Isaiah 36
When Facing a Crisis
What Are You Leaning on? Vs. 1-6
Who Are You Listening to? Vs. 7-10
Where Are You Finding Your Strength? vs. 11-17
What Are You Saying? Vs. 18-22
Intro:
Every year down in Peru tens of thousands sea lions gather to mate and give birth
When the mother sea lion gives birth she hasn’t eaten for months
After her cub has grown a bit she leaves him to go find food
She can be gone for over a week
During that time the cub must fend for himself
What makes it so dangerous is that the male sea lions will try to eat the cub and the adolescent sea lions treat the cub like a play toy
They pick the cub up by the back of the neck and fling him all over the place
It is all part of the process of grooming the sea lion for being out in the ocean on its own
If it survives that time it will be ready to be on its own
Crises often come when circumstances seem to be at their best.
Hezekiah had led the nation in a great reformation, & the people were united in the fear of the Lord.
They had put away their idols, restored the temple services, and sought the blessing of their God.
But instead of receiving blessing, they found themselves facing battles! “
After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded
Crises come, whether schedules permit it or not; and sometimes crises seem to pile up.
How do we handle them?
What life does to us depends on what life finds in us.
A crisis does not make a person; it shows what a person is made of
Read Isaiah 36:1-4
Transition:
Except for David and Solomon, no king of Judah is given more attention in Scripture than Hezekiah.
Eleven chapters are devoted to him in 2 Kings; 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah
He began his reign about 715 B.C.,
He restored the temple facilities and services of worship, destroyed the idols and the high places (hill shrines where people falsely worshiped), and sought to bring the people back to vital faith in the Lord.
He led the people in a nationwide two-week celebration of Passover
2 Chron 31:21“And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to see His God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered”
After the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C., Judah had constant problems with Assyria.
Hezekiah finally rebelled against Assyria; and when Sennacherib threatened to attack, Hezekiah tried to bribe him with tribute.
It was a lapse of faith on Hezekiah’s part that God could not bless.
Sennacherib accepted the treasures but broke the treaty and invaded Judah in 701 B.C.
The account of God’s miraculous deliverance of His people is given in chapters 36–37
But first Hezekiah has a crises on his hands
We learn a lot from him how to handle ourselves when a crises happens
First we need to start by asking ourselves four questions
What Are You Leaning On? Vs. 1-6
So Israel is in the midst of a Crisis
Even though Hezekiah has done all of these Godly things Assyria still invades
Crisis make us ask some very hard questions
The first question Israel has to ask is “What are you leaning on?”
They had leaned on Egypt for help but that had failed
They had tried to bribe Assyria but they didn’t keep the treaty
Now Assyria is standing at the gate, literally, of Jerusalem
The Assyrians had ravaged Judah and were now at Lachish, about thirty miles south.
Now Sennacherib sends a military official with a large army to intimidate Israel into surrender
Rabshakeh is not the guys real name. It was a military title
He was the field general to the army
He comes with a large army and stands by the upper pool by the highway
Why is where he stands so important?
The pool is where Israel got its water to survive
The highway was on the way to one of the fields where they grew food to eat
This strategic place is showing Israel that Assyria will cut of everything necessary to survive
Everything Israel had trusted in had failed them
Crisis’ will expose and wipe out anything and everything that is not stable
Any crutch that we leaned on in the past will be knocked out from under us
If we lean on money, or positions, or friends they will all fail us
You will often hear people say “You find out who you’re true friends are when you go through hard times.”
While that is true sometimes God may even remove good friends to get your attention
What God is using that Crisis to do is to get us to trust in the Lord
Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes;
But you may protest that Hezekiah was one of the good kings, he should’ve been blessed
Had God turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to all that Hezekiah and his people had done?
Of course not! The Assyrian invasion was a part of God’s discipline to teach His people to trust Him alone.
Even Hezekiah had at first put his trust in treaties and treasures, only to learn that the enemy will keep the wealth but not keep his word.
Judah had negotiated to get help from Egypt, an act of unbelief that Isaiah severely rebuked.
God’s great purpose in the life of faith is to build godly character.
Hezekiah and his people needed to learn that faith is living without scheming.
Psalm 71:6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.
So don’t be surprised when you are going thru a crisis if God doesn’t remove everything you leaned on in the past
He is trying to get you to lean upon Him…only
Who Are You Listening To? Vs. 7-12
The second question that we need to ask is “Who are we listening to?”
In vs. 7 Rabshakeh starts a different tactic
He starts in with the pyschological warfare
The Assyrians were masters at intimidation
Not only was their army so vast but their tactics were so brutal
They wouldn’t spare anyone when they conquered a town
If you surrendered they would take you as slaves and lead you out of town in chains that were attached to a ring in your nose
Look at some of the tactics Rabshakeh uses
Are you going to trust in your God or King? Look you’re surrounded
Then he makes a wager with Judah
“I’ll give you 2000 horses if you can find someone to ride them.”
He is trying to convince them that no one is with them and everyone is leaving you
Finally he points to Judah’s weakness
Where was you God when we walked right up to your walls unopposed
If your God was so mighty why didn’t He stop us
Basically Us being here is proof that God is judging you and you’re wrong
This is how the enemy works
God isn’t for you and everyone is leaving you and is against you
Vs. 11 Hezekiah’s advisors have an interesting response
Speak to us in Aramaic, do not speak t us in the language of Judah
It seems peculiar that they wouldn’t want them to speak in Hebrew
The suspicious would assume that they are trying to hide something from the people
In reality they are trying to protect the people
Rabshakeh is mocking God and spouting lies
The leaders are trying to protect the people from all of this unnecessary talk
If they can protect the people then they won’t be filled with fear and it won’t spread
Be careful what and who you are listening to
Prov 16:28 A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
Prov 26:20 Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
Instead we need to listen to the Word of God because it leads us to life
Prov 8:32-36 Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”
3. Where Are You Finding Your Strength? vs. 13-20
The third question you need to ask when in a crisis is: “Where are you finding your strength?”
Vs. 13-15 Rabshakeh calls out the king and God
He is trying to remove any trust or strength the people may find in them
Hezekiah won’t deliver you, don’t let him turn you to God
Instead make your peace with the king of Assyria and each of you won’t go hungry or thirsty
UNTIL… I come and take you away to another land
Besides where are the gods of hermit and Arpad?
Who among all of the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand
One thing
Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
4. What Are You Saying? Vs. 18-22
There is such a big push today transparency
When in fact a lot of what is transparency today is really just gossip
When leaders don’t talk it is often because they are trying to protect the people they are leading
If leaders answered every claim and rumor it would never stop
Beca
Prov 21:23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Prov 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Closing:
