How does Isaiah 36:12 connect with God's promises in Deuteronomy 31:6? Setting the Scene • Isaiah 36 unfolds in 701 BC, when Assyria surrounds Jerusalem. • Rabshakeh, the Assyrian field commander, shouts Isaiah 36:12: “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to your master and to you? Has he not rather sent me to the men who sit on the wall—doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?” • Centuries earlier, Moses spoke Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Human Intimidation vs. Divine Assurance Rabshakeh’s words … • Aim to humiliate: predicting starvation and degradation. • Magnify Assyrian strength: suggesting no nation’s god has resisted them (Isaiah 36:18-20). • Stir panic among “the men who sit on the wall,” the ordinary soldiers and citizens. God’s words in Deuteronomy … • Charge Israel to “be strong and courageous.” • Promise the enduring presence of the LORD. • Prohibit fear because He “will never leave you nor forsake you.” The Connection 1. Direct Confrontation of Promises – Rabshakeh’s speech is a precise test of Deuteronomy 31:6. – If God truly never forsakes, Jerusalem’s people will not end in the disgrace Rabshakeh predicts. 2. Continuity of Covenant Faithfulness – Deuteronomy 31:6 was first applied as Israel faced Canaan’s giants (Deuteronomy 1:28; Joshua 1:9). – Isaiah 36 shows the same promise shielding a later generation against a new giant empire (cf. 2 Kings 18-19). 3. Outcome Validates the Promise – Isaiah 37:33-36 records the Angel of the LORD striking down 185,000 Assyrians overnight. – Jerusalem’s walls never saw the famine Rabshakeh threatened; instead, God’s presence proved literal and powerful. Echoes in the Rest of Scripture • Hebrews 13:5 quotes Deuteronomy 31:6 verbatim, applying it to believers today. • Psalm 46:1-2: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” • 2 Chronicles 32:7-8: Hezekiah himself repeats Moses’ words to his troops, showing direct reliance on the Deuteronomic promise. Practical Takeaways • Voices of intimidation still challenge God’s reliability; measure them against His unchanging word. • God’s past faithfulness guarantees present security; history in Isaiah 36-37 confirms the literal truth of Deuteronomy 31:6. • Courage is not the absence of threats but confidence in the abiding presence of the LORD who never forsakes His people. |
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