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"Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on
which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it; so is Pharaoh King of Egypt
unto all that trust in him" (verse 21).
"But if ye say unto me, We trust in the Lord our God: is not that he, whose high
places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem,
Ye shall worship before this altar at Jerusalem" (verse 22).
"How . . . . . put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?" (verse 24).
"Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:
neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us,
and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria" (verses 29, 30).
"Let not thy God in Whom thou trustest deceive thee . . . . . Have the gods of the
nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed?" (II Kings 19: 10-12).
Unwittingly, Rabshakeh may have been used to reveal to Hezekiah the way of true
trust. He had questioned the ground of his trust, "Whom dost thou trust?" What answer
could Hezekiah make but that he trusted in the living God, the God of Abraham, and
covenant promises?
He had revealed the utter untrustworthiness of Pharaoh, and had confused the
idolatry--which Hezekiah had sought to stamp out--with the worship of the true God.
The more Rabshakeh taunted him regarding the foolishness of his trust, the more his trust
in the living God grew--such at least ought to be one of the lessons from this ninefold
emphasis on the word "trust" in this book of Kings.
It may not be for us to attain pre-eminence in the affairs of men or in the eyes of
the world, but, Oh, for a trust that could receive such commendation as is given in
II Kings 18: 5!
#6.
Prayer and Deliverance (I Chron. 5: 20).
pp. 227, 228
Trust in the Lord is not confined to one aspect of experience, but, as the Scripture
itself enjoins, should be exhibited "at all times" (Psa. 62: 8), and not only at "what time I
am afraid" (Psa. 56: 3). As we have seen in the case of Hezekiah under the threats and
taunts of Rabshakeh and Sennacherib, it is nevertheless true to experience that times of
great peril or distress are often occasions when trust rises to its supreme place.
"They were helped . . . . . for they cried to God in the battle, and He was intreated of
them; because they put their trust in Him" (I Chron. 5: 20).
These words are written, not of those who were defenceless, aged, infirm, or otherwise
bereft of all external help, but of men who could be described as "Valiant men, men able
to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with the bow, and skilful in war" (verse 18). The
expression "Valiant men" is given in the margin as "Sons of valour", and the phrase
"Mighty men of valour" is constantly used as a description of famous men of arms who
figured in Israel's history. A man may be fearless yet hopelessly outclassed in the matter