War of Words
Isa 36:1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.
The time is given, the fourteenth year of Judah's king Hezekiah, who had purged the nation of idols and restored true forms of worship. He was a good king. Sennacherib king of Assyria had already conquered Syria, Israel and now all the defenced cities of Judah. King Hezekiah had did all he could to stop him.
He had paid a ransom
Ki 18:14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
2 Ki 18:15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house.
2 Ki 18:16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
He fortified the city walls and stopped the water
2 Chr 32:2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,
2 Chr 32:3 He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him.
2 Chr 32:4 So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?
2 Chr 32:5 Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance.
2 Chr 32:6 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying,
2 Chr 32:7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:
2 Chr 32:8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
Isa 36:2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.
Isa 36:3 Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.
Isa 36:4 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
Isa 36:5 I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?
Isa 36:6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.
Isa 36:7 But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?
The commander of the Assyrian forces mocking replies to the men from Hezekiah; who do you trust to save you? The Egyptians are as a staff from a broken reed, that will pierce the hand if you lean on it.
If you say, We trust in the Lord our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away? This showed the ignorance concerning the true God of Israel. Hezekiah had the false places of worship to heathen gods removed. The heathen captain had not regard for the God of Israel for he did not know Him. Has Hezekiah forced you to worship before this altar, the temple in Jerusalem? Yes, this was the appointed place of worship for the Jews.
Hezekiah did right when he took away the high places and the altars, demanding that people come to the temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifice. The Jews were to bring sacrifices to the temple in Jerusalem, not to do their own kind of worship in makeshift altars under trees and in high places.
Isa 36:8 Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
Isa 36:9 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
Make pledges to pay the king of Assyria. Your pitiful Jerusalem army? I will give you two thousand horses, if you could find that many riders, implying that they were lacking even in that number of men to defend themselves.
Isa 36:10 And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
Admit it Hezekiah, you know your God is on my side. It is true that God will sometimes use enemy invaders to punish his idol worshipping people; but Hezekiah had put away the idol worship, would the LORD bring the enemy to destroy them now after they had repented?
Isa 36:11 Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it; and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
Isa 36:12 But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
Hezekiah's men ask Rabshakeh to speak only to them. They understood the Aramaic language, Do not speak in Hebrew so that all the people will hear you. Rabshakeh wanted all to hear his message and to fear his words. When we cut off your food and water supply you will be forced to eat human waste. What a foul thing to say. The intent was to cause fear and to have the people give up.
Isa 36:13 Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
He speaks to the people in defiance.
Isa 36:14 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
Isa 36:15 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
He is trying to bring fear and make them not trust their King.
Isa 36:16 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;
Isa 36:17 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
They would be taken to distant lands and separated They would have food and wine, but their way of life would be changed. I am thinking of the presidential campaign of Barach Obama about change; what kind of change? He declared that we are no longer a Christian nation. Abortion and homosexual marriage was sanctioned. Sin is never a good change. Anything that moves one away from God is not a good change. They cannot remove God from our hearts, but the influences of an evil culture can change the children and they knew that.
Isa 36:18 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
Isa 36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
Isa 36:20 Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
He continues to warn them against following their own king. Now Rabshakeh has insulted the Almighty God. He has gone too far. We can trust in the power of Almighty God.
Isa 36:21 But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
It was wise to not answer the ranting's of the Assyrian commander.
Prov 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Zec 2:13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
They did not answer him according to their thoughts. We do not answer accusations, but speak the word of the LORD. We do not answer demon controlled people with our own words. The LORD is our defender.
Isa 36:22 Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
2 Cor 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2 Cor 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
They returned to Hezekiah with the report, with their cloths torn, to show their outrage and sadness, but there is always hope in the LORD. Will the LORD deliver his people?
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