Threats Of Reason

And Sennacherib’s officers further mocked the LORD God and his servant Hezekiah, heaping insult upon insult. The king also sent letters scorning the LORD, the God of Israel. He wrote, “Just as the gods of all the other nations failed to rescue their people from my power, so the God of Hezekiah will also fail.” The Assyrian officials who brought the letters shouted this in Hebrew to the people gathered on the walls of the city, trying to terrify them so it would be easier to capture the city. These officers talked about the God of Jerusalem as though he were one of the pagan gods, made by human hands. [2 Chronicles 32.16-19] 

There is much that could be discussed from this passage. However, it seems right to point out that Assyria's "threats of reason" were a direct violation of God's Third Commandment (not to mention the First and Second Commandments):

“You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.7]

Obviously, the LORD was not Assyria's God. But, just like Goliath found out when he verbally mocked God and Israel, Assyria found out for themselves that such talk against Israel's God yielded no good outcome.

Okay, so let's think this through... 

Assyria taunted Hezekiah by verbally discounting God's power. They reasoned that God was no better than the gods of all the other nations, gods made by human hands. We can easily understand from the Word of God that that was a huge mistake. But, is not even worse reasoning employed against God when we insist that God works through debt, insurance, medicine and technology, making the wealth, protection, health and knowledge of God's people dependent on these same enterprises just like all the other nations? By saying, "God uses these things," it makes God's power curiously beholding to man-made enterprises. Is this not dangerously close in similarity to saying, "My spouse gives me sexual fulfilment through another person!"? And, is this not even more poignant when we consider that God's relationship to His people is what marriage is to depict?

When we say, "I do" to God in repentance and belief in Jesus Christ Who declared Himself the only Way to God, we acknowledge:

"You must not have any other god but me." [Exodus 20.3]

When we say, "I do" to God's salvation in Christ alone, we are acknowledging His declared jealousy and that we will depend on nothing or no one else (man-made or otherwise: idols) for what God promised: 

"You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me." [Exodus 20.4-5]

When we say, "I do" to God, we are taking on His Name and acknowledge:

"You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name." [Exodus 20.7]

And, even though Sennacherib and his Assyrian army were not God-followers, still their misuse of God's name led to their demise (just like Goliath and the Philistine army). If God protects the glory and honor of His name to outsiders, how much more does He expect How own people to honor and glorify His name?

When Jesus discussed man's "own way" He was talking directly about man's insistence to think and live for himself by his own devices! And, what did Jesus say about man's "own way"?

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24, Mark 8.34, Luke 9.23]

Why else would Jesus repeatedly scold His followers for their lack of faith except to drive the point home that faith in God alone is the only way as He demonstrated? And, why would that "way of faith" also have a cross attached to it? Because death itself is no deterrent to genuine faith. Debt, insurance, medicine and technology would all have us believe that our wellbeing is in jeopardy without them - even deadly, but Hebrews 11 tells a different story of the truly "faith"ful:

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. [Hebrews 11.13]

Debt, insurance, medicine and technology warn that fullness of life (even death) is "on the line" without their aid. God-only faith says, "Not my problem!"

The Assyrian army warned of impending disaster - that fullness of life was "on the line" for Hezekiah and Jerusalem. Hezekiah's humanity is seen in his desperate plea to Isaiah, but God's solution never changed; He alone would orchestrate Assyria's demise.

When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, all dressed in burlap, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They told him, “This is what King Hezekiah says: Today is a day of trouble, insults, and disgrace. It is like when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to deliver the baby. But perhaps the LORD your God has heard the Assyrian chief of staff, sent by the king to defy the living God, and will punish him for his words. Oh, pray for those of us who are left!” After King Hezekiah’s officials delivered the king’s message to Isaiah, the prophet replied, “Say to your master, ‘This is what the LORD says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers. Listen! I myself will move against him, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword.’” [Isaiah 37.1-7]

Idols would have us believe that we cannot survive without them. Let's consider those words one more time:

Idols would have us believe that we cannot survive without them.

Idols are all liars whose intent and purpose are to deceptively entice God's people to ignore His Word and His promises even if only partially, just like Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden ("Has God really said...").

Has God really said He would provide for us?

Has God really said He would protect us?

Has God really said He would heal us?

Has God really said He would give us knowledge?

If God's people do not KNOW God's Word, then they cannot answer idols as Eve should have answered Satan: "YES, GOD HAS REALLY SAID...!"

No other gods!

No idols!

No misusing God's name!

Dear reader, DO NOT believe anything here because I said it. KNOW what God's Word says for yourself AND KNOW IT WELL because Satan comes to you (and me) every day asking, "Has God really said...?" Assyria's threats of reason against Hezekiah would have been compelling had not the Word of the LORD been confirmed through Isaiah.

Father, I want to trust You exclusively giving no thought to Satan's threats of reason heralded by debt, insurance, medicine and technology. So be it!