Psychological warfare tries to win battles without actually fighting. For example, one form of psychological warfare is to drop leaflets behind enemy lines promising amnesty to soldiers who surrender. Or perhaps the leaflets will say that the soldiers shouldn't fight because their leaders are untrustworthy and not worth giving their lives for. Another tactic is to spread rumors or publicize facts about how much more powerful one army is compared to the other, so that the weaker side will be too discouraged to put up a fight.
The Assyrian general tried to wage psychological warfare against Israel in today's narrative. Thanks to the Lord, it backfired badly. Isaiah 36-39 marks the midpoint of the book; these chapters, which we'll consider today and tomorrow, form an historical bridge between its two halves (cf. 2 Kings 18:13-20:19).
In 701 b.c., Assyria, which by then had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, thought it could swallow the southern kingdom of Judah as well. Sennacherib's message was a nice piece of psychological warfare. He gave a discouraging military assessment of Judah's chances of resisting his superior force, and he said it in Hebrew within hearing of defenders on the city walls. His fatal mistake, however, was including this arrogant boast: “Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (36:20).
King Hezekiah's reaction was godly. He didn't panic or send representatives seeking new alliances. Instead, he sought the Lord in repentant sorrow, and sought Isaiah for a word from the Lord. His prayer (37:14-20) summarized the main issues: Who is the real God? Not idols! What is Sennacherib's attitude? Mockery of the real God. What to do? Deliver us and show the world the real God. For the glory of His name, the Lord granted Hezekiah's prayer and divinely won the battle.
posted by I love Jesus! ! ! @ Saturday, June 16, 2007
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