Isaiah 36:11-20 - Learn to identify the enemy’s intimidation

Apparently, all the while Rabshakeh’s conversation with the three representatives of  Hezekiah was made in the Hebrew language. They did not speak in Aramaic, a common language less understood by the Judean. Speaking in Hebrew would mean that more Judean would understand what was going on and become intimidated by the conversation. So Hezekiah’s representatives interrupted and requested that they speak in Aramaic instead. They reckoned that it would lessen the impact Rabshakeh’s words would make on the people of Judah. Obnoxiously, the Assyrian envoy denied the request. His intention was for more of the people of Judah to know about Assyria’s demands. He wanted them to know how they would be affected if Hezekiah refused to surrender unconditionally. Right from the onset, he was not there to negotiate but to make demands. Sennacherib’s intention was to discourage the people till there be no motivation left to oppose him.   

Instead of acceding to the request, Rabshakeh intensified his words in Hebrew. He spoke even more vehemently with a raised voice so that all around could hear what he was saying. Firstly, he accused Hezekiah of deceiving his people and told the people not to be deceived by their king. He intimidated them, saying that their king did not have the capacity to save Judah from the Assyrians. Secondly, in verse 15, he insisted that Hezekiah’s trust in Yahweh would be an act of futility and urged them not to believe in him. Rabshakeh himself was deluded for thinking that trusting God was useless. How could a pagan know? Yet in real life, there are believers who are foolish enough to listen to advices from pagans. Thirdly, urging them not to listen to Hezekiah, he made promises of immediate peace under Assyria. He suggested that they would be allowed to return to their farming and carry on with their usual life. Fourthly, in verse 17, he even advocated that being deported might not be as bad as they thought. He tried to entice them, saying that where they would be deported to was as much a land of abundance as Judah. Finally in verses 18-21, he boastfully claimed that no other gods had been able to protect their lands from the mighty king of Assyria, not even Samaria, the capital of Israel, Judah’s northern relative. But we know that although Samaria claimed to worship the LORD, they had perverted their worship with syncretism. Boastfully and offensively, Rabshakeh intimated that not even the LORD could save Jerusalem from the king of Assyria.

 

These verses teach us n0t to capitulate to intimidation. Sennacherib and Rabshakeh tried to intimidate Hezekiah and Judah. This is also a method the enemy of our faith would use to shake our confidence and trust in the Lord. The Apostle Peter in his letter to the early church called the devil a roaring lion. The lion roars to intimidate its prey so that it would become too scared to move. In the same way, the devil would intimidate us with all kinds of coercive thoughts till we doubt God’s ability to see us through and so fail to act appropriately. The first step to overcoming intimidation is to be able to detect it. Knowing God and His Word and recognizing the Shepherd’s voice will help us identify what’s intimidation. When we recognize His voice, we will not be misled by the enemy’s intimidation. We will know that we are safe in the Shepherd’s mighty protective arms!