Have you ever been faced with arguments that seek to demoralise you? To knock your faith or your understanding?  The king of Assyria seeks to do exactly that when he sends out his field commander to speak to Hezekiah’s representatives, stopping by their essential water supply.

Look at the persuasive techniques the field commander uses: he does so because they are effective and used by those seeking to create despair, to demoralise, to knock a person’s faith or belief in a cause.  First, have an important person deliver the message, and let them show how much more powerful they are than you.  Next, use the past as an argument (you lost in the past so how will you win now?).  Demoralise them (I’ll give you 2,000 horses (we have more horse and soldiers than you and can even afford to give some to you and still not be afraid to lose) – but then you won’t have enough riders, will you? See 18:23).  Then offer a way out and cast doubt on the leader and their trustworthiness.  Appeal to the majority – they might not be so invested in the situation.  Ask rhetorical questions which have some truth in them.  Use powerful statements. 

Standing firm against such persuasive arts can be hard.  In Matthew 4:1-11, Satan uses similar tactics to tempt Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread”.  Others may indeed think your faith is hopeless, and seek to persuade you against it, and like Hezekiah’s people there is a time to remain silent as well as times to speak out.  When faced with such situations, pray first as Hezekiah does.

Using the past and what has happened is an effective argument, and the Assyrians use it to good effect in Chapters 18 and 19, suggesting that as there has never been a victory over them in the past, why would there be now?  Faith could be negatively influenced if we believe that past defeats mean the future is set the same, and affect our judgement as to what victories we might expect in the present and the future.  God does ultimately lead His people to victory over Assyria - because overcoming the odds is not a problem for God!

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Consider these from the words of the field commander attempting to prevent any victory for the people of God:

“On what are you basing this great confidence of yours?” (18:19)

“Choose life and not death” (18:32)

Our great confidence is in Jesus and in such confidence, we know we have chosen life.