Smooth Operator
Read Isaiah 36:1–39:8
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9. Soon afterward King Sennacherib received word that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was leading an army to fight against him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he sent messengers back to Hezekiah in Jerusalem with this message:
10. “This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria.
11. You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different?
12. Have the gods of other nations rescued them—such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel-assar? My predecessors destroyed them all! Isaiah 37:9-12
How do you know if someone is lying to you? Often you can’t tell—that’s the trouble. You can’t spot deceivers just by their appearance.
Hezekiah, a good king, has to deal with a smooth-talking deceiver here, the field commander of Assyria. According to the commander, Hezekiah has failed. “You’re an incompetent leader and a disgrace to God,” he basically says. Read this passage to see whether Hezekiah will believe the commander or God.
Even if you’re not a leader, there are many lessons here on dealing with threats; praying; depending on God; coping with illness; and keeping a level head when your fortunes shift for the better.
The field commander from Assyria tried to talk Hezekiah out of resisting. He claimed that Hezekiah had insulted God by tearing down pagan altars and making the people worship only in Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:7). But Hezekiah knew better. His reform had sought to eliminate the worship of false gods, so that the people would worship only the true God, as they should. Either the Assyrian commander didn’t know about the true God, or he wanted to trick the people into thinking they had angered a more powerful god than the Lord. But Hezekiah knew God and his Word well enough not to believe the lies. The field commander’s plan failed.
Like Hezekiah, don’t be naive. Study God’s Word carefully and regularly. When you know what God says, you will not fall for lies.
