We now come to the second of two narratives in the Book of Isaiah. This narrative covers the same events as 2 Kings 18-20. King Sennacherib of Assyria comes to overthrow Judah and King Hezekiah, a godly king who brought a reprieve from evil.
Sennacherib reminds me a lot of Goliath: arrogant, boastful, proud, and profane. Sennacherib’s chief of staff is much the same. Having conquered many of Judah’s fortified cities, the Assyrian king sends a message to Hezekiah through his chief of staff. The message is intended to overwhelm the people of Jerusalem with fear. Then the chief of staff stood and shouted in Hebrew to the people on the wall, “Listen to this message from the great king of Assyria! This is what the king says: Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you. Don’t let him fool you into trusting in the Lord… What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the Lord can rescue Jerusalem from me?” (Isaiah 36:13-15, 20, NLT)
This blasphemous talk reminds me of the devil, how he is like a roaring lion. The roar of a lion is intimidating! And the devil, like Sennacherib’s chief of staff, always tries to instill fear and doubt in our minds through his roaring.
Believer, what opposition are you facing? The enemy’s roaring is trying to dislodge your faith in God. What did Hezekiah tell the people? But the people were silent and did not utter a word because Hezekiah had commanded them, “Do not answer him.” (Isaiah 36:21, NLT) The devil would love for us to answer him and our fears. But don’t! Engage God! He is greater than this lion’s roar and our fears!
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Isaiah 35-36.