Verses 1-20
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Sennacharib, king of Assryia, sent an emissary, Rabshakeh, to Judah to strike fear in them. The king planned to besiege Judah and overtake it. Rabshakeh employs a few different strategies:
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You can't trust in Egypt (verses 5-6).
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This was accurate. God had repeatedly commanded Israel not to rely on the power that Egypt had over nations at the time.
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You can't trust in God because Hezekiah has taken away His altars of worship (verse 7).
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Hezekiah had obeyed God to reform Israel and destroy altars that were forbidden by God. These altars represented man's desire to worship God in any way that he pleased—an individualistic worship rather than a true, biblical worship.
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Remember that people will try to discourage you for your efforts to defend the one form of worship that God desires, calling you intolerant of other beliefs and religions. Don't listen to this foolishness. God is pleased when we stand for obedience to His Word.
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You can't trust in God because God commanded Assyria to attack Judah (verse 10).
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God had indeed directed Assyria to attack Israel (Isaiah 7:17, 8:7-8, 10:5-6). The northern kingdom of Israel was defeated by Assyria, and now Judah (the southern kingdom) was under threat. God said that Judah—namely Jerusalem—would suffer under Assyria, and that Assyria would afterward be punished (Isaiah 10:12), but Hezekiah didn't know whether Jerusalem would survive. What if Jerusalem was to be destroyed before Assyria was punished?
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This would have been the most intimidating of tactics. Truly, the will of God had led Sennacherib to attack Jerusalem. In this sense, Rabshakeh was not wrong in declaring that the king of Assyria was “commanded” by God to come against Jerusalem.
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The tactic is this: “If God's will determines all things, then how could we know, when He allows evil to come against us, whether God intends for us to have victory or defeat?”
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Remember that God will always be glorified, and He will not allow His name to be dishonored. Just as God had planned, He punished Sennacherib for his blasphemy against Him, and delivered Judah. So, in all circumstances, know that God is doing what will end in His name being glorified (Isaiah 48:11) and that you will be saved in the end if you keep your trust in Him (Romans 10:11).
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You can't trust in Hezekiah your king. Surrender, and your life will be pleasant (verses 14-17).
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Hezekiah encouraged the people to trust in God and stay strong, which was hard to do, while Assyria tried to allure them away from what was right with the temptation that their lives would be easier if they only capitulated.
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The devil does the same to us today. Obedience will feel hard sometimes, and sin will appear to be the lighter, easier route. Yes, sin might feel easier, but it always leads to the hardest end of death and God's judgment. Do not be fooled, and stay obedient!
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You can't believe in your God because none of the other nations around you were helped by their own beliefs (verses 18-20).
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This is a classic way that the enemy sows doubt. Why is Christianity so special if the beliefs of other peoples and nations have all been known to fail? This is based on false notion of what our faith actually is.
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We do not believe in just some religion. We believe in the true God who has revealed and testified of Himself through thousands of years of prophecy confirmed by the indisputable life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remember that Christianity is not just another religion of opinions. It is a true faith based on the true God.
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Verses 21-22
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As Hezekiah commanded so wisely, the concerned people of Israel did not reply to Rabshakeh's intimidations.
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When you feel fear or doubt, simply turn away from the thought, and do not feed it with words.
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Or when your faith is challenged by a hardened and intellectually arrogant person, it is often best not to respond. Do not entertain foolish talks that will not bring faith or will only cause more doubt and strife (2 Timothy 2:23).
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