When Hezekiah was king of Judah, the Assyrians sent a representative to warn Judah that they were about to get blasted by Assyria. Rabshakeh, the delegate, taunted the people with threats, made fun of their king and their God, and then offered them the opportunity to choose to surrender peacefully. This was his proposal: Continue to eat and drink and enjoy life “until I come to take you away to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, and land of bread and vineyards…” Sounds tempting. It sounds like he’s offering them something wonderful, a fabulous trade. But his flattery doesn’t co-exist very well with his threats. What is, however, neatly wrapped in the flowery promises is this nugget of truth: “Until I come and take you away.” The key phrase shows that Rabshakeh is not presenting them a wonderful opportunity; rather, he plans to take them prisoner, to hold them captive in HIS land, a land that is fabulous FOR HIM, a land that is LIKE theirs but IS NOT THEIRS.
This is the same ploy the enemy uses today. He appeals to what we want to hear in the moment. Like Judah wanted peace and provision, we, too, have needs and desires through which the enemy baits us to do his bidding. He promises fulfillment, happiness, love, and supply for our deepest yearnings and greatest fears. Yet, what he offers isn’t ours to hold. If we reach for it, we grasp air. His promises are empty and aren’t ours to attain. It’s HIS satisfaction, HIS delight, HIS purpose that is achieved. We, on the other hand, are but his prisoners, taken where we can be subjected to his gloating, enslaved to His will.
So what is his will?
(Want the rest of the scoop and the Tip/Tidbit for the week? Click below)
This is the same ploy the enemy uses today. He appeals to what we want to hear in the moment. Like Judah wanted peace and provision, we, too, have needs and desires through which the enemy baits us to do his bidding. He promises fulfillment, happiness, love, and supply for our deepest yearnings and greatest fears. Yet, what he offers isn’t ours to hold. If we reach for it, we grasp air. His promises are empty and aren’t ours to attain. It’s HIS satisfaction, HIS delight, HIS purpose that is achieved. We, on the other hand, are but his prisoners, taken where we can be subjected to his gloating, enslaved to His will.
So what is his will?
(Want the rest of the scoop and the Tip/Tidbit for the week? Click below)
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