Isaiah Chapter 36 verse 1 to 22 Overview, Key Themes, mean, Moral Lesson
Isaiah Chapter 36 verse 1 to 22 Overview
Isaiah Chapter 36 describes the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrian king Sennacherib. The chapter begins with the Assyrian army approaching Jerusalem and the delegation sent by King Hezekiah to negotiate with them. Rabshakeh, the chief official, delivers a message of intimidation to the people of Judah, challenging their faith in God and taunting their reliance on Him for protection.
The Assyrian commander insists that no nation has been able to stand against Assyria, and he mocks the idea that God would save Jerusalem. He urges the people to surrender and avoid destruction. The chapter portrays the intense pressure and fear faced by Jerusalem's inhabitants while highlighting the importance of steadfast faith in God amidst overwhelming odds.
Isaiah Chapter 36 verse 1 to 22 Key Themes
- Assyrian Threat: The chapter highlights the imminent threat of the Assyrian army against Jerusalem and the fear it instills in the people of Judah.
- Diplomatic Maneuvering: The Assyrian commander, Rabshakeh, uses psychological warfare, trying to undermine the morale of the people and their leaders by questioning their trust in God.
- Faith vs. Fear: The chapter contrasts the fear of the people and their leaders with the call to trust in God’s protection and deliverance.
- God’s Sovereignty: It underscores God's sovereignty over nations and His ultimate control over the situation, despite appearances of weakness.
- Defiance Against God: The rhetoric used by Rabshakeh reflects the arrogance of the Assyrians and their misunderstanding of God’s power and plans.
Isaiah Chapter 36 verse 1 to 22
1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.
2 Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field,
3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to him.
4 The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours?
5 You say you have strategy and military strength—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending that you rebel against me?
6 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him.
7 But if you say to me, “We are depending on the LORD our God,” isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?
8 “Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses if you can put riders on them.
9 How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
10 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.”
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
12 But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things? And not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”
13 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!
14 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you; he cannot deliver you!
15 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’
16 Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern,
17 until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
18 “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria?
19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand?
20 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
21 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”
22 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him what the field commander had said.
what does isaiah chapter 36 verse 1 to 22 mean
Isaiah Chapter 36 narrates the historical account of the Assyrian King Sennacherib's invasion of Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah. The chapter focuses on the confrontation between the Assyrian representative, the Rabshakeh, and the officials of Judah. The Rabshakeh delivers a powerful and intimidating message to the people of Jerusalem, challenging their trust in God and urging them to surrender to the might of the Assyrian army.
The Rabshakeh mocks King Hezekiah’s reliance on God, claiming that no god has been able to save any nation from Assyria’s power. He questions Hezekiah’s trust in the Lord and attempts to sow doubt and fear among the people of Judah, offering false promises of prosperity if they surrender. Despite the threats, King Hezekiah's officials remain silent as instructed, and they bring the message back to Hezekiah.
The chapter sets the stage for a dramatic showdown between human arrogance and divine sovereignty, highlighting the tension between Assyria’s boastful confidence and the humble trust of King Hezekiah in the Lord’s deliverance.
Isaiah Chapter 36 verse 1 to 22 Moral Lesson
The key moral lesson of Isaiah Chapter 36 is the importance of unwavering faith and trust in God, even in the face of intimidation and overwhelming opposition. The Assyrian army represents the power of human strength and arrogance, while Hezekiah's response symbolizes humility and reliance on God.
The chapter teaches us not to be swayed by external pressures or threats that challenge our faith. It serves as a reminder that true strength lies in trusting God’s promises, even when circumstances seem impossible. The silence of Hezekiah’s officials also illustrates the wisdom of not engaging with voices that seek to undermine our faith.
