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Topic: Folly Of Trusting In Man
[DCLM Daily Manna 27 February 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Isaiah 36:1-10
1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.
2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field.
3 Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah’s son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph’s son, the recorder.
4 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
5 I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?
6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.
7 But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?
8 Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
9 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
10 And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
KEY VERSE: “Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him” (Isaiah 36:6).
MESSAGE:
The foolishness of trusting in man becomes real and pronounced these days as many more people are experiencing disappointments, betrayals, trials and challenges of life. The Lord says, woe to them that go down to Egypt for help and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are very strong, but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord.
Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, taunted Judah and Hezekiah for trusting in Egypt. Rabshakeh, the ambassador of the proud monarch, came with a message of threat to further intimidate Hezekiah and to humiliate Judah for their trust in Egypt. The ambassador of the Assyrian king asked: “what confidence is this wherein thou trustest?” It was a statement of mockery against Hezekiah and the people of Judah for the step taken to ask help from Egypt.
None should think that his situation is so bad that there is no hope. Believers must pray in faith and expect a miraculous divine intervention in every challenging situation of life instead of putting their trust in man. Trials, threats, hatred and persecution from seemingly higher powers will fade away when God is trusted and allowed to take charge of the situation.
Christians should not organise their lives around human promise, advice or support. They should rather reflect on God’s unchanging promises. He is more than sufficient to redeem and to save to the uttermost. Hezekiah’s eventual deliverance proved that he did not actually depend on Egypt as alleged, but on the God of Israel Who gives victory.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: They that trust in God will never be ashamed.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 1-4
