Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

2 Kings 18 Devotional

Trust Under Mockery

“Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him.”2 Kings 18:5 (BSB)

Hezekiah tears down the high places and even breaks up the bronze snake Moses had made, because the people had been burning incense to it (18:4). The text sums him up: he trusted in the LORD and held fast to him (18:5-6). Even so, when Assyria captures Judah's fortified cities, Hezekiah pays heavy tribute and strips gold from the temple doors (18:14-16).

Then the Assyrian officer, the Rabshakeh, stands outside Jerusalem and attacks Hezekiah's trust. He asks what that confidence rests on, mocks reliance on Egypt and on the LORD alike, and even claims the LORD sent him (18:19-25). He shouts to the people on the wall that no god has saved any nation from Assyria (18:33-35). The people stay silent, as the king commanded (18:36). Psalm 20 contrasts those who rely on military strength with those who rely on the LORD's name (Psalm 20:7). Mockery cannot change who God is. Faith can stay quiet and wait, because the next word belongs to him.

To think about: What voices are questioning your trust in God right now, and what would it look like to wait quietly for his word?

About 2 Kings 18: Hezekiah Trusts the LORD Against Assyria

Hezekiah becomes king of Judah, removes the hilltop shrines, destroys the bronze snake people burned incense to, and trusts the LORD like no other king of Judah. Sennacherib invades and Hezekiah pays tribute, yet an Assyrian envoy mocks his trust in God; the people keep silent, and his officials report back in grief.

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