Isaiah 36
AT this central position in Isaiah’s prophecy, the Holy Spirit has directed the inclusion of the account of the Assyrian invasion of Judah and purpose to capture Jerusalem which is given in 2 Kings 18, 19 and 20. Two reasons for this are plain: in the future day of which prophecy treats there will be another invasion of Israel’s land by another Assyrian—an event we have had before us in examining many earlier chapters; the manner in which the pious Hezekiah conducted himself on the former occasion is a pattern for the conduct of those God-fearing souls who will be in the place of danger in the time to come. Beside this, the incident in Hezekiah’s history showed that Isaiah was a faithful and true prophet; that he spoke as God’s mouthpiece and what he said actually came to pass; the historical portion is therefore a testimony in support of the prophetic portion, yet to be fulfilled.
The year was 713 B. C. Seven or eight years earlier, the ten tribes of Israel under Hoshea had been carried away by the Assyrians into a captivity from which they have never returned. Lachish (verse 2) appears to have been not far from the seacoast, southwest of Jerusalem, on the highway to Egypt. “Rabshakeh” is a title, not a personal name; it means “chief cup-bearer.”
Where Ahaz and Isaiah had met nearly 30 years before (chapter 7:3), the messenger of Sennacherib awaited the representatives of Hezekiah. Little did he realize that One far more to be feared than Hezekiah’s steward and secretaries was listening to his speech and would return answer in due time.
Rabshakeh’s knowledge of the Jew’s language, and of what Hezekiah had done in removing the high places and altars which his forefathers had made contrary to the Word of God, suggests the thought that he may have been a renegade Israelite; Scripture does not, however, tell anything about him.
He knew that some of the people had wished to get help against the invaders from Egypt (verse 6); he sought to misrepresent Hezekiah’s zealous act for God so as to impress his hearers with the notion that it was against God, and that God was now punishing Hezekiah for a wicked act (verse 7). He spoke contemptuously of the Jew’s ability to defend the city (verses 8, 9); and finally he claimed that God had told him to invade and destroy. In his later utterance, he boldly declared himself greater in power than Israel’s Jehovah (verse 20).
It was a moment of sore trial to Hezekiah. He had been faithful to God far beyond any of his forefathers since the days of David, although he had swerved a little from the course of full dependence upon God (2 Kings 18:14-1614And 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. 15And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house. 16At 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. (2 Kings 18:14‑16), not mentioned in 2 Chron. 32). It may have been suggested to his mind, and to the minds of his people, that God did not value what he had done (see 2 Chron. 29, 30, 31); perhaps that He was giving up Judah now, as He had Israel a few years back.
We, like Hezekiah of old, do not always know or understand what God is doing, or will presently do for His tried and afflicted saints. But we are in the very best of hands, when we depend upon that God and Father who sent His only-begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. It is always safe to wait on God, when the way is not clear; we shall not lose thereby.
ML 11/05/1933