Royalty and Ruin

Faith Inspires Faith

Nothing more quickly inspires faith than the exercise of faith. Confident that the prophecy against the Assyrians would be fulfilled, the king put his trust fully on God. “And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” 2 Chronicles 32:8. What did it matter if the armies of Assyria, fresh from conquering the greatest nations, and triumphant over Samaria, would now turn against Judah? What did it matter if they would boast, “As I have done to Samaria and her idols, shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?” Isaiah 10:11. Judah had nothing to fear, for their trust was in Jehovah. RR 127.6

The long-expected crisis finally came. The forces of Assyria appeared in Judea. Confident of victory, the leaders divided their forces. One army was to meet the Egyptian army to the south, while the other was to surround Jerusalem. RR 128.1

Judah’s only hope now was in God. All possible help from Egypt had been cut off, and no other nations were near to lend a friendly hand. RR 128.2

The Assyrian officers haughtily demanded the surrender of the city. They accompanied this demand with blasphemous insults against the God of the Hebrews. Because of the weakness and apostasy of Israel and Judah, the name of God was no longer feared among the nations, but had become a subject for continual scorn. See Isaiah 52:5. RR 128.3

“Say now to Hezekiah,” said the Rabshakeh, one of Sennacherib’s chief officers, “Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: ‘What confidence is this in which you trust? You speak of having plans and power for the war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?’” 2 Kings 18:19, 20. RR 128.4

The officers were outside the city but within the hearing of the sentries on the wall. As the Assyrian king’s representatives loudly urged their proposals on the chief men of Judah, these men requested them to speak in the Syrian rather than the Jewish language, in order that those on the wall might not follow the proceedings of the conference. The Rabshakeh, rejecting this suggestion, lifted his voice still higher in the Jewish language: RR 128.5

“Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ... Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? ... Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’” Isaiah 36:13-20. RR 128.6