Isaiah 36

Isaiah 36 is an account of the Assyrian invasion during King Hezekiah’s reign. The Assyrian king, Sennacherib, sends his army commander, the Rabshakeh, to Jerusalem to demand its surrender. The chapter highlights the psychological warfare employed by the Assyrians as they try to undermine the people's trust in God and King Hezekiah. The Rabshakeh mocks their faith, urging them to surrender, while Hezekiah’s officials respond with silence, showing their trust in God’s intervention.

Isaiah 36:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
2 Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.

Sennacherib, having already conquered many of Judah’s fortified cities, now sets his sights on Jerusalem. He sends his chief officer, the Rabshakeh, with a large army to demand the surrender of Jerusalem. The Rabshakeh positions himself strategically by the aqueduct, symbolizing control over the city’s vital resources. This marks the beginning of an intense confrontation, with the fate of Jerusalem hanging in the balance.

Isaiah 36:3-4 (NKJV)
3 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.
4 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What confidence is this in which you trust?

Hezekiah’s top officials—Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah—are sent to meet the Rabshakeh. The Assyrian commander begins his psychological attack by questioning the source of Judah's confidence. He implies that their trust in God or any alliance is futile, and that Assyria’s power is overwhelming. This sets the tone for the Rabshakeh’s speech, designed to demoralize both the leaders and the people of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 36:5-7 (NKJV)
5 I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?
6 Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
7 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?”

The Rabshakeh mocks any potential alliance with Egypt, calling it a broken reed, a symbol of unreliability. He also twists the religious reforms of Hezekiah, suggesting that Hezekiah’s removal of the high places was an offense to God. This is a clever attempt to sow doubt among the people about their king's decisions, particularly in matters of faith.

Isaiah 36:8-9 (NKJV)
8 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them!
9 How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

The Rabshakeh taunts them further, suggesting that even if the Assyrians gave them two thousand horses, Judah would lack the riders to use them effectively. This is a bold insult to their military capacity, further emphasizing their weakness. By mocking their reliance on Egypt for military support, the Rabshakeh is attempting to break their morale completely.

Isaiah 36:10 (NKJV)
10 Have I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, “Go up against this land, and destroy it.”’”

The Rabshakeh claims that the Lord Himself had instructed the Assyrians to attack Jerusalem. This is a final, manipulative argument aimed at undermining the people's faith in God's protection. By suggesting that God is on their side, he tries to convince the Israelites that resistance is pointless.

Isaiah 36:11-12 (NKJV)
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
12 But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?”

Hezekiah's officials ask the Rabshakeh to speak in Aramaic, the diplomatic language, to prevent the people on the wall from understanding the conversation and being demoralized. However, the Rabshakeh refuses and insists on speaking in Hebrew, deliberately aiming to spread fear among the people by painting a vivid picture of the horrors that await if they continue to resist.

Isaiah 36:13-15 (NKJV)
13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!
14 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you;
15 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”’

Speaking directly to the people, the Rabshakeh urges them not to trust Hezekiah’s promises of deliverance from God. He continues to undermine the king's leadership and faith, suggesting that Hezekiah is misleading them. This tactic is designed to turn the people's trust away from their king and their God, offering surrender as the only logical choice.

Isaiah 36:16-17 (NKJV)
16 Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern;
17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

The Rabshakeh offers a seemingly peaceful and prosperous alternative, encouraging the people to surrender and enjoy their possessions until they are relocated to another land. This promise of comfort is deceptive, as it downplays the reality of Assyrian exile. The offer is an attempt to make surrender more appealing, but it contrasts sharply with the suffering that would actually follow.

Isaiah 36:18-20 (NKJV)
18 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?
19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
20 Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”

The Rabshakeh reinforces his argument by pointing to other nations that Assyria has conquered, none of which were saved by their gods. He implies that Judah's God is no different and cannot deliver them either. This is a direct challenge to the people's faith, framing surrender as the only option since no other nation had been able to resist Assyria successfully.

Isaiah 36:21-22 (NKJV)
21 But they held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”
22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

Hezekiah's officials remain silent in response to the Rabshakeh’s provocations, following the king’s instruction. Their silence reflects their trust in God rather than engaging in further debate. Tearing their clothes is a sign of distress and mourning, and they report the Rabshakeh’s words to Hezekiah, leaving the next steps in the hands of the king and, ultimately, God.