I. Rasbshakeh's Cast Doubt on Judah's Hope (1-10)
Hezekiah's last minute tribute of gold and silver (worth $41 million in today's money) to Sennacherib while he was attacking Lachish (72 km from Jerusalem) did not work. (2 Kings 18:14). At this time, the Assyrians had already conquered all the fortified cities in Syria and north of Jerusalem.
Sennacherib took the treasures but sent "Rabshakeh" - a title of the field commander - to Jerusalem with a large number of troops. Rabshakeh made bold and defiant speech against Judah, systematically designed to create fear and hopelessness to all who hear.
Rabshakeh made the following rationale against Judah:
1. You can't trust your friends (v6)
Rabshakeh criticised Judah's ally Egypt. Egypt did not come to Judah's aid as Assyria attack, and had been beaten by Assyria in previous encounters. Egypt is like a staff made of broken reed that will only pierce those who lean on it. (v6)
Rabshakeh was right about Egypt, as Isaiah had warned Hezekiah before. However, Isaiah's purpose was to turn Judah's trust towards the Lord, while Rabshakeh's purpose was to humiliate them.
2. You can't trust your God (v7)
Rabshakeh tried to twist what Hezekiah did to the high places as something that had displeased God. Hezekiah tore down the high places, including Moses' staff, because the people we worshipping idols. God was not displeased. However, the Assyrians did not understand this, and perhaps many of the citizens were also not happy about what Hezekiah did. Rabshakeh tried to take advantage of this confusion.
3. You can't trust your army (v8)
Rabshakeh sarcastically insulted the army of Judah, saying Assyria can give them 2000 horses, but they do not even have enough soldiers to ride them. Judah had depended on Egypt's might and skills and do not have any trained warriors to take on the weakest Assyrian captain. We recall that David had "great men" who helped him in warfare, but there were none like them now.
4. God had sent me against you (v10)
Rabshakeh now lied through his teeth, by saying that God is the one who sent them to destroy the land. He tried to turn God against Judah.
These are words that brings doubt to the Judean people. This is what Satan does to us when we are under pressure and difficulties. He creates messages that make us doubt if anyone can help us - not our friends, not our God, not even ourselves. In fact, he confuses us to make us think that God is against us and the bad things come from God!
While God were using the Assyrians to punish Judah (and later on the Babylonians), His plan was to bring salvation to them and to all nations through the sacrificed of His own Son, Jesus Christ. History showed that Israel outlived all the mighty nations until today.
II. Rabshakeh Discredit Hezekiah and God (11-20)
Rabshakeh was speaking in Hebrew, and not in Aramaic which was the diplomatic language of the region at that time. Hezekiah's officials asked him to speak in Aramaic instead, but he refused. His purpose was to deliberately make sure that the "men sitting at the wall", meaning the soldiers, can hear the demoralising words he spoke.
"Doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine" (v12) refers to the outcome of the siege that the Assyrian lays on Jerusalem. This is to further terrify the soldiers who hear his words.
Rabshakeh then humiliates Hezekiah in front of all his people. He called the king of Assyria "the great king", but did not even use the title of "king" before the name Hezekiah. He said Hezekiah were deceiving them and they shouldn't be listening to him. (v 14-16)
They should not believe Hezekiah to trust God, for up to now, no other gods have been able to protect them from the Assyrians, including Samaria, the relatives of Judah. The conclusion was neither will God deliver Judah from them. (v18-20)
Instead, they should listen to the Assyrian king, who will reward them with their own property, a place with grain and wine, bread and vineyards. (v16)
e) The report to Hezekiah (21-22)
Eliakim, Shebna and Joah did not answer Rabshakeh, as Hezekiah had wisely told them not to do so. Rabshakeh said things that had lies and truth mixed together to create doubt, to disorient and to discredit them. While his analysis on the physical inferiority was accurate, his analysis on God was a total lie. There was not point in answering such a man. Instead, they went back and reported what was said to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn in despair.
In the same way, we should not be challenging the voices of doubt, disorientation and discredit that Satan brings to our mind. We cannot fight Satan's words, other than with God's word. Furthermore, if we react to what he says, it will bring us more conflict with our family, friends or co-workers and make things worse. We are to shut up these voices with the name of Jesus, and trust what God had said to us instead, even when inside we do not have a solution to our problem.
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