During the reign of Hezekiah, King of Judah, the Assyrian Empire captured all the fortified cities of Judah except Jerusalem. Then the emperor sent his field commander with a message to terrify and demoralize the people of Jerusalem so they would be easier to conquer.

In his way of speaking, the commander is the image of Satan, the tempter, mixing truth and lies. It was true that Judah was not a powerful, earthly nation. The commander both threatened the people with brutal suffering (12) and promised them wealth and comfort if they surrendered (16-17). However, he was mistaken about several things. He over-estimated how much Hezekiah was depending on Egypt for help (6). He thought Hezekiah's removal of the idolatrous high places weakened God's power in Judah, when in fact the opposite was true (7).

Our minds can be attacked in a similar way to the commander's verbal attack on Jerusalem. King Hezekiah had commanded the people not to answer the commander's words at all (21). Sometimes the best response to a spiritual attack is not with words, but prayer.


Application: Father, strengthen me to withstand spiritual attacks designed to take away my courage. When the enemy is too cunning, help me trust in you quietly.
One Word: Quietly wait on the Lord's deliverance