War and Empty Words!

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field, Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to him. 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? You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 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. 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”? “ ‘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! How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’ ”Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.” But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?” Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!  This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.“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 lands from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”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 NIV

Oh what lessons we can learn by reviewing history about wars and words.

Liars didn't just start lying in the 21st Century; they've been around for a long time--and they lied to gain an advantage over gullible people--people easily swayed and deluded.

In this passage of scripture--the field commander--(unnamed at this point) lies to Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah in the hearing of the people--attempting to make them doubt what they already knew--The Lord would deliver them. In other words--the commander was trying to "gaslight" the people, but the people refused to answer him because they had been warned not to say anything. And saying nothing, means more than spewing empty words that will only provoke violence.

Someone should read this passage to the #WHidiot before he gets us all killed with his empty rhetoric. He doesn't have a foreign policy plan and has never had a plan. He didn't realize the enormity of the job in the Oval Office and thought he could make up stuff as he went. His empty words--not understood by anyone--fell on the ears of the world watching and wondering, what he meant about Assad getting a message. Representative Maxine Waters had the best advice for him, "Shut up!" He needs to be quiet and stop trying to sound tough, when he's shaking in his boots because he doesn't have a clue and he won't listen to anyone who does.

While he was running his mouth, the king of Jordan looked stunned at the ignorance displayed by the so-called president of the United States. What a joke we are to those watching this ship sink!

It would be interesting if he ever did any homework about anyone he's hosting at the White House and it would even be more interesting if he learned diplomacy and etiquette for a real leader. 
Attempting to have "policy talks" with King Abdullah and his 35 years of military service compared to a repeat draft dodger--is laughable at best! The idiot-in-chief knows nothing about being in the military, procedure or foreign policy, nor does his son-in-law, or daughter. And they're in the White House advising him because what...?

At any rate, The Lord delivered and Hezekiah proved to be faithful to the God of Heaven and remained steadfast in his belief that His God--was God.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to know that we had a "modern-day Hezekiah" praying and acting on our behalf--even in the face of danger--knowing that God is not a man that He should lie?

Unfortunately, we don't have a Hezekiah in the White House and we know because he suffers from a "savior-complex," thinking he has all the answers and he alone can fix stuff. So the rest of us--who do know God, must pray and be faithful unto Him who is able to deliver us and not count on the #WHidiot and his empty words or we shall surely fall by the wayside.