The words of Rabshakeh from Assyria were mean and cutting. Like all words of intimidation, they were intended to make the hearers lose heart and eventually lose all fighting spirit. What Rabshakeh said affected the team of three men as well as Hezekiah when it was reported to him. It was a moment of decision for the king of Judah. What could he do? To give up and surrender unconditionally to Sennacherib or to turn to the Lord? In this passage, we see how Hezekiah and his representatives reacted. We are also given a glimpse of how Isaiah responded when told of the bullying words of Rabshakeh.
Prior
to the meeting with Rabshakeh, Hezekiah’s three representatives were instructed
not to answer the former in any way. They were told to hear without engaging in
any negotiation. Adhering to the king’s instruction the team did not retort to
the demands of Sennacherib’s envoy in any way. They just returned to the king
without revealing how discouraged they were. However, on meeting their king,
the three men could not withhold their emotions any longer. So verse 21 said Eliakim,
Shebna and Joah tore their clothes and agonizingly told king Hezekiah the
Assyrians’ demands. Judah was to yield unconditionally to them.
On hearing it, Hezekiah was in
great distress. Isaiah 37:1 said that in
utter despair
the king tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord which was probably located next to his palace. Meanwhile, he sent both Eliakim and Shebna, dressed in their mourning clothes, to Isaiah. Conveying
the king’s utter helplessness, they told the prophet how Hezekiah felt. However,
from what was told to Isaiah, there was a hint that the king was concerned for
the honor of God. As Eliakim and Shebna conveyed the words of Hezekiah to the prophet,
they also requested that he pray for the remnant held in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 37:6-7 described how the prophet responded to
what he was told. He confidently revealed what the Lord would do to Sennacherib. Eliakim and Shebna were told
to convey to Hezekiah telling him, “Do
not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants
of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear
news and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in
his own land.” God could not stand idly by and allow His name
to be blasphemed, and His people intimidated. He would respond to Assyria’s
threat. He would send a spirit of fear upon Sennacherib who would receive disturbing
news from his own homeland and hurry home, only to be assassinated.
Intimidation, when not properly handled, always causes
one to lose heart and eventually one’s spirit. What should we believers do when
we feel intimidated? The right thing to do is not to make light of what we hear
but take it to the Lord. Hezekiah took the threat seriously. He beelined for
the house of the Lord. In other
words, the first thing he did was to go before the presence of the Lord. That should be the first thing we
must do when we feel the stinging words of intimidation. Secondly, Hezekiah sought
the counsel of a godly servant. His next move was to send his men to consult with
Isaiah, the prophet of God. When intimidated, do not simply seek the counsel of
any Tom, Dick, or Harry. Instead go to reliable, tested, and trustworthy men of
God. People whom you know are connected to God and can give you biblical and
spiritual counsel. Thirdly, just rest in the Lord.
Take the counsel of Psalm 37:1, 3-5:
Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Do not be envious of wrongdoers….
Trust in the Lord and do good;
Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
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