Isaiah 36:16-17 - Homilies By W. Clarkson

The invitation of the enemy.

The King of Assyria, by the mouth of his general, appeals to the citizens of Jerusalem to abandon their allegiance to Hezekiah. and "go out to him," promising them great advantages for their disloyalty. It is closely analogous to the invitation of our spiritual enemy to go over to him and receive the wages of sin which he offers to our souls.

I. IT IS A VERY PLAUSIBLE OFFER .

1 . Under the circumstances in which they then were, loyalty was threatened with decided disadvantage:

2 . On the other hand, surrender promised material good :

II. IT IS ESSENTIALLY FALSE .

1 . Rabshakeh and his royal master were both mistaken in their calculations. Jerusalem was not to be reduced to the severe straits of a protracted siege, was not to be taken by assault; neither want nor sword was to devastate the city. And they left the most important consideration out of their account; for even if their military projects had succeeded, and if the Jews had been defeated and ]lad found the plains of the Tigris as fruitful as the valley of the Jordan, yet would they have missed and mourned the liberty, the sacred services, the natural independence of their own beloved country,—they would have hung their harps upon the willows, instead of making them sound the joyous strains of patriotism and piety.

2 . Our spiritual enemy is also essentially wrong in his representations; he, too, leaves the principal considerations out of his reckoning.