The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 36:4-7,
"This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. But if you say to me, 'We are depending on the Lord our God'—isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, 'You must worship before this altar'?"
As Jerusalem fell into the sights of the invading Assyrians, Sennacherib (king of Assyria) sent his field commander to persuade Hezekiah, king of Judah to surrender before he attacked. The field commander raised eight reasons why Hezekiah should capitulate:
Words were not going to save Hezekiah, verse 5.
Egypt was unreliable to count on for help, verse 6.
Hezekiah had closed the shrines outside of Jerusalem (the commander thinking it would have been an insult to the God of the Jews - it wasn't), verse 7.
Judah was unskilled in using horses in battle, verses 8-9.
The Lord himself had sent the Assyrians against Jerusalem, verse 10.
Hezekiah's leadership was not to be trusted verses 14, 15, 18.
The Jews would be treated well if they surrendered, verses 16-17.
None of the other peoples the Assyrians threatened were able to withstand them, verses 18-20.
As Geoffrey W. Grogan says in his commentary on Isaiah (Expositor's Bible Commentary), "Satan himself could hardly produce a better masterpiece of verbal cajolery."
All because the Jews strayed from the Lord! Not a wise course to take! There certainly is a lesson here for me…
As Jerusalem fell into the sights of the invading Assyrians, Sennacherib (king of Assyria) sent his field commander to persuade Hezekiah, king of Judah to surrender before he attacked. The field commander raised eight reasons why Hezekiah should capitulate:
Words were not going to save Hezekiah, verse 5.
Egypt was unreliable to count on for help, verse 6.
Hezekiah had closed the shrines outside of Jerusalem (the commander thinking it would have been an insult to the God of the Jews - it wasn't), verse 7.
Judah was unskilled in using horses in battle, verses 8-9.
The Lord himself had sent the Assyrians against Jerusalem, verse 10.
Hezekiah's leadership was not to be trusted verses 14, 15, 18.
The Jews would be treated well if they surrendered, verses 16-17.
None of the other peoples the Assyrians threatened were able to withstand them, verses 18-20.
As Geoffrey W. Grogan says in his commentary on Isaiah (Expositor's Bible Commentary), "Satan himself could hardly produce a better masterpiece of verbal cajolery."
All because the Jews strayed from the Lord! Not a wise course to take! There certainly is a lesson here for me…
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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