Bible Truth #277 - 2 Kings 19:5-7

2 Kings 19:5-7

5  So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6  Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.

7  “Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

God told Isaiah to tell the king what He was going to do, and as a result, what the king of Assyria (Sennacherib) would do. As a result of the spirit God sent Sennacherib, he did EXACTLY what God planned for him. Now the question: 
Did the King of Assyria do what he wanted to do? YES. 
Did Sennacherib have a free will? NO. 
Oh sure, he thought he had a free will but in all reality, he did exactly what God wanted him to do. God made him WANT to return to his own land. I would say this is a genuine life example of Proverbs 16:9 - The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. And again - The King’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes. (Proverbs 21:1)

Free Will? Sorry, free will is a man-centered, flesh-glorifying belief that has no basis in Scripture

Sennacherib had planned to conquer Israel and lay siege to Jerusalem but is that what took place? Nope. God changed his mind. THAT is a sovereign God.

God is immutable and His Word is Truth now as it was then. He is working in us to will and to do according to HIS Good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). The only free will then, or now, is the free will God lets us think we have.