Let’s read today’s passage first, for it reveals to us how the enemy works when he is preparing to attack us or wants to make us fall:
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 counsel and might for war—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[a]? 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.’” (Isaiah 36:1-10).
My brother, my sister, do not you hear clearly the voice of the enemy who talk to people here, trying to control their minds to demoralize them or convince them that God was against them? Yes, the Assyrians were preparing to attack Judah and were now using taunts against Judah who nevertheless tried to keep faith in God or in Egypt that had promised to help them (Isaiah 36:4-6). My friend, how quickly do we seek human advice when dealing with difficult situations while we neglect God’s eternal promises? No wonder then, that the enemy will use lies and our neglect to discourage us, demoralise us in order to defeat us.
My friend, the Bible says that there is nothing new under the sun, and it’s true. Look at this: first, the Assyrians claimed that Hezekiah had insulted God by tearing down the altars and making people worship only in Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:7). Yes, how often has the devil used children of God with this same strategy in their homes, their families or their church. He uses some elements of truth to ‘make you believe’ something that is not right but will lead you to rebellion (very characteristic of the devil) or to your own downfall (destination of Satan). In fact, the truth is that Hezekiah had indeed made reforms to eliminate the worship of idols (which occured on the high hills) so that people would worship only the true God. So it is clear that either the Assyrians did not know the true God or they wanted to deceive people into believing that God was angry at them. My friend, your sinful nature does not necessarily make you ineffective for God. By being confused about what God wants is enough to lead you to your own downfall.
Today’s passage, we see how, after trying to convince the people, they asked them to bargain with them and even promised them things they might have wanted, but that they might not have needed: “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!” (verse 8)… How often do believers of Christ give in to the devil this way? Thus, the only way to avoid the deception of Satan is to study God’s Word carefully and regularly, and have discernment. Yes, when you know what God says, then you will not easily be tricked and deceived or become confused into believing the lies of Satan. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.