QT 31/03/2025 Mon. Isaiah 36. On what do you rest this trust of yours? 你信靠谁？

QT 31/03/2025 Mon. Isaiah 36. On what do you rest this trust of yours?
READ http://www.esvbible.org/isaiah36

Taunts, whether in the Ancient Near East of Isaiah's time or today, are not new. How should we respond, especially when the taunts carry religious tones and are directed against the LORD? Have their trusts been misplaced?

Isaiah 36:4–7 [4] And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? [5] Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? [6] Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. [7] But if you say to me, “We trust in the LORD our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar”? (ESV)

Serious taunts are not easily dismissed because these are not totally and absolutely false. Twice the audience were asked, who do you all trust? The Rabshakeh, the military commander, had great oratorial skills. He was sent by King Sennacherib of Assyria and attempted to prove the futility of trusting in Egypt and The LORD.

The Rabshakeh reminded them of Egypt's history, which had given up on the king of Ashdod and handed them over to the Assyrians—a bleak reminder of the option of trusting in Egypt. Secondly, as for the other option of trusting The LORD, the Rabshakeh pointed to the many Judean cities that he had conquered before arriving at Jerusalem for this taunt—a bleak reminder that the cities of supposedly The LORD's people had in fact been falling like dominoes.

How about Israel/Judah's own history? This was contrasted by the different responses of two of their kings—Ahaz and Hezekiah. Isaiah had stood at the same place as the Rabshakeh is standing now to urge king Ahaz to trust God. In the end, king Ahaz trusted a super-power and also an enemy (Isaiah 7 and 8). Chapters 36 and 37 would show that Hezekiah chose rightly to trust The LORD instead.

REFLECTION: On what do you rest this trust of yours? Are the offers of the Rabshakeh and The LORD the same?

Isaiah 36:16–17 [16] Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, [17] until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. (ESV)

A cursory reading of the above verses would remind you of the very similar promises of rest in the Promised Land (see 1 Kings 4:25, Micah 4:4 and Zechariah 3:10). Then what's the difference? The main point is not in the end result, but in the "who" of the whole process. The Giver of the blessings is The LORD, and no one else.

REFLECTION: We not only care about the result, but also who you trusted while on the way, and who you bowed down to in order to "arrive." It is only when God's people turn to God that they would find relief. If not, all accolades would vapourise. Would you trust in the LORD today and be firm in that?

QT 31/03/2025 星期一 以赛亚书 36 你信靠谁？
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/isa/36

无论是在以赛亚时代的古代近东，还是在今天，嘲讽都不是新鲜事。我们应该如何回应，尤其是当嘲讽带有宗教色彩并针对耶和华时？他们的信任错了吗？

以赛亚书 36:4-7 [4]  拉伯沙基对他们说：“你们去对希西家说：‘亚述大王这样说：你所倚靠的算得是什么倚靠呢？ 5 我说：你打仗所用的谋略和能力，不过是虚话罢了。你到底倚靠谁，以致你背叛我呢？6 看哪！你所倚靠的埃及，是那压伤的芦苇杖；人若倚靠它，它就会插进他的手，把手刺透。埃及王法老对所有倚靠他的人，也是这样。7 你若对我说：我们倚靠耶和华我们的　神，这　神所有的邱坛和祭坛岂不是都给希西家废去了，他还对犹大和耶路撒冷的人说：你们只要在这祭坛面前敬拜吗？

严肃的嘲讽不容易被驳回，因为这些嘲讽并非完全和绝对没有原理。听众两次被问到，你们都相信谁？拉怕沙基，这位军事统帅拥有高超的演说技巧。他是亚述王西拿基立派来的，试图证明相信埃及和耶和华是徒劳无益的。

拉怕沙基提醒他们埃及的历史，埃及放弃了亚实突王，把他们交给了亚述人--这是对他们选择相信埃及的凄凉提醒。其次，关于信靠耶和华的另一个选择，拉巴沙克指出了他在到达耶路撒冷之前攻克的许多犹大城市，这也是一个凄凉的提醒，即所谓耶和华子民的城市实际上已经像多米诺骨牌一样倒下了。

以色列/犹大自己的历史又如何呢？他们的两位国王--亚哈斯和希西家的不同反应形成了鲜明的对比。以赛亚曾站在拉怕沙基现在所站的地方，劝说亚哈斯王相信上帝。最后，亚哈斯王信任了一个超级大国，同时也是一个敌人（以赛亚书第 7 章和第 8 章）。第 36 章和第 37 章表明，希西家正确地选择了信靠耶和华。

反思：你的这种信任基于什么？拉怕沙基的提议和耶和华的提议是一样的吗？

以赛亚书 36:16-17  不要听希西家的话，因为亚述王这样说：‘你们要与我和好，出来向我投降，这样各人就可以吃自己葡萄树和无花果树的果子，也可以喝自己井里的水；

粗略阅读上述经文，你会想起应许之地关于安息的非常相似的应许（见《列王记上》4：25、《弥迦书》4：4 和《撒迦利亚书》3：10）。那么有什么区别呢？重点不单在乎最终结果，而在于整个过程中的 “谁”。福气的赐予者是耶和华，而不是其他人。

反思：我们不仅要关心结果，还要关心你在途中信任了谁，为了 “到达终点” 你向谁俯首称臣？只有当上帝的子民转向上帝时，他们才会找到解脱。 否则，一切赞誉都将化为乌有。今天，你愿意信靠耶和华并坚定不移吗？