Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah. He then sent a large army to take Jerusalem from Hezekiah. I read the conversation that follows a couple of days ago. I found some really helpful principles of spiritual warfare. These principles are not exhaustive. Nevertheless, I thought I would be helpful to stick with what is specifically in this text.
“The nearer the soldier is to the Captain, the harder he will be attacked by the enemy.” – Amy Carmichael.
Realize there is an objective enemy. You will not fight an enemy you do not acknowledge.
Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 36:1
Satan will often try to get you to doubt something before he tries to get you to do something. This is crucial. The war of the Christian exists in the realm of faith. He will try to make you doubt something God has said is true.
Then Rabshakeh said to them, "Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, "What is this confidence that you have?...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 has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’? 36:4-7
Satan will suggest that you would need great strength to have victory. The weakest Christian clinging to one promise of God is stronger than all the forces of Hell.
Now therefore, come make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. How then can you repulse one official of the least of my master’s servants and rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 36:8-9
He will try to convince you that God is actually against you. He will suggest that the Lord is not going to fight for you until you get a few victories under your belt.
Have I now come up without the LORD’S approval against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.” 36:10
He will appeal to selfishness.
Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice…”Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern”. 36:13, 16
He will make it sound as if this sin is actually good and necessary for you.
Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, “Make your peace with me and come out to me…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.” 36:16-17
He will slander others to you. This is especially true concerning the person who may have confronted you with a particular sin. This will also happen when you think about going to others for help. You will begin to think that you could never tell them the horrible things you struggle with.
Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” 36:18
He will remind you of past defeats. Any time a record of past defeats comes to mind during a temptation, a red-flag should go up immediately.
Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? And when have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 36:18-19
He will try to convince you that victory is impossible. You will begin to think, “I have struggled with this all my life. I just need to face the fact I am not going to get freedom.”
Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the LORD would deliver Jerusalem from my hand? 36:20
Some practical suggestions taken from the text concerning your response:
Humble yourself. Renounce all hope and strength from within yourself.
And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD. 37:1
Involve godly brothers, especially in prayer. I have found that one of Satan’s main tactics is to isolate a believer.
Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet... 37:2
Remember that the real attack is against God. Satan hates you because he hates God.
Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me…Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. 37:6, 17
Remember that the battle belongs to the Lord. Keep yourself subjected and humbled under His mighty hand. Follow His instructions without compromise.
Thus says the Lord…Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land. 37:6-7
Pray. Tell the Lord the whole truth. Be open and honest.
Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 37:14
Stir yourself up with the attributes of God. Focus all your attention Godward.
O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 37:16
Look for God to deliver for His sake. Believe His promises. Believe the Scriptural truths concerning your relationship to sin (Romans 6). Believe that you don’t have to be defeated.
Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God. 37:20
