to Nineveh and took control of the government. Was Sennacherib's failure and death a delayed response to the siege on Jerusalem? Many biblical scholars would say yes, but that conclusion isn't as straightforward as the writer of Chronicles might want us to believe.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalms 46 & 47