Don't Give Up

Don’t Give Up

/1 Comment/in /by

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! (2 Kings 18:23)

The armies of Assyria crushed the northern neighbor of Judah, and the cruelly carried away the ten northern tribes of Israel. Now those soldiers surrounded the city of Jerusalem, after having conquered virtually everything else in Judah.

Don't Give Up

The general commanding the armies of Assyria – who had the title “The Rabshakeh” – gave a long, public speech in the hearing of Hezekiah, the king of Judah. The Assyrian general told Hezekiah that Judah was already defeated, Jerusalem was surrounded, and there was no hope and no point in resisting any longer.

Judah had trusted in a partnership with Egypt – the Rabshakeh told Hezekiah that it would fail. Perhaps some in Judah thought that Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, would rescue them – but the Rabshakeh told them there was no use in trusting God. He even said that God was mad at them and would never defend them! The Rabshakeh offered to give Hezekiah two thousand horses – but even that wouldn’t help them. He also said that he was actually on a mission from God to conquer Judah.

This was hard for King Hezekiah to hear. But in the words give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, we see the plan of the Assyrian general. The Rabshakeh’s whole strategy was to make Hezekiah give up. This was the entire reason the Rabshakeh was at the aqueduct, speaking to these leaders of Hezekiah’s government.

The Rabshakeh had vastly superior armies; he could have just attacked Jerusalem without this little speech. But the Rabshakeh would prefer it if Judah would simply give up, to surrender out of fear, discouragement, or despair.

The enemy of our soul uses the exact same approach. Many of us picture Satan as “itching for a fight” with us. Truthfully, Satan doesn’t want to do battle with you. First, there is the strong chance you will win. Second, whether you win or lose, the battle can draw you closer to Jesus. Third, what Jesus does in your life through the battle can be a great blessing for other people. No, Satan would much rather not fight you at all! He would much rather try to talk you into giving up.

We see this exact strategy used against Jesus during His temptation in the wilderness. When Satan promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for Jesus’ worship, Satan was trying to avoid the fight, and trying to talk Jesus into giving up (Luke 4:5-8). It didn’t work with Jesus, and it shouldn’t work with us.

Think of the deceptive words and lies Satan whispers – or shouts – to you. They all have one purpose. Satan wants you, the child of God, to give up. God helping you, stand against him and his lies in the name of Jesus!

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 18

When the Enemy Makes Sense

Wenn der Feind vernünftig ist

/0 Comments/in /by

Und der Rabschake sprach zu ihnen: Sagt doch dem Hiskia: So spricht der große König, der König von Assyrien: Was ist das für eine Stütze, auf die du vertraust? Wenn du sagst: »Es ist Rat und Macht zum Krieg vorhanden«, so ist das leeres Geschwätz! Auf wen vertraust du denn, daß du dich gegen mich aufgelehnt hast? (2. Könige 18,19-20)

Der Feldherr der Assyrischen Armee (der den Titel Rabschake trug) repräsentierte den Assyrischen König Sanherib. Als die Assyrische Armee Jerusalem belagerte, tat er alles, damit König Hiskia aufgab. Er stand an einem öffentlichen Platz und sprach zu allen, die ihm zuhörten.

Wenn der Feind vernünftig ist

Der Rabschake schien die Situation völlig im Griff zu haben. Er konnte einfach in die Stadt Jerusalem gehen und an der Hauptwasserversorgung stehen – die für Jerusalem überlebenswichtig war in einer Zeit der Belagerung. Als er dort stand, kamen drei Beamte aus Hiskias Regierung, um ihn dort zu treffen.

Er hörte sie sich an und sagte: Was ist das für eine Stütze, auf die du vertraust? Hoffentlich vertraute Hiskia auf den HERRN, und der Rabschake verspottete dieses Vertrauen in Gott. Doch stattdessen legte Hiskia seine Hoffnung auf eine Allianz mit Ägypten, und der Rabschake wollte, dass er sein Vertrauen in diese Allianz verlor.

Es war eine große Versuchung für Hiskia, in dieser Zeit eine Allianz mit Ägypten einzugehen, denn Ägypten schien die einzige Nation zu sein, die stark genug war, um Juda vor den mächtigen Assyrern zu beschützen. Der Prophet Jesaja tat alles, um Hiskia davon abzubringen, dass Juda die Hoffnung auf Ägypten setzte (Jesaja 10,11-17; 20,1-6; 30,1-7). Der HERR wollte, dass Juda Ihm vertraute und nicht Ägypten.

In diesem Sinne sagte der Rabschake die Wahrheit. Gott wollte nicht, dass Juda auf Ägypten vertraute. Doch der Rabschake sagte das nicht, um Juda zu einem festen Vertrauen auf den HERRN zu bringen, der sie vor den Assyrern retten konnte und auch würde. Er sagte dies, um Juda komplett zu demoralisieren und in Verzweiflung zu stürzen.

Satan greift uns oft auf diese Art an. Der Teufel mag die Wahrheit sagen – so etwas wie: „du bist ein elender Sünder!“ Doch Satan sagt das nie um uns zu einem festen Vertrauen auf den HERRN zu bringen. Wenn wir hören, dass wir elende Sünder sind, sollten wir entgegnen: „Jesus starb für Sünder, also wenn ich ein elender Sünder bin, starb Jesus für mich und machte mich frei!“ Satans Strategie ist immer – auch wenn er die Wahrheit sagt – uns zu demoralisieren und in Verzweiflung zu stürzen.

Aus der Perspektive eines Ungläubigen, stellte Sanherib eine berechtigte Frage: Auf wen vertraust du denn, dass du dich gegen mich aufgelehnt hast? Menschen, die nicht glauben, können nicht verstehen, dass wir auf Gott vertrauen – dieses Vertrauen lässt uns anders leben als die Welt. Wir können von ihnen nicht erwarten, dass sie verstehen, dass Gott uns die Kraft gibt, uns gegen die Welt, das Fleisch und den Teufel aufzulehnen. Mit Gottes Hilfe werden wir das!

When the Enemy Makes Sense

When the Enemy Makes Sense

/1 Comment/in /by

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? You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?”’” (2 Kings 18:19-20)

The field commander of the Assyrian army (who had the title Rabshakeh) represented the Assyrian King Sennacherib. When the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem, he did his best to get King Hezekiah to surrender. He stood in a public place and spoke to all who would listen.

When the Enemy Makes Sense

The Rabshakeh seemed to be in complete command of the situation. He could walk right into the city of Jerusalem, and stand at the crucial water supply – which was Jerusalem’s life-line in a siege attack. As he stood there, three officials from Hezekiah’s government came to meet him.

With all listening, he said this: What confidence is this in which you trust? We might wish that Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, and the Rabshakeh mocked his trust in God. Instead, Hezekiah put his hope in an alliance with Egypt, and the Rabshakeh wanted him to lose confidence in that alliance.

It was a great temptation for Hezekiah during this time to make a defensive alliance with Egypt, which seemed to be the only nation strong enough to protect Judah against the mighty Assyrians. As a prophet, Isaiah did everything he could to discourage Hezekiah and the leaders of Judah from putting their trust in Egypt (Isaiah 19:11-17, 20:1-6, 30:1-7). The LORD wanted Judah to trust Him instead of Egypt.

In this sense, the Rabshakeh spoke the truth. God wanted Judah to have no confidence in Egypt at all. But the Rabshakeh did not do this to bring Judah to a firm trust in the LORD, who could and would deliver them from the Assyrians. He did it to completely demoralize Judah and drive them to despair.

Satan often attacks us the same way. The devil may tell us the truth – something like, “You are such a rotten sinner!” But Satan never does it to lead us to a firm trust in the LORD our God. When we hear that we are rotten sinners, we should reply like this: “Jesus died for sinners, so if I am a rotten sinner, Jesus died to forgive and free me!” Instead, Satan’s strategy – even if he tells us the truth – is always to demoralize us and drive us to despair.

From the perspective of the unbeliever, Sennacherib asked a valid question: And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? Those who don’t yet believe can’t understand the trust we have in God – the trust that makes us live different than the world. We can’t expect them to understand the strength God can give us to rebel against the world, the flesh, and the devil. God helping us – we will!

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 18

Hear and Do

Hören und Tun

/0 Comments/in /by

Weil sie der Stimme des Herrn, ihres Gottes, nicht gehorcht und seinen Bund gebrochen hatten, alles, was Mose, der Knecht des Herrn, gebot; sie hatten nicht darauf gehört und es nicht getan. (2. Könige 18,12) Wie wissen nicht genau, wer der Autor vom 1. und 2. Buch der Könige ist. Doch in diesem Vers sehen […]

Read more
No Deal with the Devil

No Deal With the Devil

/1 Comment/in /by

So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house. At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. (2 Kings 18:15-16)

Hezekiah was a good king over the people of God. In fact, he was one of the better kings of Judah, but apart from Jesus Christ no king is perfect. Here we see one of the bad or foolish things that Hezekiah did.

No Deal With the Devil

When the king of Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, he attacked the southern kingdom of Judah next. He conquered many of the fortified cities. The mention of Lachish is important to historians and archaeologists. The British Museum displays the Assyrian carvings depicting the siege of the city of Lachish, which was an important fortress city of Judah. Lachish was thirty miles (50 kilometers) southwest of Jerusalem.

In the British Museum there is a wall carving from Sennacherib’s royal palace in Nineveh. It shows King Sennacherib on a throne in his military camp outside Lachish. Captured Judean prisoners of war march by on foot, and all the booty from the city is displayed on wagons.

After Lachish, only Jerusalem was left. If Assyria captured Jerusalem, it was all over. So, King Hezekiah sent a message to Lachish for the King of Assyria. In the message he humbled himself before the pagan king. He apologized and offered to pay a large tribute to Sennacherib so that he would not conquer Jerusalem.

Maybe Hezekiah thought that since the Northern Kingdom was recently conquered and that all the fortified cities of Judah had been captured, God had demonstrated that He would not intervene on behalf of Judah. Maybe this made Hezekiah feel that he had to do something himself.

It could be that this idea was strengthened in Hezekiah when he remembered the wickedness of his own father Ahaz. Maybe Hezekiah thought that because of their prior sin, Judah deserved such judgment.

What did Hezekiah do? So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house. Hezekiah hoped that this policy of appeasement would make Judah safe. He was wrong, and his policy only impoverished Judah and the temple and made the king of Assyria bolder than ever against Judah.

King Sennacherib took all the silver and gold that Hezekiah gave. But it didn’t buy him off. He took it all and still wanted Jerusalem and Hezekiah’s throne.

Don’t think you can ever make a deal with the devil. You can try to “buy him off” with small compromises and sins. But Satan will never be satisfied with those things. He will take them – and then go after your soul. Do what Hezekiah should have done: trust the LORD instead.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 18

Bible on wood table

For Him, Through Him, To Him

/0 Comments/in /by

Dear Pastor, Preacher, or Bible Teacher –

How was your weekend? If God gave you the opportunity to preach or teach His Word, I pray that it was effective and that you were able to enjoy being God’s messenger.

Today I want to share an encouragement with you from Romans 11:36:

For of Him
and through Him
and to Him are all things,
to whom be glory forever. Amen.

At the end of Romans 11, the Apostle Paul made this remarkable statement. It is something for every believer to think about, but it has some special relevance for those who serve God, and those who serve in the ministry of God’s Word.

Bible on wood table

There is a wonderful poetic rhythm to these words: For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things. F.B. Meyer noted that each of these are basic, one-syllable words. These are words you might find in a children’s book – but no one can truly exhaust their meaning.

Our ministry is all of Him. I trust that you are called by God, and not just self-appointed. When one is really called to the ministry, they know that their work is of Him. If it is only of us, what is the point?

Our ministry is all through Him. We earnestly desire that everything we do be done through Jesus Christ. We are workers together with Him. It is His power, His wisdom, His strength that we seek to serve in. It isn’t enough to be truly called (for ministry to be of Him). Once called, our work has to be done through Jesus, with conscious reliance on His wisdom, His power, His strength.

Our ministry is all to Him. It’s not to me. It isn’t even to the people we serve. First and foremost, it’s all to Him. It is to the praise of the glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:6). It’s for His pleasure that we are created, redeemed, called, and busy for His kingdom. We find our fulfillment in bringing Him glory and honor.

If we keep this in mind as we do ministry – that all things are to be of Him and through Him and to Him – then at the end of it all, God will get the glory. As Paul wrote, to whom be glory forever.

That’s kind of ministry we long for and pray for. I pray that for you!

Blessings to You in Jesus’ Name – David Guzik

Click Here to Receive Email from David for Pastors, Preachers, and Bible Teachers