This is where we left off yesterday, with him making these false promises. But the people had been warned beforehand by King Hezekiah that the man would tell lies and say awful things. He told them not to speak a word to this man and in today's text we find them being obedient to his command.
Hezekiah was correct to tell them to remain mute. It's never beneficial to get into a discussion with the devil. The field commander himself is not the devil and neither is the king he represents but the spirit behind the words of these men is from the evil one. This becomes even clearer than ever as the field commander blasphemes the God of Israel by comparing Him to the false gods of the heathen nations.
He shouts to the people: "Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, 'The Lord will deliver us!' Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?" (Isaiah 36:18-20)
It's true that he has successfully captured the cities named in the verses above. It's true that the gods worshiped by the citizens of those cities didn't lift a finger to defend the cities. But how could they since they don't exist? We don't know whether the field commander is a religious man or not. He likely makes offerings to the gods of his master, King Sennacherib of Assyria, but whether he believes in those gods or in any gods we do not know. If he believes in the gods of Assyria then we can safely assume he believes they are more powerful than the gods of the other nations, considering he has been successful in conquering those nations.
He mistakenly believes that Almighty God is as impotent as the gods of those nations. We know this because he says something like, "Why are you trusting in your king who says God will help you? God can't help you! Did any of the gods of these other places help them? No, and your God will not help you. Why set yourselves up for a long siege? Why bring mass casualties upon yourselves when our siege ramps are large enough for us to come over your walls? Surrender now and save yourselves from these tribulations."
We don't know how many doubts and fears may be assailing the people's hearts as they hear the words intended to completely demoralize them. But they don't speak a word in return to him. They don't argue with him. They don't ask him questions. You'll recall from our study of the book of Genesis that this is where Eve went wrong in the Garden of Eden; she engaged in a conversation with Satan and fell for his lies. We have all engaged in conversations with Satan from time to time (when we mull over a particular temptation in our minds and when we try to justify it to ourselves and when we wonder what's the real harm in it) and that's a slippery slope because the next thing you know we've believed his lies and are even beginning to lie to ourselves. The people wisely heed the warning of their king and refuse to engage in conversation with the man who is shouting lies about their God. "But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, 'Do not answer him.'" (Isaiah 36:21)
This is the end of the discussion at this time. Hezekiah's officials return to the palace to relay all the words of the field commander to him. It would not have been safe for the king to come outside the gates of Jerusalem to face the commander and the soldiers behind him. That could have led to him being assassinated. Also, since the field commander is lower than King Hezekiah in rank, I feel it wouldn't be politically proper for a king to come out of his palace to speak face to face with someone who is not also a king. It would have made him look weak if he allowed himself to be summoned outside of the city by someone of lower status than himself. "Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said." (Isaiah 36:22)
Though no one argued with the field commander and got caught up in a useless debate with him, his words have had an effect on them. The men have torn their robes in grief as they made their way to the palace. They are deeply troubled. Hezekiah will be deeply troubled too but he will turn to the One who is far more powerful than the enemy.
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