Isaiah 36 vs 1-22

Isaiah Chapter 36 Verses 1 – 3

This is setup just like a scene out of a movie as Isiah has been talking about this for chapters but now gives us the play-by-play historical account of what actually happened. All of Judah has been taken, all but Jerusalem. And now the commander of the Assyrian army, the “Rabshakeh,” is there, in Jerusalem, even in a threat of a location, at the city’s water supply. And representatives of the city and King Hezekiah come out to meet him…

This same account is recorded for us in 2 Kings 18, verses 17-37 and a few additional details are given there. First, it wasn’t just the Rabshakeh that came that day but there were two others with him described as the Tartan (“General”), and the Rabsaris (“Chief Eunuch”). And these three didn’t call for Eliakim, Shebna and Joah, they called for the king…

And…, 2 Chronicles 32 also gives us details of these events and what we find out is that Hezekiah was ready for this. He had prepared to defend the city (including Hezekiah’s tunnel) and prepared his people. 2 Chronicles 32:5-8, “And he strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired the Millo in the City of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance. Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, and gave them encouragement, saying, “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. 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 were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”

Hezekiah was a great king and we will see that primarily why that statement is factual is that he took his issues and his faith to the house of the Lord. And he was a man of personal faith and spiritual grit. But, he also did all that he could do, all that he could think of, in order to partner with the Lord and be used by Him. Including taking very good care of his people…

I truly believe that is a three-legged stool that if you are missing one then to stay upright is a constant difficult balancing act! Yes, you and I should seek the Lord and yes you and I should walk and live by faith but we should also be people of diligence, action and commission when it comes to doing all that we can do in any given situation!

Isaiah Chapter 36 Verses 4 – 6

I think this is interesting. Notice the first attack on the city and people of God is not an attack with swords or spears or any type of physical weapon but rather it is a mental attack. Before sin ever wrecks a life, it wrecks a mind. We need to fortify our minds with active intent and with a personal and priority relationship with God so that in the day of temptation, we’re ready!

Hezekiah and the people of Judah are really being put to the test here. This is a binary challenge. In whom are you trusting that you would stand against the King of Assyria…, that is a fork in the road. This is temptation at its finest. Choose to trust the Lord or choose to remove the circumstantial threat…

Isaiah Chapter 36 Verse 7 

BOOM! This Rebshakeh doesn’t know the Most-High God! Why would I say that? Because no, it wasn’t the Lord’s high places that Hezekiah broke down. It may have had God’s name on them but they were not of God, they were of man. And that’s a chess move that should prompt confidence in the people of God. Why? They know something he doesn’t know. They know the One True God and what God is capable of!

Isaiah Chapter 36 Verses 8 – 10

HA! Did the Lord say that? Absolutely not! How do we know? Because He has said things contrasting that statement! Not everyone that sounds like they know what they’re talking about actually knows what they’re talking about! HA! You and I ought to know the Word of God and then we don’t care at all what some man says! We know the Word!!

Isaiah Chapter 36 Verse 11

We can take what you’re saying. We’re not afraid. We are not distracted or distraught. But it could be that someone that is not as prepared, as full of faith as we are may hear you and their strength may fail… It is the job of the faithful to make concession for the faithless. I don’t like it either, but that’s what is right…

Isaiah Chapter 36 Verses 12 – 17

It’s interesting to me, why does the false king have to offer all of these benefits to persuade people to appease him? Because he is a false king. The real King needs not dangle carrots or threaten with sticks. The real King is the King and should, will be, honored regardless of what is given in return, if anything. 

That’s a thing about being the people of God. All of these voices out there persuading people to believe and if you will believe God will bless, He will provide, He will prosper you and all of this. The only persuasion truly appropriate is that God is God. What He has done and what He will do, even for us personally, is secondary to the fact that God is God and we are His creation and therefore…, well, we are subject to Him.

I’m always weary of folks offering something in return for faith. Faith and pledging of my life to the King of Kings is just the right thing to do. Now, there are incredible benefits to doing so and God does love to and does incredibly bless those who walk by faith in Him. But that wasn’t the offer that changed my heart. The offer that changed my heart was that God so loved me that He gave His only Son, that I may be forgiven of my sin and escape eternal judgment by grace through faith!

Someone once said to me, “If you catch them by carnal means, you must keep them by carnal means.” Serving Jesus because He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, that’s enough. And everything else is appreciated, enjoyed, delightful and wonderful…, but not necessary. The false gods, the false groups, the false religions, there are always carrots and there are always sticks…

Isiah Chapter 36 Verses 18 – 20

These statements are entirely accurate in terms of other nations. This is, these things are, what happened to them. And if you choose to listen to the rationale of the enemy, you may find what’s being said completely, well, rational. But our God is different! By all worldly reason and logic, there is reason, good reason, to doubt, fear and even possibly surrender…

But God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind. All of their and all other gods, methods, ways, styles, processes, systems, approaches, courses, shortcuts, they all fail…, but the Lord and His Word and His ways, they never fail!

Notice too, a few characteristics of the voice of the enemy. “The great king, the king of Assyria.” The enemy always tries to unseat, dethrone, take away the thought of authority, of the true King, Jesus. “What confidence is this in which you trust?” The enemy always challenges why you’re trusting in God. “They are mere words.” The enemy always attacks the word of God. “Look at what Hezekiah did. That was a bad thing. The Lord has spoken to me too.” The enemy always discounts simple obedience to God….

“Speak to us in Aramaic. No! I’ll speak to you however which way I want!” The enemy always maneuvers into a position of control. “Hear the words of the great king.” The enemy always enhances the image we have of whatever it is coming against us. “Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you.” The enemy always sows doubt towards leaders and leadership. “Nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord.” The enemy always turns you from trusting in the Lord…

“For thus says the king of Assyria, ‘Make peace with me by a present and come out to me, and every one of you will eat from his own vine.” The enemy always makes surrender to him attractive to the flesh. “Where are the gods of these nations? Where is your God?” The enemy always lies and says God isn’t there, doesn’t care, and you’re the one, you’re the one that’s going to be forsaken. “Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land.” Checkmate. The enemy’s final solution is to take you away to his own place…

Look at their response to these challenges of the enemy…

Isaiah Chapter 36 Verses 21 – 22

They held their peace. They weren’t required to respond. They weren’t required to react. That’s exactly what the enemy wanted. But they held control. They held their ground. They gave him nothing but took from him everything! How? Applicable to us…, bringing this to my life…, Jesus is the Prince of peace! They held to Jesus! 

This is huge. HUGEST OF HUGES! Loyalty, man. All that the enemy said, all that he offered, all that he threatened, all that he promised…, they remained loyal to what was right, what had been asked of them, and what the Lord would have them to do. They remained loyal. Is there anything more important in this life? 

Without loyalty there is no love. Without loyalty there is no relationship. There is no bond. There is no faith. There is no kingdom. In terms of the most important attributes in my book, this is by far the highest. In fact, erase all other words in the book. This is the only one. Loyalty is the strength of support, the allegiance of a bond…

I stake my own personal worth on this word. It means faith. It means keeping my word. It means being who I am when you’re not around the same man as I am when you are around. It means dealing with issues rather than letting them hurt my mind towards you and therefore my heart and therefore our relationship and therefore you. It means serving God when inconvenient for me. It means being a man of God, a citizen of heaven. 

It means everything. I may not have a ton of close friends and I may be tough to deal with and I may wear my heart on my sleeve and I may be intense and overbearing…, but I am loyal and that will never be lost, even if I lose everything. LISTEN - It is how you and I actually control the enemy. Force him to react and respond to what God is doing in our lives. Not the other way around! 

We hold our peace because we hold loyal to Jesus. Lose your loyalty, lose your peace…, and find yourself where the enemy has taken you. To his place and his land…

Yes, they were upset. Yes, they were fearful. Yes, they were angry. And what did they do? They went back to their leader, in complete control of themselves and the situation, and teamed up and planned their counter attack… They kept their loyalty and therefore they kept everything!! Let’s do that!