2 Kings 18:17-25

The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 18 They called for the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.
19 The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:
“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22 But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?
23 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 How can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord? The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’”

Reflection:

This passage tells the account of when the Assyrian commander threatened King Hezekiah. While taunting him, he brought up a good point about Egypt, “that splintered reed of staff that pierces the hand” - ultimately Egypt will only bring grief. Interestingly, even the Assyrians knew such things about Egypt, but Hezekiah made alliance with thinking that they could be a help. What he thought was smart thing to do was ultimately foolish. Thinking about our own circumstances, what were you thinking when not trusting the Lord? What is truly the most rational thing to do when making tough life decisions?

Response:

It might not be obvious at first glance, especially if we are faced with situations where our very actions can either be harmful or beneficial to ourselves, but it remains true that trusting the Lord in the midst of chaos is truly the most rational thing to do. Let’s pray today that the Spirit will turn our hearts once more to seek the One that is higher than us!

this is the account of when the Assyrian commander is threatening King Hezekiah. While taunting he brings up a good point about Egypt, “that splintered reed of staff that pierces the hand” - ultimately Egypt will only bring grief. Interestingly, even the Assyrians knew such things about Egypt, but Hezekiah made alliance with thinking that they could be a help. What he had thought was smart thing to do, was ultimately foolish. What were you thinking when not trusting the Lord? Because trusting the Lord in the midst of chaos is truly the most rational thing.