How does Isaiah 36:7 challenge our understanding of true reliance on God? Setting the scene • Assyria has surrounded Jerusalem. Their field commander (Rabshakeh) announces Isaiah 36:7: “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is He not the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before this altar’?” • Hezekiah’s reforms (2 Kings 18:3-6) tore down illicit shrines so that worship would occur only at the temple, just as Deuteronomy 12 required. • The enemy misreads that obedience as folly. From a human angle, fewer altars look like less power—so they mock Judah’s “trust.” The Assyrian accusation Rabshakeh’s logic: 1. More visible altars = more divine favor. 2. Hezekiah scrapped altars, so Yahweh must be angry. 3. Therefore Judah’s claim of “trust” is empty. What true reliance looks like • Dependence rests on God’s word, not on religious props. Hezekiah’s reforms were obedience, not recklessness. • Faith often strips away what impresses the flesh (Philippians 3:3). • Genuine reliance is relational and exclusive: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). How our reliance is tested • When obedience seems to reduce visible security (tithing in tight budgets, honesty that risks promotion), enemies point and sneer. • God may allow circumstances where only His promise stands between us and disaster (2 Chronicles 14:11). • Taunts expose whether hearts trust rituals, numbers, or the living Lord (Psalm 20:7). Lessons for disciples today • Religious clutter can masquerade as faith. Removing it may invite misunderstanding, yet pleases God (Jeremiah 7:3-7). • Relying on God means aligning with His revealed will, even when culture labels it naïve (Proverbs 3:5-6). • Testing is part of the trust journey: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is the LORD” (Jeremiah 17:7). Taking it home ✔ Identify and dismantle personal “high places”—habits, relationships, or securities that rival Christ’s lordship. ✔ Anchor confidence in Scripture’s promises rather than outward indicators. ✔ Expect opposition; let it deepen conviction that obedience and reliance are inseparable. ✔ Remember Hezekiah’s outcome: “The LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib” (2 Chronicles 32:22). God still honors trust that is proven by wholehearted obedience. |
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