Fear Ye Not the Reproach of Men

Isaiah 36 recounts the words of Rabshakeh the Assyrian who came for his king to blaspheme against the people of Judah and make them afraid of the Assyrian army. He mocked the Lord and their trust in Him, telling them, “The Lord said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it” (v10). When Eliakim asked him to speak in Syrian instead of Hebrew, he refused because he wanted all the people to hear him blaspheme, claiming the king sent him “to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung” (v12). He called out for all to hear, “Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you. Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria” (v14-15). Of course this is exactly what the prophets and Hezekiah would tell them. He continued, “Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?” (v18) This army had of course already conquered northern Israel and so he used that to give evidence that their God would not save them from the hand of the Assyrians. Surely Rabshakeh’s invective caused great fear among those people who knew indeed that the Assyrians were not far away in Lachish and were ready to attack them. This man spoke in their language, talked to them of their God, and prophesied boldly that they would not be delivered.

                My favorite verse in this chapter is 21 and I think it teaches us a great deal about responding to this kind of hatred and anger from others: “But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.” For those who rail against God and that which is good, who insist on attacking His prophets and His people, often the only appropriate response is silence. This reminds us of course of the Savior as He stood before His accusers: “And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled” (Mark 15:3-5). Jesus answered nothing to the false and hypocritical accusations. We see a similar reaction in Alma and Amulek when they stood before the people of Ammonihah. The wicked people there burned the believers and then came to mock these two prophets, saying, “Behold, ye see that ye had not power to save those who had been cast into the fire; neither has God saved them because they were of thy faith…. What say ye for yourselves?” Mormon recorded, “And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek answered him nothing; and he smote them again, and delivered them to the officers to be cast into prison. And when they had been cast into prison three days, there came many lawyers, and judges, and priests, and teachers, who were of the profession of Nehor; and they came in unto the prison to see them, and they questioned them about many words; but they answered them nothing.” The judge said again to them, “Why do ye not answer the words of this people? Know ye not that I have power to deliver you up unto the flames?” Even when “he commanded them to speak… they answered nothing” (Alma 14:15-19). Surely that took great power and restraint to not revile the reviler, and they instead trusted in God and looked only to Him for strength and gave their words not to the blasphemer. We need not always answer evil or defend ourselves in a war of words, instead we can look to our God who will fight our battles and answer in His own time like He did to the Assyrians in the days of Hezekiah: “I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city” (Isaiah 38:6). Soon thereafter He indeed defended His city: “Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses” (Isaiah 37:36). As we trust in the Lord we can take counsel from these other words of Isaiah: “Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings” (Isaiah 51:7).