What is the meaning of Isaiah 36:5? You claim to have a strategy and strength for war The Assyrian field commander taunts Hezekiah’s messengers: “You claim to have a strategy and strength for war” (Isaiah 36:5). • Human calculations looked bleak. Assyria’s army had flattened every walled city it met (2 Kings 18:13). • Hezekiah’s reforms had stripped the nation of the very silver and gold paid earlier as tribute (2 Kings 18:14-16). • Yet Jerusalem’s hope was never supposed to rest on clever plans or military muscle: “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory comes from the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31). • The Lord had already promised deliverance if Judah would listen (Isaiah 31:4-5). but these are empty words Assyria dismisses Judah’s confidence as hollow bravado. They see no visible army or allies, so they label every assurance “empty words.” • Empty words are boasts detached from divine reality (James 2:17; Psalm 33:16-17). • God will soon expose whose words carry weight: “The counsel of the LORD stands forever” (Psalm 33:11). • Compare Pharaoh’s similar bluster in Exodus 5:2; God turned that arrogance into a platform for His glory (Exodus 14:30-31). In whom are you now trusting This is the heart of the challenge. The question could be re-phrased: “What is the object of your faith?” • Assyria assumes Judah leans on Egypt’s cavalry (Isaiah 36:6), echoing the earlier temptation: “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help” (Isaiah 31:1). • Hezekiah’s real trust is in the LORD: “With us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles” (2 Chronicles 32:8). • That choice echoes throughout Scripture: – “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7). – “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him” (Jeremiah 17:7). • Faith is not wishful thinking; it rests on God’s covenant promises (Deuteronomy 20:1-4). that you have rebelled against me? From Assyria’s viewpoint, refusing tribute equals rebellion. From heaven’s viewpoint, trusting the Lord against tyrannical demands is obedience. • Hezekiah had torn down the pagan high places (2 Kings 18:3-6). His allegiance shift infuriated Assyria but pleased God. • Opposition often reframes faithfulness as rebellion. The apostles faced the same accusation: “We gave you strict orders… yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching” (Acts 5:28). • True rebellion is not against earthly kings but against the King of kings (Psalm 2:1-3). Judah’s stand aligned them with heaven’s throne (Isaiah 37:22-23). • God vindicated that stance overnight: “The angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians” (Isaiah 37:36). summary Isaiah 36:5 spotlights the clash between human arrogance and divine reliability. Assyria sneers at Judah’s lack of visible resources, branding their faith “empty words.” Yet the real question is not about military numbers but about the object of trust. Hezekiah anchors his hope in the LORD, and God proves that reliance is anything but empty. The passage calls readers to abandon self-reliance, reject false alliances, and rest confidently in the Lord who alone turns apparent weakness into unassailable strength. |
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