II
K I N G S
CHAP. XVIII.
When
the prophet had condemned Ephraim for lies and deceit he comforted himself with
this, that Judah
yet "ruled with God, and was faithful with the
Most Holy," Hos. xi. 12. It was a very melancholy view which the last chapter
gave us of the desolations of Israel;
but this chapter shows us the affairs of Judah
in a good posture at the same time, that it
may appear God has not quite cast off the seed of Abraham, Rom. xi. 1. Hezekiah is here upon the throne,
I. Reforming his kingdom, ver. 1-6. II. Prospering in all his undertakings
(ver. 7, 8), and this at the same time when the ten tribes were led captive,
ver. 9-12. III. Yet invaded by Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, ver. 13. 1.
His country put under contribution, ver. 14-16. 2. Jerusalem besieged, ver.
17. 3. God blasphemed, himself reviled, and his people solicited to revolt, in
a virulent speech made by Rabshakeh, ver. 18-37. But how well it ended, and
how much to the honour and comfort of our great reformer, we shall find in the
next chapter.
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Hezekiah's
Good Reign.
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B.
C. 726.
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1 Now it came to pass in the third year of
Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king
of Judah began to reign. 2 Twenty and five years old was he when
he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His
mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. 3
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD,
according to all that David his father did. 4 He removed the high
places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the
brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel
did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. 5 He trusted
in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings
of Judah, nor any that were before him. 6 For he clave to
the LORD,
and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which
the LORD
commanded Moses. 7 And the LORD
was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he
rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 8 He
smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from
the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
We have here a general account of the reign of Hezekiah. It appears, by
comparing his age with his father's, that he was born when his father was
about eleven or twelve years old, divine Providence so ordering that he might
be of full age, and fit for business, when the measure of his father's
iniquity should be full. Here is,
I. His great piety, which was the more wonderful because his father was very
wicked and vile, one of the worst of the kings, yet he was one of the best,
which may intimate to us that what good there is in any is not of nature, but
of grace, free grace, sovereign grace, which, contrary to nature, grafts into
the good olive that which was wild by nature (Rom. xi. 24), and also that
grace gets over the greatest difficulties and disadvantages: Ahaz, it is
likely, gave his son a bad education as well as a bad example; Urijah his
priest perhaps had the tuition of him; his attendants and companions, we may
suppose, were such as were addicted to idolatry; and yet Hezekiah became
eminently good. When God's grace will work what can hinder it?
1. He was a genuine son of David, who had a great many degenerate ones (v.
3): He did that which was right, according to all that David his father
did, with whom the covenant was made, and therefore he was entitled to the
benefit of it. We have read of some of them who did that which was right, but
not like David, ch. xiv. 3. They did not love God's ordinances, nor
cleave to them, as he did; but Hezekiah was a second David, had such a love
for God's word, and God's house, as he had. Let us not be frightened with an
apprehension of the continual decay of virtue, as if, when times and men are
bad, they must needs, of course, grow worse and worse; that does not follow,
for, after many bad kings, God raised up one that was like David himself.
2. He was a zealous reformer of his kingdom, and as we find (2 Chron. xxix. 3)
he began betimes to be so, fell to work as soon as ever he came to the crown,
and lost no time. He found his kingdom very corrupt, the people in all things
too superstitious. They had always been so, but in the last reign worse than
ever. By the influence of his wicked father, a deluge of idolatry had
overspread the land; his spirit was stirred against this idolatry, we may
suppose (as Paul's at Athens), while his father lived, and therefore, as soon
as ever he had power in his hands, he set himself to abolish it (v. 4),
though, considering how the people were wedded to it, he might think it could
not be done without opposition. (1.) The images and the groves were downright
idolatrous and of heathenish original. These he broke and destroyed. Though
his own father had set them up, and shown an affection for them, yet he would
not protect them. We must never dishonour God in honour to our earthly
parents. (2.) The high places, though they had sometimes been used by the
prophets upon special occasions and had been hitherto connived at by the good
kings, were nevertheless an affront to the temple and a breach of the law
which required them to worship there only, and, being from under the
inspection of the priests, gave opportunity for the introducing of idolatrous
usages. Hezekiah therefore, who made God's word his rule, not the example of
his predecessors, removed them, made a law for the removal of them, the
demolishing of the chapels, tabernacles, and altars there erected, and the
suppressing of the use of them, which law was put in execution with vigour;
and, it is probable, the terrible judgments which the kingdom of Israel was
now under for their idolatry made Hezekiah the more zealous and the people the
more willing to comply with him. It is well when our neighbours' harms are our
warnings. (3.) The brazen serpent was originally of divine institution, and
yet, because it had been abused to idolatry, he broke it to pieces. The
children of Israel had brought that with them to Canaan; where they set it up
we are not told, but, it seems, it had been carefully preserved, as a memorial
of God's goodness to their fathers in the wilderness and a traditional
evidence of the truth of that story, Num. xxi. 9, for the encouragement of the
sick to apply to God for a cure and of penitent sinners to apply to him for
mercy. But in process of time, when they began to worship the creature more
than the Creator, those that would not worship images borrowed from the
heathen, as some of their neighbours did, were drawn in by the tempter to burn
incense to the brazen serpent, because that was made by order from God himself
and had been an instrument of good to them. But Hezekiah, in his pious zeal
for God's honour, not only forbade the people to worship it, but, that it
might never be so abused any more, he showed the people that it was Nehushtan,
nothing else but a piece of brass, and that therefore it was an idle
wicked thing to burn incense to it; he then broke it to pieces, that is, as
bishop Patrick expounds it, ground it to powder, which he scattered in the
air, that no fragment of it might remain. If any think that the just honour of
the brazen serpent was hereby diminished they will find it abundantly made up
again, John iii. 14, where our Saviour makes it a type of himself. Good
things, when idolized, are better parted with than kept.
3. Herein he was a nonesuch, v. 5. None of all the kings of Judah were
like him, either before or after him. Two things he was eminent for in
his reformation:-- (1.) Courage and confidence in God. In abolishing idolatry,
there was danger of disobliging his subjects, and provoking them to rebel; but
he trusted in the Lord God of Israel to bear him out in what he did and
save him from harm. A firm belief of God's all-sufficiency to protect and
reward us will conduce much to make us sincere, bold, and vigorous, in the way
of our duty, like Hezekiah. When he came to the crown he found his kingdom
compassed with enemies, but he did not seek for succour to foreign aids, as
his father did, but trusted in the God of Israel to be the keeper of Israel.
(2.) Constancy and perseverance in his duty. For this there was none like him,
that he clave to the Lord with a fixed resolution and never departed from
following him, v. 6. Some of his predecessors that began well fell
off: but he, like Caleb, followed the Lord fully. He not only abolished
all idolatrous usages, but kept God's commandments, and in every thing made
conscience of his duty.
II. His great prosperity, v. 7, 8. He was with God, and then God was
with him, and, having the special presence of God with him, he prospered
whithersoever he went, had wonderful success in all his enterprises, in
his wars, his buildings, and especially his reformation, for that good work
was carried on with less difficulty than he could have expected. Those that do
God's work with an eye to his glory, and with confidence in his strength, may
expect to prosper in it. Great is the truth and will prevail. Finding himself
successful, 1. He threw off the yoke of the king of Assyria, which his father
had basely submitted to. This is called rebelling against him, because
so the king of Assyria called it; but it was really an asserting of the just
rights of his crown, which it was not in the power of Ahaz to alienate. If it
was imprudent to make this bold struggle so soon, yet I see not that it was,
as some think, unjust; when he had thrown out the idolatry of the nations he
might well throw off the yoke of their oppression. The surest way to liberty
is to serve God. 2. He made a vigorous attack upon the Philistines, and smote
them even unto Gaza, both the country villages and the fortified town, the
tower of the watchmen and the fenced cities, reducing those places which
they had made themselves masters of in his father's time, 2 Chron. xxviii. 18.
When he had purged out the corruptions his father had brought in he might
expect to recover the possessions his father had lost. Of his victories over
the Philistines Isaiah prophesied, Isa. xiv. 28, &c.
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Sennacherib
Invades Judea.
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B.
C. 726.
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9 And it came to pass in the fourth year of
king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of
Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and
besieged it. 10 And at the end of three years they took it: even
in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of
Israel, Samaria was taken. 11 And the king of Assyria did carry
away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the
river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes: 12 Because they
obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but
transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD
commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them. 13
Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria
come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. 14
And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I
have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And
the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred
talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 And Hezekiah gave
him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD,
and in the treasures of the king's house. 16 At that time did
Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD,
and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and
gave it to the king of Assyria.
The kingdom of Assyria had now grown considerable, though we never read of it
till the last reign. Such changes there are in the affairs of nations and
families: those that have been despicable become formidable, and those, on the
contrary, are brought low that have made a great noise and figure. We have
here an account,
I. Of the success of Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, against Israel, his
besieging Samaria (v. 9), taking it (v. 10), and carrying the
people into captivity (v. 11), with the reason why God brought this
judgment upon them (v. 12): Because they obeyed not the voice of the
Lord their God. This was related more largely in the foregoing chapter,
but it is here repeated, 1. As that which stirred up Hezekiah and his people
to purge out idolatry with so much zeal, because they saw the ruin which it
brought upon Israel. When their neighbour's house was on fire, and their own
in danger, it was time to cast away the accursed thing. 2. As that which
Hezekiah much lamented, but had not strength to prevent. Though the ten tribes
had revolted from, and often been vexatious to, the house of David, no longer
ago than in his father's reign, yet being of the seed of Israel he could not
be glad at their calamities. 3. As that which laid Hezekiah and his kingdom
open to the king of Assyria, and made it much more easy for him to invade the
land. It is said of the ten tribes here that they would neither hear
God's commandments nor do them, v. 12. Many will be content to
give God the hearing that will give him no more (Ezek. xxxiii. 31), but these,
being resolved not to do their duty, did not care to hear of it.
II. Of the attempt of Sennacherib, the succeeding king of Assyria, against
Judah, in which he was encouraged by his predecessor's success against Israel,
whose honours he would vie with and whose victories he would push forward. The
descent he made upon Judah was a great calamity to that kingdom, by which God
would try the faith of Hezekiah and chastise the people, who are called a
hypocritical nation (Isa. x. 6), because they did not comply with
Hezekiah's reformation, nor willingly part with their idols, but kept them up
in their hearts, and perhaps in their houses, though their high places were
removed. Even times of reformation may prove troublesome times, made so by
those that oppose it, and then the blame is laid upon the reformers. This
calamity will appear great upon Hezekiah if we consider, 1. How much he lost
of his country, v. 13. The king of Assyria took all or most of the
fenced cities of Judah, the frontier-towns and the garrisons, and then all the
rest fell into his hands of course. The confusion which the country was put
into by this invasion is described by the prophet, Isa. x. 28-31. 2. How
dearly he paid for his peace. He saw Jerusalem itself in danger of falling
into the enemies' hand, as Samaria had done, and was willing to purchase its
safety at the expense, (1.) Of a mean submission: "I have offended
in denying the usual tribute, and am ready to make satisfaction as shall be
demanded," v. 14. Where was Hezekiah's courage? Where his
confidence in God? Why did he not advise with Isaiah before he sent this
crouching message? (2.) Of a vast sum of money-300 talents of silver and
thirty of gold (above 200,000l.), not to be paid annually, but as a
present ransom. To raise this sum, he was forced not only to empty the public
treasures (v. 15), but to take the golden plates off from the doors of
the temple, and from the pillars, v. 16. Though the temple
sanctified the gold which he had dedicated, yet, the necessity being
urgent, he thought he might make as bold with that as his father David (whom
he took for his pattern) did with the show-bread, and that it was neither
impious nor imprudent to give a part for the preservation of the whole. His
father Ahaz had plundered the temple in contempt of it, 2 Chron. xxviii. 24.
He had repaid with interest what his father took; and now, with all due
reverence, he only begged leave to borrow it again in an exigency and for a
greater good, with a resolution to restore it in full as soon as he should be
in a capacity to do so.
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Rab-Shakeh's
Blasphemous Speech.
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B.
C. 710.
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17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and
Rabsaris and Rab-shakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host
against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were
come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is
in the highway of the fuller's field. 18 And when they had called
to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was
over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the
recorder. 19 And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to
Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is
this wherein thou trustest? 20 Thou sayest, (but they are but
vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost
thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? 21 Now, behold, thou
trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which
if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh
king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. 22 But if ye say unto
me, We trust in the LORD
our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah
hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before
this altar in Jerusalem? 23 Now therefore, I pray thee, give
pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand
horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. 24
How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my
master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for
horsemen? 25 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. 26 Then said
Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rab-shakeh, Speak, I
pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it:
and talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that are
on the wall. 27 But Rab-shakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent
me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent
me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and
drink their own piss with you? 28 Then Rab-shakeh stood and cried
with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of
the great king, the king of Assyria: 29 Thus saith the king, Let
not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his
hand: 30 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD,
saying, The LORD
will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of
the king of Assyria. 31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith
the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come
out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of
his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern: 32
Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn
and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey,
that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he
persuadeth you, saying, The LORD
will deliver us. 33 Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered
at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are
the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim,
Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand? 35
Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered
their country out of mine hand, that the LORD
should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand? 36 But the people held
their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was,
saying, Answer him not. 37 Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son
of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told
him the words of Rab-shakeh.
Here is, I. Jerusalem besieged by Sennacherib's army, v. 17. He sent
three of his great generals with a great host against Jerusalem. Is this the
great king, the king of Assyria? No, never call him so; he is a base, false,
perfidious man, and worthy to be made infamous to all ages; let him never be
named with honour that could do such a dishonourable thing as this, to take
Hezekiah's money, which he gave him upon condition he should withdraw his
army, and then, instead of quitting his country according to the agreement, to
advance against his capital city, and not send him his money again either.
Those are wicked men indeed, and, let them be ever so great, we will call them
so, whose principle it is not to make their promises binding any further than
is for their interest. Now Hezekiah had too much reason to repent his treaty
with Sennacherib, which made him much the poorer and never the safer.
II. Hezekiah, and his princes and people, railed upon by Rabshakeh, the chief
speaker of the three generals, and one that had the most satirical genius. He
was no doubt instructed what to say by Sennacherib, who intended hereby to
pick a new quarrel with Hezekiah. He had promised, upon the receipt of
Hezekiah's money, to withdraw his army, and therefore could not for shame make
a forcible attack upon Jerusalem immediately; but he sent Rabshakeh to
persuade Hezekiah to surrender it, and, if he should refuse, the refusal would
serve him for a pretence (and a very poor one) to besiege it, and, if it hold
out, to take it by storm. Rabshakeh had the impudence to desire audience of
the king himself at the conduit of the upper pool, without the walls; but
Hezekiah had the prudence to decline a personal treaty, and sent three
commissioners (the prime ministers of state) to hear what he had to say, but
with a charge to them not to answer that fool according to his folly (v.
36), for they could not convince him, but would certainly provoke him, and
Hezekiah had learned of his father David to believe that God would hear when
he, as a deaf man, heard not, Ps. xxxviii. 13-15. One interruption they
gave him in his discourse, which was only to desire that he would speak to
them now in the Syrian language, and they would consider what he said and
report it to the king, and, if they did not give him a satisfactory answer,
then he might appeal to the people, by speaking in the Jews' language, v.
26. This was a reasonable request, and agreeable to the custom of treaties,
which is that the plenipotentiaries should settle matters between themselves
before any thing be made public; but Hilkiah did not consider what an
unreasonable man he had to deal with, else he would not have made this
request, for it did but exasperate Rabshakeh, and make him the more rude and
boisterous, v. 27. Against all the rules of decency and honour, instead
of treating with the commissioners, he menaces the soldiery, persuades them to
desert or mutiny, threatens if they hold out to reduce the to the last
extremities of famine, and then goes on with his discourse, the scope of which
is to persuade Hezekiah, and his princes and people, to surrender the city.
Observe how, in order to do this,
1. He magnifies his master the king of Assyria. Once and again he calls him That
great king, the king of Assyria, v. 19, 28. What an idol did he
make of that prince whose creature he was! God is the great King, but
Sennacherib was in his eye a little god, and he would possess them with the
same veneration for him that he had, and thereby frighten them into a
submission to him. But to those who by faith see the King of kings in his
power and glory even the king of Assyria looks mean and little. What are the
greatest of men when either they come to compare with God or God comes to
contend with them? Ps. lxxxii. 6, 7.
2. He endeavours to make them believe that it will be much for their advantage
to surrender. If they held out, they must expect no other than to eat their
own dung, by reason of the want of provisions, which would be entirely cut off
from them by the besiegers; but if they would capitulate, seek his favour with
a present and cast themselves upon his mercy, he would give them very good
treatment, v. 31. I wonder with what face Rabshakeh could speak of
making an agreement with a present when his master had so lately broken the
agreement Hezekiah made with him with that great present, v. 14. Can
those expect to be trusted that have been so grossly perfidious? But, Ad
populum phaleras--Gild the chain and the vulgar will let you bind them.
He thought to soothe up all with a promise that if they would surrender upon
discretion, though they must expect to be prisoners and captives, yet it would
really be happy for them to be so. One would wonder he should ever think to
prevail by such gross suggestions as these, but that the devil does thus
impose upon sinners every day by his temptations. He will needs persuade them,
(1.) That their imprisonment would be to their advantage, for they should eat
every man of his own vine (v. 31); though the property of their
estates would be vested in the conquerors, yet they should have the free use
of them. But he does not explain it now to them as he would afterwards, that
it must be understood just as much, and just as long, as the conqueror
pleases. (2.) That their captivity would be much more to their advantage: I
will take you away to a land like your own land; and what the better would
they be for that, when they must have nothing in it to call their own?
3. That which he aims at especially is to convince them that it is to no
purpose for them to stand it out: What confidence is this wherein thou
trustest? So he insults over Hezekiah, v. 19. To the people he says
(v. 29), "Let not Hezekiah deceive you into your own ruin,
for he shall not be able to deliver you; you must either bend or
break." It were well if sinners would submit to the force of this
argument, in making their peace with God--That it is therefore our
wisdom to yield to him, because it is in vain to contend with him: what
confidence is that which those trust in who stand it out against him? Are
we stronger than he? Or what shall we get by setting briars and thorns
before a consuming fire? But Hezekiah was not so helpless and defenceless as
Rabshakeh would here represent him. Three things he supposes Hezekiah might
trust to, and he endeavours to make out the insufficiency of these:-- (1.) His
own military preparations: Thou sayest, I have counsel and strength for the
war; and we find that so he had, 2 Chron. xxxii. 3. But this Rabshakeh
turns off with a slight: "They are but vain words; thou art an
unequal match for us," v. 20. With the greatest haughtiness and
disdain imaginable, he challenges him to produce 2000 men of all his people
that know how to manage a horse, and will venture to give him 2000 horses if
he can. He falsely insinuates that Hezekiah has no men, or none fit to be
soldiers, v. 23. Thus he thinks to run him down with confidence and
banter, and will lay him any wager that one captain of the least of his
master's servants is able to baffle him and all his forces. (2.) His alliance
with Egypt. He supposes that Hezekiah trusts to Egypt for chariots and
horsemen (v. 24), because the king of Israel had done so, and of this
confidence he truly says, It is a broken reed (v. 21), it will
not only fail a man when he leans on it and expects it to bear his weight, but
it will run into his hand and pierce it, and rend his shoulder, as the
prophet further illustrates this similitude, with application to Egypt, Ezek.
xxix. 6, 7. So is the king of Egypt, says he; and truly so had the king of
Assyria been to Ahaz, who trusted in him, but he distressed him, and
strengthened him not, 2 Chron. xxviii. 20. Those that trust to any arm of
flesh will find it no better than a broken reed; but God is the rock of ages.
(3.) His interest in God and relation to him. This was indeed the confidence
in which Hezekiah trusts, v. 22. He supported himself by depending on
the power and promise of God; with this he encouraged himself and his people (v.
30): The Lord will surely deliver us, and again v. 32. This
Rabshakeh was sensible was their great stay, and therefore he was most large
in his endeavours to shake this, as David's enemies, who used all the arts
they had to drive him from his confidence in God (Ps. iii. 2; xi. 1), and thus
did Christ's enemies, Matt. xxvii. 43. Three things Rabshakeh suggested to
discourage their confidence in God, and they were all false:-- [1.] That
Hezekiah had forfeited God's protection, and thrown himself out of it, by destroying
the high places and the altars, v. 22. Here he measures the God of
Israel by the gods of the heathen, who delighted in the multitude of altars
and temples, and concludes that Hezekiah has given a great offence to the God
of Israel, in confining his people to one altar: thus is one of the best deeds
he ever did in his life misconstrued as impious and profane, by one that did
not, or would not, know the law of the God of Israel. If that be represented
by ignorant and malicious men as evil and a provocation to God which is really
good and pleasing to him, we must not think it strange. If this was to be
sacrilegious, Hezekiah would ever be so. [2.] That God had given orders for
the destruction of Jerusalem at this time (v. 25): Have I now come
up without the Lord? This is all banter and rhodomontade. He did not
himself think he had any commission from God to do what he did (by whom should
he have it?) but he made this pretence to amuse and terrify the people that
were on the wall. If he had any colour at all for what he said, it might
be taken from the notice which perhaps he had had, by the writings of the
prophets, of the hand of God in the destruction of the ten tribes, and he
thought he had as good a warrant for the seizing of Jerusalem as of Samaria.
Many that have fought against God have pretended commissions from him. [3.]
That if Jehovah, the God of Israel, should undertake to protect them from the
king of Assyria, yet he was notable to do it. With this blasphemy he concluded
his speech (v. 33-35), comparing the God of Israel with the gods of the
nations whom he had conquered and putting him upon the level with them, and
concluding that because they could not defend and deliver their worshippers
the God of Israel could not defend and deliver his. See here, First,
His pride. When he conquered a city he reckoned himself to have conquered its
gods, and valued himself mightily upon it. His high opinion of the idols made
him have a high opinion of himself as too hard for them. Secondly, His
profaneness. The God of Israel was not a local deity, but the God of the whole
earth, the only living and true God, the ancient of days, and had often proved
himself to be above all gods; yet he makes no more of him than of the upstart
fictitious gods of Hamath and Arpad, unfairly arguing that the gods (as some
now say the priests) of all religions are the same, and himself above them
all. The tradition of the Jews is that Rabshakeh was an apostate Jew, which
made him so ready in the Jews' language; if so, his ignorance of the God of
Israel was the less excusable and his enmity the less strange, for apostates
are commonly the most bitter and spiteful enemies, witness Julian. A great
deal of art and management, it must be owned, there were in this speech of
Rabshakeh, but, withal, a great deal of pride, malice, falsehood, and
blasphemy. One grain of sincerity would have been worth all this wit and
rhetoric.
Lastly, We are told what the commissioners on Hezekiah's part did. 1.
They held their peace, not for want of something to say both on God's behalf
and Hezekiah's: they might easily and justly have upbraided him with his
master's treachery and breach of faith, and have asked him, What religion
encourages you to hope that such conduct will prosper? At least they might
have given that grave hint which Ahab gave to Benhadad's like insolent
demands--Let not him that girdeth on the harness boast as though he had put
it off. But the king had commanded them not to answer him, and they
observed their instructions. There is a time to keep silence, as well as a
time to speak, and there are those to whom to offer any thing religious or
rational is to cast pearls before swine. What can be said to a madman? It is
probable that their silence made Rabshakeh yet more proud and secure, and so
his heart was lifted up and hardened to his destruction. 2. They rent their
clothes in detestation of his blasphemy and in grief for the despised
afflicted condition of Jerusalem, the reproach of which was a burden to them.
3. They faithfully reported the matter to the king, their master, and told
him the words of Rabshakeh, that he might consider what was to be done,
what course they should take and what answer they should return to Rabshakeh's
summons.
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