"And Isaiah said unto them, thus shall ye say to your master, thus saith The LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me." [2 Ki 19:6]
When Assyria came up against Judah in the days of Hezekiah, the enemy grievously blasphemed The LORD and proudly spoke great words of discouragement against God’s people. Rabshakeh, the Assyrian king’s messenger came and spoke,
“Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, what confidence is this wherein thou trustest? Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?...Am I now come up without The LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, go up against this land, and destroy it….Thus saith the king, let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand: neither let Hezekiah make you trust in The LORD, saying, The LORD will deliver us…” [2 Ki 18:19-20, 25, 29-30]
The enemy sought to diminish Israel’s trust in The LORD, saying that The LORD was not able to deliver them from Assyria. After all, thought the enemy, “hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?” [2 Ki 18:33] But the enemy was in great error: for the gods of the nations were no gods at all and that is why they could not deliver their people from their hands. The enemy sought to sow seeds of doubt within the people regarding God’s character as well, saying that “The LORD said to me, go up against this land, and destroy it.” The words which the Assyrian spoke to Hezekiah are much of the same words satan speaks to us today. He attempts to dismantle our trust in The LORD, either through lies that He cannot deliver us, or lies regarding His character and thoughts towards us. The enemy, our accuser, would have us to believe that The LORD does not love us and will not save us. But may we take the words of satan, spoken through the Assyrian, and shed true light on them.
Let us first remember what Jesus says about satan. “When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” [Jn 8:44] Satan is the father of lies. Is there ever a word that satan speaks to us – whether through a person, or through the world, or through the flesh – regarding The Lord’s person, that is true? Should satan ever encourage us in the ways of The Lord, reminding us of His steadfast love and mercy? I should think not: for he “was a murderer from the beginning,” and satan, the thief, “cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” [Jn 8:44; 10:10] Therefore, when we read the words of Assyria, saying that The LORD will not deliver and that The LORD desires to destroy us, we can immediately take refuge and comfort in that these words are false. Thus, the counsel of the enemy is destroyed and confused and truth emerges: for if the enemy is wholeheartedly attempting to convince us that God is in fact evil, then we can be restfully assured He is not.
Have you heard the words of our enemy of late, dear reader? Have you had thoughts of God’s bad character? Of His meanness, strictness, pettiness, harshness, or legalistic nature? Ah, then you, my good man, have heard the words of satan. You have not heard the true and living words of God, nor have you heard from His Spirit; for regarding The Spirit, who brings to our remembrance things Christ has said, Jesus says, “He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” [Jn 16:14] And if we be inundated with thoughts or messages that are contrary to Christ’s loving and meek nature, whose nature mirrors The LORD’s perfectly, with thoughts that do not glorify Him, then we can safely reject them, taking advantage of that word, “and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” [2 Cor 10:5] Therefore as Isaiah encouraged, “be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard.” [2 Ki 19:6] Do not fear or tremble at the words of the enemy, no matter how loud they may come; for they are all but lies. Cling to your God who loves you; and cling to His word which endures forever, and take to yourselves the exhortation of Hezekiah,
“Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is The LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles…” [2 Ch 32:7-8]
Yes, let us be strong and courageous and trust in The Lord: for there is no word against Him which shall prosper. His reputation, His name, His glory: is unstainable and perfect. Therefore, dear Christian, may you reject and rebuke all the lies of the enemy that have come against God’s character in your life, resting yourself on His proven worth, merit, and truthfulness – all of which have their climax and foundation in Jesus’ glorious cross, wherein out of love He shed His blood and died for our sins.
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