Isaiah 36
COMMENTARY:
: 4 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say you now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein you trust? (982 “trust” [batach] means confidence, secure, hope, to fear nothing, or feel safe.)
DEVOTION: Our safety is challenged every day. Some of the threats are real and some are not. Here we have a real threat. The Assyrians were moving across the land without any seeming problem. They had a strong army. They had defeated many nations that had their confidence in false gods. They had even defeated the Northern Tribes of Israel.
Of course, we know that the ten tribes had long ago left the honoring of the True God and were worshiping golden calves. They didn’t want anything to do with the LORD because they thought if they did the people would travel to Jerusalem to worship HIM and the nation would be reunited.
Now the servant of the king of Assyria was putting all the gods of the other nations with the one true God of Israel. They thought their confidence in the LORD was foolishness because no other god had been able to defeat them.
We need to understand that our hope is built only on our complete confidence in the LORD. Our daily battles need to be turned over to HIM. There might be an enemy at our door but the LORD is will us through each challenge.
The rest of this account in the history of Israel is great. In a next chapter we will see what Hezekiah does with this threat on the nation. It is something we should do with each threat that comes into our life.
Have you reached the point in your life where you fear nothing because you have confidence the LORD is with you and will help you face each challenge? Do you still worry over the little things? The servants of Hezekiah came into his presence with their clothes torn because they were having a problem with complete hope of victory in the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Our real problem is that we think too much and act to slow in having a full confidence in the LORD. Ask the LORD to help each of us to rely completely on HIM when the enemy is at the door!!!
: 7 But if you 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, You shall worship before this altar? (7812 “worship” [shachah] means to bow down, prostrate oneself, before superior in homage, obeisance, or reverence.)
DEVOTION: One of facts of those who don’t understand a certain religion is what typical honor of their god is. There were many religions in the different countries that the Assyrians were conquering. It would have been good for them to understand the religion of the children of Israel.
If they had understood what God expected of the children of Israel was that they were to not go to the high places or other altars to false gods. They were only to go to the Temple to honor the LORD.
Here is a chapter of history. The representative of the king of Assyria basically said that there is no god around that could stop the Assyrian army. They believed they were able to defeat any nation because of the size of their army. They even offered to give them 2,000 horses if they could find the men to ride them.
He taunted the people defending Jerusalem but they didn’t say a word. Assyria was claiming that the LORD sent them to defeat Jerusalem. They took all these claims to Hezekiah.
This verse for today states that Hezekiah destroyed all the places of worship in Jerusalem but the truth is that the destroyed all the false places of worship. The representative of Assyria was trying to cause the people to doubt their king.
Hezekiah told all the people that there was only one place to worship and that was in the temple in Jerusalem. Solomon built the temple under the direction of the LORD.
Today we are to honor the LORD in spirit and in truth. The building is a place to worship but the heart is where it begins. Our attitude is what the LORD looked at in the children of Israel and in us. If we just come to a building to go through a ritual then we are not truly honoring HIM.
We are supposed to go to church each Sunday and honor the LORD with other believers, so we stay fresh in the LORD. It is part of our accountability. It is part of God’s plan for our fellowship with HIM.
There are a lot of false places where people think they can go to worship the LORD. Just being in a church doesn’t mean we are worshiping the LORD. Some churches are like the high places of the Old Testament.
CHALLENGE: Find a church that teaches the inerrant Word correctly, prays, reminds us of the LORD’S death by taking communion, and genuinely cares for one another. That is a true church.
: 14 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: Have you ever felt that there was an individual or organization that felt like they were invincible? Whatever they said or did worked and became an instant sensation, perhaps like Apple or Disney a number of years ago. They had this Midas touch and growth or success followed their every step. The Assyrian king Sennacherib had that air of invincibility about him as he comes to ask Jerusalem the questions here. No one had been able to withstand the onslaught of the Assyrian army, none of the defeated countries gods had been strong enough to withstand this force. Why did the Israelites think their God could?
Rabshakeh, Sennacherib’s messenger spoke the truth for as much as he spoke in verse 14. He is absolutely correct that Hezekiah could not deliver the people of Israel from Assyria! No man can deliver them or us from our strong enemies, only God can. When we trust in chariots and horses or wisdom of man those elements alone will always prove insufficient. Hezekiah had to learn that truth and so do we today! When the immovable force comes against you, turn to the creator of that force for the wisdom and power to divert it safely from you.
CHALLENGE: Even those with a Midas touch can succeed only as far as God allows. Trust in the Lord and not the wisdom of men! He truly knows the way! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
: 22 Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household and Shebna he scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the word of Rabshakeh. (7167 “rent” [qara] means to tear away, to rip or cut or tear to pieces, to be separated or caused to separate abruptly, whether literally or figuratively, or to cut to pieces.)
DEVOTION: The tearing of their clothes to pieces was a sign of their distress over what was happening to the people and city of Jerusalem. Their king had to answer the army of Sennacherib the king of Assyria that had come to take over the land.
Here are the leaders who went out to meet with the reprehensive of Sennacherib, Rabshakeh and listen to his demands of the nation.
The enemy was real and close. The people of Israel had to see them but were told to be quiet and not answer them. It was real and it looked bad to them. Even the leaders came to the king and told him what was going on.
The choice was not easy and they were supposed to give an answer to this army at their gates.
Today we don’t have a literal army at the gates like the children of Israel had but we have the hosts of hell which are the devil and his angels still challenging us to make a decision. The decision is whether we really believe the Bible and the promises of God or not. The enemy is real but the LORD is stronger than any enemy but we have to trust HIM when we are making decisions.
Just like the Israelites we have make a decision each day on who we are going to serve and obey. It is not an easy decision because we are tempted by the world, the flesh and the devil even today and each day for the rest of our lives.
The choice is ours each day as to whether we will serve the LORD with our whole body, soul and spirit. We have the help of the Holy Spirit who indwells those who are believers but it is still a decision we have to make.
Our world is tempting us each day to move away from obeying the LORD. Sometimes it seems that the LORD is silent even today but HE is always present with those who are genuine believers.
CHALLENGE: Joshua told the children of Israel to “Choose you each day who you will serve either the LORD or the god of this world (the devil)? What will your choice be today? Each day is a new day of service to the LORD or against the LORD!
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.