18:1-3 Hezekiah becomes king at twenty-five and remains so for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. Hezekiah is a faithful king to God and Judah, he does what is right in the sight of the Lord. This one comment describes Hezekiah's character: a compassionate heart for God's children and a loyal heart to God's philosophy and law.
18:4 Hezekiah has the high places removed and breaks the pillars devoted to false gods and idols. He even breaks Moses' bronze serpent, Numbers 21:4-9, because the people have named it worshiped it as a god named Nehushtan.
18:5-6 Most importantly, Hezekiah trusts in the Lord. In the line of Judah's kings, Hezekiah is highlighted as the most faithful. Hezekiah's trust in God opened wide the tunnel of faith through which blessings and protection from God arrive. "He held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but he kept His commandments..." This king of Judah clings to God, Joshua 23:8. In order to cling to God, we place Him in every place and position of authority in our lives: friend and counselor, leader and provider, protector and defender, King Most High.
18:7-8 Because Hezekiah chooses to walk with God, God is with him wherever he goes. From such close proximity, the protection and blessing of God is instant, direct, fierce. Hezekiah is made able to subdue the king of Assyria rather than serve him. Concurrently, Judah is able to withstand and subdue the Philistines as well from an alert watchtower and fortified city.
18:9-12 While Judah prospers because of faithfulness to righteousness, Israel crumbles because of their corruption. Judah subdues Assyria but Israel submits to it. The kingdom of Israel neglected God and rejected His counsel and it left them unable to fend off their enemies.
18:13 But Hezekiah fails a test of faith. Several years later, Assyria redoubles its efforts to claim Judah and Hezekiah's faith in God decreases. Under pressure, fear convinces Hezekiah that God has limits (though He does not) and Hezekiah sells himself to Assyria. From the perspective of fear, everything is painted impossible, desolate, final. God's children must have faith in His eventual, inevitable ability to heal, restore and protect. Sometimes people do not see a door of escape and perhaps there isn't one but for His children, God will make one. What did not exist before is brought into existence by the one who goes impossible lengths to protect and love us.
18:17-21 Assyria mocks Hezekiah's attempted alliance with Egypt.
18:22-25 The rabshakeh, commander of Assyria, assumes that Hezekiah's removal of the high places was an act against God. He therefore feels even more emboldened against Judah. It is Assyria's hope that Judah will give up, in weakness, to defeat without even engaging in a war.
18:26-27 The leaders of Judah's government ask the Assyrians to speak in a language their people will not understand. For the Assyrians are mocking, humiliating and discouraging the kingdom. But the Assyrian commander wishes to address and intimidate all of Judah, not just the leaders of its government.
18:28-30 In fact, the request causes the commander to directly address the people. He tells the people of Judah not to put their faith in Hezekiah, convincing them of his inability to rescue and defend their kingdom from this impending onslaught.
He even tells the people not to trust in Hezekiah's promise that the Lord will deliver them. The kingdom of Judah is in a precarious position; until now, they have not trusted in God and now their enemy tries to reinforce that decision - their only hope and saving grace is presented to them like a false and useless thing.
18:31-35 In Matthew 4, Jesus is tempted in the wilderness by Satan. Satan promises Jesus many things in an attempt to force Jesus to submit to his deceptive will. Here, the commander makes similar grand promises to the people of Judah if they will choose to follow their enemy. Evil will always twist the facts to provide false evidence to convince you. The commander points out the Assyria has been able to capture other lands and dominate over their gods. He tells Judah that Israel was captured because of Assyria's might against God. But this is not true. Israel was weakened and vulnerable because they walked out of God's defenses, not because God lost or walked away from His duty to protect. Ultimately, the Assyrian's intention is to render Judah hopeless.
If the people of Judah decide to believe the commanders twisted words, they too will walk out of God's protection. Assyria will increase in pride and arrogance, falsely believing that it has outlasted God.
18:36 The people are commanded not to answer the Assyrian and so they remain silent. And really, nothing needs to be said. We do not have to engage in argument with our enemies; it is our faith which speaks and acts for us.
18:37 Eliakim, servant of the government of Judah, returns to Hezekiah distraught. Had he been a faithful man, the mocking speech of the commander would not have had any bite or weight. Because the evil and mighty can boast, but their power is insignificant when matched against God.
