It is disturbing to hear good King Hezekiah’s response to this word from God; his shortsightedness is appalling, revealing a lack of concern for others who will come behind him. It also reveals an utter lack of awareness of his own missed opportunity to witness of God’s greatness to the Babylonian envoys.

Our enemy works to subtly manipulate the verbal exchanges between individuals. But, during the seconds of a deep breath and a prayer, the Holy Spirit stands ready to guide our conversation aright.

Now the Babylonians were known for their study of the heavenly bodies and their movements. These were meticulously recorded. God knew that they would notice the sun’s strange behavior and wonder what it meant.

God is at work to draw all people to Himself for their eternal well-being. Oh, beloved, if this desire of our great God is at the center of His work upon the earth, should not it be the factor that molds our every thought and action, our every prayer, and our every conversation with fellow travelers on this earth?

This Rabshakeh was like a chief of staff from Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Propaganda was his specialty, and his assignment was to undermine the faith of Hezekiah who firmly believed that it was not God’s will for His people to be subject to Assyria.

While it is true that sin carries the seeds of self-destruction (James 1:15), God is not passive. He will actively terminate the curse of sin at His appointed time. He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time. (Nahum 1:9)